By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
A new poultry and rabbit barn is going up at the Ellis County Fairgrounds.
A storm last fall did significant damage to the entire fairgrounds.
Insurance paid for a new roof for the rabbit/poultry barn, but Jill Pfannenstiel, fair president, said the supports for the barn were rotting away.
The fair board did not see the use in putting a new roof on a damaged structure, she said. The total cost for the project is $30,000.
Ellis County 4-H is raising funds to help pay for the new rabbit and poultry barn. They will need to raise about $14,000 for the project, which will include double the space and a new awning.
4-H has received a $5,000 grant thus far for the project.
The fair board is working on getting new concrete for the barn as well, and had a fundraiser New Year's Eve to raise money.
Redeem Designs is offering 4-H shirts and hats, with proceeds going toward the rabbit and poultry barn.
You can place your order online. but they won’t be made until Redeem is able to open again. The deadline for orders is Sunday, May 10
4-Hers have also created a video for the Lang Diesel video contest. 4-H supporters can vote for the 4-H video. Any prize money won in this contest will go toward the barn project. The contest will run June 1 to 8. See the Lang Diesel Facebook page for more information.
Ellis County 4-H is also taking monetary donations for the building. You can call the Extension Office at 785-628-9430. Donors who give $100 or more will receive a plaque to be placed at the barn.
Other repairs at the fairgrounds are ongoing. The bleachers have been repaired and the crow's nest at the rodeo arena has been fixed.
Work is being done now to replace the roof on the beef barn. The roofs on the Commercial Building as well as the Unrein and Schenk buildings still have to be finished.
Pfannenstiel said what the fair will look like this summer is still unknown. The current phase under Governor Kelly's reopening plan prohibits fair activities.
However, Pfannenstiel said the fair board will have a livestock sale for 4-H youth even if the event has to be done virtually.
She also encouraged 4-H youth to keep working on their projects. There will be judging on those projects even if it has to be modified or done online.
"It is too early to tell," she said. "Phase III would allow us to have the fair. We are planning as though everything will go on, but it may look a little different. It is still up in the air."
Corrected for K-State Extension phone number at 9:01 a.m. Monday, May 11.