79 Fund donates $1 million for fairgrounds building
Originally published 08:26 p.m., August 28, 2010
Updated 08:59 p.m., August 28, 2010
The Clint Bowyer 79 Fund will build a million-dollar building at the Lyon County Fairgrounds.
Bowyer unveiled the plans for the new 6,000-square foot building tonight during the third annual charity event held at the Emporia Civic Auditorium. Today's events started out with a charity golf tournament, followed by the event tonight, which included a dinner, auction and entertainment featuring the Chris Weaver Band from Nashville, Tenn.
The announcement of the new building followed tonight's dinner. The 79 Fund, through the Emporia Community Foundation, will donate $1 million to build the multi-purpose building at the fairgrounds.
“We’re going to go ahead and build the building that everybody has been hearing about,” Bowyer announced to a sold-out crowd.
Bowyer said the building will accommodate a variety of marquee events in Emporia and will generate revenue.
“It will create some new revenue we can all benefit from,” he said.
Bowyer said he and the foundation wanted to do something that all of Emporia can benefit from. Promotional materials at Saturday’s event, stated the purpose of the building.
“Through visits to the community over the past five years and numerous conversations with friends, peers and local leaders, Bowyer has identified a need for a structure to promote tourism, stimulate the local economy, provide a facility for youth, school systems, charitable organizations, city and county initiatives among others,” according to the promotional materials. “The vision includes ways to bring in new money to the community, while providing a marquee location for citizens to be proud of and use as their own. The dream that can be realized is to provide a facility that will generate revenue to make sure goals can be achieved throughout the community.”
The architect for the building is Lori Top of Burns & McDonnell. Wendy Hageman of Burns & McDonnell is the senior project manager. The general contractor of the building is Rob Cunningham of KBC Constructors. Hageman said the building will be 6,000 square feet and will be multi-functional to hold 300 people. The use of the building will accommodate events such as weddings, concerts and catered events, along with a large variety of community events. Inside the building will be a catering kitchen, coat room, storage, bar and rest rooms. The building’s design will allow for outdoor events as well with overhead doors that will be able to open to the outside, Hageman said. Natural materials will be used to build the building, including materials that are local to this area. An outdoor amphitheater will be another feature of the building with a burm and grassy area for seating.
Cunningham said the building is in its design phase and the bid phase will take a couple of months. Groundbreaking is set to take place by the end of the year. The building is slated to be completed around August 2011 with the hopes that the next charity event will be held at the new building, Cunningham and Hageman said.
For information on how you can help with the project, see Monday's Gazette.
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
This is the gift that will eventually lead to a first class convention center as Emporia is located only 100 miles to 85% of the population of Kansas. The young people of this community like Clint Boyer and many others will reinvent Emporia. The future economic implications are enormous. And the national news media will put Emporia in the spotlight. Like I said a few months ago, Emporia is just one idea awqy from it's greatest economic expansion in history. THIS GIFT WILL BE THE FUTURE CATALYST FOR TOURISM TO EMPORIA. Now we have something to lure the 10 million people that pass through our town as well as the whole midwest. Nothing ever happens in the world until someone has a dream, and some man believed it could, and some young man willed that it be done.....The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible generation after generation and they achieve it.--PEARL S. BUCK....You make a living by what you earn, but you make a life by what you give. Thank you Clint Bowyer.
August 28, 2010 at 9:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
booker5m (anonymous) says...
Nice job!!!!!!!!!!
August 28, 2010 at 9:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blulitespecial (anonymous) says...
Wow- how about THAT!
August 28, 2010 at 10:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Yaya (anonymous) says...
That is FANTASTIC!!!
Can we step outside the box and grab the lifeline that is being thrown to us???
Thank you Clint Bowyer!!! Go get em in Atlanta and Richmond!!!
August 29, 2010 at 5:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
Thanks Clint, for the building and for starting the rebirth of the Fairgrounds so it won't become another half empty strip mall.
August 29, 2010 at 6:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Thank You Clint Bowyer !
This man is a class act.
He could have easily forgotten his hometown of Emporia because his fame and fortune was made outside of Emporia. But he has used his success in his field to give back to his hometown.
There are a lot out there, that have given back to the community they grew up in.
Some have not.
May his example of giving back to the community be followed by others who have made it big in Emporia.
August 29, 2010 at 8:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
What an impressive plan. Thank you, Clint Bowyer!
When it is all done and ready for use, this is what I hope to see in order to keep a beautiful new facility looking new for as long as possible. Before a group rents the facility, a walk-around inspection including restrooms needs to take place. When that group's activity is over, the facility needs to be returned in the same condition, spiffy clean and in good repair per post inspection. No lick and a promise stuff. No deposits returned for dirty facilities. I say this because the Anderson Building is not always in very clean condition.
May this project be a great success, employ locals in its building, and inspire revenue producing activities we can all be proud of. Thank you again, Clint Bowyer. I don't know you, but you are definitely a decent individual to do this.
August 29, 2010 at 10:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jaredfromsubway (anonymous) says...
Without a racing helmet, a little sunscreen would be in order.
August 29, 2010 at 7:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LAZER (anonymous) says...
HOPEFULLY...this will lead to a Modern Fairgrounds. The "Grandstand" is terrible. I am ashamed of it now!
WHILE I APPRECIATE old and history...the Quansets need to go. They can be dismantled, I'm sure...and still be put to use somewhere...maybe, even keeping one or more...moving them to another location on the grounds...and dressing them up, maybe with landscaping and paint, etc.
ALSO, THIS YEAR...and, it may have been my last Lyon County Fair...that extremely loud and obnoxious noise...that some believe to be Music...was absolutely worse than horrible. And, that white rock...to have to walk on.
THE FAIRGROUNDS need to be Blacktopped. I was, and still am, in favor of keeping the Fairgrounds where they are...we don't have to pave everything over, or have big stores everywhere...we don't have enough business for what we have.
I WOULD HAVE...however approved of Selling the current Fairgrounds, but then having the Buyers put up New Buildings in an approved, Modern site. Also, including a new Grandstand.
THE CURRENT SITE needs lots of "prettying up", too...it is too unattractive. And, I don't much care for those arches. Junky.
I WOULD LOVE to see some beautificaton around the statues as well. Drab is the word I have for them now. Perhaps, even a couple of Picnic Tables...I wouldn't mind taking a lunch and going there...sitting there, enjoying lunch, watching the cars/trucks/vans, etc...go by.
August 30, 2010 at 6:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tosie (anonymous) says...
Lazer - if you want all of this done then here is your challenge. Go to the Fairboard and join. Put in some hard work and sweat for FREE.....it's all volunteer. I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU STOP COMPLAINING and make this your chance to see what really goes on behind the scenes & what they make out of what they have to work with. THANK YOU.
August 30, 2010 at 7:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
eiggohp (anonymous) says...
Amen, tosie...some people are never satisfied!!
THANK YOU CLINT....Emporia should be so very proud of you.
August 30, 2010 at 8:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blulitespecial (anonymous) says...
I've been hearing some stories about the event and the whole weekend. I have to say there are some big spenders here,and sometimes their bids got matched! Thank you all for being there,and helping make this a better place.Your contributions now will help kids for many years!
August 31, 2010 at 3:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
HenryVIII (anonymous) says...
And so the "Bowyer Barn" becomes a reality... Is any of that money going to be left-over for ongoing maintenance? Everything on the fairgrounds is in a state of disrepair. I'd hate for this new building to suffer the same fate.
Who is planning on paying for the utilities this place will require? I assume it'll have air conditioning and bathrooms which is something the little huts lack. I just hope people will actually "book" their gigs there so it'll help pay for itself. They must have done some market research and already have potential events lined-up judging by the following statement. "Bowyer said the building will accommodate a variety of marquee events in Emporia and will generate revenue." I can't wait to see these "marquee" events...
Does anyone know if beer is allowed on the premises or is it gonna be lame like the civic auditorium?
Thanks, Clint. Keep reaching for that rainbow! (or is it "stars"?)
'enry
September 1, 2010 at 9:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
enry, booze is allowed at the civic auditorium. What do you mean?
September 1, 2010 at 11:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
it's also allowed at the Anderson building so I would assume the new building would allow it.
September 1, 2010 at 11:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
HenryVIII (anonymous) says...
Maybe I'm confused...
http://www.emporiagazette.com/news/20...
"The promoters want to have alcohol available for the audience, however, and that has been a sticking point in the talks..."
"Kelly said that in a live entertainment environment, such as sporting and professional events, people often want to drink alcoholic beverages."
"City policy, however, could prevent that from happening."
“We can’t do that,” Rathke said. “We have to abide by the rules that are set down by the city commission. Basically, we can’t sell it for any event.”
September 1, 2010 at 1:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Well Henry,
events at the civic building are allowed to serve alcohol, the Clint Bowyer auction was the latest to do so.
Maybe it requires advance ticket sales to those 21 and over. i know the working women's event has served alcohol and they have advance tickets.
There have been several private events that do it. Maybe it;'s when it's open to the general public that the booze is banned?
September 1, 2010 at 2:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
TexasGirl (anonymous) says...
Thank you Tosie for telling it like it is. I was pleasantly surprised at all the positive comments on this thread, but in the back of my mind I was thinking, "how long before this turns into the usual gripe-fest?" And of course Lazer came through as so many often do. To paraphrase an old cliche, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
September 1, 2010 at 2:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Texas Girl, you wouldn't be griping would you? LOL
September 1, 2010 at 4:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tbluma (anonymous) says...
Steve
If I'm not mistaken the hospitality room on the 2nd level of the Civic Aud. serves beer during BB games, if you're paying to get in.
September 2, 2010 at 10:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )