Throughout the mid-western portion of the United States there are hundreds of small cities and towns. These cities and towns tend to be similar in appearance and general makeup. Most often they owe their existence to agriculture or the railroads. If a person were to look out the window of a home in Lincoln, Nebraska, what he would see would not be much different from what a person looking out a window in Waterloo, Iowa, would see. When cities and towns have similar histories and cultures they tend to be much alike.

     Although these towns are similar, many of them have events and celebrations that set them apart from their neighbors. These events such as Dike, Iowa’s "Watermelon Days" and Jesup, Iowa’s "Farmer’s Days" occur so that the towns can celebrate events that make them unique within a similar culture. Some of these celebrations can be small, but some can also be quite large. One of these large events is Waterloo, Iowa’s National Cattle Congress. The Cattle Congress, like many other celebrations, began as a rather small affair, but over time it grew, and gained state and national prominence. The National Cattle Congress (NCC) had become a symbol for Waterloo, of which the city became proud. The National Cattle Congress is an event that is still held annually, but its existence is in jeopardy. There have been many efforts to save the fair, but some of these efforts have proven detrimental to the NCC and the local community.