My Vote for Best Ride at Twin Falls County Fair

I vote for the Tilt-a-Whirl.  Not because it was my favorite, but because when my daughter was little, she loved going for a spin.  At big amusement parks, she liked log rides and roller coasters, but most of the smaller fairs we attended didn’t have anything quite so large. It was Tilt-a-Whirl for her.

She went from being timid when we approached rides to sometimes going a second time.

Watching Others on the Rides is Fun as Well

When I was a little boy, my mom liked chair swings.  I would watch, because I was too small for the ride.  By the time I was five, I was the biggest kid in my class, and at a small local amusement park, and the owner of the place claimed I was too big for a metal car that rolled around a slotted track.  My mom gave him an earful.  Then something happened that still resonates today.

As I cried, another woman took after him with a hammer.  I’m not making this up!  She was carrying a hammer in her purse, and apparently wasn’t afraid of displaying it to make a point.

Rides are for the Young, as I Learned Long Ago

I did a few rides into the early part of this century, but for the most part, left them to the young.  I was on a roller coaster with my niece 30 years ago and wrenched my neck.  It ached for six weeks.  From that point, I found I enjoyed watching them just as much.  When they would come around, and I could see the smiles on their faces, it warmed me.

There are more important things in life than carnivals, but we only get to be young for a small portion of our lives.  If I could, I would set up a charity that would allow every kid who wanted a day on the midway to have the opportunity.  No matter what hardships a family is facing, income levels, or disabilities.  Because sometimes in life, one day gives us hope for all the others that follow.