For the first five years of our residency on Cape Cod, we lived in a house now occupied by my mother and father. It borders on a field that the Barnstable County Fair opens once a year, to use as parking.
So it was inevitable that for the first few years we visited the fair. It’s a typical county fair – livestock, lots of crafts and junk for sale, carnival rides, games of chance and fair food. It’s small by most county fair standards, but so is the Cape.
Since then, I’ve avoided going. I don’t remember going once in the nine years since moving to the other side of town, though one or more of my kids typically ends up there.
James went on Sunday with his friend Tyler, and had a great time. He ate some stuff, got a bracelet, which allowed him unlimited use of the rides, and took in a few of the events.
Emmeline and Robert are looking forward to going (James is looking forward to going back, too). Grandma and Grandpa have promised to take them on one of the other bracelet days this week, so they can get their fill of rides.
I can’t quite put my finger on why I personally don’t like to go – I just don’t get a lot of enjoyment out of it. I dislike crowds, for one thing, but none of the fair’s attractions really muster any particular attraction to me at all. I just think it’s kind of boring.
I feel like a wet blanket, truth be told. I wish I could enjoy it, but I just don’t.
I know the feeling and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.
My family lives in a small city (pop. ~ 9000) with lots of vineyards and even smaller towns around. During summer and autumn there’s a country fair somewhere every weekend.
For years my friends and I used to go to the larger ones almost religiously, but at some point they lost their appeal.
I do like to go to the big county wine festival once a year, but that’s it.
For me it’s the same everywhere; people meet to drink alcohol, eat and talk and walk/drive home. You meet people that you haven’t seen in a while and that you don’t care enough about to call them throughout the year. The usual “we should meet sometime”s are exchanged and you won’t hear from them until the next fair the following year. Other than that, you cannot really have meaningful conversations with your good friends, because it not private enough, it’s often to noisy and not comfortable enough.
My friends and I started doing stuff at out places, watching movies, cooking for each other, doing great BBQ in summer and heading out to good restaurants and bars.
Sure, we are fewer people, but those are the ones I really care about, the ones I always look forward to hearing from.
You’re not the only one. I haven’t been to my county fair since 1992.