Smalltown Summer: Water Carnival, sans water
Last week our town had their festival. There are activities all week long - canoe races, kiddie parade, 5K run, queen coronation. This year, there were only two we participated in - the Midway and the parade. Like many smalltown festivals, the Midway is collection of rickety-looking rides and games with stuffed animal prizes. I wasn't too sure how safe the rides appeared, but I was reassured by the new approach of letting parents buckle in their own children, and the ride operator's willingness to set down his smoke while the ride was in progress.
Sophie loved the rides, especially the motorcycle vintage 1978. In fact, I may have ridden the exact same model thirty years earlier.
Martin preferred the airplane ride which came equipped with a not-so-PC machine gun.
We didn't stay too long at the Midway. The rides were all short-lived and the games were five dollars a try. I did let them play a fishing game where they each won a prize. It didn't take much skill and the game operator sort of made up his own rules. I think that guy ran the game like he lived, making up rules as he went along. Like the rule I think he made up that morning for a game called "happy hour" based on the impression I received when I stood down wind from him.
On Sunday we joined what appeared to be the entire city in viewing the parade. Arriving only fifteen minutes before the start time, we weaseled our way into spot wide enough for one child to sit between blankets that had probably been "saving" space for days. Sophie loved running back and forth between the street and the rest of our crew tucked back in the shade.
After watching some of the bigger kids, Martin learned how to dash out into the street and scrap with other kids over parade loot. I've never seen kids so excited to get tootsie rolls and free pencils.
Now that I think about it, it's sort of the same behavior that adults exhibit when attending trade shows. Which, of course, has nothing to do with our festival. And with a summary like this, I'm pretty sure that the Chamber of Commerce will never call on me to write about what our town has to offer.
Sophie loved the rides, especially the motorcycle vintage 1978. In fact, I may have ridden the exact same model thirty years earlier.
Martin preferred the airplane ride which came equipped with a not-so-PC machine gun.
We didn't stay too long at the Midway. The rides were all short-lived and the games were five dollars a try. I did let them play a fishing game where they each won a prize. It didn't take much skill and the game operator sort of made up his own rules. I think that guy ran the game like he lived, making up rules as he went along. Like the rule I think he made up that morning for a game called "happy hour" based on the impression I received when I stood down wind from him.
On Sunday we joined what appeared to be the entire city in viewing the parade. Arriving only fifteen minutes before the start time, we weaseled our way into spot wide enough for one child to sit between blankets that had probably been "saving" space for days. Sophie loved running back and forth between the street and the rest of our crew tucked back in the shade.
After watching some of the bigger kids, Martin learned how to dash out into the street and scrap with other kids over parade loot. I've never seen kids so excited to get tootsie rolls and free pencils.
Now that I think about it, it's sort of the same behavior that adults exhibit when attending trade shows. Which, of course, has nothing to do with our festival. And with a summary like this, I'm pretty sure that the Chamber of Commerce will never call on me to write about what our town has to offer.
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