Over the past few years, the Fair Board had discussed building a new riding arena where horse shows and agricultural events could be held both during fair week and throughout the summer, independent of negative weather conditions. Several of the directors had been to numerous horse shows throughout New York and other territories, seeing indoor arenas serving exactly that purpose, accommodating shows regardless of weather. After learning of the Shutter Venue Operators Grant, the Agricultural Society applied and in November of 2021 was granted a substantial amount of funding to be used for the arena. The building was purchased and the contractor was hired to construct the building starting in March of this year. A few short months later, the Franklin County Agricultural Society Inc. has one of the largest and most modern indoor arena in the Northeast.
Because the Franklin County Agricultural Society Inc. is a privately owned corporation, the balance of the funding had to be obtained from a local bank (Community Bank, N.A.). The hope is that the building will be paid for by having successful fairs in the future as well as raising the funds through future horse shows. Several other ideas have been suggested as to the use of the building in the off season to help raise revenues as well. One of our plan is to fill the building in the winter with cold storage, as with the addition of this building we are now able to accommodate any size of luxury or personal vehicle. Reservations are now being taken for winter storage at 518-481-0720.
