The Western Kentucky State Fair Board has been approved for a $100,000 state grant to help build a livestock barn at the local fairgrounds, Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles said Monday in a press release.
The grant was one of five awarded statewide. It comes from the State Aid to Local Agriculture Fairs Program.
“County fairs are at the heart of our agriculture communities. Each year I get the unique honor of announcing grants to local county fair boards for infrastructure improvements,” Quarles said in the release. “These grants allow county fair boards to enhance the environment of livestock shows, and other events when the time comes.”
Each grant is designed to cover 75% of the total cost of a project, and the local fair board matches the remaining cost. The projects must begin within 90 days of the award and must be completed within nine months.
The grants are for infrastructure or facility improvements, capital construction, or purchase of non-permanent tangible items such as bleachers or restaurant equipment.
The local fairgrounds are located on Richard Street.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
