Well the work has begun even before the closing date for the City of Merrill to purchase the Lincoln County Fairgrounds from the county. An ad-hoc committee has already met and asked the Chamber who is the tourism administrator for the city to hold a contest for renaming the fairgrounds property.

The contest rules are pretty simple. There is only one rule – the new name cannot include the word fairground or fairgrounds. Contestants must submit their new name entry on an official entry form. Forms can be found at the Chamber office, on the Chamber’s website and in the Foto News. Deadline for submitting a new name idea is July 3.

The city’s ad-hoc committee will select up to three names that have been entered. The name choices selected will then go out into the community for voting. As a fundraiser, everyone voting will be asked to donate a dollar with their ballot. Ballot boxes will be available at the Chamber and at the Lincoln County Fair (July 22-26) and at other locations to be announced in July. The winner of the “Name the (former) Fairgrounds Contest” will win a pair of tickets to each of the big events held on the former fairgrounds site during the 2016 season.

In addition, the Merrill Chamber Foundation has opened a new community project fund for tax-deductible donations for the fairgrounds. Donations can be made to the Merrill Events Fund and sent to the foundation at Merrill Chamber Foundation, Inc, 705 N. Center Ave., Merrill, WI 54452. In addition, a Go Fund Me account has also been set up online under the name Merrill Events Fund. Donations to the Go Fund Me are not tax deductible however.

For more information contact the Chamber at 715-536-9474.