CLEARFIELD – The grandstand at the Clearfield County Fairgrounds has been deemed “unsafe” to the public.
Clearfield Borough Code Enforcement Officer Larry Mack said he’s deemed the grandstand as “unsafe” because of some structural issues with the building.
Mack said he wasn’t able to elaborate at this time and give specifics. He indicated that the grandstand was closed Aug. 20, and it will remain closed until further notice.
He said an engineer has been obtained to conduct a full evaluation of the grandstand, which was built in the 1920’s and is nearly 100 years old.
Though the evaluation process and the subsequent issuance of a report may take some time, Mack said he doesn’t believe this will affect the 160th Clearfield County Fair set for Aug. 2-8, 2020.
“… I don’t want that to happen,” he said, adding Clearfield Borough and the fair board are working in a collaborative effort to resolve these issues.
The grandstand is home to the fair queen competition, fair parade and awards, harness racing and truck and tractor pulls, plus all the headline entertainment.
Over the years, fairgoers have packed the grandstand to see icons such as Bob Hope and Garth Brooks, and other artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Florida Georgia Line, Big Time Rush and Kane Brown.
This past year, the grandstand featured rising country stars Chase Rice and Devin Dawson and classic rock band Kansas. Four local Christian bands and three tribute bands also took the stage.
In an e-mail correspondence, Fair Manager Greg Hallstrom said the fair board was unable to provide any information on the issues at this time. However, he said more details will follow at a later date.
