As midterms loom and my supply of coffee runs dangerously low, it seems like perfect timing for the Lee County Fair to roll back into town.
I went to the fair in my hometown before the semester started back up. After a corndog and an agonizingly long (probably three and a half minutes) ride on some contraption that had cornered the market on centrifugal force, I thought I would never be able to walk straight without feeling sick again.
But hey--that's the fun of the fair, right?
For me, the fair evokes powerful images. It's bright lights and loud music. It's carnies and thrill rides and stuffed animals bigger than a house. It's cotton candy and candy apples and pretty much anything you can deep-fry.
But it's also simplicity. It's a time when, for maybe only a few hours, you can cast aside the real world and return to the days of throwing plastic rings at glass bottles to win a stuffed monkey. It's straightforward fun that flies in the face of today's tech-focused world of Wiis, Blu-rays, e-readers and iPods.
Something in me expects to find Andy, Barnie and Opie checking out the goats while the carousel turns endlessly in the background, playing a familiar tune.
I remember going to the fair with my parents and with my friends as I got older. I remember channeling school spirit into the fair with the marching band as we opened up the beauty pageant. I remember rows of blue ribbons for the largest pumpkin, the reddest tomatoes or the most impressive 4-H project. I remember the feeling, each year, of taking that first step onto a dusty Midway. The night ahead was full of strolling, running into people you know from around town, day fading to night and making the lights of the rides even brighter. There was something so uncomplicated about those nights.
Maybe my vision and my memories are overly romanticized. After all, the fair also tends to be sticky and noisy and distinctly odorous.
But a county fair is quintessentially Southern, right on par with opening doors, tipping hats and eating fried chicken (another fair food favorite). It attracts a class of people, from young to old and poor to rich, who just want to go out and have a good time. And with a minimum sticker price of only $1-3 for admission, it might just be one of the cheapest good times out there.
Keep your $50 concert ticket. During my study break, I'm going to the fair.
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