Gravel crunches under my feet as the smell of fried food wafts by. It's the last weekend before school starts up again, and we have arrived at the fair! The sun is blisteringly bright as it reflects off of shiny new SUVs and old brown Cadillacs. I'm glad that I remembered my cheap plastic sunglasses. As I put them on I am already feeling younger.
The colorful lights ahead are almost completely washed out by the sun, but still the carnival music seems to call to me. It sounds like one hundred of those old ice cream truck recordings, except all starting and stopping at different times. More of my 21 years seem to sluff off as my heartbeat rises to the sound and my pace quickens.
I see the "Gravitron!" The glittery blue capsule seems to spin and spin forever. It seems smaller than I remember it. Has it changed... or have I? I remember what it was like to feel the G-forces in there and get a little queasy at the thought. A few of those "years" come back to me as I realize I’d be sick if I rode it now! Then I think, "Wait, wasn’t I the one who always swore I’d never give up the carnival rides? I promised myself I would be the Mom that rode with her kids instead of just taking the pictures. Is the thought of a splitting headache going to keep me from my youth?"
I am about to jump in line behind some kids, imagining myself in my old 15-year-old frame, but then I smell the food tents again. That’s the best part of the county fair, the calories! I decide to pretend I have my 15-year-old metabolism back instead of the fearlessness. I wonder what I can get on a stick here…or at least on a cob. The smells of grease, livestock, and sweat all come together here under the big blue summer sky. The sounds and smells were the same when I was young and I have a feeling they will never change. Here anyone can be eternally 15.
All of a sudden I see feet swing over my head, I’m right under the "Tornado!" What I wouldn’t have given five years ago for the money to buy 100 tickets and ride all night with my friends! Or at least to be the girl whose boyfriend wasted all his savings just to knock over enough milk bottles for the biggest teddy bear. The grounds even feel a little dangerous as the sun goes down, and yet the neon lights and cheap prizes fade to the magic and excitement of adolescence.
A shoe whizzes out of the sky and almost gets me right in the head! It could have taken me out and yet all I can do is yield to that 15-year-old girl and join in the laughter.
Cynthia Hallen said...
When I was a teenager, a carnival would come to the parking lot of the local strip mall. My favorite ride was the Tilt-O-Whirl. I love the feeling of centrifugal force. When is the Iron County Fair? August or September? What is the underlying purpose of your piece? What would you like your readers to learn from this pleasant description.
September 12, 2008 9:21 AM
4 comments:
Your descriptions are excellent and often made me reflect on my own experiences and memories of the fairs. My empty wallet remembers too. Haha. In reading Prof. Hallen's comments I feel that you could have an excellent theme maybe of describing the feeling of eternal youth that accompanies the time you spend in amusement parks. I feel like you already seem to be leaning in that direction.
I really enjoyed this observation. It brought me straight back to the times I have spent with family and friends and fairs and carnivals. You really bring your audience back to the feeling of youth with your describtions
I loved your details and descriptions of the fair. I felt like I was there with you. I especially enjoyed the way you weaved your younger self in with your older self. It was seamless and effective. I laughed out loud when I read "I decide to pretend I have my 15-year-old metabolism back instead of the fearlessness. I wonder what I can get on a stick here…" This is great!
Full credit earned for revised version.
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