CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – For the 2025-26 fiscal year, Montgomery County budgeted $2 million toward the design and construction of a new fairgrounds. County Mayor Wes Golden sat down with Clarksville Now this week to offer more details on the project, including the process of the master plan, what phase we’re on, and where the idea originated.
What happens next
The fairgrounds are set to be developed on around 152 acres on Arkadelphia Road in the northeast corner of Montgomery County. Golden said that currently, they are trying to finish up the design for the infrastructure going into the park. This includes the design of roads in the area, two-lanes in and two-lanes out, and utilities going in. There is also funding in the budget to allow for mass grading, soil stabilization and other immediate needs like bathrooms, he said.
“That’s phase one,” Golden said. “We’re also working with a project team to master develop the whole site. So, before we put up the first building, we want to know what the last building is going to look like and where it’s going to be located. So, we’re taking this at a phase approach, so that we can do this responsibly when it comes to spending money and make it affordable for the project.”
Golden also said they will continue to discuss whether the fairgrounds space should be enclosed or not, as well as the possibility of an arena.
Fairgrounds history
The original fairgrounds on Highway 48/13 was owned by the Montgomery County Fair Association dating back to 1968, according to Clarksville Now archives. It was sold to the City of Clarksville in 1970, and over the years it hosted the fair, Oktoberfest, the Bikers Who Care Toy Run Party, the Kiwanis Rodeo and other events.
In 2009, the fairgrounds closed for construction of the city’s Liberty Park and Clarksville Marina. Some events moved to the 4-H Arena on Rossview Road, and some to the Clarksville Speedway. The Speedway is now being purchased by the city for conversion into a park, leaving the future uncertain for the Montgomery County Fair and other events.
| PREVIOUSLY: Future uncertain for BWC Toy Run Party, others as Clarksville runs out of fair space
‘This county needs a fairgrounds like we used to have’
Golden said the idea for a county fairgrounds started well before his time as mayor and when his father was still alive.
“He passed away in 2019, but back when he was alive, he told me, ‘You know this county really needs a fairgrounds like we used to have,'” he said. “My dad and I had a good conversation about it and why it’s important, and all the things we’re missing out on because we don’t have a county fairgrounds. For me, I think about the fairgrounds that we had when I was a kid. And all the different things and the flexibility it had for the community. The agricultural aspect that it had as well, which I would like to bring back even more of the agricultural component than we had back then.”
Golden said that when he was a kid, before you’d be able to go get cotton candy, or ride a carnival ride, you’d have to walk past the cattle, the sheep and the hogs. He said it was neat growing up being able to see those types of things, while also being educated by the farmers in the area.
“We want to open this up to the community,” Golden said. “We have been meeting with different stakeholders across the community, and we’re not done doing that either.” He said the county has met with groups such as the Rotary Clubs, the Kiwanis Clubs, as well as 4-H, the Cattlemen’s Association and the Chamber of Commerce, and he looks forward to meeting with others to gather ideas for what the community wants in the fairgrounds.
Chris Smith contributed to this report.
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