Fair Reflections

Another Richland County Fair has come and gone. This year’s Fair was greatly influenced by the weather. When it was storming (as it was on Friday) the traffic was slow and the vendors didn’t have much to do. When the weather was nice (as it was on Saturday) the crowd was overflowing, the vendors were busy, and everyone had a good time.

The Fair is a rite of summertime that has been a part of Kessler family life for the last 25 years. Some of you have Fair memories that go back much further than that. I remember with special fondness the days when our small boys loved going on the boat ride and merry-go-round. As they grew up they spent their time on the more exciting rides. Now the rides are passé . . . and they don’t spend much (if any) time on Midway. The Fair is now for renewing old friendships. It is also a final celebration before saying “goodbye” to their summer jobs and hometown buddies. They will soon be returning to their college towns, hitting the books, and resuming more recent friendships.

My wife and I experience the Fair in a different way. In the past, we worked in many of the food booths and volunteer stands. Gone now are the days of sweating over French fry cookers. Gone also are the days of making Baseball Burgers and Fleischkeiklas. We now wait in long lines, like everybody else, to eat these once-a-summer culinary delights. We also relish other Fair food: Norskes, mini donuts, homemade pie, etc. Yes the Fair has mostly become a place to eat . . . and eat some more . . . and to visit with neighbors and friends that we see along the way.

This year I worked a few shifts in the St. Matthew’s pizza booth. My wife worked the Right-to-Life stand. But our volunteer hours are much decreased from what they used to be. We visited our son’s library stand. I tried the “Dunking Booth” softball throw – and hit the Bulls Eye four times. (Not bad for an old guy!) It was good to try some Fair games. Unfortunately many of my past “Fair Game” experiences have not been that successful.

My wife and I did go on our once-a-year Ferris Wheel ride. It was a bittersweet experience. As we made our circular ascent into the nighttime sky, surveying the countryside, we realized (once again) that the boys will soon be leaving us. We will settle into our winter routines. There will be occasional vacations and holidays, but the potential of living through another “endless winter” looms before us. And the reality that we are both a year older is inescapable.

“What was the best time of your life?” my wife asked. And I respond, with a tear in my eye, that it was when the kids were young, life was busy, and we seemed to be on top of the world. Now the wheel goes round and round . . . My wife, Shelley, says that the best time of her life is whatever time she is living. She is the eternal optimist. But not all of us are that way. Some of us realize that the Ferris wheel goes up, and then it goes down, and we never know when the ride will be over.

Another Fair is history. And this year’s Fair, although it had to overcome some inclement weather, was a success. Now is the time to get on with our daily routines in anticipation of “the next big thing” that might come along.