|
| |
"Dad, can we go to the fair?" was a recent question posed to
me by my first grader. "Yeah, dad I want to ride rides and have fun." chimed in
my almost four year old. The North Georgia Fair in Cobb County is a huge annual
event and it is something that crosses all social and economic boundaries. I
took the girls to the fair and it brought back memories of the Southeastern Fair
that was held for many years in the Lakewood area of south Atlanta. I was cured
of wanting to ride thrill rides as a kid after being put on the "Octopus" one
October Saturday night. The Georgia National Fair in Perry is perhaps the
largest fair in the state and it is two full weeks of the four "C"'s. Concerts,
cattle, carneys, and cotton candy. The Georgia National Fair draws fair goers
from as far away as Valdosta, Columbus, and Savannah.
Thoughts began to ring in my head of the West Georgia Fair in Carrollton and the
sights, smells, and sounds of those times as a kid going there. The sights of
the bright lights on the Ferris wheel and the carousel and the sounds of the
high pitched screams coming from the folks brave enough to ride the rickety
roller coaster drowning out the sound of the pipe organ that always seems to be
playing "Listen To The Mockingbird". The sounds of the carney's barking out a
challenge to ring the bottle and win a prize. An investment of a quarter could
win a giant stuffed Pink Panther. More often than not, it didn't. I once won
a wrist watch in a grab bag booth at the West Georgia Fair. It took it almost
three days to turn my wrist green.
The West Georgia Fair is where I had my first corn dog. Who was it that got the
idea to dip a weenie in corn meal batter and deep fry it? Somebody a few years
back took the idea a step further by dipping a Snicker's bar in batter and deep
frying it. I recommend you eat it in front of the funeral home and cut out the
middle man. Other culinary delights that seem to be only found at fairs and
carnivals is the powdered sugar soaked funnel cakes. The best food you can find
at the fair is at the church run booths. A Baptist church in Lawrenceville has a
booth at the Gwinnett County Fair that has beans, slaw, cornbread and home made
deserts that rival food you could find at an all day singing.
I see where the West Georgia Fair is coming up soon. I remember going to the
fair one year and being warned by my mother to stay away from the tent that
featured women from "the far east". Actually they were from Augusta and had more
stretch marks than could be found at a maternity ward. I think the days of those
kinds of "exotic" entertainment are long gone from fairs and carnivals. When I
go to the fair now, I am dragged through the quilting exhibits and have to try
my luck at winning a giant Scooby Doo or Stewie from "Family Guy" stuffed toy. I
usually cut a deal with the person running the booth and then have to
schlep the things around for the remainder of the visit to the fair.
If fair attendance is a barometer of how the economy is doing, then I have to
report to you, the economy is faring make that "fairing" better than Wall
Street.
| |
|
