Fair Expansion Project Explained
Published: Friday, May 8, 2026
Starting in 2027, the Elkhart County 4-H Fair in Goshen will have a new air-conditioned facility.
Last month, the fair announced plans for a major expansion that includes a 47,500-square-foot Ag & Community Expo. Among other things, the multi-purpose facility will house the swine club during fair week.
"The swine will be housed in that new facility," said Shelly Steury, general manager. "That building will have an arena for the swine to show in, and that's where they will be stalled during the fair."
Steury said the Ag & Community Expo will have restrooms, a warming kitchen, several overhead doors for trade shows, and one other thing: heating and air conditioning.
"The plan, as of now, during the fair, is the air conditioning will be on," Steury said.
The Expo center will be located north of the track and east of the poultry and rabbit barns. To make room for the new facility, Gate G —where people enter after getting off the trams—will move to the north.
Steury said there are no plans to take down or remodel the current swine barn. Its most likely future use will be to host other livestock species or even educational programs.
"It won't go to waste," she said.
The expansion project also includes a Health & Wellness Center, expanded campground accommodations with additional full hook-up campsites, and improvements to the poultry and rabbit barns.
A new Health & Wellness Center will be built east of Ag Hall, in an area that currently supports camping.
Steury said the current medical building, located next to the grandstands, can be challenging for fire and emergency medical crews to navigate due to the large pedestrian traffic in that area. Moving it to the outer grounds and closer to an exit will help with emergency situations, she said.
The other piece of this project involves shifting certain camping areas to the north side of the fairgrounds.
"For all this building project to happen, we have to move the camping," she said. "So, we won't be adding any camping. We will just be moving it from inner grounds to the campground up on the north side of the fairgrounds."
A groundbreaking is set for Sept. 11. Construction will begin in the fall, with completion expected before the start of the 2027 fair.
"As soon as we get done with the fair and some RV rallies, this whole, entire expansion project will start," she said.
Last year, the fair remodeled the community center and the old Home and Family Arts Bldg., now called Maple Hall.
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