Man charged after barn burns at Woodstock fairgrounds

By Connor Lynch
WOODSTOCK — A man charged with burning down a barn at the Woodstock Fairgrounds was hunted down by a police dog.

Police suspected arson after Old McDonalds’s barn at the fairgrounds was set ablaze on Sept 1. Firefighters were able to keep the flames contained but not save the barn. Three other buildings were damaged. There were no animals inside and nobody was injured.

There had been a suspicious fire on Bay Street about 10 blocks away just a few days before, so police brought in a canine unit, which tracked down a suspect seen near the fairgrounds fire.

A 46-year old Woodstock man was arrested and charged with two counts of arson. Woodstock police estimated the cumulative damage from the fires to be in the millions.

The Woodstock Agricultural Society, which runs the annual fair, said the fire was a “significant loss that will impact us greatly.”

Like many fairs, the Woodstock fair was cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The weekend before the fire would’ve been the 183rd fair.

“The barn was a piece of Woodstock History, which included the annual fair and cattle sales. We hope our community can stand behind us in this time to recover from this tragic incident,” wrote the fair board in a statement. The ag society is soliciting donations to rebuild, which can be sent to info@woodstockfairgrounds.com