The Saturday Flea Market Trying to Put a Roof Back on Benton's Rodeo Arena
"It was like a box being pushed in from the top," Dustin Parsons, president of the Saline County Fair Association, told KARK after watching the video. "Both sides just caved in toward the middle."
That was late January. This Saturday, October 24, on the same grounds, the Fair Association is holding another Flea Market & Trade Day at the Saline County Fairgrounds. Booth rent and kitchen sales go toward rebuilding. With insurance covering only part of the bill, these trade days have become one of the main ways the rest of the money is being raised.
The roof of the main rodeo arena collapsed around 3:30 on a Tuesday afternoon, under heavy, dense snow. The failure started in the oldest section of a building of nearly 20,000 square feet. KARK described the arena as a hub for weekly rodeos, barrel racing, livestock shows and youth agriculture programs. No one was inside, and no one was hurt.
Saline County Judge Matt Brumley told the station the structure was a total loss. "Our fair, our youth livestock programs, rodeos," he said. "This place is almost in use every week." The county called insurance adjusters within hours and started the procurement process for reconstruction.
The cleanup went beyond the arena. According to the Saline Courier, crews took down the announcer's stand and pulled metal off the arena floor. The livestock barn needed work too, after its roof shifted and its pens were judged unsafe. The paper reported March 13 as a tentative date to reopen the arena without a roof.
On their own, the figures reported since January show why a flea market matters here.
| Figure | Amount | Source and timing |
|---|---|---|
| Insurance coverage, arena | $198,000 | KARK, May 2026 |
| Insurance coverage, livestock barn | $13,000 | KARK, May 2026 |
| Estimate to rebuild what existed | $600,000 to $800,000 | Association member, via KARK, May 2026 |
| Donation goal | $300,000 | KARK, May 2026 |
| Raised by the September fair | "close to $10,000" | THV11, September 2026 |
| New swine barn project | $232,000, in "Award" stage pending final approval | Project tracker, August 2026 |
Together, the two insurance coverage figures come to $211,000. That's a little more than a third of the low end of the rebuild estimate. Coverage limits also aren't the same as a settlement check, and no final payout has been reported. The Association's $300,000 donation goal is how it plans to close the gap. By the September fair, it had raised about one-thirtieth of that.
"We have not raised a tremendous amount of money," Mollie Wright of the Fair Association told THV11 in September. "I think we have raised close to $10,000 at this time, which in the grand scheme of things is not a lot, but it is a lot." Help has also come from the county judge's office.
Part of the cost comes from upgrades. Early plans include a new arena cover built to modern standards, with better sightlines, VIP and ADA seating, and ventilation. KARK also reported a proposal to widen the arena from its historic 90 to 100 feet to about 125 feet. In the meantime, the Association's spring restoration campaign put an open-air arena first, along with seating, lighting and the arena floor, according to MySaline.
That's how this year's fair went. The fair returned to the grounds in September, and rodeo nights went ahead in Thomas Arena with no roof. The storm destroyed the hog, sheep and goat barn, so organizers built temporary spaces for the animals. THV11 called the January storm an ice storm, while KARK reported heavy snow at the time of the collapse. Either way, the result is the same open sky over the arena today.
The City of Benton's event listing has Saturday's Flea Market & Trade Day running from 7:01 a.m. to 2:11 p.m. It says the event helps "REBUILD the Saline County Fairgrounds."
The Association hasn't published a separate rundown for October. The September market is the most recent detailed one, so here is what MySaline described for that date. It ran rain or shine, with free admission and air-conditioned buildings at 406 Fairfield. Vendors sold flea market finds, handmade crafts, commercial goods, and farm and household supplies. The Saline County Fair Association kitchen served meals and treats all day. Organizers said every dollar from kitchen sales and booth rent goes straight to rebuilding the fairgrounds facilities.
So lunch from the Association's kitchen counts toward the rebuild, the same as booth rent does. If you're a vendor, the Association has been taking indoor and outdoor booth applications through an online registration form.
The fairgrounds market runs from early morning to early afternoon, so the rest of Benton's Saturday fits on either side of it. Here it is in clock order:
If you're going from one flea market to the other, the I-30 frontage has a new lunch option. Wright's Barbecue took over the old Applebee's site at 17348 Interstate 30, at the corner of Wright Avenue. MySaline reported in July that the company had set August 4 as its hard opening date, and that the Benton pitmasters spent three months training at the Little Rock location. The menu is known for its brisket and bacon burnt ends. Wright's started in 2016 with a backyard smoker and a food truck. It also has locations in Johnson, Rogers, Bentonville and Little Rock.
Two of downtown's Halloween events are open Saturday night, both in buildings older than anything at the fairgrounds.
The Shoppach House at 503 N. Main St. dates to 1853. It calls itself the oldest brick home in Benton and the first brick home in Saline County, built by German immigrant John W. Shoppach. Saturday is the last night of Friendly Frights, from 6 to 8 p.m. The Saline Courier describes it as a sensory-friendly event built around young children, with gentle themed rooms and no jump scares. Tickets are $10 per child, and a parent can come in free to help, according to the city listing.
For older kids, the Royal Haunted House is in its seventh year at the historic Royal Theatre, 111 S. Market St. Arvest Bank sponsors it in partnership with Lisowe Lights. MySaline lists this year's dates as October 15–17, 22–24 and 29–31, with doors opening at 7 p.m. The city calendar shows a 6 p.m. start for Saturday, so check with the theater before you go. Admission is $10 online plus fees or $12 at the door with fees included. First responders and military members with ID pay $8 at the box office.
If Saturday doesn't work, the Association's next trade day is a two-day event on November 6 and 7, according to MySaline.
The rebuild itself is moving in pieces. A $232,000 swine barn project, bid in June with BCO+H Architects as the listed project contact, is listed in the "Award" stage pending final approval. No completion date has been announced for a covered replacement arena.
At Rita Smith, we've spent our careers around working land, livestock barns and rural ground, so we know how much a county fairgrounds holds up. If you'd like to talk about property anywhere in Saline County, from a lot in town to acreage outside Benton, we'd be glad to hear from you. Contact Us.
When we assist you with buying or selling, we evaluate the property and your goal as if they were our own. It’s really that simple – doing business the way it used to be done.
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