County Fair (from Morguefile Free Photos)
Did you ever go to the county fair?
When I was a kid, the county fair was a big deal. No way were we ever going to go to one of those big theme parks and Disney World might as well have been on the moon as far as we were concerned out on the farm. We weren’t going to either place. But when the county fair showed up once a year, sometimes we got to go. After I got old enough – well, I thought I was old enough – I got to go to the fair and walk around with my girlfriends. My best treats were those caramel apples and pink cotton candy. Yum!
And then the boyfriend entered the picture. That led to a not as fun memory as my future husband-to-be wanted to win me a teddy bear at one of those booths. We hadn’t been dating long and I suppose he was trying to impress me. I tried to get him not to stop because I knew the only place most people ever won a prize was at the duck pond. But you did see other girls carrying around big teddy bears. My fellow was determined to win one for me too. The carnival guy running the game realized he had a fish on the line and reeled him in. He turned him loose pretty quick when the money ran out. I didn’t want a teddy bear that much and I remember standing back away from the scene of action while trying to get my boyfriend to leave while he still had money in his pocket. But he was just so sure he could knock over those milk bottles. Some lessons cost you money.
Did you find your sweetheart at the fair?
Fran sort of found her fellow at the fair and sort of found him at church. An interesting combination, but one that worked for Fran. Here’s the romantic summer story she shared with me during my recent book giveaway when I was celebrating the release of The Innocent.
Summer has always been special for me. That is when I realized I knew who I would marry some 57 years ago. I had attended church with him all my life, but in August of 1958 I was at the county fair in Ohio with my aunt and uncle and he was there with friends and he came and asked them if he could take me on rides, and they said sure. I was elated. After all he had graduated and I was a freshman in high school. I always liked him from afar, but always thought he would never look at me since I was just a kid. Well, that was the start of our romance, and we got married in 1961 and had two wonderful sons, and we are still together for as long as the Lord gives us. Thanks for the chance to tell my story. Oh I forgot, when I was in the 6th grade my mother told me one Sunday in church that he was the young man she would pick for me, guess she knew what she was doing. hahaha
Sometimes Mamas do know. I’m sure she was smiling big on your wedding day, Fran.
Would you like to win a book?
My book giveaway is still going on here on One Writer’s Journal. You can enter by leaving a comment. Just tell me if you’ve ever been to a fair and if so, what’s your favorite food there? If you’ve already entered on a previous post, leave a new comment and have an extra entry. On August 1, I’ll pick three winners who will have their choice of one of my books. You must be eighteen to enter. Please leave a way to contact you. Some of you I know. Some of you I don’t. I do appreciate each and everyone one of you who drops by to read my posts here on One Writer’s Journal and who share your stories with me too.
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