American RV producer Forest River and the Peter J. Liegl Family Foundation have both made an equal financial contribution to support a new expo facility at the Elkhart 4-H County Fairgrounds.

The new facility will officially be known as the Forest River, Inc. and Peter J. Liegl Ag and Community Expo and aims to serve a growing need for space to better serve local families, youth programs, and large-scale events in Elkhart, which is widely regarded as the ‘RV capital’ of the United States.

Under the agreement, the facility will carry the Forest River, Inc. and Peter J. Liegl Ag and Community Expo name, and the partnership also provides Forest River with designated usage of the space for company and industry events.

“For years, Forest River has been a part of the fairgrounds, from supporting the 4-H program through board involvement and purchasing livestock, along with other events that bring people together,” said Mark Kritzman, Purchasing Manager at Forest River and Chair of the fair’s capital campaign.

“This facility is a way to continue that involvement while honouring something Pete believed in, which was supporting the community and creating opportunities for people to come together.”

Shelly Steury, General Manager at Elkhart County 4-H Fair, added: “Forest River has been part of this community for so long; it’s a staple here. There’s not many people who haven’t heard the name Forest River, and their reputation speaks for itself.” 

That connection extends beyond business, from long-standing RV rallies to large-scale events like Forest River’s employee trick-or-treat event, which draws more than 3,000 employees and their families each year.

“Forest River obviously has a large presence in Elkhart and Goshen, but we also have key operations in other local communities, including Millersburg, Middlebury, Topeka, White Pigeon, Colon, Bristol, LaGrange, Orland, Butler, Ligonier, and Wakarusa,” said Doug Gaeddert, President and CEO of Forest River, Inc.

“The Elkhart County fairgrounds and the 4-H Fair have long been a gathering place for folks from these communities, and our annual employee Spooktacular event that Pete started years ago draws participation from virtually every Forest River division in the area. We’re extremely fortunate to be a part of all these communities, and proud to financially participate in showing our commitment to where our roots as a company were first planted!”