Union Co. Barn Upgrades Benefit 4-H – Mark Cathcart, 4-H Youth & Development Agent

September 1, 2021

Over the past 18 months things have been very different than anything most people have ever experienced.  With orders to not meet in person, canceling of events, and shutting the doors to our offices, it would be easy to just sit and wait for it all to pass.  Not in Union!  We have been hard at work on many projects.  One of these projects is the upgrades being made to the livestock facility.

Having somewhere to conduct livestock educational events, as well as shows, is very important.  Union County Fairgrounds has hosted many educational events and livestock shows over the years.  As plans are being made to increase the number of events held at the fairgrounds, repairs and improvements were needed. With help from Union County, City of Union, Union County Tourism, and donations from Stella-Jones Corp. and parents from the livestock show community, supplies were bought for this project.

Over the summer the livestock barn was re-wired and re-plumbed.  The wiring was old, outdated, and unable to handle the number of participants that come to events.  A new water meter was installed that is dedicated to the livestock barn.  Before, the barn was dependent on the health of the plumbing system of the entire fairgrounds.  If a break occurred in another area of the fairgrounds, the barn would be without water for however long.  In a warm climate with large numbers of livestock, this is unacceptable.  Now the reliability, usability, volume, and pressure of the water system is greatly improved.

Fencing has also been constructed around the wash rack adjacent to the barn.  This has improved the convenience, usefulness, and most importantly, the safety of this area.  We are looking forward to utilizing our facilities and all the improvements with events that will be held here very soon.

More upgrades are in the works, and some major plans are being made for the fairgrounds.  Stay tuned for word of these plans in future newsletters.  Hope you all have a great and productive day.