Cullman County Fair, Alabama, 1996
Photograph by Randy Olson
A glittering swing ride gives county fairgoers an exhilarating aerial view of Cullman, Alabama, at twilight. Elkanah Watson organized America's first county fair in 1811 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to teach people about farming and animal husbandry. Today, fewer than 3 percent of Americans are directly engaged in farming, but county fairs endure as an opportunity to celebrate agricultural traditions.
