BUTLER COUNTY FAIR | PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to play a small part in the Hilltop County Fair. The name is more an homage than a descriptor; while our region has plenty of old-fashioned fairground festivities, the Hilltop County Fair is a party in and around Bottlerocket Social Hall in Allentown.

At the event, now in its second year, a faux midway of vendors hawking fashion, rare vinyl, hot dogs and dozens of other treasures is assembled in the warehouse space adjacent to the trending bar. There’s music, games — both traditional carnival contests and pinball — and drinks. I announced the matchups for Enjoy Wrestling, with the main event dubbed the Human Demolition Derby; local notables including Rick Sebak and Rachel Ann Bovier judged an informal beauty pageant.

The Hilltop County Fair draws big, happy crowds. What stands out to me, though, is that the patrons generally seem more interested in the traditional county-fair aspects of the show than the normal city hangout stuff; the aspects of the event that could be found at any night market or open-street event do fine, but the elements you’d be more likely to find in a field in Butler get more attention.

There’s only one solution: We need an Allegheny County Fair.

Or, rather, we need to bring the Allegheny County Fair back to life. An extensive history on the Brookline Connection website details the 150-year history of the fair, which was first held way back in 1849 and grew in fits and starts over the next century. It began as a traditional event focused on crops and livestock, then grew to include harness racing and other entertainments.

By the middle of the 20th century, it began to resemble the county fairs we know today. Having relocated to South Park, the fair was home not only to prize pigs and baked goods but also athletic competitions, music and fireworks. Parades took place on a daily basis, and the Steelers held preseason games at the fairgrounds. In 1949, President Harry S. Truman addressed a crowd of more than 100,000 at the Allegheny County Fair.

Celebrity appearances became more common through the 1960s and ’70s; the 1971 program gives equal billing to homegrown jazz legend Erroll Garner, “Batman” nemesis Frank Gorshin and Bugs Bunny. (Name a more iconic trio.)

As costs mounted and entertainment options proliferated, however, the Allegheny County Fair began to sputter; by the ’90s, years passed between fairs. The last few instances were combined with the annual Rib Festival; the last event occurred in 2000.

It’d be easy to conclude that a 19th-century tradition built on the backs of agricultural expositions has no place in the 21st century, but the endurance of fairs in nearby counties contradicts that — and the popularity of Bottlerocket’s Hilltop County Fair demonstrates the appetite. There’s a great deal to be said for this brand of entertainment, which combines the transient (and slightly outsider) appeal of a traveling carnival with traditional art and culture.

Pick a patch of the South Hills within striding distance of a T stop. Get a lot of hay, booths slinging fried everything and entertainers galore. Schedule a demolition derby (human or automotive, both are fine). And, obviously, book The Clarks.

It’ll draw. Even if Bugs Bunny is unavailable.