The Fairground’s 4-H Building will focus on providing space for our county’s kids.

The Jefferson County Fair Association is proud to announce the sponsorship and adoption of the Fairgrounds 4-H Building by the Port Townsend Kiwanis. The good news includes a grant of $11k for aesthetic upgrades, and a large bucket of volunteer hours to help get the work done.

This last October, PT Kiwanis invited Fair & Fairgrounds Manager Danny McEnerney to give a presentation to the group to update them of changes happening at the Fairgrounds, and to shed light on how Kiwanis might use the Fairgrounds for their programs. McEnerney’s presentation and talk was met with a lively conversation and some very interested Kiwanians who worked together to ensure Kiwanis can put their stamp on the new changes happening at 4907 Landes St. in Port Townsend.

A few days after the presentation, Kiwanis member Carla Vander Ven came to the Fairgrounds office to announce the award of an $11k grant to install windows, paint the facade, and to get the ball rolling on an upgrades to the aesthetics of the 3000+sqft. 4-H Building. In addition, PT Kiwanis wants to use the upgrading of the building as part of their days of service, which is a huge win for the Fair Association’s upgrade budget.

The inspiration to be a part of Fairgrounds is rooted in the connection between Kiwanis being a youth support focused organization, and that the 4-H Building being re-dedicated to youth events after the upgrades.

What does dedicated to youth events mean? A dream world would be a thriving 4-H community using the space as much as possible. When not in use by 4-H, it means keeping the large space ultra-affordable and available for kids to create events they think are fun, important and needed. From dances to movie parties to box fort competitions classes or art programs, or maybe just hanging out – the space will be ready for kids of all ages to create and/or participate in events as they wish.

Currently the building has a solid infrastructure and sufficient heat, but it’s dated vibe is in need of some love. “A space that isn’t inviting, one that you don’t want to hang out in, just won’t work.” believes McEnerney. “The community has a ton of ideas for events, but it’s my experience that if a place isn’t ‘cool’ no one will want to use it.” says McEnerney. “Elbow grease and this grant from Kiwanis will put a major dent into the buildings visual transformation.” says McEnerney.

Kiwanis is working on an additional grant of $4000 for the building, but there’s no shortage of needs and funds. “What would really make this whole thing doable is efficient HVAC. It’s boring, super expensive, and the biggest obstacle to long term success. We’ll get there one way or another, but it might be a bit painful in the winter months.” McEnerney believes.

With the Fair Association’s new focus on the County’s kids during the non-fair season, a spirit of giving to the community with the Magic of Christmas, a new long-term tenant in the PT Cottage School Co-op, and talk of a pump track and regular roller skate parties, the Fairgrounds is poised to grow into a hub of family activity in the coming years.

It’s important to note that while Kiwanis is the new sponsor, their name on the building will be shared with the Short family, for whom the building is dedicated to in recognition of their support in the agricultural community of Jefferson County as well as their support of the Fairgrounds throughout the years.

If you would like to be a part of creating a youth hub and the upgrades going into the Fairgrounds, please contact Danny McEnerney at the Fairgrounds office by calling (360) 385-1013, or emailing info@jeffcofairgrounds.com.