Act I It is a Tuesday afternoon in summer 1946 on the Frake family farm in Brunswick, Iowa, as the family prepares to leave for the Iowa State Fair. The family patriarch, Abel, is hoping that his prized boar, Blue Boy, will win the livestock sweepstakes. Abel's wife, Melissa, has her heart set on ribbons for her mincemeat and sour pickles, while their son, Wayne, is practicing throwing hoops, hoping to win prizes from the midway games (“Opening (Our State Fair)”). Wayne is suddenly saddened when he learns that his girlfriend, Eleanor, was accepted to college, and she cannot go to the fair with him. Local shopkeeper Dave Miller is skeptical about the family's hopes. He makes a $5 bet that something is bound to go wrong for Blue Boy or the family. Abel accepts. Meanwhile, The Frakes' daughter, Margy, is feeling down and doesn't understand why (“It Might as Well Be Spring”). Her boyfriend, Harry, arrives at the farm and presses her for an answer to his marriage proposal; she agrees to give him an answer when she returns home. That night, the family leaves for the fair, awaiting the surprises that lie ahead (“Driving at Night/Our State Fair”). After arriving at the fair on Wednesday morning, Wayne heads straight for the midway, where he is hustled by a carnie at a ring-throwing game. A beautiful mysterious woman defends on Wayne's behalf, and he falls head over heels in love before he even knows her name (“That’s for Me”). Later that afternoon, Abel and his farmer buddies are at the beer tent and trading stories about their prized pigs (“More Than Just a Friend”). Meanwhile, Pat Gilbert, a former World War II reporter, arrives with Charlie, a photographer, to cover the fair for the Des Moines Register. He runs into Margy, whom he repeatedly tries to court, and she remains forbidding until he begins to win her over (“Isn’t It Kinda Fun?”). That night, Wayne heads to the Starlight Dance Meadow in time to catch a show. The performer is a singer named Emily Arden, who happens to be the woman he met earlier in the day (“You Never Had it So Good”). She buys him a drink, and tells Wayne that her dream is to become a Broadway star. He charmingly asks her out. She agrees, but only on the bounds that their relationship only lasts for the