Pictured is an artist rendering of the The Grand Event Center + Market Hall that will be constructed on the Mercer County fairgrounds.
Photo provided
CELINA — The Mercer County Fair board will hold a grand opening ceremony for its Market Hall facility at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 18.
The event will take place on the county fairgrounds at 1001 W. Market St., Celina. Tours of The Grand Event Center + Market Hall campus will follow the ceremony.
The facility is a multi-million-dollar campus designed for year-round, large-scale indoor events. The 100,000-square-foot venue has the capacity to serve up to 6,000 attendees and will host expo and trade shows, concerts and various entertainment and athletic events.
Tafi Stober, director of development for the event center, said the facility has an anticipated economic impact on the region of $20 million annually.
“We are building resources to serve the 11.78 million Ohioans with a destination that stimulates economic growth through job creation, entertainment and education,” Stober said.
Calculations indicate that day-trip visitors to the site will spend $115 per person, while overnight guests can be expected to spend $343 during their visit.
Completion of the Grand Event Center is anticipated in November of 2026.
“One full single event has the potential to gross $1.7 million in discretionary spending,” the director said. “The forecasted schedule of 15 events in 2027 will make an estimated impact of over $20 million in local receipts.
