Sandy Supposes....

Autumn Means Fall Fairs

Tell us about some of the fun autumn events your local community held when you were a kid.

         

         

         Every autumn, communities in my area hosted fall fairs. Inevitably, there would be shiny, noisy, fast-moving carnival rides like the Tilt-A-Whirl. Of course, I'd wait in line anticipating my turn to spin and twirl. As a child, the Ferris wheel seemed to be gigantic.Perched high in the air in a bucket seat, I thought I could see for miles.

         This was the time to stuff myself with sweet cotton candy. How could something that resembled colourful fluff be so sticky? The smell of buttered popcorn wafted on the air. Some friends opted to treat themselves to funnel cakes.

         Games of chance lured us to try our luck, but I never won the largest stuffed animals. I recall a man winning a huge bear, and roaring away from the park with it seated behind him on his motorcycle. One of the coveted prizes was a goldfish in a glass bowl.

         I've never been a farm girl, or country girl, so seeing farm animals became a novelty. The crowing roosters vied for attention with the honking geese, and the clucking chickens. Even the docile looking pigeons had a voice, cooing along with the cacophony. The cows mooed. The donkeys brayed. The ponies whinnied. It was as if all these animals were conversing with each other and celebrating their reunion.

         Usually, a framers' market set up on the fair grounds with their fresh produce. The golden pumpkins were the most noticeable, I suppose because of their enormity. I always think of autumn as the vegetable season. Harvest describes it perfectly.