Cotton Candy and Carousels

Do you remember where you were when you tasted your first corn dog? How about your first funnel cake? Chances are you were at the County Fair. We look forward to it every year. The rides, the food, and the exhibits. So much to see and do to take our mind off the summer heat.

The County Fair is a feast for the senses. First you hear it blocks away. The unmistakable sound of the calliope playing the familiar fair tunes. Then you see the lights all brightly colored and blinking. So many smells from popcorn to pigs greet you from all directions as you take it all in. And you can feel the softness of the horses noses, or the tickle in your belly when the rides go fast.

Visiting the Cotton Candy Wagon was a must me. Dad would lift me up to see inside. It was the same woman with the bee hive hair do every year making giant pink cotton candy clouds with her big cotton candy spinning machine. She was so friendly I always thought she remembered me from year to year. Of course that is impossible. She was probably just smiling at my exuberance while watching her make my huge pink mound of spun sugar on a paper cone.

One year I did not get cotton candy and it was heartbreaking. It started raining and we had to go home. I really wanted cotton candy and dad ran back to get some. Would you believe that the whole thing melted before he got back to the car? So, he tried again. There was a tiny taste of sweetness left that time, but no big load of sticky happiness.

My favorite ride was the Carousel with the calliope in the center. The pipes blowing out the tune and the hum of the motor was just wonderful. After getting my ticket, I would watch the horses go round and round and choose the perfect one. As soon as the ride stopped, I would head straight for it. In my younger years Dad would stand beside me and hold onto me and I remember feeling so liberated when I finally got to ride by myself, and wave to them every time I went by.

It was awful to have to wait a whole year to get cotton candy and ride the carousel again. I know that you can buy a tough substance that they call cotton candy in a bag in all kinds of funky colors. It isn’t even fluffy. But I am telling you right now that is not what cotton candy is all about. Cotton candy is not just something you eat, it is an experience.

Carousel rides are easier to come by now. You can buy a ticket and take a ride in the park, at the amusement park, or even at the mall. And you are not limited to riding a horse. There are chickens, deer, bears and rabbits too. It is great to see those delightful vintage carousels restored and revived for young and old to enjoy. I still love them as much as I did as a child. Riding then and watching now. I don’t know if my kids loved the carousel ride as much as I did, or if they just rode it to humor me.