County Fair

County Fair is a themed area within Great America and is one of the original themed areas that debuted with both Great America parks. County Fair is themed after a late 1800s fairground. It is located between Hometown Square and Yukon Territory.

History
Early mentions of County Fair in congressional testimony records (these being conducted as Marriott intended to build a Great America park in Maryland, close to Revolutionary and Civil War sites) make mention of a themed area which was to be themed after 'a Rural American County Town' and another area which was to be themed after 'a turn-of-the-century Midwest area' but both don't make mention of it being themed after a county fair. The 'Midwest area' reference is likely a reference to Hometown Square though Hometown Square is not staged at the turn of the century and is instead staged in the 1920s, unlike County Fair which is staged at the turn of the century.

Early 1972 design plans of County Fair don't differ too much from the final result but there are a few key differences. For example, Turn of the Century does not appear on the plans with the land it would later stand on being completely empty. Fiddler's Fling also does not appear on the plans with its land being reserved for a 'future Swiss bob'. The land that would later be used for Whirligig is earmarked as being used for a 'petting zoo'. The models for both Turn of the Century and Fiddler's Fling came out a year before Great America opened in 1976 so it is likely they were very late additions to County Fair. It is unknown when the idea for a petting zoo was removed.

County Fair debuted in both Great America parks in 1976.