The octagonal Judges' Stand was the centerpiece of the Great Lehighton Fair from its construction in 1900 until 1992, the last year the fair was held in Lehighton, and it is believed to be the last structure of its kind in the United States. Perched high above the finish line, judges called the winners of horse and auto races and announced events such as demolition derbies and professional wrestling. The Great Lehighton Fair was established in 1858, later renamed the Carbon County Fair, and in later years featured an airport at the southern end of the midway, where Jake Arner's large hangar stood and local private pilots offered five-dollar air tours of Lehighton and the surrounding area during fair week. In 1992, the Lehighton Area School District condemned the fairgrounds to build a new high school, and the borough removed the Judges' Stand. After several years, Community Grove Park was designated as its permanent location. Preservation support from the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor and Pennsylvania House Speaker Keith McCall helped secure a Pennsylvania DCED grant in 2007, and in 2012 Lowe's Home Center volunteered to lead renovations through the Lowe's Heroes Volunteer Program and the stand was moved here permanently. Its roof was considered an engineering marvel because it could be cranked upward manually to let judges sit in the judging area and avoid the elements, then cranked down to enclose the area when not in use.