I guess one thing that I really really like about fall, other than the awesome weather, football, bonfires etc, is the plethora of events that are planned during the season.  I, for one, love fairs and it seems that the change in season tends to exponentially increase the prevalence of these traveling fun zones.  They are like circus’s that you can actually be a part of.  Anyway, I really really like going to fairs, which my wife attributes to my bold and brash inner child that frequently overpowers my maturity.  So when I heard that the Columbia County fair was coming to town this November, naturally I got excited.  But, alas, the feelings of excitement were not mutual within Laura, for she did not hold fairs dear to her heart.  Fortunately, after much badgering (I guess fairs do make you kind of childish) Laura agreed to go to the fair with me. Yay!

I don’t know what it is about the fair that I like so much.  I mean, honestly, they are kind of gritty and old and dirty.  But I guess that’s part of the appeal.  I mean, where else on earth can you pay a few dollars to get double fried breaded chicken on a stick with a side of mayonnaise from a vendor trailer that looks like it would barely pass a health inspection.  Nope. Only at the fair.  And that is a big factor in my enjoyment of the fair.  You walk through the fair and here the sounds of chatter and screams while being bombarded with the smell of greasy fried grease.  Oh, you also can get funnel cakes.  Yum.  Sorry arteries, at least it’s only once a year (or less in my case)!  When I’m at the fair, I also feel like a take a step back in time.  It’s like I’m at some gypsy/vagabond-esque live museum complete with game operators, animals, yelling vendors, and precarious looking rides.  But the best is when all of that ambiance comes together at night and you hear the sounds of the pipe organs playing, the joyful screams of kids on rides and the glowing, colorful lights.  Yes, the fair is a truly cathartic experience.  So I’m really glad that Laura and I decided to go this year with our friend Angelyn.

We arrived at the fairgrounds and parked in a pasture parking lot just about the time to eat dinner.  After paying our $5 to get into the fair, we all just looked around and soaked up the atmosphere.  We began to walk around the fair to see what kind of games we could play, the shows that would be going on, and the rides which interested us.  While doing that, we all got hungry so it was time to make the ever important decision of what and where to eat.  We settled on a little 4 wheeled trailer with a sign on it that said “Big Momma’s Soul-food.”  With a name like, you can’t go wrong.  I had a BBQ dinner plate complete with potato salad.  This was probably one of the better choices at the fair, actually.  With our bellies full of delicious soul-food, it was time to tackle some rousing games while our food digested.

I was enticed by a Skee-ball booth where you could win a stuffed animal if you rolled 200 points or better.  I thought to my self, “Self, you can do that and then I can win Laura a cute little stuffed teddy bear holding a heart!  Plus it’s only a dollar.”  Turns out, getting 200 points is harder than it seems and the Skee-ball booth is kind of addicting.  Fortunately, with the help of Laura, I realized that I did not have the required skill and/or luck to win that teddy.  And for the price I paid to play to try win it, I probably could have just bought one.  Oh well.  I had more fun than just going to the store.

Next we found a cool Pony Race game.  It’s kind of like Skee-ball meets the Kentucky Derby.  You would roll a little ball and based on what hole it fell in, your horse and rider moved on this little track.  All three of us set out to play this game, and Angelyn won!  She got a little white/glittery bear for her husband Michael, who was working like a 30 hour shift at the hospital.  After that game, we really didn’t feel like playing any more because they can kind of be expensive and we wanted to ride some rides.  So we disappointed an enthusiastic game vendor who desperately wanted us to play his pick-up-a-glass-coke-bottle-with-a-ring-attached-to-a-wooden dowel game for a 6 foot tall stuffed banana when we declined his sincere offer to play.

Now, the rides only cost about 3-4 dollars per ride so we were able to ride a couple of them.  I really like fair rides even though I really don’t like roller coasters. I mean, I still don’t ride any of the upside down fair rides, but the classic thrill rides like the tilt-a-whirl have a special place in my heart.  Probably from riding them in my childhood.  Needless to say, I got pretty excited when we rounded a corner and saw a rickety old tilt-a-whirl just beckoning us to take a ride on it’s sadistic spinning ladybug seats.  It was AWESOME!!  I captured the entire ride in the video at the bottom of the post.  Man, that was just good ‘ol classic fun.  If you go to the fair, find and ride the tilt-a-whirl.

Next, we went on some spinning swings and tried this interesting ride called the Himalaya which was just like a fast spinning train.  What made this ride fun, though, was the sweet jams they were playing and the smooth jazz vocal toned ride operator trying to get everyone excited about the ride.  He would say things like “Who’s ready to go faster and hear some sweet tunes on the Himalaya tonight” in this deep, rich late night jazz DJ voice.  Hilarious.  After finishing up with the rides, it was getting pretty cold because it was already dark, and realizing that we shouldn’t spend anymore money, we all decided to head home and warm up with some hot chocolate.  It was a great night of childish fun!  Be sure to check out the video diary of the experience below the pictures!  And Happy Fall.  I hope that you too can experience a local fair to satisfy your inner kid.