The 156th Clearfield County Fair is wrapping up on Saturday, and some people showing horses at the fair this year say the horse barn has aged beyond repair.
We have more on their concerns and what they want to do now.
These horse owners say they’re working on a movement to replace the horse stalls because of their age and condition.
After coming back to the fair for nearly 30 years, Chele Stuber of Morrisdale has gotten to know the people who show horses here.
“We’re all just one big happy barn family,” says Stuber.
She says they even have their own Facebook group. Recently, they’ve been concerned about the wooden stalls their horses live in for fair week.
“I remember when they were built 54 years ago, so they are pretty well shot. They’ve outlived their ability to stay. We need to tear these down and put all-new ones up to make it safe for the kids to have their horses here,” says Stuber.
“They’re very shaky, very loose. If you go up to them, you can see the wires have been torn up and they’re separated. Any horse, if he was to get upset, could knock these walls down,” says Evelyn McQuiston of Olanta. “Our horses are pretty good, but you never know when something’s gonna spook one.”
McQuiston says some 4-H kids have been working on raising money to help.
“A lot of them think it’s run down and they’re not sure if it’s safe and I’ve told them it’s safe,” says McQuiston.
They also keep a fan running to cool down the breaker box that powers more fans for the horses.
Fair and Park Board president David Franson says he’s aware of their concerns.
“It’s part of the Agriculture department of the fair and we’re always looking to help every department we have at the fair, and agriculture is the reason we put on the fair, so yes, we’ll definitely help them,” says Franson.
McQuiston hopes new stalls would bring more show horses to the fair.
“Now, we have empty stalls because people just don’t trust them,” says Stuber.
“They used to have the barn filled. We had all kinds of horses, but each year, less and less and less are coming and we want the word out there to come back!” says McQuiston.
McQuiston says she thinks it could cost about $40,000 to fix all the issues, but the idea is still in the early stages.