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Pittsburg State and the Four State Farm Show have signed a multi-year contract allowing the show to be held on Pitt State’s campus in the Robert W. Plaster Center. The show will be held this year from Friday, May 29 until Sunday, May 31.
According to the Four State Farm Show website, “The very first Four State Farm Show… was held… as an effort to bring agricultural production and agribusiness together.”
A press conference was held on Tuesday, Feb. 18 in the Plaster Center. Community members and leaders spoke at the press conference including Kansas Secretary of Commerce David Toland, Farm Talk Publisher and Four State Farm Show coordinator Lance Markley, Crawford County Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Devin Gorman, and Pittsburg Deputy City Manager Jay Byers.
The Plaster Center is regularly used for community events.
“When Dr. Scott asked newly-hired City Manager Daron Hall for millions of dollars to help build a state-of-the-art indoor track facility, there were risks on all sides,” Byers said. “Daron agreed, but only after getting the University to allow the building to be used for community events as well as track events. As they continue to be, PSU and Dr. Scott have been true to their word, and seven years later, the Plaster Center has become one of the most valuable resources in the community as well as one of the most sought-after indoor track facilities in the country.”
According to Chief Strategy Officer Shawn Naccarato, PSU is always willing to help the community through partnerships and this is another demonstration of that.
“This is just one more example of the innovative sort of partnerships we’re willing to enter into to directly benefit of our community,” Naccarato said. “We’re excited that we’re able to come to an agreement that brings 20,000 people and more than $1 million in economic impact to our community.”
Naccarato is pleased to see the Plaster Center benefiting the community as well as the university.
“This is just a great example of the sort of things we anticipated would be made possible by the building of the Plaster Center and the investment that the city, as well as the private donors, made to build that facility,” Naccarato said. “It’s the sort of thing we envisioned the Plaster Center would enable us to do as a community, and I think it’s exciting to see that come to fruition.”
Investments and partnerships are important to both PSU and to the Pittsburg community.
“Pittsburg has seen over $450 million of investment over the last seven years, and it hasn’t been luck or from one or two sources,” Byers said. “It has come from a conscious effort to build partnerships. This kind of growth comes from being open to new ideas and supporting those who are willing to commit their time and risk their resources. This event is an example of people working together to make something worthwhile happen, and it is another example of how our number one partner, continues to prove how much they mean to the region.”
Since 1984, the Four State Farm Show has been held on a 300-acre farm just outside of Pittsburg.
“The City of Pittsburg is grateful to be a part of keeping the Farm Show in Southeast Kansas,” Byers said. “We see how, when a community comes together, we can make good things happen.”
With access to the Plaster Center, the Four State Farm Show can now offer indoor exhibits and booths as well as the usual outdoor booths and exhibits which is beneficial in the case of inclement weather.
“Over the years, we have found we aren’t great at controlling the weather,” Markley told Pitt State News. “Not surprisingly, we have experienced extreme heat with our July dates and then heavy rains last year after moving the show to May in search of cooler temperatures. While this move doesn’t alleviate weather concerns, it does offer more favorable options if inclement weather occurs.”
Byers is excited for the show to be held at Pittsburg State and encourages community members to attend the show in May.
“Pittsburg invites the Farm Show, its exhibitors, and attendees to take advantage of what it can offer,” Byers said. “Plenty of food, shopping, and entertainment surrounds the Show, and I think I can say for the entire community, ‘Welcome, and we’re excited to have you here.”
For more information, visit FourStateFarmShow.com or call Farm Talk Newspaper at 800-356-8255.
