MORGANTOWN – The Monongalia County Fair Board signed the deed Monday on 65 acres of land that will serve as the future home of the county’s annual summer showcase.
The property, described as being on the Morgantown side of Cassville, “five minutes from the intersection of Chaplin Hill Rd., Monongahela Blvd and Blue Horizon Dr.,” was donated by Core Natural Resources.
“It’s official,” fair board member Eric Finch said. “We hope to have the fair there in 2026, but obviously there’s a good bit of excavation work that needs to be done in the next 10 months. Depending on how cold the winter is, maybe three months of that you can’t really do anything, but we hope to have the fair there in 2026.”
In a statement posted to social media, the fair board noted, “This remarkable gift marks a major step toward the long-term vision of expanding opportunities for agricultural education, youth development and community events in Monongalia County.”
Lindsay Nixon, president of the Monongalia County Fair Board, said the board is “incredibly grateful to Core Natural Resources,” and noted, “This property gives us room to grow and continue providing experiences that bring people together and celebrate Monongalia County’s rich heritage.”
The board also extended its appreciation to Sen. Chris Rose for his assistance.
“Senator Rose has been instrumental in connecting resources and helping us move this project forward,” Vice President Jason Moore said.
With the exception of 2020 and 2021 – when the uncertainty of COVID prompted its cancellation – the county fair has been held in the increasingly busy Mylan Park since returning from a five-year hiatus in 2010. Prior to that, the fair was held in Westover Park.
“The dirt work that we do for things like the rodeo and the demolition derby was a major, major expense. Basically, we had to do it just to undo it at the end because Mylan Park needed their property returned to how it was,” Finch said. “So, we think this is going to give us a lot more flexibility to build permanent structures and basically not be wasting money every year. For Mylan Park, sports is their priority, and Morgantown needs that, for sure. There’s no hard feelings towards Mylan Park at all, but we just think this will be better all around.”
Finch said the fair board has been searching for suitable land for the last two years, and spent the better part of a year working with Rose and Core Natural Resources to finalize the property transfer.
“Obviously, we’re very excited. There’s two other fairs in Mon County, and they both have their own properties. So they don’t have to deal with scheduling through a third party. We’re happy to be on the same playing field as them,” Finch said. “We’re planning on the fair being there. Obviously, not everything can be done at once. So, there might be a year or two where you might see a building halfway constructed or something, but we’re confident that in the long term, this is a great step.
Finch suggests following the fair’s Facebook page or checking moncountyfair.org for future updates.
