Driving up to the fairgrounds and passing the airport, it reminds me of that similar feeling of nervous-excitement. When I was little, I could remember seeing the tops of those familiar rides like the chair swing or the Ferris wheel just as we drove up to the fair. My sister and I, giddy with excitement. One thing I remember vividly is the bond my father and I shared over the food at fairs.
Having a sweet tooth seems to be genetic, and my father and I would sometimes drive all the way to the fair just for the food. We would get funnel cakes, cotton candy and lemonades, among other various fried foods. This tradition has changed a little since my father wanted me to bring him home some fair food this time instead of him going himself. However, the memory is still there when I see the food stalls plastered with overly dramatic pictures of the fried food I would consume. It always gives me happy feelings.
One thing that hasn’t changed over the years is the rides, even if there is a new ride called Sub Zero. To me, most of the rides are a little too much for someone who gets dizzy easily. As a kid, I remember sitting back and watching friends and family go on the rides I couldn’t, and my experience this year was no different. Except for one time when I was little, I decided to go on a ride called Rockin Tug. I thought it was going to be a ride that moves back and forth like the big Pirate Ship ride, but in a smaller version. Unfortunately for me, it started spinning around and around, and I hated it. Pleading to the attendant to stop the ride, my suffering finally ended, and I stumbled out of the ride fraught with dizziness.
When I was little, it seemed as though nothing stopped me from being able to ride all of the rides I wanted. Now, being an adult, I’m bombarded with the realization that kids’ minds are tunnel visioned. The hour-long wait to ride a 30 second ride really does make me wonder if I had to wait like that as a kid at the fair. That I don’t remember, but what I know now is the fair can be crowded and slightly overpriced. Seven dollars for a corndog and five dollars per person to go on a ride? Just to throw it all up afterwards? I guess that really is a State Fair experience.
Although going to the State Fair as an adult gives me a new perspective, I can still remember the joyful memories from when I was little, and it makes me happy.
