Press Releases

Blunt Rochester with Delaware State Fair leadership 

HARRINGTON, Del.  — Today, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) joined Delaware State Fair President Ron Draper and Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Michael T. Scuse for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the recently updated New Castle Agricultural Building on the Delaware State Fairgrounds. Last year, Blunt Rochester secured $937,500 in Community Project Funding for the Delaware State Fair to make improvements to the New Castle Building so it can provide agriculture support and services to students and families in Delaware. 

“The Delaware State Fair is an iconic fixture of summer in Delaware – drawing hundreds of thousands of Delawareans to Harrington each year to enjoy its festival atmosphere and educational programming,” said Blunt Rochester. “Last year, I visited the New Castle Building hoping that next time I would return to an improved, ready-to-use, communal space for students, families, and all fairgoers to use and enjoy – and that’s exactly what it’s turned into. I couldn’t be prouder to have secured over $900,000 in Community Project Funding to make these improvements that will help drive the future of farming in Delaware.”

“The Delaware State Fair Board of Directors and staff are extremely honored to be a part of the continued growth and success of both 4-H and FFA.  The construction of the New Castle Building provides both organizations a place to continue their programs year round.” - Ron Draper, President of the Delaware State Fair. 

“Over the past five to seven years, we have seen an increase in the participation of youth showing goats here at the Delaware State Fair. That growth is exciting because it means our young people are gaining experience in animal agriculture - whether it be through participation in a 4-H Club, in their middle or high school agriscience class and in FFA, or on a local farm,” said Secretary of Agriculture Michael T. Scuse. “But the experience showing at the State Fair is only for 10 days during the summer. With the funding secured by Congresswoman Blunt Rochester for the newly renovated New Castle Building, Delaware’s next generation of agriculturalists will have a place to call home 365 days a year to learn about our number one industry.”

The $937,500 for the Delaware State Fair supported major improvements to the New Castle Building on the fairgrounds. The updated building will be used year-round for Delaware 4-H and FFA Association programming which includes agriculture education, family support, and civic and leadership development programs. Their programs will include STEM-based learning experiences including the subjects of food, animal, plant, and environmental science in addition to focusing on promoting healthy living lifestyles and the development of civic engagement and leadership skills relevant to and appropriate for rural families residing in rural Delaware. During the fair in late July, the building will be used for the exhibition and judging of livestock.

Community Project Funding was a part of a robust, bipartisan, year-long process in which Blunt Rochester’s office received over 150 applications. Each House Member was permitted to submit only 10 applications to the House Committee on Appropriations for consideration. Blunt Rochester was able to ensure that 8 applications made it into the final appropriations package.

In March, Blunt Rochester voted to fund nearly $100 million in Delaware projects, which included $23,662,500 of Community Project Funding. This funding, included in the appropriations government funding package and signed into law by President Biden, responds directly to some of the most pressing needs in New Castle, Kent, and Sussex Counties.

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