JOHN DAY – Fair officials are hoping donors will feel generous at the end of the year and pitch in for a public address system and reader boards for the Grant County Fairgrounds.

Fair Manager Mary Weaver said the fair hopes to install the system in March or April.

The total project cost is estimated at $162,000.

Weaver recently sent a letter to local businesses and fair supporters, seeking support and noting that donations are tax deductible. She hopes that will be attractive to people looking for year-end tax benefits.

So far the fairgrounds has obtained grants for the project of $40,000 from the Meyer Memorial Trust and $1,000 from the Young Family Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation. A request for $48,500 from the Ford Family Foundation is pending at the review stage, and The Collins Foundation also is reviewing a request for $30,000.

Weaver said the fair has some other small grants pending, and she hopes to raise about $30,000 from donations and fund-raising events to reach the total.

She said the PA system is needed for safety reasons. She cited incidents in recent years – a high wind warning, a lost child, and nearby lightning fires – when having a system to alert people on the fairgrounds would have been useful.

For more information, contact the Fair Office, 541-575-1900.