Mercer County Commission contributes to county fair

Greg Jordan, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, W.Va.
·2 min read

Mar. 28—PRINCETON — Funding from Mercer County's hotel/motel tax will help bring the region some entertainment this summer when the Mercer County Fair comes to PikeView High School.

Steve Johnston, president of the Mercer County Fair, came to the Mercer County Commission's semi-monthly meeting Tuesday to request funding to help pay for this year's music venue. This year the fair's entertainment will include bands such as Sammy Shelor & The Lonesome River Band and Chosen Road.

Besides paying the entertainers, the fair also provides them with meals and other comforts, Johnston said. The fair's organizers requested $15,590 from the county commission to help pay these expenses.

Commissioner Gene Buckner said the commission needed to discuss the request before voting about whether to approve it. The county has completed a new amphitheater at Glenwood Recreation Park so music festivals can be hosted there, and there are plans to have one there this summer.

"But our amphitheater is finished so do we really need to spend this kind of money there when we're planning to have one in the summer?" Buckner said.

Commissioner Greg Puckett said the county fair would still need support. Buckner replied that in the past the county gave the fair $5,000. This was raised to $15,000 to support the fair's music because the amphitheater was not finished at that time.

Puckett then asked if there are plans to move the Mercer County Fair from its current venue, PikeView High School, to Glenwood Park.

"It's in the plans," Johnston said. "It's going to take some work to get there."

Glenwood Park would require some changes such as additional parking and the construction of an exhibition hall with 10,000 square feet of space or more, he said. There are no plans to move the Mercer County Fair from PikeView High School this year.

Puckett moved to provide the fair with $10,000 from the county's hotel/motel tax. This motion was approved unanimously.

The Mercer County Fair is Aug. 2 to 3 this year.

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com