Four whimsical, se-tenant stamps celebrate the fun of America’s state and county fairs. The stamps were designed to work together as a panorama of fair activities, while each stamp also works as an individual picture:
•    Farmers unloading produce behind a white fence.
•    A child holding a chicken sits atop the same fence, with carnival rides — a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round — in the background.
•    Fairgoers admiring the livestock behind the fence while others walk, balloons in hand, toward a sweets stand, with carnival rides in the background.
•    Children at the sweets stand buying treats from the vendor.

Fairs are annual events that families and communities anticipate with enthusiasm. State and county fairs are quintessential Americana. Long before there were extension services or schools of agriculture, America’s fairs were organized to educate farm families in the agricultural, mechanical and domestic arts.

At the earliest fairs, the educational mission was enlivened by competitions for the “best” or “biggest” and are still among the most popular events today. Competitors vie to produce the best in baked goods or the most perfect — and largest — example of a particular fruit, vegetable or flower. Competitive livestock exhibitions display the hard work that goes into raising farm animals. A lucky few display the ribbons their efforts have won.