Bremer County Fair Moving To New Site

A site on the eastern edge of Waverly has been chosen as the future home for the Bremer County Fairgrounds.

The Bremer County Fair Association recently announced plans to develop the 50-plus acre plot that's located inside the city limits with state-of-the-art structures that will be available for a variety of entertainment activities. The buildings will be able to host the 4H and FFA programs.

The site is large enough to host the annual fair today and allow for future growth, the association said in a news release Tuesday.

Members of the BCFA said they have been searching for the perfect since an effort to purchase and develop land on the west side of Waverly ended in October, due to lack of funding. The BCFA had been working with local adult softball and youth baseball officials to raise money for the Champions Ridge project since 2007. The volunteers wanted to buy a 142-acre site -- 79-acres initially -- along Iowa Highway 3 to build a single complex that would have included the fairgrounds and baseball/softball diamonds.

The fairgrounds and sports groups currently share a 19-acre city park along Business U.S. Highway 218 on the south side of Waverly. In addition to the fair buildings and three ball diamonds, the park features the city pool, a skate park, large play unit and four picnic shelters. The BCFA said there's no room for growth or flexibility at the park, and space there is currently under-sized and over-utilized.