By Patricia Beech-
The Adams County Fairgrounds has a new addition in its center ring – an open-air stage that allows a 360 degree view of activities featured in the facility’s main show arena.
The initial design for 15 x 30 foot structure was created by Senior Fair Board President, Liz Lafferty, and her mother, Elaine Lafferty – a locally renowned water-colorist and former art teacher.
Lafferty said one of the project’s main design considerations was to create a structure that complements the fairground’s massive wooden grandstand built in the early decades of the 20th century.
“We wanted to mirror the style of the grandstand 100 percent,” said Lafferty. “That was a very important consideration.”
To achieve that architectural balance, Lafferty and local business owner Tony Staggs, who was instrumental in spurring the recent renovation of the fairground’s grandstand, turned to Sweetwater Woodcraft, a Georgetown, Ohio company specializing in building wooden structures like gazebos, pavilions, pergolas, decks, and arbors.
“They’ve done a phenomenal job for us,” says Lafferty. “Their work ethic is like no other, this stage will probably be standing here a hundred years from now.”
To create the 360 degree view of the center ring, the stage pillars had to be a full two feet longer than those supporting the grandstand.
“I sat in the grandstand myself to make sure there was a clear, uninterrupted view,” says Lafferty. “We wanted to be certain that both the judges and the people in the grandstand watching horse shows would be able to see the entire center ring through the open-air stage.”
The stage is expected to be completed by the end of March.
Other new additions to the 128th Adams County Fair include a new quilt square on the east side of the grandstand featuring the Farm Bureau logo in honor of the organization’s 100th Anniversary; new sound and wiring in the youth show arena and the barns; and a new crow’s nest in the Derby arena.