Memorial Park is one of the key parks used by the public in the city of Shawano, and officials are gathering ideas about what to do with the park’s west side.

Currently, Popp’s Ball Park Diner is on the corner at Main and Elizabeth streets. Two concession stands are in place for the adjacent baseball diamonds, and there is also a slope area that, at one time, allowed for an ice skating rink during the winter months.

Members of the public wanting to address the Shawano County Board will be free to speak on any subject, not just those on the agenda, after the rules committee adopted the change at an Aug. 20 meeting.

Approval by the full county board, expected to occur Aug. 26, is necessary for the change to take effect.

Lifetime members of the Shawano County Fair will be getting into the fairgrounds by different means when the fair starts its latest run Sept. 2.

The annual Shawano County Fair kicks off Sept. 2 and runs daily through Labor Day, Sept. 7.

Gates open at 5 p.m. Sept. 2. Admission is $3 for those 12 and older, and free for anyone 11 and younger. Parking is free on opening night.

From Sept. 3-7, the gates open at 9 a.m. Adults and children 12 and older get in for $7, and again anyone 11 and younger gets in for free.

The daily parking fee is $5.

If everything falls into place, Marion High School’s baseball and softball teams will play their home games with a new scoreboard starting next season.

The Marion Mustang Booster Club recently kicked off a fundraising campaign to come up with $35,000 to replace both scoreboards at the Marion Athletic Field.

Members of the Shawano County Executive Committee on Aug. 19 approved what’s called a “heads-up” resolution alerting the bond market that the county intends to borrow $29 million for the first phase of a $121 million building project.

The full county board is expected to follow suit Aug. 26.