Fair Day

I noticed on the News Sentinel website that the fair is in full swing. I noted before that we didn’t get as many days off as the kids do these days, but “Fair Day” was one that we did get. I have no idea why. Maybe they thought we might pick up something a little educational from one of the exhibits, or maybe the guys taking AG had something entered, or they just wanted to give us a day off. Whatever the reason, it was appreciated.

I only went to two of them, and senior year I had a date. My memories are really sketchy. I don’t think I could get to the fairgrounds now, assuming it’s in the same place, and I don’t remember anything really earthshaking about it. It was just your typical county fair with exhibits and rides and an arcade. I’m not sure what we could have won on that arcade, other than stuffed animals, but at least it wasn’t the little goldfish they entice kids with today. You know the ones in plastic bags that might live 2 hours after you get them home.

The only reason I remember I had a date senior year was because I was too stupid to take the pencils out of my shirt pocket before she and I went on the ride that would lift and then spin the chair head over heels. It had wire mesh enclosing it in case we slipped out of the seat, but this time all the mesh did was make the pencils bounce around on the inside (and off us) before they found a way out to barely miss someone on the ground.

I also noticed they no longer call it the Tennessee Valley A&I Fair. I don't remember exactly who, but one of the guys used to say the A&I stood for “a-holes and idiots”, but of course he was a little more blunt.