Grand new view

When competitors drive in front of the grandstand tonight, their tires will be the first to make tread marks on a near track.

When fans cheer from the infield seats, they’ll have a new wall protecting them from the vehicles.

When Jeff Abbott announces the action, he’ll be sitting in a new, more spacious, perch.

A new grandstand judge’s tower, completed less than two weeks before the start of the Jay County Fair, is the latest addition to Jay County Fairgrounds and will debut at tonight’s demolition derby that kicks off eight days of events in front of the grandstand.

The need for a new tower and upgrades to the derby track became clear last year when fair board members were concerned that a car might be headed over the guardrail and into the fans — there were no injuries — or that a light pole might come down after being struck.

“We said we were going to do something and we went all out,” said fair board member Rick Neargarder. “It’s a beautiful project.”

The improvements came together as fair board members began reaching out to businesses and community members following the 2024 fair. The response was immediate, with various entities contributing time, labor and materials.

The result is an expanded derby track with a new 300-foot concrete wall serving as the north barrier. The wall goes 2 feet into the ground and is backed by a dirt mound. The fence sits another 6 feet back as an additional safety precaution.

The new judge’s tower has a similar footprint, but was redesigned to maximize space and improve sight lines for fans. The stairs are now on the outside of the structure, and there is an overhang on the front to allow spectators in trucks in the infield to see the entirety of the track.

New LED lighting is in place with new steel poles and additional speakers have been added in the grandstand. (Electrical lines, some of which used to run overhead, are all now buried underground.) And there is a new infield driveway, formed with asphalt that was milled off of Charles Street in Portland during its recent repaving by Brooks Construction.

“I think it's good for not only the safety of our directors that are up there … but also it’s not an eyesore like it was before,” said Jason McGraw, who continued his family’s tradition of driving in derbies for years and is now a member of the fair board.

“It did its service for the time we had it. But that (new) judge’s tower is beautiful. … 

“Having a nice, solid track will make it safer for our fans who are sitting on the infield side, safer for our drivers as well.”

Huntsman Concrete was hired for the concrete work, with Berne Ready Mix donating all of the concrete. (The track will carry the Berne Ready Mix name for the next decade as a thank you for the donation.)

Steve Reitz, the husband of fair board member Vickie Reitz, Brian Robinson and Neargarder handled about 90% of the labor to construct the new building. 

Other volunteers and donations were many:

•Equipment and a set of stairs from Barnett’s Wrecker Services

•Welding work from Vore’s Welding

•Labor for the new fence from Tyler Aker of High Fence Solutions

•Four light poles from Shambaugh and Sons

•Dirt spreading work and cutting the driveway by Shaver Field Service

Additional contributions came from Travis Nichols/ McAfee Recycling, Fort Recovery Lumber, Davis Drilling, the City of Portland, 5G CNC, Portland True Value, Jay County highway department, 4 West Farms, KBL Transport, Wendel’s Guttering and Wil Taylor.

“It couldn’t have been done without volunteers,” said fair board member Bubba Swoveland.

“The volunteers we had out there were just awesome,” added fellow fair board member Travis Theurer.

A $36,000 grant received through Jayland Trotting Association helped cover the cost of the new tower while a $17,600 grant from The Portland Foundation went toward the electrical portion of the project. Theurer said the fair board put about $20,000 into the project.

With donated labor and materials included, the total project is estimated at $100,000-plus.

It was important, the fair board members said, because of what the derby means to both the fair and the community. Theurer noted that there are typically 150 to 200 cars for each derby.

“The derby is our largest money-maker,” he said. “It brings the most amount of people in. Obviously the grandstand is always full. … The Jay County Community supports our demo derby.”

A celebratory ribbon-cutting for the new grandstand is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. Saturday, July 5, before an evening of demolition derby closes out the fair.