Picture this: It is July 1, 2003. Less than five weeks from now, the annual Mower County Fair opens at the fairgrounds in southwest Austin.

Over the next six days, 70,000 people will come through the gates.

Then, a month later, the nation's best swine producers will visit the fairgrounds for the National Barrow Show.

They will come from over 25 different states to attend the "World Series of swine shows."

Also in attendance will be buyers from foreign nations, ready to spend thousands of dollars on breeding stock.

What they will see is a dream come true: new buildings at the fairgrounds. Three new livestock barns surrounding historic Crane Pavilion plus a giant agricultural display building at the Mower County Historical Center.

There haven't been those kind of improvements in the history of the fairgrounds.

On Tuesday, the Mower County Board of Commissioners took action to make the dreams of many come true at the fairgrounds.

By official action of the county commissioners, bids for the fairgrounds improvement project will be opened 1 p.m. Oct. 8. A contract will be awarded for the work on Oct. 22.

Richard P. Cummings, 1st District, and Garry Ellingson, 5th District, made the motion and seconded it, respectively, to call for bids.

Adding their "Ayes" to the votes were Ray Tucker, 2nd District, Dave Hillier, 3rd District, and Len Miller, 4th District.

"This is going to be quite an improvement for the fairgrounds," said Tucker.

"It will be a nice addition to what we have," said Miller.

Equally enthused were representatives of Mower County 4-H, the Mower County Agricultural Society and Mower County Historical Society.

"Thanks," said Tony Mudra, a county 4-H representative. "We really appreciate what you're doing."

"It's great," said Scott Felten, Mower County Fair Board director, "I think it's a move in the right direction."

Larry Rasch, another fair board director and Hormel Foods Company's liaison to the new sponsors of the National Barrow Show, and Dan Vermilyea, another county 4-H representative, both echoed Felten's excitement.

Replacing three-aging and deteriorating livestock barns with new, state-of-the-art multi-purpose buildings gives the fairgrounds an added dimension.

The old buildings were constructed in the 1940s.

Tim Reisnour of the architect firm of Zenk, Read and Trygstad, Inc. outlined the consensus of the fairgrounds' groups, who participated in planning the improvements.

They come with a price tag of $1.4 million.

All the work, both demolishing the old and erecting the new buildings, must be completed by July 1, 2003, which means the first public event at the fairgrounds afterwards will be the 2003 Mower County Fair.

The county commissioners went over the ZRT proposed specifications methodically Tuesday.

In addition to three new multi-purpose buildings around Crane Pavilion, the Mower County Historical Society gets a new agricultural display building behind the historical center collection of buildings.

But the majority of the work will occur in the main area of the fairgrounds on the west side.

New public restrooms will be constructed in Crane Pavilion. A new fair board office and security site will be constructed. New wash stations and other improvements will be made.

The bid specification alternatives call for covered walkways between the livestock buildings.

The new agricultural display building will be a 60-by 120-foot structure located east to west behind the current historical center displays and having a main entrance on the north.

Joining in the questioners was Harry Willmott, a candidate for 5th District county commissioner. Willmott, a retired Hormel Foods Corporation engineer, shared county commissioner Tucker's interest in the walls of the buildings: poured concrete or masonry.

Early plans call for the new multi-purpose buildings to be white with green trim.

Two big issues to be decided later are pens for the multi-purpose buildings. Everyone agreed they want flexible pens for housing everything from horses to swine.

In addition, the street elevation in front of the buildings will have to be raised to match that of Crane Pavilion and to avoid storm water running into the buildings.

The commissioners are waiting upon Mike Hanson, county engineer, to prepare those specifications for the street work.

Also the future of the aged sheep building at the south end of the fairgrounds remains to be decided.

(Lee Bonorden can be contacted at 434-2232 or by e-mail at

lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com)