Granddaughters are so much fun! Cora and Gracie were otherwise engaged for our carnival outing, but Abby was ready to go! There were very few kiddie rides, but Grandpa and Abby braved the "Clowning Around" ride - and it was great fun for me to watch. It reminded me of the many carnivals that we took our girls to when they were growing up.
When Robert and I were in grade school together, the parish carnival was the highlight of the year. Always, so much fun! My mom worked at the bake booth and the white elephant booth, and my dad was the carnival announcer.
Then, when Robert and I were raising our 3 daughters, we were also very involved in our parish carnivals. At various times we were the Carnival Chair Persons, the Carnival Finance Directors, and just about anything else you can name. It was all great fun, and I think that our girls enjoyed their time too.
The carnival that we visited today was very different from the carnivals we remembered. Lots of very big rides, lots of noise, no baked goods, no white elephant booth, no home made games.
I'm sure that the kids today will have a great time, but I do miss the days when my dad was announcing the grand raffle, and my girls were thrilled that we allowed them to roam free if they stayed on the grounds and checked in every so often.
New and different is great. But so are sweet, sweet, memories.