New horse arena coming to fairgrounds

  LYNDEN — The Northwest Washington Fair is building a new equestrian arena that will be completed in time for this year’s fair and draw more horse shows to Lynden.
  Construction of the 40,890-square-foot arena has begun and will be completed by mid-July, fair manager Jim Baron said. The $1.4 million facility will be located just west of the fair’s current horse arena. Huizenga Brothers Construction of Lynden is the general contractor.
  Baron said the new arena is in response to requests from the equestrian community.
  “We’ve lost horse shows over the years to sites with better facilities,” Baron said. “This will give us a larger show arena that is heated and insulated. The existing arena will function as a warm-up arena when hosting large shows.”
  The new arena will be a multi-purpose facility that can host other events besides horse shows, Baron added. Companies interested in naming rights for the facility may contact the fair office at 354-4111.
  “Attracting more events will not only help the fair financially, but also the local economy because participants and their families go to grocery stores, drug stores, restaurants, hotels and other businesses while they’re in Lynden,” he said.
  The Northwest Washington Fair will celebrate its 100th year Aug. 16-21.