Step right up.

This weekend the carnival came to town. For 3 days we tried to avoid it, but on the 4^th one, we gave in. It was pretty much what I remembered. There are a few new games, one new ride and many of the same “carnies” who I remembered from last year. Oh, many of the same kids were there I am sure, but they are one year older and one year---as they seem to believe---wiser.

The carnival continues to be an attraction where the girls come to be with boys, the boys come to meet girls, and the ability to impress the girls with athletic skills rises on behalf of the boys; this usually takes place in the games area that is scattered around the carnival. Trouble is, impressionable girls really are not into pirate swords, plastic hats or squirt guns---a stuffed animal however will always get a “thank you.”

Every year, at night, I will go down to the area where the carnival is located and shoot pictures. For me it’s an opportunity to test new skills I have developed in taking pictures with movement, blur, and color. The last thing I want to take a photo of is a Ferris wheel that is stopped. It’s when these machines, you hope are safe, and are in motion, help you take better pictures that are not only colorful, but visually interesting. By the way, I have not seen a ride roll off its hinges and attack the crowd yet---doubt I will, but it would be a once-in-a-lifetime photo.

When I was growing up, the games, of what I recall, were usually around a .25 or .50 to play. You had the standards---toss a soft ball into corn bushel basket, place a ring on to a soda bottle, and of course, knock down the metal milk bottles. The problem with all of these games, and it is still as true today as it was when I was young, they are totally stacked against your winning. Now the 25 cent games have turned into the $2-$3 games. Some give you a token prize, and from some you just walk away knowing you have just been suckered. My favorite sucker game…shoot a free throw, make it, and win a prize. Here’s the problem, the rim is smaller than a traditional basketball hoop, it is placed at a higher level, and there is little or no way you are going to win. The result…2 shots, 2 bucks, too bad. Next.

The photo above is one that has probably been taken a million times. If not on film or digital file, it is for sure implanted into every brain cell of anyone who has attended a carnival. Knock down 3 of these taunting clowns and win a prize. How hard can it be? Well, if you don’t hit the clown exactly in its middle, the ball just whizzes by. What many don’t know is, the sides are very soft and will not have any impact on the clown falling down. Carnivals are part of the summer tradition and I hope they are always around; as I have gotten older, I live the memories through my kid’s eyes. When you step right up, you have to know they are waiting for you.

Thanks for stopping by.