Bigger, Better Farm Show Complex
(Continued from Page E 34)
For Expansion
On Sept. 29, 2001, Lancaster
Fanning ran a story about a
proposed expansion of Farm
Show bigger than ever before.
When there’s talk of an up
grade worth about $9O million,
that’s big news.
And the Farm Show Complex
has gotten an upgrade so big it’s
going to make attending the win
ter agriculture showcase event
hosted by the Pennsylvania De
partment of Agriculture surely a
memorable, maybe even com
pletely new, event.
For years, people have talked
about making necessary im
provements to the Farm Show
Complex. But according to Farm
Show Executive Director Dennis
Grumbine, this is the first time
“since ’29 and ’32 that anybody
has made a financial commit
ment to doing something here,”
he said.
Grumbine spoke to about two
dozen exhibitor representatives
and media at the complex in
September 2001 about the expan
sion project.
He provided construction de
tails and timetables on a complex
that, when completed for the
Farm Show of 2003, will house
27 acres under one roof, includ
ing a large equine exhibit arena.
An additional 359,000 square
feet of booth and exhibit space
for Farm Show also includes a
brand-new. Class A exhibit facili
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ty with room for 1,100 10-foot by
10-foot booths with 10-foot alley
ways. The exhibit building mea
sures 175,000 square feet.
The exhibit facility, located to
the north side of the Large
Arena, includes the most updat
ed technology and has quality
controlled air conditioning and
heat. Doors in the new facility
measure 16 feet high by 24 feet
wide to accommodate entryway
for exhibit setup in the new
building.
The old main hall exhibit
building, measuring about
145,000 square feet, now houses
the family living center, once lo
cated upstairs in the Northeast
Building. That Northeast Build
ing area was scheduled to be
completely renovated to accom
modate an upscale, ballroom
type banquet hall to accommo
date 1,800 guests for “any live
stock or equine event,” said
Grumbine.
A special Equine Arena rivals
the Large Arena in scale, with
303 horse stalls. An additional
$lO million was directed by Gov.
Ridge early in June that year to
construct the center.
A practice area is included for
horse exhibitors. There is seating
for 1,500-1,800 people.
A major ingredient and a
persistent challenge to the com
mission and Farm Show coordi
nators over the years has been
to separate the movement and
passage of livestock and people,
according to Gmmbine. That has
been accomplished by a special
“spine” a two-story, 30-foot
wide passage area connecting
both the south and north ends of
the entire complex.
The upper level of the spine
will allow pedestrians to walk
across the length of the complex
and visit posted exhibit areas.
The lower portion will be used to
move livestock to various loca
tions.
Also, where the Mac machine
was once located in the Cameron
Street entrance, is the site of a
new lobby and entrance, which
will bring Farm Show Complex
visitors directly to the spine.
A “hole” was punched out of
the Large Arena, 32 feet wide by
about 12 feet high, to allow
equipment access to the arena,
something the commission be
lieved was past due.
The new equine arena, located
in back of the new lobby, will in
clude 150 by 300 feet of space for
horse and other exhibits. That’s
larger than the existing Large
Arena.
In mid-September 2001, fenc
ing was installed to start con
struction of the new exhibit area.
As a result, parking at the site
for Farm Show was limited to
exhibitors only.
Visitors to the complex for the
2002 Farm Show were shuttled
to a new parking lot, finished in
the fall 2001, south of Elmerton
Avenue.
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ustriai Control Division
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7) 233-
urn com
For an ap
proximate $5
fee, visitors paid
for shuttle serv
ice at various
times to and
from the park
ing lot to the
Farm Show
Complex for the
2002 Farm
Show. There is
room for about
2,150 vehicles at
the new parking
site.
“Parking and
traffic have al
ways been a
problem for the
Complex,”
Grumbine said.
The 29 acres of
offsite parking
could offset
those challenges.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 4, 2003-E35
The Capitol Rotunda Dome is symbolic of the efforts of
legislators from the past administration to improve the
Farm Show Complex, located in the middle of the “spine.”
The parking is fenced, gated, and
macadamized.
The equine arena began con
struction shortly after the 2002
Farm Show. From June-August
of 2002, the “spine” area was
constructed and finished in the
fall of 2002.
The commission expects all
construction, with some minor
checkups and adjustments, to be
finished in time for the 2003
Farm Show.
Several areas, including the
Large and Small arenas and the
new complex improvements will
be heated, air conditioned, and
air quality controlled, noted
Grumbine.
For the 2002 show, the com
mission worked with signage ex
perts to allow spectators to park
and take shuttles to the Farm
Show.
“Ten major events will use this
complex right out of the box,”
said Grumbine. “And the Equine
Center is not just an equine cen
ter, but is open for other live
stock.”
Grumbine noted the impor
tance of being competitive and
drawing in the summer activities.
There was a limit to sign-up for
summer events because of a lack
of air conditioning and air quali
ty control.
As for the new complex,
“WeTe pretty excited about it,”
Grumbine said. He noted the
complex is “able to accommo
date any trade show or event in
the world.”
The Farm Show Complex al
ready houses 211 events, bring-
ing in $4BO million in economic
activity to the capitol region and
$13.6 million in sales tax reve
nue.
Construction provides a “close
match” of the facility in terms of
brick and other materials. The
new exhibits area is “offset” from
the roadside to allow a glimpse
to the existing historical struc
ture.
The budget has allowed the
building to stable more than
3,000 horses in the complex.
“We want to make this new
facility competitive,” Grumbine
said. “This will allow us to ex
pand our show season in the
summer months.”
As a result, the possibility of
stretching out the Farm Show
over two weekends is a reality.
The show runs from Saturday,
Jan. 11 this year to Saturday,
Jan. 18.
The Farm Show Commission
considered an underground
parking proposal. But that was
put aside because of the need for
“constant dewatering,” said
Grumbine.
Complex offices are relocated
near the lobby on the second
level of the “spine.”
Said Grumbine, “Farm Show
is still our cornerstone event
the reason the facility was put
here. We subscribe to the ag
events that are held here, and
others as time permits.”
On Aug. 3 last year, Lancaster
Farming ran an update on the
construction. A column written
by Pennsylvania Secretary of Ag
riculture Sam Hayes called
“Building For the Future On
Schedule” continued to update
readers on a regular basis.
Big cranes were a common
site at the end of July on the
Cameron Street side of Farm
Show. Large air conditioning
units were hoisted into place.