T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Clifford Collins, front, and daughter Christy Collins visit the Belmont County Fair on Monday to look over events and to see the new building paid for with a donation from the Collins family and dedicated to the family, including Paul Collins and Nancy Collins Vannest, deceased

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The Collins family’s love of the Belmont County Fair will be commemorated in the new commercial building unveiled during this year’s events.

The names of Clifford Collins and his children — Paul Collins, Christy Collins and Nancy Collins Vannest of the Bethesda area — are displayed on a sign above the door. Clifford Collins, who attended the opening day events with Christy Collins, said they were motivated in part by a loss in the family.

“My daughter (Nancy) was a 4-H Club member and she passed away real sudden in February,” Clifford Collins said. “She was a home ec teacher at Union Local. … She retired from there. Always involved in youth her whole life and involved in the fair since she was a kid. We miss her so much, and this way we can remember her.”

Clifford Collins said he reached out to fair personnel expressing a desire to help.

“I lost my son in 1997 and he had been real active in 4-H advisers, and my daughter with me, we just put all three names on,” he said.

Clifford Collins added he believes Nancy Collins Vannest would be happy to be commemorated with a building like that.

“I’ve been around it. I don’t think the building could have been any better,” Clifford Collins said.

His daughter agreed it is a fitting tribute.

“My brother and sister, Paul Collins … and Nancy Collins Vannest, both loved the fair so much. This was a special week for both of them, and when we started trying to figure out a way to honor them … we started out talking about benches and my dad paid for a building, so it just grew as we talked about it,” Christy Collins said.

The family made a donation of $149,000 to pay for the building.

“My dad has been blessed with gas and oil money, and I think this is wonderful that he’s created this legacy that will be here for years,” she said.

Clifford Collins said the fair has done much to shape their family.

“Our children and grandchildren were involved in 4-H and ag, and I just wish they’d keep pushing more outside activities for these young people, farm related. We need more help on the farm,” he said.

“I think a lot of the Belmont County Fair, and it’s been here for a long time, and I hope it’s here for another 100 years,” Clifford Collins said. “I’m really proud of the young people that’s working on it. I wish we could get more young fair board members, because the other fair board members aren’t going to keep working too many more years. I wish we could get some more young people involved in the fair board business so they have the idea of management.”

Clifford Collins recalled his own longtime involvement with the fair.

“I don’t remember when I wasn’t coming down here to the fair. I remember horse races were there, the horse-pulling contests back in the old days. I remember being on the school bus, talking to some of the kids in 1948 (when he graduated) and that was the 100th anniversary of the Belmont County Fair that fall, and I just wondered if it would go on. I remember talking about it, and now only two more years and we’ll have three quarters of that century in already. It doesn’t seem possible.”

He considered the changes to the fairgrounds since they were moved to the venue at 45420 Roscoe Road off U.S. 40 west of St. Clairsville 13 years ago. The fairgrounds previously were situated in the city of St. Clairsville, centered on the high school football field.

“I think they’re really super,” he said of the newer facilities. “They’ve got a bunch of good buildings here, and it’s in a good location. I honestly believe if they have horse races here they would help the attendance, because fairs where they have horse races, it seems like they draw a lot of people with horse races. But they’ve done a great job arranging everything the way that they have,” Clifford Collins said. “I’m just so honored to be able to help with a building like that, and we’ve been treated so good here today. This is a super bunch of people. Everybody ought to come down to the Belmont County Fair.”

Belmont County Fair Board President Ed Campbell said the commercial building may be rented and used for other purposes throughout the year.