(La Porte County, IN) - The door has opened for a new livestock show arena to be built at the La Porte County Fairgrounds.

 

On Wednesday, the La Porte County Commissioners granted a request to tear down the existing show arena and build a new one at the same location.

 

Fair Board member Steve Mrozinski said the new building will be more than twice the size of the one that’s been at the fairgrounds since the early 1960s. He went further, saying the new arena will have an additional ring to reduce the amount of time 4-H members will have to wait to show their animals for judging. The facility will also add to the indoor space at the fairgrounds reserved for the public to store things like campers during the winter.

 

“We can use two arenas if we need to. It would just benefit the 4-H side of it all plus our storage that we do in the winter,” he said.

 

Mrozinski said the new show arena will be about the size of the cattle barn erected a few years ago that’s also used for winter storage by the public.

 

The Fair Board will pay the entire cost of the construction, which could be upwards of $500,000, he said.

 

The goal is to begin construction after the fair and finish in November in time for the facility to be used for winter storage. The show arena is also where auctions are held for the livestock shown by 4-H youth.