ESCANABA — As spring slowly starts to make its way into the Central Upper Peninsula, the activities on the U.P. State Fairgrounds are already moving at a fast pace for both the fairgrounds maintenance team and the events held on the fairgrounds.

The maintenance team has spent the winter months going over the U.P. State Fairgrounds long-term Facility Improvement Plan. The team looked over the list of items on the plan for each structure on the grounds, deleted items on the plan that have been completed, and walked through each structure. We then prioritize any needs or new opportunities for each structure.

The first improvement that was made on the fairgrounds for 2020 occurred in the Ruth Butler Building. In the first week of January, the maintenance team converted the entire interior lighting system. By doing so, we went from a very inefficient and costly system to a much more energy efficient LED system. The LED lighting also offers a much quieter and brighter ambiance to the building. Other improvement needs have been identified for 2020 and will take place as weather permits.

Events on the fairgrounds have been occurring at a rapid pace. Hilltop RV held their annual RV Showcase at the Ruth Butler Building in mid-February followed by the Bay De Noc Gobblers annual banquet. As I write this article, the Community Action Agency is bagging goods for their quarterly Escanaba food distribution which will take place on March 6. The Ruth Butler Building will host many more events for the remainder of the year. All upcoming events will be listed on the road sign along Highway US 2 and 41.

The U.P. State Fairgrounds Multi-Use Complex and Welcome Center has become a stopping point for the residents of the Upper Peninsula as well travelers visiting or just driving though Escanaba. The Webster Marble Inventing the Outdoors Museum is well worth the stop. Later this spring. visitors will also be able to tour the U.P. Veterans Museum which is currently under construction. The Multi-Use Complex has a conference room that can be rented. The building has been rented by several organizations as well as families hosting baby and wedding showers. Another portion of the Multi-Use Complex that can be rented is our multi-use room which is 4,100 square feet and great for larger conferences, training, wedding receptions, or other types of parties. On March 20 and 21, the multi-purpose room will proudly host a gun and knife show.

The U.P. State Fairgrounds has many activities happening in 2020 and is set to make this year clearly the best yet.

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Jeff Wood is the facilities manager for the U.P. State Fairgrounds.