Fair President Gives Update on the German-Czech Mart Plan

Back in January, the Fayette County Commissioners Court awarded $375,000 in American Rescue Plan (ARP) money to the Fayette County Fair Association to replace the old German-Czech Mart at the Fairgrounds.

Fair Association President Michael Zuhn gave an update on the new food court during the Commissioners Court meeting last Thursday, Dec. 14.

“We are well on our way right now,” Zuhn said. “We’re trying to get a pre-bid meeting for the metal structure in January and hopefully break ground in February.

“We’re doing a lot of it in house,” he added. “Daniel Cernoch, a member of the Fair Association, is putting together drawings for the plumbing, and my son Aaron Zuhn, an electrical engineer, is putting together an electrical and lighting plan at no charge.”

Zuhn said the Association plans to demolish the old German-Czech Mart and save the lumber for reuse or sale. The new building will be an 80x80 metal building. It will house booths for the three nonprofits that serve concessions from the German-Czech Mart during the Fair: the La Grange Rotary Club, the Fayetteville Show Fund and the La Grange Optimist Club. Zuhn was asked whether the new building would be ready in time for the 2024 Fair, which takes place during Labor Day weekend..

“We need to be done by July,” Zuhn said. “We cannot not be ready for the Fair. It’s like breaking an egg – once you break an egg, you’ve got to fry it. You can’t put it back on the shelf. Once that (old) building is gone, we’re pretty much committed.”

Fair Association board member Scott Willey thanked the Commissioners for supporting the food court project, along with upgrades at the Emily Fritsch Livestock Barn, which were completed earlier this year using separate ARP funds.

“Y’all gave us a large contribution to do this, which we appreciate greatly,” Willey said. “Between the livestock barn and this project, it really gave us the momentum to move forward. It’s a unique partnership because it is City property. So we have to be accountable to both parties. And that’s why we’re here today – to let you know where we are at and how we plan on using these county funds.”