YOu can't go home again
The very first county fair I remember going to was the Flemington Fair, in New Jersey.
I spent my summers on a family friend's horse farm near Frenchtown with their daughter.
We would be let loose at the fair and I clearly remember the carnival, the rides and the farm stuff. There were no horses, and since that was my focus at the time, the livestock didn't really interest me.
Later, our family moved to the area and during the summer between my Jr and Senior years I worked at the Fair, as many of my friends did.
I worked at the Freak Show, selling tickets to the "Babies in the Bottle" Exhibit. (This was way before the phrase "P C" reared it's ugly head). I was between the "World's Largest Rat" exhibit and the Guys who rode the motorcycles around the barrel. Farther down the lane was the "No Arms, no legs, no bones in her body" bodyless head on the table.
On Saturday nights we all would go to the Stock Car races and always sat in the same part of the grandstand together. #47 was a Gremlin that always won.
After High school a friend of mine was dating one of the Joie Chitwood Thrill Show drivers that performed at the Fair every year, and she fixed me up with one of the other drivers, Vic Rivers. At one point I skipped out of my freshman year in college to hang out with them on the road.
Vic Rivers was killed doing a stunt, and the film he was working on(Hi-Riders) is dedicated to him.
I just found out that as of 2003 the the Flemington Fair is also no more. Real estate prices are too high in the area, and the fair has been scaled down to an Agricultural Fair (sans giant rats, no doubt) and moved farther south in the county.
I guess it'll make me cherish our sweet local County fair that much more. I imagine it won't ever go away. Sure would be good to see more freak stuff, although we did have a giant horse and steer a few years ago. And the human cannonball is a nice addition...
I spent my summers on a family friend's horse farm near Frenchtown with their daughter.
We would be let loose at the fair and I clearly remember the carnival, the rides and the farm stuff. There were no horses, and since that was my focus at the time, the livestock didn't really interest me.
Later, our family moved to the area and during the summer between my Jr and Senior years I worked at the Fair, as many of my friends did.
I worked at the Freak Show, selling tickets to the "Babies in the Bottle" Exhibit. (This was way before the phrase "P C" reared it's ugly head). I was between the "World's Largest Rat" exhibit and the Guys who rode the motorcycles around the barrel. Farther down the lane was the "No Arms, no legs, no bones in her body" bodyless head on the table.
On Saturday nights we all would go to the Stock Car races and always sat in the same part of the grandstand together. #47 was a Gremlin that always won.
After High school a friend of mine was dating one of the Joie Chitwood Thrill Show drivers that performed at the Fair every year, and she fixed me up with one of the other drivers, Vic Rivers. At one point I skipped out of my freshman year in college to hang out with them on the road.
Vic Rivers was killed doing a stunt, and the film he was working on(Hi-Riders) is dedicated to him.
I just found out that as of 2003 the the Flemington Fair is also no more. Real estate prices are too high in the area, and the fair has been scaled down to an Agricultural Fair (sans giant rats, no doubt) and moved farther south in the county.
I guess it'll make me cherish our sweet local County fair that much more. I imagine it won't ever go away. Sure would be good to see more freak stuff, although we did have a giant horse and steer a few years ago. And the human cannonball is a nice addition...
posted by sarah at 12:58 PM
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