Valencia County Fairgrounds Ownership and Future Improvements Spark Local Debate

The Valencia County fairgrounds have officially been transferred into county hands, after the Valencia County Commission unanimously approved the property transfer at a special meeting on March 6. The deal was first floated by the Valencia Fair Management Co. in July 2025.

The fair itself traces its roots to around the time New Mexico became a state in 1912, and in 1946 the Valencia County Fair Association was formed and purchased the property off the I-25 Bypass north of Belen. "And the fair has been held there every year since," Jeremiah Ash, a member of the Valencia Fair Management Co.'s real estate committee, told commissioners.

The property totals just over 33 acres across two parcels. The developed portion is 17.33 acres, home to the main show barn and other infrastructure, with 2,800 square feet under cover, a 650-square-foot kitchen and 850 square feet of restrooms. To the west, across the Los Chavez Drain and abutting Don Felipe Road, lies the second parcel: 15.89 acres of undeveloped land known locally as "the marsh."

Resolution 2026-18 approves the agreement between Valencia County and the Valencia Fair Management Company Inc., allowing the county to take control of the property with plans to build a state-of-the-art expo center with sports and recreation fields. Capital outlay funds are already available for the first stages of the project.

The transfer resolves a practical burden that had long fallen on unpaid volunteers. "They are a volunteer board and they're over there every weekend of the year fixing roofs, grading the parking lot, cutting weeds," said Commissioner Troy Richardson, who added the capital outlay funds could go a long way toward improvements. During the 2025 legislative session, the county received $2.2 million in capital outlay out of a requested $7.2 million to plan, design, construct and equip a sports complex and fairgrounds facility. In total, the county has now been granted $2.1 million in legislative appropriations for improvements and new projects on the fairgrounds.

The biggest immediate priority is safety, according to Valencia County Manager Jhonathan Aragon. Gophers and prairie dogs have riddled the grounds with holes and burrows. The goat barn next to the show ring may need to be replaced with a large tent during this year's fair if a structural assessment finds it unsound. Other immediate priorities include leveling the ground and ensuring proper drainage.

The county is also eyeing the property as a hub for agricultural programming. The NMSU Cooperative Extension Office, currently housed in a small office on Courthouse Road in Los Lunas, is the main provider of ag education programs in the county and home of 4-H, and the ultimate goal is to move the extension service onto the property.

Aragon said the fair management board has events already scheduled for 2026 that will remain in place, with the county taking on booking responsibilities after that. "We are hoping to attract events like dog and horse shows," he said. "There has been a lot of interest in agricultural events. There's the potential for rodeos and roping events in the arena on the east side of the property."

The agreement also provides free office and meeting space for the fair management company on the grounds, as well as free space for 4-H, FFA youth programs and similar agricultural youth organizations. If the county ever sells the property, it is legally obligated to ensure any subsequent owner provides a suitable location for the annual fair under the same terms and conditions.

Ash said the annual cost to put on the fair runs about $20,000, a figure that fluctuates depending on events hosted throughout the year. With the county now holding the deed and $2.1 million in hand, the question for residents is how quickly that money moves and whether the ambition of a full expo center survives the realities of a property where prairie dogs outnumber paying exhibitors.