Elkhart County Fairgrounds announces expansion project to begin this fall

GOSHEN, Ind. -- The Elkhart County 4-H Fairgrounds will soon be a whole lot bigger. An expansion project will start in September after the fair this summer.

The 2026 Elkhart County 4-H Fair opens in just 99 days with a wide range of programming and activities from concerts to rodeos and even monster trucks. However, when the 2027 fair rolls around, the fairgrounds will look different.

Camping out at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds campsite is just one thing that will change, according to General Manager Shelly Steury.

"The first stage would be to upgrade and expand our camping. That moves some of our campsites from inner grounds to outer grounds," Steury explained.

Inner grounds is what is included inside the fence on the fairgrounds. Outer grounds is outside the fence and could expand into parking lots.

Steury says moving the campsites will free up inner grounds space for more programming and activities.

A new medical safety area is also part of the expansion project.

"Where that facility sits now is not in an ideal location for our fairgoers, so we are going to rebuild that closer to the gates for fire and EMS to have better accessibility to get in and out of the fairgrounds quickly."

The biggest part of this project, a new ag and expo center.

"We recently partnered with Forest River and that building is going to be called the Forest River Incorporated and Peter J. Liegl Ag and Expo Center," Steury shared.

"That is a 47,000 square foot facility that will house our swine club during the fair. In the off season, the sky's the limit on what we can do in that facility," she continued.

Steury says they need the community's help with this project. For anyone looking for more information about the project or to donate, click here. The groundbreaking for this expansion project is Friday, September 11.