Every year since my son was born we have went to the county fair the first weekend of August. We go to other fairs throughout the summer but the one in August takes me home. Here is a little backstory…..
My grandpa (I call him GPA), was the greatest man I have ever met and the fact I got to call him GPA was just the greatest honor. I will definitely be telling you stories about him and his shenanigans. Oh that man, was a hoot. But his parents owned some cookhouses and things so he grew up around fairs and working those at festivals. He swears Col Sanders stole his mamas fried chicken recipe……..he has never lied to me so I am going to tell everyone that as fact, ha. Well he ended up buying some rides and joined in on the Heart of America shows. My mom and her siblings grew up out on the rode when school wasn’t in session. Well as fate would have it, my mom met my dad out there and I was born a “Carnie”. I am extremely PROUD to say that too. My summers I spent out on the fair. My cousins, sister and I had a lot of good times. Each week we went to different towns and we had our favorite traditions for each one. (This explains my strong love of traditions, “It’s tradition and you don’t monkey with tradition”) I will definitely have to tell some of those stories. Especially one of me learning to drive and they take me out to cemetary and I for sure learned how to drive backwards when we freaked ourselves out seeing people out there at 3 am. Yikes! Good times indeed. There is not one time I think back to being on the fair and not smiling. It was my happiness, and it still is.
Every midway I walk onto and the smell of the cookhouses, the dusty gravel , the neon lights and the 80s rock blaring, it is the best feeling. My GPA and I took pics on the carousel every year we could. After he passed I swore to always do that with a pic of his, and I have. He told me once that each time I got on a carousel it was him giving me a big hug. The big ol’ bear hug that he gave so well that nobody else could ever get just right.
There is a song that Elvis sang “The Fair is Moving On”…. the song can sum up how I feel in August on the fairground. Just a girl wishing her GPA was here to ride the carousel with her one more time.
All the rides are over and done
It’s late and no prizes are left to be won
The rides are closed, it’s the end of the day
The horses are moving away
Yes the fair’s moving on
And I’ll soon be gone
Remember the love that we’ve known
Yes the fair’s moving on
But I won’t leave you long
It’s the last time you’ll be on your own
The music has ended, the carousel’s still
The horses in boxes with the big ferris wheel
The canvass and glitter are safely on board
The trailers will soon hit the road
Until I see you again GPA, I got my bear hug from you tonight at the fair.
xo
Jess
My GorJess Life 