The Hometown Fair!

The kids and I met my sisters at the fair Saturday night. The fair was in town....the town where I grew up. Although the fair comes to the town where I now live every year, Jeff and I have never taken the kids to it. Why? It's in the middle of a parking lot right beside the interstate. Now, I know that the rides and the games are all basically the same, but it is just not a REAL fair to me unless it's out in the middle of a muddy field.

That's where the fair from my hometown is set up. It has been at the same location since I was a kid. If I were to close my eyes when I walk through the entrance...a gap in the trees and bushes that surround the field...I could easily be 10 again with my mom, dad, and sisters following close behind. The cool air, propelled by the nearby rides, hits my face and bombards me with the sweet smell of funnel cakes and cotton candy. Loud music from different attractions echos through the crowd, blasting from cheap, but loud speakers and clashing together, forming a new song that can only be created and enjoyed at the fair. There's the feel of soft earth under my feet as I surrender to the mud, the hay that was put out having been trampled already by the crowd. Black cables are spread out on the ground, running from large trucks full of the sound of generators and motors running. Then there are the games, most specifically the tired workers beckoning the crowd to them with promises of cheap toys and even cheaper compliments. The squeal of children competes with the music and the motors while the young teenagers walk arm in arm with new love pretending that their parents aren't keeping a close eye on them from the other side of the crowd.

These are the sites, sounds, and smells of a small town fair.....my hometown fair. It's the only one that I care to take my kids to..the only one they want to go to. We had such a great time with my sisters and their kids. It was great to see faces that I haven't seen in years, probably won't see again for many more years. As always, my sisters and I stayed until the bitter end, until the rides started shutting down and the last of the food was being served. Then, we made our way back through the gap in the trees, with our stuffed animals, fair food, and blowup swords, to the grassy parking lot. I was tired, but happy as I made my way to Vicki's for the night, with a car full of excited kids reliving every ride and every moment in loud voices...all running together like the music still echoing in my ears as we drove away.