In the middle of a drought, Central Iowa Expo grounds in Boone, Iowa, suffered from wind damage during last Wednesday night's thunderstorm. Fortunately, most of it was mild, and the Farm Progress staff is grateful for the rain.
However, Eric Ziel's Exhibitor Food Building, which was under construction just outside the gate by the Administration Building, collapsed in the middle of the night. "The damage is generally contained to either side of the administration office," Farm Progress Show operations manager Mark Lovig notes, adding that some tents sustained mild damage. "That's really about all the damage we had last night."
Despite Wind Damage, FPS Preparations Going Smoothly
One of these is the USDA's test plot, although Lovig says it didn't take long for them to fix what little damage there was to the tent. "Those guys have very minimal damage," he says. "In 10 minutes I think they've probably fixed everything."
However, this hasn't slowed construction at the expo grounds. With the 2012 Farm Progress Show a month away, the site has already undergone some construction, including several exhibitor tent frames, Sukup, Chief and GSI bins, several building frames, and gravel on the John Deere lot. "They've got several bigger tents in the air already," Lovig says, noting the amount of current construction at the site amidst the sound of jackhammers and skid loaders running in the background. "There are a lot of buildings going up right now."
In addition, the site's pavement project has made a lot of progress. With all the preparation and sub base material put in, all that's left to be put in for the 2014 show is the pavement. "The roads are completed for this year, we finished with that about a week and a half ago," Lovig says. "I think they are going to be in good shape for this year's show."