Champaign County Fair campers this year will have better electrical connections, bigger parking spots and more spots for camping.
The fair board added 56 camping spaces to the grounds, and they’re nearly full, Fair Board member Doug Ober said. The board also upgraded electrical connections to all camping spaces, which will improve electrical service to campers.
“When I grew up, you brought a grain truck with a tarp on it, but now we have motor homes on wheels,” he said. “As the campers got bigger, the (electrical) circuits didn’t. But now we shouldn’t have any problems.”
Ober said the entire project was estimated to cost $70,000. By making spaces bigger and upgrading electrical, campers should not see interruptions in electrical service and should not be crammed together haphazardly. The project took a few weeks to complete, he said.
The fairgrounds now have space for more than 320 campers, Ober added, and the board may need to add more as demand grows.
Work was being finished around the new spaces and fencing being put in on Tuesday.
“This was a great project,” Ober said. “And we saved a lot of money because of people who volunteered their time.”
Ober said the fair board tries to bring in new features and upgrade facilities each year. In the past few years, the board added new restroom facilities, the Melvin J. Cook Memorial Junior Fair building and a new horse barn as horse racing became more popular.
The Champaign County Fair is Aug. 5-12 this year.