A circus performer puts on a show for spectators at the Steele County Fair in Owatonna, MN. With their roots tracing back to mid-1800 rural farming communities, county fairs are a uniquely American phenomenon that have both transformed yet held steady over time. Conservatism and youth culture, patriotism and globalization, traditionalism and kitsch spectacle--the cross-currents of all of these elements and more are at play.