An Afternoon at the Fair

Super Star, Freak Out and KMG Booster, night 02 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

      Last Saturday we spend the afternoon at the Monmouth County Fair in Freehold, New Jersey.  This was a relatively small fair by comparison to the fairs I grew up around.  For the most part it seemed to be composed of 4-H exhibits, food vendors, and a moderate sized carnival.  The grounds seemed well-attended though not uncomfortably crowded, probably because we were there somewhat early and I would assume the crowd became larger at night when the carnival ride lights would offer a more festive and colorful atmosphere and the weather was cooler.

       My earliest fair memories go back to 1955 when my parents worked on the girlie show of the Goodings Amusements at fairs in Knoxville, Tennessee and Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia.  My father took a few weeks summer vacation in order to work these engagements.  I was four at the time and remember very little of their stint as carnies.  However the experience instilled in me a longing for the carny life.

       In the early 60's my family would spend a good bit of time at the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar, California.  My parents would either be working their juggling act or my sister would be performing with the troupe from the dance school where she took lessons.  I was along for the ride mostly, but I benefited in being able to see the fair for more time than I might normally have in just a day's visit.  That fair in San Diego was a real beauty with an outstanding grounds that had permanent structures of class quality which was a far cry from what I'd see later at the more traditional fairs in the Midwest.

     This time in the mid-60's of playing dates at fairs in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and elsewhere is where my mind reverts to the most.  The sights, sounds, and smells of the county fair are revived when I go to a fair these days.  Whether a big state fair or a small county fair, my memories take me back as my mind is flooded with the sensations of those years.

       As I think about it even now I realize that there is so much to write about that it can barely be touched upon in a single blog post.   The New Jersey fair that I attended last weekend was fun for my grandkids and an enjoyable little outing for me.   We only stayed a few hours and left as the sun was heading toward the horizon, but still a couple hours from setting completely.

       All of those fair memories amount to another idea for a memoir that can be written one day.  Not right now while I'm on vacation, but I think I need to get this writing started.  After all, as The Band sang on their album Cahoots, "Life is a carnival" and as the carnival that sets up for a brief few days when fair time comes, tear down will come before we realize it and the carnival moves on.



     

     

Living at the County Fair

         My father had a regular day job as an accountant, but on some weekends and occasional weekdays we would be out working our juggling act.   His idea of a family summer vacation was to have our agent book a two week tour of Midwestern county fairs.  We made money while having a lot of fun.

         The fair circuit usually consisted of performing as part of a grandstand show during racing events or as a feature attraction a couple times a day.  We'd park our trailer in the middle of the track with the other performers and stay a few days until it was time to move on to the next county fair.

         This was great fun for me in my early teens.  What could be greater than living at a county fair for a few days?  We would only have to perform two or three times a day and only for a few minutes each performance.  The rest of the day we were free to enjoy the fair activities.

          As a courtesy, the carnival would provide the show kids unlimited ride passes.  Talk about being unleashed carte blanche in the candy store.  And though we always took full advantage of our ride privilege, there were so many other things to do.

          One of my absolute favorites was walking through the exhibit halls, especially the commercial and public service exhibits where they would hand out free samples, pamphlets, and other advertising materials.  I could always find one booth that would provide heavy plastic bags printed with advertising.  Then I'd take my bag and fill it up with the freebies they were handing out at the booths.  The take might include pencils, pens, buttons, rulers, and all sorts of printed materials.

           Today--November 5th, the day this post goes on line--I'll be at the BlogWorld Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  This event will be much like going through those county fair exhibit halls.  I don't know what the freebies will be, but I'm sure I should be collecting some interesting literature, seeing some fascinating exhibits, and talking to some friendly people.

            Did you attend county fairs when you were young?    What are some events that you have attended for the purpose of learning or to just look around?






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