Additional funds are needed to complete major upgrades at the 4-H horse arena on the Brown County Fairgrounds. The plans are to put the entire arena under roof. Photo by Wade Linville
Additional funding needed for project
An artist’s drawing of the new venue at the Brown County Fairgrounds to be built on the site of the 4-H horse arena.
A young equestrian competes in one of this year’s Brown County Horseman’s Association shows.
The large horse show arena at the Brown County Fairgrounds in Georgetown is home to a number of horse shows throughout the year.
Tim O’Hara, of LaRosa’s and Dunkin Donuts of Mt. Orab (center), presents a $20,000 check to David Frye, of the Brown County Fair Board, while Tim McKeown of the Brown County Horseman’s Association looks on. O’Hara also pledged an additional $50,000.
The large 4-H horse arena on the Brown County Fairgrounds in Georgetown has provided young equestrians with a place to train and show their horses for decades. The arena is home to several horse shows throughout the year, drawing large crowds to Brown County.
The Brown County Horseman’s Association was founded in 1997 and went straight to work to improve the large horse show arena in the back section of the fairgrounds behind the tractor pull grandstands with help from the Brown County Fair Board. At that time, they built a safe fence around the arena and a large barn.
A huge sponsor of the local youth and horse industry, the Brown County Horseman’s Association is currently planning major upgrades to the horse arena. The plans are actually years in the making, according to Brown County Horseman’s Association President Tim McKeown.
“We’ve done a lot of work here over the past 25 years, and five years ago we started to look into more improvements on the arena. But COVID raised costs and we had to go back and raise more money,” McKeown explained.
The plans include putting the entire horse arena under roof. By putting a roof over the entire show area, the arena could be used for many other local events that include concerts, weddings, large fundraising events, and for other types of animal shows.
It will greatly limit the cancellation of events and horse shows due to rain, and could help to boost the local economy by attracting more visitors to Brown County.
Thanks to a generous $20,000 donation from Tim O’Hara, owner of LaRosa’s Pizzeria in Mt. Orab, the Brown County Horseman’s Association had approximately $678,000 for the project, but still shy of the total funds needed.
To place a roof over the entire arena and make other necessary improvements, the cost has been estimated at $925,000, leaving the Brown County Horseman’s Association around $247,000 short.
The Brown County Horseman’s Association is hoping that local businesses, organizations, and individuals can help out to make the project happen.
According to McKeown, its a project that can benefit the entire county if completed.
Working hard on the project has been David Frye, Horse Department chair for the Brown County Senior Fair Board.
“David Frye has been instrumental in this project from the beginning,” said McKeown. “He’s helped design it and helped to raise funds. We would not be as far along as we are without him.”
Putting the arena under roof is a significant step toward more improvements the Brown County Horseman’s Association has planned.
“When this is built, it will be available for all kinds of different gatherings,” said McKeown.
The Brown County Horseman’s Association sponsors at least three popular horse shows each year at the arena, and the arena benefits many young equestrians in Brown and surrounding counties.
Find out how to donate to the project by contacting Tim McKeown at (937) 379-1735 or by email at tim4ins@yahoo.com.
For more information on the Brown County Horseman’s Association, you can visit its page on Facebook.