The Board of Canyon County Commissioners and Canyon County Fair Board have approved the purchase of 81.15 acres of land in the rural area north of Nampa, which will be the future home for the Canyon County Fair and multipurpose event complex.
While many efforts have been made to update and improve the current fair site, it no longer meets the needs of the fair, which grows every year, or the community, civic and youth groups who use the space year-round. More than 45,000 people attended the Canyon County Fair in 2008 and approximately 40,000 in 2009. The fair has averaged a growth rate of about 10 percent over the past five years. Based on a market demand and financial assessment of the Master Plan Report done in 2003, it is estimated that approximately 100 rental days with about 60 events could be hosted at the Fairgrounds and Events Center. Those events include multi-day horse events, 4-H events, animal shows, consumer and public shows, dances/banquets, agricultural trade shows and community uses, among others. These events do not include those promoted by the fair board, such as the New Year’s Eve Bulls and Broncs Bash and the Fair itself.
“After the fair moves to this new location, we’re still going to keep our presence in Caldwell, with events in the current building,” said Commissioner Kathy Alder. “With this new location, we’ll be able to bring people from around the Treasure Valley to enjoy our fair. There will be plenty of room for parking, and room to grow.”
Alder also stressed that the Commissioners and Fair Board members want to keep the small-town feel to the fair. “We think it’s important to keep a county-type fair, and not a commercial fair,” she said.
Commission Chair David J. Ferdinand said, “The fair board presented the commissioners with a compelling, fiscally sound and thoughtful approach to move forward with the property purchase. It’s a cash purchase during a buyer’s market. We out-grew the current facility years ago, and making the purchase now will save Canyon County taxpayers thousands of dollars in the long run.”
The property is located on the South side of US Hwy 20-26, bordering Prescott Lane north of Nampa, and will be purchased for $1,541,850, money which the fair board has been saving for just such a purpose.
“This has been something that’s been looked at since way back in the 1970s,” said Rep. Darrell Bolz. “It’s about time. Here we are, one of the major agricultural areas in the state, and not to own our own fairgrounds is a sad situation. You can see by the attendance the past few years that people appreciate a rural fair.”
Fair board chair Kevin Spainhower said, “The fair has experienced great success for many years, enabling us to save enough money for this purchase. We are grateful to the County Commissioners for strategically budgeting the money to secure a permanent home for the fair that will serve generations of residents.”
“The real estate market right now favors the buyer,” said Commissioner Steve Rule. “With the position the fair is in financially, plus market factors, this is a great time for us to purchase the property.”
Spainhower explained the proposed property is currently being farmed, and will remain in ag use until the parcel is developed, generating additional revenue of $10,500 to $12,500 per year for the county fair through a lease arrangement. Once construction begins, it will be done in phases, leaving some of the property in farm ground.
“By making the purchase now, we’re setting the stage for greater savings and revenue opportunities in the future,” Alder said. “Once we begin operating the county fair on county-owned land, it will become a revenue generating tool which we hope will make the fair self-sufficient.”