This was loosely based on the screenplay his mother-in-law Claire Whitaker Peterson wrote for the film Johnny Lingo.
In order to attract larger crowds to Midway, the idea of a Swiss theme was created by Orma W. Wallengren (Claire Peterson) whose family owned and operated the Homestead, replacing the name and theme of Harvest Days with Swiss Days.
Under the name of Clair Whitaker she was a writer for several TV shows including The Waltons and Falcon Crest.