Progress continues on 618 Event Center at fairgrounds

Work is continuing on the new 618 Event Center at the Clinton County Fairgrounds. D.C.A. Contracting Inc. out of Breese is getting ready for all of the steel work.    Work is continuing on the new 618 Event Center at the Clinton County Fairgrounds in Carlyle.
    Ralph Beckmann, Clinton County Fair Board president, said all of the concrete is laid and ready for the new event center, which will host multiple events including all of the livestock shows during fair week.
    D.C.A. Contracting Inc. out of Breese is getting ready for all of the steel work. Beckmann expects it to be about three or four weeks for the steel to be put up, weather permitting.
    "Everything is moving along well," Beckmann said.
    The indoor building will be 120 feet wide by 450 feet long. Pieces for the building rolled into the fairgrounds on nine semi trailers in October 2025. Construction on the building began in November.
    Initially, the goal was to have the building up by April or May. They have been pushed back a little due to the weather, but they remain close to that schedule.
    Clinton County Fair week will be July 12-18, with the parade scheduled for July 13. Beckmann said the building might not be fully completed by fair week, but it will still be used. They are looking to do a donor wall in the building to thank all of the businesses and individuals that donated to make the building possible.
    "Everyone is really excited about the opportunities this building is going to bring and we are ready to get it finished up," Beckmann said.
    All of the livestock shows during fair week will be in the 618 Event Center. The shows were previously in outdoor barns.
    There also has been interest to host other events at the 618 Event Center. They are looking to have car shows, tractor shows, and training seminars in the facility.
    "It really is going to be a good addition to the fairgrounds," Beckmann said.
    The building is wide open inside, so there are endless possibilities to host events there. They are looking to have bigger livestock shows during showing season. They are hoping the 618 Event Center is something all people in southern Illinois can use, because there will be few facilities like it in southern Illinois.
    The goal of the fair board is to have the 618 Event Center rented out once or twice a month.
    "We hope that a lot of people will come and check out the facility," Beckmann said.
    The new building will be big enough to host indoor tractor pulls.
    The Clinton County Fairgrounds will be the only fairgrounds south of Bloomington to have a facility like the 618 Event Center. They picked the name 618 Event Center because it encompasses southern Illinois and what it is about.
    They already have beef and pork jackpots coming that can attract anywhere from 500 to 1,000 people at a time. Fire departments and EMS can use the building for training. Heavy equipment dealers want to come in and do training. They also are looking at sporting events, flea markets and boat shows.
    The Clinton County Farm Bureau has already put up $250,000 to help with the startup of the building. They have a private trust that says they will match the Farm Bureau donation. The fair board has put up $100,000.
    The Clinton County Board approved a resolution of donating $30,000 out of the tourism fund toward the building on Oct. 1. Contingent upon the building keeps progressing, in January of 2026 they proposed another $10,000 and January 2027 another $10,000.
    The board unanimously approved the resolution of funding $50,000 toward the project.
    The 618 Event Center is another update and upgrade to the Clinton County Fairgrounds.
    The Legacy Building was completed at the fairgrounds in 2021.
    "We are just trying to continue to update and upgrade the fairgrounds to keep up with the times," Beckmann said.