Numerous improvements have been made at the snack bar at the Wallowa County Fairgrounds, though more are planned for after the Aug. 4-12, 2023 fair.

ENTERPRISE — As participants in this year’s Wallowa County Fair get ready to display their projects at the fair, the fairgrounds itself has some new elements to show off.

“We’ve done a few things,” said Wallowa County Commissioner Todd Nash on Thursday, July 27 — things that added up to nearly $2 million in spending on the fairgrounds.

Nash is the commissioner who is most closely involved with the fair, which runs Aug. 4-12 this year.

Improvements

Probably the most significant of the new and improved elements at the fairgrounds in Enterprise is the outdoor arena. Earlier this year, the old panels and gates were replaced and new dirt and sand was applied to the arena ground.

“We have really good footing, but the project isn’t complete,” Nash said.

He said the county still has plans to improve more of the arena.

“We have more on its way to replace old bucking chutes,” he said.

Another significant area where improvements were made was at Cloverleaf Hall, where many open class exhibits are displayed. Improvements there were largely paid for with a $200,000 grant donated by Wallowa Memorial Hospital.

Nash said a new dividing wall was erected and a new furnace, heat pump and air conditioning unit was installed. An air purification system also was installed.

The Cloverleaf also received a new generator with the hospital grant.

These improvements make it possible for the hospital to make use of the building in case of a power outage, smoke event or similar emergency, he said.

“People can come down there and breathe easier,” he said.

The future

There’s still work to be done that won’t be completed by this year’s fair.

Nash said the county has a contractor lined up for work on the food booth, which will include improving restrooms for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, along with insulation, more efficient heating and cooling and upgrades to the kitchen so it also can be used in the wintertime.

He said other improvements include better indoor arena fans and lighting and a new roof on the show barn — one of the major projects.

“After we assess how much money is left, we’re working on replacing the outdoor pavilion,” he said, adding that it would be ideal to get all species under one roof.

Doing so, he said, could allow the county to “do away with all the old buildings that’re in tougher shape than they should be.”

Public inputDespite the work that’s been tackled and is still to come, members of the public still harbor dreams for the fairgrounds.

Earlier this year, the Board of Commissioners held a meeting at Cloverleaf Hall to take public input on how the roughly $1.27 million available for various projects at the fairgrounds should be used. Some of that money came from a half-million dollars the county received in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.

After the April 19 meeting, Nash reflected on the public input — and was pleased at the diversity of the suggestions.

“We had one guy who was interested in ice skating in the winter and there were people who wanted to change out the pig barns,” he said. “It was grand to have those diverse interests there.”