Jeff Hajny

    It looks like the state fair is on its way out of Lincoln.
     This past week, the Nebraska Legislature voted to move the State Fair to Grand Island and use the State Fair Park in Lincoln for a complex of research facilities for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
     The legislature voted 44-3 in favor of moving the fair.
     This all started in December 2007 when the city of Lincoln began asking for bids from cities throughout the state to host the fair.
     "Grand Island was about the only city that was really enthused," Fair Board Director Doug Brand said. "Omaha was talking about it, but with their new baseball field they couldn't. During the last few days of legislature, we either had to take the offer from GI, or put this off until the next legislative session."
     As part of this agreement, the university will contribute $21.5 million in private and university funds to help the fair build new livestock barns and exhibition halls at Grand Island's Fonner Park, Grand Island would raise $8.5 million from public and private resources, the state fair would contribute $7 million and the state would provide $5 million from its cash reserves.
     The fair is set to move to Fonner Park by 2010.
     "The university has wanted that property for a research building for a long time," Executive Director of the State Fair Committee Barney Cosner said.
     Lincoln had been home to the state fair since 1901.
     "I know this will receive a negative reaction from some people," Brand said. "People have a lot of memories in Lincoln at the State Fair."
     Brand said the purpose of this was to have more of an agricultural-themed fair.
     "I think we will have a better, smaller fair. It will be more ag-related but will still have a little bit of everything," he said. "This may anger some people in southeast Nebraska, but it has gotten a positive response from people in western and central parts of the state so even though it may have an impact on us, it can only help other parts of the state."
     "I think Grand Island did a tremendous job throughout this whole ordeal," Cosner said. "They made it clear they wanted the fair there. Lincoln did not present a better option than what Grand Island had to offer.
     "Any time you make a transition of an event from a city of 220,000 like Lincoln to one of 44,000 like Grand Island, there is a possibility of a smaller crowd coming to the fair. The programming is going to need to draw some major numbers in order to have a large, diverse crowd attend. Hopefully, this will work out for the city of Grand Island."