STATE FAIR

State Fair

Just when you think it is safe….

When I remember summers of think of the times when my best neighbor buddy, Susie Keseg, and I would go to the Ohio State Fare. My mom would drop his off about. 9:30 and we’d spend the day, the whole day at the fair and meet our ride home at an appointed time. We were never late to the gate.

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It was so much fun. I don’t know how much money we took as we got an all event pass. I do know we had enough for a couple of drinks, maybe one Cotton candy, and a hotdog for lunch. If I remember right we would only go on the Ferris Wheel once or twice the whole time we went. We would always go through the arts and crafts barns, where there were demonstrations, and people’s crafts, quilts, crochet, knitting. We would go into the places where the women were showing their pies and cakes and looked for the ribbons the next day. We would go to the Radio station WBNS and wait for our favorite guys, Bill Hamilton and Fritz Parenboom. They would do a show and play music and chatter with the crowd. I don’t remember if we ever had the nerve to speak to them directly. They did a folk music show and a jazz show on Saturday nights. Yes, it was the early 60’s.

Susie and I were in Jr. High. But, we spent most of our time in the livestock barns. We would wander through the barns looking at all the animals, farm, cats, dogs, rabbits, and hogs. We would watch 4H kids showing their animals that were often bigger than they were. What we knew about the hogs is the later in the week you went through the hog barn the stinkier it got. Susie and I once almost ran thru and on the other side she stopped and said Hey! I had a really stuffy nose and I can breathe Now!

We were in Jr. High. We were young to be set loose in the Ohio State Fair by ourselves. But in the early 60’s we weren’t. Now I don’t think I would let my granddaughter do that alone with a friend. It wasn’t about our being trustworthy or not. It was about what the world felt like..was like.

I am thinking about this now as we consider what we are going to do this summer. Sigh

Let’s all work to make this world a safer place, a kinder place, a fun place, a justice filled place, a Peaceful place.

The children of Gaza don’t wonder what time Daddy might be home…they wonder if he will come home. There is work to do.

God abides

Bobbie Giltz McGarey

06.06.24. Easton, PA