The upcoming Santa Cruz County Fair will look different this year, as the sheep and pig livestock barns are slated for demolition in July, nearly four years after the initial board vote on the plans, and only a few months before the county fair returns on Sept. 16 – 20.
The barns will be replaced with tents during the fair, said Dori Rose Inda, the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds CEO and fair manager. The tents will be similar to the ones elsewhere on the fairgrounds.
California Construction Authority—the governing body overseeing the demolition— says that the reason for the demolition is that “the existing Livestock Barn has outlived its usefulness and has become a danger for the fairgrounds, anyone inside or near the structure. The State Fire Marshall wants the full structure demolished before the next (2026) or fully secured with no admittance.”
The two barns were built in the 1950s and sit on the east side of the fairgrounds, parallel to livestock road, in the livestock area of the fair.
They now pose a safety concern, said Ron Haedicke, the marketing director for the fairgrounds, citing the structures’ age and ability to withstand earthquakes and strong winds.
“This year, we had to move forward either with rebuilding or demolition,” said Inda, “we couldn’t plan and rebuild quickly enough, so we are moving forward with demolition.”
According to Inda, the current estimate for the demolition cost is around $430,000, adding that the total could change as the demolition is still in the planning stage.
The demolition is planned to begin in late July, said Haedicke, who added that this will follow approval of the contractor’s bids, which are due July 20. The demolition is planned to begin immediately after, clearing the area before the fair begins in September.
The fairgrounds are also used as an evacuation center during county emergencies. While the fairgrounds are without replacements for the sheep and swine barns, according to Haedicke, anything that normally has been housed in those barns would be moved to the beef barn.
The barns “have served the fair quite well all these years,” said Haedicke, “and it’s this time that they are going to have to be replaced.”
To honor the old barns, the sign that hangs above the swine barn has been preserved, “and it will be used in whatever new construction is done,” said Haedicke.
In 2022, the Pajaronian reported on the demolition plans when the board originally approved them in a 6-2 vote.
The final decision following the vote regarding the barns went to the California Construction Authority, because the fairgrounds are state property, said Haedicke.
The goal is to hopefully preserve some part of the old barns, such as the cement horse racks in both the swine and sheep barns, said Haedicke, “and then the tents will somehow work around that.”
The tents are planned to go in approximately the same place as the old barns, but it depends on the fair’s planning, Haedicke added. “It’ll all come together when the fair opens.”
Nonetheless, the demolition will leave the fairground without a permanent structure to replace the barn until they can afford to build new barns. This process, Haedicke believes, will take two to three years, adding that they are considering reimagining the livestock area and building a larger, multi-use building for year-round events and livestock.
“It’s a very exciting to have the prospect of what will be the future buildings there,” said Inda, “we’ll do a very thorough process of engaging with community, and making sure that we are thinking through what we are replacing at the barns to be the best use for the community that we serve.”
