My Town Monday: the truth behind tacky town fairs
This weekend, Child #4 and I attended our town's very tacky Easter fair.
DH and Child #3 were at a water polo tournament. Child #2 was at an AP European History study group session. Child #1 was sleeping in. So, swinging an Easter basket between us, Child #4 and I set off for the fair.
In case you don't know, Child #4 is currently eight and at the height of her egg hunting game. She felt this was the year she'd "own" the hunt.
Filled with excitement and confidence, Child #4 marched across the bridge to "Easter Egg Island."
With an exotic name like "Easter Egg Island", I was expecting more than this: a bunch of empty plastic eggs strewn around on the ground. After the hunt, all the kids were rewarded with coupons from local businesses (eg., a free slurpee from 7-11, a free frozen yoghurt from DIY). A few lucky kids had a piece of winning paper in one of the plastic eggs and which entitled them to...a small container of bubbles. Oh, my tacky, tacky town.
Please tell me the hay ride doesn't go through the trailer park. It does! Oh, my tacky, tacky town.
Child #4 rode a tired pony who was probably dizzy from going around and around in small circles. Oh, my tacky, tacky town.
Then, as we headed to the dance area with its loud DJ and his corny jokes, Child #4 grabbed my hand and said, "Isn't this great? I'm getting all this Mom time!"
Ack! Time for an attitude change. Because what's the truth behind tacky town fairs? That what counts is who you're with. Thanks for the fun time, Child #4!!
Please trundle over to Travis' blog where he has a controversial post about dry counties. He also has links to the other MTM participants.
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Observing life through the eyes of a child - child #4 has her priorities straight!
ReplyDeleteThat is so cute. And hey, a tacky town carnival is better than no town carnival, right? And how smart is your daughter. She had a blast, and her mommy was with her!
ReplyDeleteAside from the great compliment, I think we need to rethink the whole Easter thing. We took part in similar festivities and somehow the picture of the family sitting with the Easter Bunny gave me the chills.
ReplyDeleteSeems like every town has its festivals. And the kids are the ones who appreciate the simplest things.
ReplyDeleteYep, mom time is never tacky.
ReplyDeleteWOW! That is some tacky stuff, but I love the end of your post. Sometimes we just have to shift our focus to enjoy what really counts. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteOh I just looooove town fairs & county fairs & state fairs...etc. You get what I'm sayin' here...
ReplyDeleteI think that's how most Easter egg hunts are. They aren't really hunts.
ReplyDeletewhere is the sonic going?..
ReplyDeletewe're all so excited about our new sonic...we've been with out a fast food place since the dairy queen went out of business...thanks for stopping by and saying hi..
Hilarious! I love that the winning easter eggs will get you a container of bubbles! Classic!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part though was the hay ride through the trailer park! I actually laughed out loud on that one! Glad you got to spend some quality time together!
Tacky can be fun at times and with child #4's outlook it sounds like it was.
ReplyDeleteTacky is tacky and tacky sucks. Even kids know that.
ReplyDeleteBut your dear child is right. Tacky is not so tacky when you're facing it together. Please Lord, don't let me face - or even worse, become, tacky alone.
Aww....so sweet.
ReplyDeleteGeez I didn't realize that was easter egg island! your children sound wonderful :)
ReplyDeleteOut of the mouths of babes! I am glad she enjoyed her mommy time, even if it was tacky. (poor horse- going 'round in circles)
ReplyDeleteFairs are often horrible places, underneath (I grew up working at them.) Quite often they're merely fronts for the mafia.
ReplyDeleteLove #4's attitude, though!
i adore fairs. FOR REAL!!!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter would be thrilled with bubbles, they have an attraction all of their own!!
ReplyDeleteIt sound like your daughter loved it and so would have mine. We were in NYC visiting my mother who decided my kids (14 &11) were too old for an Easter egg hunt.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter complained about it to her dad (who couldn’t come with us) and by the time we’d arrived back home, there were chocolate eggs hidden all over the playroom.
I’m not sure what hidden chocolate that has to do with Easter, but it makes kids happy. Tacky fun?
My son, who's just a tad older than your Child #4, did an Easter egg hunt this weekend, too. It didn't have nearly the number of fun extra features (pony rides, OMG!) as your town, but he had a blast just the same. Kids have the gift of being able to find the joy everywhere, don't they? Love that :).
ReplyDeleteOUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES...
ReplyDeleteOH - I am ALL ABOUT tacky fairs!
ReplyDeleteSo much fun! I just didn't have time for MTM. We had 7 1/2 bodies here for the w/e. It was so much fun! Even had a Polar Bunny swim. (Not me: my actor-20-something son!)
ReplyDeletethat is the truth about fairs! Sounds like you had a fun day.
ReplyDeleteLooks like she had a ball!
ReplyDeleteChild #4 didn't need to hunt...for anything. She knows she as everything with you as her mom!
ReplyDeleteOh, I miss tacky, tacky towns. Consider me jealous!
ReplyDeleteBarrie, tacky it may have been, but as long as Child #4 had a good time, who cares? How nice that she still wants exclusive mommy time. That won't last forever, you know.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was tacky when my town's Easter egg hunt was on the baseball fields, but at least the eggs were filled. Well most of them...they actually tossed out a few hard-boiled eggs, but only the misguided kids picked those up...and promptly threw them down again.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I love that she was at the top of the egg-hunting game!
I LOVE the moral of your story! It's so true, too. Our experiences are what we make of them, and that includes who we're with. Plus it also helps if you're a kid, complete with a kid's allotment of enthusiasm for everything!
ReplyDeleteFun pics, Barrie. The shot of the field with the eggs just dumped across it says everything. Still, I'm glad #4 kiddo enjoyed it.
ReplyDelete