So maybe it’s not the WORLD’S fair, but it sure was the world to me when I was little.
The Alto Fair was one last hurrah before summer ended and school began. It’s quite possibly the only place left on earth where you can bring your kids and know the whole community is watching after them. After the horribly sad news coming out of Milwaukee this week, and in the midst of back-to-back weddings from May until, oh, Christmas’ish, I needed some “Alto time.” So I packed Gracey up Wednesday morning and drove an hour and a half to a place very near and dear to my heart. It’s a place where many things in my life began, and even a place where a few things ended. It’s my home.
Everywhere you turn, there’s a familiar face and a welcoming smile. There’s the food tent and the $1 hamburgers. (Although, I’d never know the actual price — somehow, family buys your food. Yes, even at age 30 … because that’s just what you do at The Fair.) There’s the free parking and heck, you can even park on peoples’ lawns. (They don’t yell in Alto, and if they do, well … they’re not “from here.”) Of course, it’s free admission. Free candy and pencils and rulers and first aide kits in the vendor tent. Then there’s the Hammer. (That costs a dollar, I think.) And Skee-Ball. The Community Center 4-H projects. (I must brag a bit and say my niece got a blue ribbon on her apples this year. Nevermind if she was the only one who entered apples — she got a First and that’s MY GIRL!) The 25-cent orange drink. (The orange drink is old news, but maybe if I start a signed petition, they’ll bring it back.) No beer here, never was, never will be. And the pie. Ohhh, the pie.
Most of all, it’s a place that fills my heart to the brim. Gracey experienced her very first Alto Fair this week — she received lots of hugs, kisses and doting smiles. Even those who don’t know her, know her. We had a blast. Grandma introduced her to some goats, and pigs, and chickens, and bunnies. She liked the goat. (Daddy says it’s because the goat looks like our dog, Mya. Entirely possible.)
Check back soon for last weekend’s adorable wedding! Tomorrow, I’m off to Oshkosh to shoot a fellow photographer’s wedding … can’t wait! Tomorrow also marks the halfway point of my wedding season — 11 weddings down, 11 weddings to go. 🙂
Have a great weekend!
Comments