Midway (fair)

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A game of popping balloons with darts for prizes - a common part of a carnival or fair midway

A midway at a fair (commonly an American fair such as a county or state fair) is the location where amusement rides, entertainment and fast-food booths cluster.

The term originated from the World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago, Illinois, in 1893. It was the first world's fair with an area for amusements which was strictly separated[by whom?] from the exhibition halls. This area, which was concentrated on the city's Midway Plaisance, included carnival rides (among them the first Ferris wheel), belly dancers, balloon rides, and other attractions.

After the Exposition, the term midway came into use[when?] as a common noun in the United States and Canada to refer to the area for amusements at a county or state fair, circus, festival, or amusement park.[1]

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  1. ^ Midway. Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 11th Edition. Retrieved 2 Aug 2012, from CollinsDictionary.com Web site: "a place in a fair, carnival, etc, where sideshows are located" http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/midway

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