Kansas

When the Kansas State Fair closes, the work doesn't end.

Efforts to update and improve the fair are ongoing and one of this year's major projects is rebuilding the 4-H Exhibit Building from the ground up.

"The foundation and red brick end walls remain. The building will otherwise be new, inside and out," said Pat McNally, state leader, Kansas State University Research and Extension 4-H youth development.

The new name, 4-H Centennial Hall, was suggested by Kansas 4-H teen leaders serving on the state 4-H Advisory Committee and Kansas 4-H Youth Council.

"4-H members earn the privilege of exhibiting at the Kansas State Fair, so when Denny Stoecklein, general manager of the fair, invited 4-H to submit names to re-name the building, it seemed only right to involve 4-H members in the naming process," McNally said.

"The new name would seem to honor 4-H's history of service as well as its long-standing association with the Kansas State Fair," McNally said.

The Kansas State Fair Board approved the change at its March meeting. The official opening of 4-H Centennial Hall is being planned in conjunction with the kickoff of Kansas' 4-H Centennial on Sept. 10, the first Saturday of the 2005 fair, which opens Sept. 9 and runs through Sept. 18.

For more information on educational 4-H programs or the upcoming 4-H Centennial, interested persons can check www.kansas4-h.org. More information on the 2005 Kansas State Fair is at www.kansasstatefair.com.

Date: 3/24/05