Summer Love of Fair SEDUCED BY THE RIDES, FARM ANIMALS AND FRIED EVERYTHING

H

ow have we gone this long and I haven’t told you all about my first summer love? Oh, the excitement! The anticipation of spending time together again! The butterflies in my stomach every time I thought about the fun we would have! The rides, the games, the fried foods, the prizes and free stuff, the animals, the concerts and shows … all wrapped in a warm summer blanket of glorious days and starry nights.

I have 26 years of California State Fair photo-booth pictures that have recorded the progression of our family and our love of fair. could. I didn’t want to think about

Mom, so I wouldn’t get lost). It was

summers, it never felt complete until

Labor Day signaling the end was

a family affair with aunts, cousins,

its last week when the fair came and

near, the inevitable sadness when

grandmothers and even a great-

seemed to bring the sun with it.

old when I first realized the love of

it was time to leave town again. We

grandmother in tow as chaperones.

fair was real. I knew instantly we

would spend that last day before

But it wasn’t long before they got

were meant to be together, even

school began trying to do everything

tired of being impatiently dragged

though I grudgingly accepted it

together one last time, and, if I

along every inch of the fairgrounds.

wouldn’t last beyond summer. But

was lucky, maybe even leave with a

By the summer of my seventh year,

I just wanted to have fun while we

parting Van Halen poster or glass

the adults parked it in front of the

ashtray memento.

main stage (and beer garden) and let

And I was so young! Only 6 years

KW By Kelli Wheeler Momservations

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IA JUL n 17

Ah, summer county fair, how I’ve loved you all these years. The Monterey County Fair and I

us kids have the run of the place as

Ah, summer county fair, how I’ve loved you all these years.

long as we checked in (usually to ask for more money and safekeeping of The fair and I still kept in touch

had some glorious times together.

our growing collection of Dime Toss

We started slow with the kiddie

glassware). No matter how much fun

when our family moved away to

rides and a lot of hand-holding (with

we had during those foggy Monterey

Concord when I was in second grade.