WORTHINGTON - Visitors to the Nobles County Fair next week in Worthington will be able to walk, stroll, run and roll across a brand new concrete road that stretches from Stower Drive, down the main thoroughfare of the fairgrounds and around the bend at the commercial building to end at the gates to Pioneer Village.
The four-month project began in April, when groups of volunteer laborers began the process of breaking up and hauling away the old pavement. Nobles County Fair board member Ron McCarvel, who coordinated the project, said the old road had been on the board’s list of projects for a decade.
With several rain delays in May and June, the road is now completed, with just some minimal touching up that will be done before the fair starts on Wednesday.
The new road was made possible through a collaboration of groups who use the fairgrounds. Joining the fair board were Nobles County and the city of Worthington, ISD 518 and the Worthington Hockey Association, the Nobles County Historical Society, Nobles County 4-H, contractors Bob McCuen and Steve Bents Trucking, as well as numerous other businesses, individuals and families. Through contributions and volunteer labor, the cost of the project was kept to just under $300,000.
In addition to the new road, McCarvel said nearly all of the lighting has been changed at the fairgrounds by installing new LED lights above the entrances to each building. In addition, new electrical outlets were added in a couple of places to expand the potential for outdoor vendors during the fair and for other events.
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McCarvel said with the new road, it’s hoped that new events will be brought to the fairgrounds and more usage for the facilities. The new pavement matches up with the entrance to each building, eliminating any small steps or gaps that previously existed.
Compeer Financial Fund for Rural America awarded a $750 grant to the Nobles County Fair Association this summer, and those funds will be used to replace the doors on the Fine Arts building on the fairgrounds. McCarvel said that project couldn’t be completed before the fair.
