EMBARRASS — Embarrass’ Timber Hall is one of the largest freestanding log structures in the country, and the building, best known for hosting the Embarrass Region Fair, is showing its age.
But thanks to $1.66 million in grant funding, the building is getting updates, both inside and out, that will preserve and update the building to serve the community well into the future.
The building is owned by the Embarrass Region Community Association (formerly known as the fair board). Timber Hall was built back in 1991, and it was designed to reflect the traditional log building styles found in Embarrass. The construction was funded with a $200,000 IRRR grant, as well as $135,000 in in-kind labor, including the felling and peeling of the over 200 large red pines used in the construction. Over 100 volunteers used 60 borrowed wheelbarrows to pour the cement floor. Area businesses also volunteered time and equipment towards the project.
The association received a $1.5 million grant from the state Legislature a couple of years ago. They then applied for and received additional grant funding from the IRRR, CDBG, Blandin Foundation, and other funders, which ensured the project could be completed as envisioned.
The association board is adding a lot of sweat equity to the project.
Working with Lenci Construction, board members are doing a major portion of the site preparation and interior demolition work required before the project begins.
Association chair Sarah Wallert-Ramponi said that board members and volunteers have removed all the kitchen and office equipment, appliances, tables, and chairs that were inside the building, moving stuff into the fairground exhibit building and barn for storage. Then they went to work doing demo, pulling down wood paneling, tearing down interior walls, removing all the bathroom fixtures and wooden paneling, and then removing the old floor tiles.
“Half the tiles came up easily,” Wallert-Ramponi said, “but the rest didn’t. We had to rent a floor-scraping machine, twice.”
“It took a lot of elbow grease,” she said.
The project is bringing the 35-year-old building up to current building codes.
“When it was built, those things were up to code,” Wallert-Ramponi said.
This includes enlarging and updating the kitchen, updating the bathrooms, adding a unisex bathroom, and adding an addition with a larger office space and storage area onto the back of the building to store equipment. This will increase the usable space inside Timber Hall, she said. The exterior of the building will also undergo some TLC. Some rotten logs will be replaced, and the roof overhangs will be extended, to better protect the exterior logs from water damage in the future.
Besides these visible changes, the project includes updated electric, plumbing, and HVAC.
The project is on track to be completed in time for this year’s Embarrass Region Fair, set for the last weekend in August.
The association board includes Wallert-Ramponi, Preston Tripp, Laura Stella, William Ramponi, and Zane Beaton. The group also has many active committee members, including those who help organize the fair and horse arena events. Other major projects at Timber Hall later this year will include the relocation of the horse arena and installation of new arena panels.