The Fair and Traditions

Summer is just about over. It's been a good summer really. Not too hot and just enough lazy days thrown into the busy ones.

Now the air is getting heavier and the trees are just beginning to show their fall colors. The comic pages feature kids going back to school.  Yes winter is not far away.

But no summer should go away without the tradition of ... The State Fair...

I have been going to the fair since I was a little girl back in the old days. The food concessions were manned by families and churches. Rides were a quarter and you could get little green lizards for fifty cents that you pinned to your shirt. Mine by the way lived many years and we named him Mr Peepers.

Times have changed, food is fried and the only things you can pin to your shirt are all the buttons that advertise.

My children grew up at the fair too. We started taking them when they were months old. First they were pushed in a stroller, then we had to work our schedules around school and friends and jobs. And now the strollers hold grand babies. 

Everything is different but nothing has changed.

Every year we hear, "the fair isn't as good as last year". But every year we find that magical moment that makes us happy we went and ready to do it again next year.

So maybe it isn't the cold $8.50 combo Chinese plate dinner, or the 99 degree concrete. Maybe we can do without watching one more person barking while under hypnosis or the 5 minute firework show at 10pm.

Just maybe it's watching kids squeal with delight on the balloon ride. Perhaps its taking the time away from reality to stroll hand in hand with that special someone through the flower gardens. Or knowing tomorrow it's back to salads while eating  fried Twinkies.

We all need traditions. Traditions are good. They keep us on task, give us hope. They help us through the craziness of our changing world.

Soon enough we'll be eating soup and living in sweaters. But today we will see brand new baby calves while we munch away on cotton candy.