by Amanda Smith, Associate Editor
Expo is shrouded in history. For many in our industry, a trip to Madison, Wis., is their annual family vacation. And now, regardless of whether you've brought cattle to Madison or not, you can be a part of that legacy.
As the long-standing cattle barns come down this spring, the Alliant Energy Center (AEC) is opening up a limited opportunity to purchase engraved wall tiles. In conjunction with the state of Wisconsin, Dane County, Expo, the Midwest Horse Fair, Centerplate and New Holland Agriculture, two new livestock pavilions are slated for completion by fall of this year.
"Construction will begin April 14, the day after the Midwest Horse Fair concludes, and we anticipate that the project will be completed before World Dairy Expo commences. It is an aggressive time schedule, but we are comfortable with the contractor hired for the project and the construction schedule they have mapped out. The events we have on our campus are world class, and they deserve a world class facility," noted Mark Clarke, the Alliant Energy Center's executive director.
This will be the largest construction project in AEC campus history, with a footprint of 290,000 square feet. The wall tiles will be permanently displayed in the main entrance corridor of Pavilion One.
"These are your livestock facilities. The buildings are more than steel pole barns; we wanted to give people the chance to personalize the campus and honor animals, people or other memories they may have," noted Clarke.
Tiles can be purchased from March 15 to May 15, 2014. An 8- by 8-inch tile costs $95. This includes up to five lines of text, 17 characters each. The 12- by 12-inch tile runs $195 and includes eight lines of text, up to 20 characters each.
The order form can be found at That's My Brick. For questions and inquiries, contact tile@alliantenergycenter.com.
