NOTE: This is an excerpt from the Elkhart County 4-H Fair blog
Elkhart County 4-H Fair fans can relax and breathe easier. There are still plenty of ways to the fairgrounds this year even with the variety of road improvement projects in Goshen.
And the new South Gate entrance route, completed in 2016, is being encouraged as a vital thoroughfare for fair-goers entering Goshen from all parts of the county. The gate is located on C.R. 36 (College Avenue) just east of U.S. 33 past the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks.
The express route will open for daily Fair access at 8 a.m. on Friday, July 21 and will be fully monitored by parking staff as well as security personnel. After 9 p.m. each night, the route will be exit-only away from the fairgrounds.
“Four or five years ago, the Fair board had the foresight to plan for the U.S. 33 Northern Connector construction impact on Fair traffic,” says Bryan Blair, general manager of the 4-H fairgrounds. “By planning ahead and purchasing land, building the bridge across Rock Run Creek two years ago and by opening the South Gate off of C.R. 36 for the Fair last year, it gave us the opportunity to work out as smooth a traffic plan as possible to accommodate our guests and the overall traffic impact to Goshen.
Other 4-H Fair alternative routes include:
- Lincoln Avenue (S.R. 4) east out of Goshen to Blackport Drive then to C.R. 34 near the 4-H Fair main entrance.
- Lincoln Avenue east to C.R. 29, south on C.R .29 to C.R. 34, and entering Gate 7 of the fairgrounds from the east on C.R. 34.
- From Middlebury, Millersburg and New Paris, C.R. 34 from the east.