New county fairgrounds becoming a reality
By Ashleigh Plemper
Farmer Staff Writer
What began as a decades-long dream has really, truly become a reality for the many residents and their families who have longed for a new county fairgrounds.
As you make your way around the outer edge of Watford City on the Highway 85 loop, you may have noticed some big changes taking place at the site of the McKenzie County Ag Expo. But hold your horses because it has only just begun.
Once construction is complete, the new fairgrounds site, consisting of 212 acres will feature a 112,000-square foot Ag Expo building, a 15,000-square foot exhibit hall and a 51,000-square foot livestock room.
“Come this week, you’ll start seeing a lot of people working out there,” says Chris Kubal, McKenzie County Fair Board vice president and president of the McKenzie County Fair Building Committee.
For as long as anyone can remember, the original McKenzie County Fairgrounds has been where all agricultural and livestock affairs took place. But time and traffic would inevitably push it to its last days and plans to create a new one eventually came into the picture.