Visitors to the Stanislaus County Fair who walk down the thoroughfare from the Arch Gate, past the Floriculture building and towards the plethora of food vendors may notice one building that is closed off.

This building located across from the Center Stage was once a vital part of the annual Fair — sometimes as a baby center and others as the photography exhibit building or the farmers’ market space — but now, it’s shuttered and closed off due to a fire nearly a year ago that ravaged the site.

In September 2022, an early morning 9-1-1 call brought firefighters to the fairgrounds for what was reported as a tent on fire. The first firefighters to arrive at the fairgrounds found that the flames had extended up the wall and onto the roof of a single-story commercial building that is used as a kitchen and gathering hall. The roof, walls, main meeting area, storage area, many furnishings as well as equipment and electronics, all sustained significant losses. 

While insurance will cover a portion of the loss, it will not cover all that is needed to restore the building to what it was. The Rotary club of Turlock is stepping in to help raise the funds to rebuild the structure, as it was also the club’s meeting site for several years.

“Our Club wants to help rebuild this structure, not just so that we may have our ‘home’ back, but also so that other organizations in our community may, once again, enjoy its use,” states the club on the GoFundMe page it created.

Funds raised will be used to help bridge the gap between the cost to rebuild the building and the insurance coverage. All of the net proceeds from the Rotary Club’s GoFundMe will go directly to that effort and donations are tax deductible through the club, a 501(c)(4) organization with tax ID #23-7055494.

As of Friday, the club had only raised $265 out of its $25,000 goal.

For more information, visit the club’s GoFundMe page at: https://bit.ly/44Hdg1i