Business View Magazine – The relocation of the Nebraska State Fair from Lincoln to Grand Island was a turning point, both for the fair itself and for the community. That move required legislative approval, community vision, and a clear plan. “That was not a decision that the legislature made lightly, but it was a decision that they made within one session, which is pretty phenomenal when you think about moving an event that has been in the capital city for decades,” acknowledges Cindy Johnson, who works with the state fair on governmental relations and other special projects.
As the University of Nebraska explored expansion needs in Lincoln, Grand Island saw an opportunity. “When that plan by the University started to actually take shape, we convened a group of community leaders, both elected and non elected, and put together a plan of what the State Fair could look like in Grand Island, Nebraska, with Fonner Park as one of our core anchors,” she recounts.
“As a strong ag community in central Nebraska, along with Husker Harvest Days, which is the largest irrigated working farm show in the country, we felt we were well positioned to offer something special to the Nebraska State Fair and to the fair goers.” The plan succeeded, and in just 13 months, $42 million in new facilities were constructed on the Fonner Park campus.
“We closed the fair in Lincoln in 2009, packed everything up, and we opened the fair in Grand Island in 2010,” Johnson shares.
