The Cannon Falls Beacon recently announced a renovation to our fieldhouse. It will be transformed into an indoor horse racing track. School workers and construction teams have spent a ton of time working on this project. It will include tearing up the floors and putting dirt down, removing the obstructive basketball hoops, and putting in a track where horses will race. 

The idea arose when many students complained about sporting events being too boring. This renovation will allow students to see a new kind of sport that’s not basic, like volleyball, baseball, or basketball. The middle of the track will also be filled with dirt. This is so the facility can have little children compete in events like mutton bustin’. This is a rodeo event where kids ride on the back of the sheep, and attempt to stay on by holding the wool, as the sheep run. 

The track will be complete by the start of next school year, which is the fall of 2026. Characteristics the facility will have are a start gate, massive bleachers on two sides, and an end point for the horses to cross, which determines who wins the race.

Many students were very excited about this renovation. Cannon Falls eighth grader Lizzie Tipton was thrilled about this. When asked about how she feels about it, she responded, “It sounds amazing, and I think it will help bring more students together for one event.” She also noted she would participate in the races for fun, since she used to have horses growing up. 

The school is accepting new name ideas for the fieldhouse as it is being transformed into a new facility. Many students and community members are looking forward to this plan already.