The new fairgrounds were built in 1936–38 with Works Progress Administration funding which was secured in part due to the efforts of Governor Clyde Tingley. Leon Harms, formerly the founder of the Marion County Fair in Kansas, laid out the grounds and managed the fair from its inception until 1958.
The new fairgrounds were built between 1936 and 1938 with funding partly secured by Governor Clyde Tingley. Leon Harms, who had previously established the Marion County Fair in Kansas, planned and managed the fair from its inception until 1958.