Monday, May 14, 2012

Berry Heritage Festival


Emma and John Brady spent the weekend with us while the Berry Heritage Festival was happening in town. This is the third year for this festival but John and I had been out of town during the first two. I had bought some dinner plates from The Berry Women's Club so we headed to the Festival Friday night to get our plates.

It is sometimes amazing the things that thrill a child. Emma and John Brady have been to Disney World several times so I pictured them not being impressed with the little carnival that was in town for the festival. Boy......was I wrong. Now, here is the problem.....this "always been a worry wart Mom and MeMe" does not trust traveling carnivals! I am sorry but seeing the people walk around like they are in a daze with a cigarette hanging out of the corner of their mouth does not give me confidence in their ability to tighten screws like they need to be!!!

So......I agreed on the slide and the swings. Two things dear to my childhood. I still remember the first slide I went down. The "Super Slides" hit Birmingham one summer and that was all we did. I was in Junior high and we went every time we could talk someone...anyone into carrying us to slide. We had slide races, backward sliding and contests to see who could slide the most in a certain amount of time.

Then there was the swings. The swings were in "Kiddie Land" at the Alabama State Fair Grounds. I remember the freedom I felt as a small child flying (or it felt like flying back then) through the air as the swings reached their fastest speed.

Emma and John Brady rode the swings and the slide for about an hour and then I got our plates that we ordered while John walked with the kids to let them pick what they wanted to eat. John Brady picked chicken fingers and Emma got a hot dog. What is it about eating "fair food" while sitting outside on a pleasant night and listening to the band that was playing on the stage!
Good times in a small town!








After we ate our "fair food" we let the kids pick out a treat. Emma picked a funnel cake and John Brady picked cotton candy. Of course, that funnel cake was way too big for Emma so.....MeMe helped her eat it!!!!!
Later, that night, as we were all holding hands and walking in the middle of the road to go home......John Brady stopped.....looked up at me and said......I don't know who thought of this but....it was a GREAT idea!!!!! Sometimes you forget that simple things can make a wonderful memory!!!!
Pops took the kids back Saturday morning to let them ride the slide and swing again and of course, they brought home some more cotton candy and another funnel cake!

2 comments:

sue said...

Brought back some pleasant memories!!! I loved the slide too - and the Tilt-a-Whirl. And my mother would never let us ride anywhere but Kiddieland because all other rides were "put up in a hurry" So naturally I aqm the same way. What was that ride where the cover came down over it - the Caterpillar? And I can't believe nobody got a candy apple!!

Joy said...

Sue, i had forgotten about that ride. Yes, I think it was the caterpillar. The carnival had a tilt a whirl and the thing where you stand up and it goes really fast and tilts. didn't let the kids ride them!!!