Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


The Ingham County Fairgrounds announced a $250,000 gift from the Dart Foundation to support the construction of a new covered grandstand at the Fairgrounds, located in the City of Mason.

The new grandstand will seat 1,382 guests and include restrooms and a snack bar, restoring a central gathering space for Fair Week and year-round events.

“This generous donation from the Dart Foundation brings us one step closer to a modern grandstand,” said Michael Yanz, the President of the Ingham County Fair Board. “The new structure will increase the Fairground’s ability to host community events throughout the year, not just during the week of Fair. We are so grateful to the Dart Foundation for partnering with us to help make the grandstand a reality.”

The Fairgrounds has been without a grandstand since 2016, when the original community-built structure (1939) was removed due to structural deficiencies. In 2023, the Fairgrounds was awarded $2,500,000 in federal funding through Community Projects Initiative via then-Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin’s office, and the Dart Foundation’s gift helps accelerate the grandstand rebuild.

“We are proud to partner with the Fairgrounds on this transformative project,” said Emily L. Matthews, Executive Director of the Dart Foundation. “Investing in our local community gathering places is an investment in local culture, economic vitality and civic life. We look forward to seeing families and neighbors come together to make lifelong memories at the Fairgrounds.”

The Ingham County Fair Foundation has been fundraising for the project for the last ten years and this donation is vital for the project. “The Dart Foundation has made the single biggest donation in the history of the Fair Foundation and we could not be prouder to partner with them to bring this project to life,” said Steve Taylor, President of the Ingham County Fair Foundation Board.

Fairgrounds Events Director Lindsey McKeever told WHMI the project has been a long time coming. She they are getting closer with this donation and other pledges to reaching their fundraising goal but are not quite there yet and still need to raise around another half million dollars.

McKeever said the project and design was from 2025, so they’re anticipating a larger expense than originally expected based on inflation, the cost of construction, and just the general cost of doing business going up.

McKeever said they’re very excited to go out to bid for construction - hopefully in the next 4 to 6 weeks and are looking forward to getting a shovel in the ground in the beginning of the year so it can be done by the 2027 fair. She added they’re hoping next year really is “the year” to get this completed and “provide the community with what they really want –a grandstand”.

Since opening in 1855, the Ingham County Fair has been a summer highlight for families across the region.

Each Fair Week delivers the sights, sounds and flavors of a class American summer: carnival food, rides, midway games, livestock, horses and more. Building a new grandstand will strengthen that legacy, ensuring the Fair remains a beloved gathering place for generations to come. The 2026 Ingham County Fair is August 3rd through 8th.

The Grandstand project is expected to be completed prior to the 2027 Fair – scheduled August 2 – 7th.

More about the project is available in the provided link.