Tom Wilke, Project Coordinator

hdmillersburg@yahoo.com

After years of flooding, damaged buildings and restricted usage, Holmes County officials, residents, 4-H kids and businesses April 17 will break ground for a new Agriculture Center. The Center consists of a more than 80-acre campus that will be home to the Holmes County Fair, multipurpose exhibit buildings that will offer year-round events and attractions and the Share-A-Christmas program. Discussions continue with University of Akron Holmes County Higher Education Center regarding a post-secondary facility. 

This project is possible through the partnership and generous land donation of Paul Weaver.

The ground-breaking ceremony, to be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, 2012, marks the start of construction for the William T. Baker Building. This first building at the site will provide 9,600 square feet of mainly warehouse space for Share- A- Christmas supplies and gifts. The Share-A-Christmas program provides food and gifts to more than 300 needy families in Holmes County every Christmas, as well as assisting with special needs year-round.

The building is being constructed by the generous donation of Bill Baker. “Mr. Baker approached the Fair Board several months ago regarding his passion to build a permanent structure for the Share-A-Christmas program on the Agriculture Center Campus, as well as offering the flexibility of utilizing the building during the fair,” said Kerry Taylor Fair Board President. “This is just another example of members of the community working together to bring this center to life.”

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Historically, Share-A-Christmas has used buildings at the current fairgrounds as their distribution center. However, flooding occasionally has forced them to temporarily relocate.

Project Coordinator Tom Wilke will be glad to see this tangible next step in the development. “I am looking forward to working with all the diverse constituents of Holmes County to make this exciting project a reality,” he said.

Holmes County Commissioners as well as other public officials plan to attend the special occasion. “We are excited to begin breaking ground at the Agriculture Center. There have been so many community members involved from all corners of the county. With the central location, this campus will be a valuable resource to businesses throughout the entire county,” Holmes County Commissioner Ray Eyler said.

Shasta Mast, Executive Director of the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau added, “This facility will allow Holmes County to celebrate its rich agricultural history and to attract additional visitors to our county. Guests coming throughout the year for shows and meetings at the Center will take advantage of the restaurants, hotels, and unique products and services provided by businesses throughout the region. This development gives us the opportunity to attract additional visitors and to lengthen their stay in Amish County, which will have a significant economic impact.”

The William T. Baker building will be completed by fall and utilized for the 2012 Share-A-Christmas distribution.