Carnival - The Place For Fun-n-Frolic
It is that time of the year again. The time of year when the evenings begin to get darker earlier and the kids return to school. That also means that it is time for the local carnivals and fairs to take place. In my hometown, we have several different and large carnivals that go on. People flock for the fattening and yummy foods and entertainment, and kids waste their allowances on the carnival games. Carnival games are famous for giving out small and generic prizes that people will spend entirely too much money to win. My son was determined to prove his worthiness to his girlfriend by winning her a huge stuffed animal. He ended up spending twice the amount of money that it would have cost him to purchase one in the first place. But, when he won, she threw her arms around him and squealed. He smiled widely, knowing that his mission had been accomplished and knowing that every penny he had spent was well worth it.
Some carnival games are meant to be easy while others seem to be almost impossible. I swear that some of those milk bottles that you are supposed to knock over, are actually glued together. The live goldfish that you can win at some carnival games all seem to pass on within a few days or weeks. My personal favorites are the carnival games that you can win some sort of food. I like when you can put money on a certain number and watch the spinning wheel decide where it will land. Perhaps you may win a basket of fruit or some giant candy bars. I just hate when the kids win something stupid and pointless that will just end up being thrown out or cluttering up the house. I get a kick out of the game attendants standing in front of the carnival games that call out to passer-bys hoping to lure someone in to play their game.
I’ve never been one to play many of the carnival games. When I was a child, I’d annoy my mother by playing carnival games that I could win goldfish, and brought bags of them home with me. She would always be thrilled about that. I was more interested in spending my allowance money on the yummy food that was plentiful and riding on the rides. Unless there was something to be won that I just had to have, carnival games didn’t impress me too much. They haven’t changed over the years, as my kids play the same carnival games that existed when I was their age. I think that some of the leftover prizes are still there to be won.
