Lions Club Announces $100K State Grant For New Facility

Organization Celebrates Success With New Plans for 2025

Artist rendering of an expansion and remodel of the existing Lions Club building.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
The Edmonson County Lions Club had much to celebrate last night as they gathered with all the sponsors for a thank you dinner which helped them make the 2024 fair an overwhelming success.

Held at the Hidden Homestead event venue on Thursday, December 5, 2024, the Lions Club made several recognitions, honored all this year's sponsors, and celebrated the good news of receiving a $100,000 grant that will be used to remodel and expand the current structure simply known as the "building."

Coming off the momentum of this year's fair and receiving the 2024 Edmonson County Chamber of Commerce Servant of the Year Award earlier in the week, it was the perfect time for last night's event.

Lions Club Fair Board Chairman Donnie Turley, who was a driving force behind the completely revamped fair in 2023 and '24, spoke about the new direction that the fair had gone. He thanked the community for all their help and positive feedback that has helped their new vision.

"We couldn't have done it without you and we're truly grateful for all that you've done to help make this a success," he said.

District 19 State Representative and Lions Club Member Michael Meredith made the announcement last night about the grant that came as a shock to several.

Rep. Meredith said that $750K was allocated for state fair boards across KY in 2024, with the maximum amount for one board being $100K, which Edmonson County received.

"In late October, my friend, our Ag Commissioner Jonathan Shell contacted me to let me know that Edmonson County, the fair board would be receiving the maximum grant of $100,000," Meredith announced to the crowd. "That award became official with a November 13th press release from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture,  and Edmonson County, out of those nine counties that were awarded, Edmonson County was one of four across the state that got the full $100,000 grant. When I spoke to Commissioner Shell, he told me that he had reviewed every single one of the 32 qualifying applications that were turned in personally, and though Edmonson County would have had a good chance to get a grant award because we had never received one in the past, there was not a single grant package that could compare to the package that was put together by the members of the Edmonson County Lions Club that who worked on this project."

Meredith also credited Lions Club members Jay Holland and Donnie Turley for presenting their needs to the state and completing the grant funding request process.

Artist rendering of meeting space inside the new facility.

Turley and Lions Club President Jimmie Duvall then unveiled artist's renderings of the new and improved facility, that while the main structure will remain in place, the remodel and expansion will turn it into a brand new facility.

The building will be expanded with space large enough to hold pageants at the fair grounds, office space, meeting areas, new restrooms, and a basic new 'headquarters' for the Lions Club and Fair Grounds, Turley said.

The total project is expected to cost around $150,000.

According to the KY Department of Agriculture, any incorporated fair board in Kentucky may apply with the State Aid to Local Agricultural Fairs Program for grants in the amount of $10,000-$100,000. Each grant will fund 75 percent of the total cost of the project, with the local fair board matching the other 25 percent. Each project must be started within 90 days of the date the project was awarded and must be completed within nine months.

Turley said construction is planned to begin in January of 2025 with completion coming before the 2025 fair.