fun on the carousel?

Last night was the 65th annual Grapeland Peanut Festival. Grapeland is a small town about 12 miles north of here, and since Dave desperately wanted peanuts, I let him talk me into going. I had planned on vacuuming out the cars and sweeping the driveway (big Saturday night fun, I know) but he bribed me with cotton candy and promised that we'd be able to see the crowning of the Peanut Princess, so off we went.

I had a major sinking feeling once we got there. For one, the artsy vendors' section was being rapidly dismantled and the Grapeland City Council's booth was deserted. Another problem? There was no stage, no chairs, and no girls in glittery dresses. However, we were dying for some peanuts and cotton candy and it was only 5:30, plenty of time for the pageant to be set up, so we pressed on.

The most exciting part of the Peanut Festival--Funnel Cake!
We fought our way through the crowds of Grapelanders decked out in their finest and checked out the carnival. Ahh, the memories! This carnival company must be the same one that comes to Stampede in the San Louis Valley, because suddenly I felt 5 years old again. There was the same fishing booth, same dragon roller coaster, same little planes. I was seized by a strange impulse to take Jed on a ride.

The carousel seemed the best choice. It wasn't fast, it was easy for an adult to go with him, and it didn't cost 5 dollar-apiece tickets. Dave said he would stay behind with the stroller and I could go with Jed. I'm sure he wanted me to do this so I'd get the need to ride something out of my system and we could get on to the peanuts, cotton candy and Peanut Princess.

I should have known it was going to be interesting as we stood there, watching the carousel and waiting our turn. I tried to get Jed to pay attention to the carousel but he only wanted to throw dirt and pick up discarded beer cans.

Once we got on, I tried to get Jed to pick an animal to ride on:
"Look, Jed, an elephant! Do you want to ride the elephant?"
"No!"
"What about this nice spotty dog? He's got a nice face."
"No!"
"Ooh, this giraffe looks fun. He has a long neck."
"No!"
Finally I gave up and wrestled him on to the chicken.

The teenaged kid running the carousel gave me a look and started it up. As soon as we began to move, Jed tried to scramble off and commenced screaming. I felt like a stage mother, forcing my kid to do something he had absolutely no interest in. But the thing was moving and he had to stay seated, so I just did my best to calm him down and help him enjoy it.

Finally, I think Jed was convinced that his chicken wasn't going to eat him. He started to relax and enjoy things a little--but he never loosened his grip on my shirt.

Here's a funny movie Dave took while Jed and I "enjoyed" the carousel:

We're not racist, I promise.

At long last, the ride came to an end. Dave came and asked Jed if he'd had fun. His face says it all...

Sorry, Jed. I promise, no more carousels for at least another year!

After that harrowing experience, we decided we needed some sustenance. So we bought some cotton candy. And poor Dave! No peanuts, anywhere! The whole reason for coming, and there were none to be found. So Dave drowned his sorrows in a funnel cake. Jed too--he ate most of it. Nothing like grease and powdered sugar to help you recover from riding the carousel.

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To add insult to injury, when we finally found the Peanut Princess Pageant, we discovered that it cost to get in. What the?! I may love beauty pageants, peanuts and sparkly dresses, but not that much. I'll save our hard-earned money for cotton candy and funnel cake.
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All in all, the night was kind of a bust. We may have had more fun staying home and vacuuming the Rodeo. But, I got my cotton candy fix for the year, and that has to count for something!