Two-day fundraising effort to restore Columbia County Grandstand

PORTAGE, Wis. (WMTV) - A non-profit in Portage alongside community members are banding together to refurbish and repair the historic Grandstand at the Columbia County Fairgrounds.

The Grandstand was built in 1935 as part of the New Deal and is listed as a historic building with the City of Portage, as well as landing on the State of Wisconsin historic registry. Save the Grandstand is working to add it to the national historic registry.

“This is where we got together, this is where the events were, this used to be the place to be,“ said Amber Davis, Portage native and Save the Grandstand president. “It’s a pretty sad experience to watch something that you know to be part of your community no longer be in use.”

Rock the Grandstand June 2 and June 3 is a two-day music festival organized to help raise money and awareness for the building’s restoration.

“We also want to be able to bring it back to the community so that they can use it and bring events down here and not have it just sitting idle,” said Davis.

There will be dozens of artists and vendors at the festival located at the Columbia County Fairgrounds. You will need to purchase tickets to attend the concerts.

Save the Grandstand president Amber Davis joined The Morning Show Wednesday to talk about the ongoing effort to restore the Grandstand to its original glory.

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