Pulaski Commissioners Express Dissatisfaction with Fairgrounds Site

Pulaski County Commissioners (L to R) Bud Krohn, Jr., Terry Young and Larry Brady
Pulaski County Commissioners (L to R) Bud Krohn, Jr., Terry Young and Larry Brady

The Pulaski County Commissioners may soon investigate the possibility of changing the location of the Pulaski County Fair.

This year’s fair carried on, but changed the location of several events due to heavy rainfall and flooding in the Winamac area. The Pulaski County Fair and 4-H grounds are located near the Winamac Town Park next to the Tippecanoe River.

Pulaski County Commissioner Terry Young says the location impacts the youth participating.

“This fairgrounds has been a disaster for our community,” says Young. “It’s not fair to our kids, it’s not fair to their projects. Also affected is Power from the Past – it brings in a lot of money to the community. They had to cancel because of it.”

During Monday night’s Pulaski County Commissioners meeting, Young mentioned the possibility of working with organizations to change the location.

According to the discussion, the safety of the current site could be improved. The fairgrounds only display a single entry, and a new site could avoid future weather-related issues.

Among the possibilities is a plot of land that the County has in mind. Research needs to be conducted to better understand if the land contractually belongs to them.

Commissioner Bud Krohn, Jr. says that when it comes to building fairgrounds, the sky is the limit.

“You see Porter County and Elkhart County, you see everyone in the state,” says Krohn, Jr. “There are nice small fairs, but this is too congested back here and not safe.”

A petition was circulated several years ago in an attempt to change the location of the Pulaski County Fair, but lost steam. Young says it may be time to reinvigorate the idea.

No action was taken, but the Commissioners agreed to investigate the matter further, saying all options are on the table.