Jacksonville Fair opens at new 82-acre Westside home

The 71st Annual Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair is open — and this year, it has a brand-new home.State and local dignitaries, fair leadership and special guests gathered Thursday evening for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Jacksonville Festival Fairgrounds on Jacksonville’s Westside, officially marking the start of the 11-day event.The new fairgrounds sits off Normandy Boulevard, with a newly constructed road connecting the grounds directly to the POW/MIA Parkway.A major upgrade from the old locationThe new site spans 82 acres — five times the size of the Fair’s former downtown location, which was tucked between stadiums at the sports complex.RELATED | Jacksonville Fair moves to the Westside: What to know before you go“The old fairgrounds were crammed in the sports complex, and between some stadiums, it was a little crowded,” said Bill Olson, CEO of the Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair. “Here, wide open, room to walk, room to get some food, sit down and eat it.”Olson sa