ESCANABA — A total of $9,125 was donated to the Upper Peninsula State Fair Swine Department to purchase new swine-holding pens for this year’s fair.

The groups that donated include the Mid-County Sportsmen’s Club in Stephenson, the U.P. State Fair Authority and Lions clubs from Stephenson, Wells, Bark River, Vulcan-Norway-Loretto and Powers-Spalding.

Assistant superintendent of the U.P. State Fair swine barn, Sue Baumler, said she is grateful for the donations, which will ultimately provide a safer environment for the exhibitors.

“We are so thankful for the generous donations from these organizations,” she said. “This project has been in the making for two years and we are so excited for it to finally be complete.

“With these 16 new holding pens, the exhibitors and their pigs will be much safer on show day.”

As far as future plans, Baumler noted that her wish is to have the entire swine barn renovated.

“The whole barn will eventually need new pens because of wear and tear and age,” she explained. “Someday we would love to have this whole barn redone, which would be about 140 new pens.”

This year’s week-long U.P. State Fair runs through Sunday.

For more information on this year’s fair or to purchase advance gate admission, visit upstatefair.net.