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State officials cut the ribbon on $50 million swine barn at Indiana State Fairgrounds

From left to right are Randy Kron, Cindy Hoye and Eric Holcomb. Kron is a White man, balding with white hair and mustache, wearing a blue shirt. Hoye is a White woman, with brunette hair, wearing an orange jacket over a black top. Holcomb is a White man with white and gray hair and beard, wearing a white shirt. All three are holding large, ceremonial scissors.
Brandon Smith
/
IPB News
From left, Indiana Farm Bureau President Randy Kron, State Fair Executive Director Cindy Hoye and Gov. Eric Holcomb ceremonially cut the ribbon at the Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion on Thursday, July 20, 2023.

State leaders officially cut the ribbon at the swine barn at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Thursday after a multi-year, $50 million overhaul.

Gov. Eric Holcomb said the multi-use center is an investment for all Hoosiers.

“Our students are going to be able to learn and grow and develop here," Holcomb said. "And a lot of memories will be made along the way.”

There was controversy when lawmakers approved the funding for the building. Democrats argued the state should use its triple-A credit rating and historically low interest rates to bond the facility's construction and instead use the $50 million on more immediate needs.

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The Indiana Farm Bureau Fall Creek Pavilion, as it’s officially known, will host more than just livestock events. USA Track and Field CEO Max Siegel said there will be national and international sporting events at the facility.

“The facility is not just a building. It’s a testament to our commitment to ongoing, strategic initiatives with the sport," Siegel said. "And this facility, we can assure you, will be used in this community and we will contribute – and we’re really proud partners to be here.”

The general public will get its first look at the pavilion when the Indiana State Fair begins next week.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

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Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for Indiana Public Broadcasting for more than a decade, spanning three governors and a dozen legislative sessions. He's also the host of Indiana Week in Review, a weekly political and policy discussion program seen and heard across the state. He previously worked at KBIA in Columbia, Missouri and WSPY in Plano, Illinois. His first job in radio was in another state capitol - Jefferson City, Missouri - as a reporter for three stations around the Show-Me State.