Summer had come at last and along with it the annual County Fair. It was hot as an oven every week when the Fair came to town. Fields stretch out in swathes of green ripening corn and for moments the world was ripening as well. Life was green when the Fair came to town.
Just the word Fair showed teenagers how being young could explode in a burst of hormones and lust. Culture in a rural society held the belief that the young must have their youth.
The week wiped away all thoughts of poverty and let the community enjoy the stars and lights of the carnival for that one week.
The Fair!
Giggling girls sashayed along the thoroughfare of carnival delight while nervous boys stood awkwardly nearby, smoking stolen cigarettes. Secret glances and nods led to soft hands and memories of love in the summer.
When the fair ended, some of the young still held hands, leading to families gathering to support the multiples of couples in marriage and the births that came a few months after the fair.
Decades of Fairs passed by, leaving love and babies behind. The heat of summer left and came back again. There would always be the Fair.
The italicized words are from the most recent of Wednesday Words challenge which can be found at River . Go to this site to see what other bloggers have done with these words.
I like our country fair much better than our state fair, which is sad. I have been to some great state fairs in the past but not here.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Illinois and their state fair in the 1960s was awesome. Not every fair is great but theirs was. We always loved the county fairs, lots of good memories..
DeleteI do enjoy the Orange County Fair. The Los Angeles County Fair is much farther away (even though I'm in LA County).
ReplyDeleteLA. fair was always hard for us to attend, but we did back in the mid-70s;
DeleteCounty fairs are the best. State fairs are just too big.
ReplyDeleteLiving in the rural areas, the county fairs were the best. Our 4H booth served up the best lemonade, made by smashing the lemons in a big wood barrel, while we word clean rubber boots.
DeleteGood story, I can see in my head the ripening fields, though here it woud be wheat and barley.
ReplyDeleteIn the Midwest, corn was always ripening. Wheat was already harvested.
DeleteA perfect summer story, Susan. You really brought the fair to life!
ReplyDeleteNothing like a summer fair!
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