Fair Enough

  I drove over to the Fairgrounds this morning to deposit my entries, very efficiently as it turned out.  Then since I'm now able to, I took a little tour around the grounds.  The opening is definitely a work in progress,  but I suppose as experience dictates they will be mostly ready for opening day tomorrow, half day anyway.  Walking around by myself triggered memories of how excited we kids used to be anticipating Fair Time, and how completely incomprehensible and somewhat disturbing it was when my older relatives declined to attend, saying the fair was "the same old thing."  Blasphemy to my ears.  They were far younger then than I am now, and had probably themselves attended the Fair only a few or several times so I can imagine what their thoughts would be eons later.
    I walked under the Grandstand, to the Commercial Building.  One of the few exhibits in place is that of Culligan Water. Remember marveling at the working water pipe with no visible connection to source.  How many years ago, and was that Culligan, or some other company?  The County Clerk office, Frank Merola's, was set up with handouts at the ready, though no staff manned the booth.  The fudge booth was partly set up and I noticed the candy jars were empty and scummy looking.  I wonder how they clean them.  There were some workers hammering away on the far end, and there were ladders, so I didn't go down to that end. 
     Outside I noticed a great many golf carts zipping around the grounds, with young men driving them, with no apparent focus.  Why can't they walk to where they're going; haven't they heard there's an obesity crisis in America?  I saw a large tent with 3 signs on it, advertising Giffy's, Blooming Onion, and some pizza outfit.  And as I left the grounds, a young guy was posting signs on the fence reading thank you for having attended the Schaghticoke Fair.  The sign was torn, but he was putting it up anyway.
    So now it's time to go home, break out the old copper boiler fitted with rivets my father used to stop the leaks, load it with ice chipped off the old block of the same, and fill it with sliced tomato and baloney sandwiches.  Yum, Fair food!