A Day at the Beach

Something a friend said got my brain going on a near-summer rite of passage that happened just about every June of my childhood.  There was a local supermarket that gave you points for good grades that could be turned in for tickets at a nearby amusement park.  Amusement Park - haha - back in the day that meant rollercoasters and other metal clanking rides that whipped you into near delirium.  There were no themes - other than to have the best time you could at least a couple times each summer.  It meant games of chance fed to you along row after row of hawkers and blaring, musical, flashing,, twirling and spinning lights, bells and whistles. It meant eating tasty treats only offered at this venue.  Some of those being; cotton candy swirled onto a paper cone - you learned to not have your fingers actually touch your mouth because when you went to grab your second hunk of cotton candy off the bouffant creation that they would get so sticky that it would just slow down the process of going back for your next hunk of melting, delicious sugar melt!  Salt water taffy - oh, give me one of each flavor!  Let's have one more of each and see which one truly is our favorite and a box to bring home for Mom.   Sugar waffles - is there anything better than a light just-the-right-amount-of- greasy melt in your mouth crunchy delight?  Be sure to close your eyes on the first bite in case the powdered sugar that flies up in the air and lands on the front of your shirt does not also get in your eyes!  Do you learn to wear a shirt that the sugar blends in on or do you just assume you will be wearing "the fair" at the end of the day?  Can't you just close your eyes and smell the smells of apples in cinnamon candy, fried dough, hot dogs and sausages with green peppers and onions (you grow into that delectible treat).  Then there is roasted peanuts and cones of candy coated nuts and popcorn.....  Floating on the waves of good smells.   French fries, pizza, burgers and corn dogs - haha - I will NEVER eat a corn dog. 

 

Every year was a challenge as to what ride you would be ready for now that you were another year older or another inch or two taller.  The park boasted two major rollercoasters.  The Comet was metal and had some amazing drops, twists and spirals for the day of technology.  Then there was also the wooden roller coaster that claimed to be the largest wooden coaster (I think) in the world....  well, it would have seemed like it to us any way.  There were Wild Mouses and Pirate ships that flipped you sideways and a saucer that tipped and tipped until it was spinning on end.  There was the one that spun around this way as the whole thing spun around that way and you were sure you were going to smash into the ground....but at the last second it would veer off in the total opposite direction.  The rides always pushed you to the point of thinking but never saying..... ok, enough.... now I am going to puke.....but not in front of my cousins and friends.... Even if your head was as dizzy as could be or your stomach was only being held together by your hands would you EVER admit you were scared, dizzy or nearly sick!  Did everyone save the ride on the Ferris Wheel until the end of the day when it's light shone so brightly.  You could see all the way to the parking lot and in every direction as if you truly were on top of the world.

 

 

will add more later.....

Reviews

[LSS]

I usually try to read a few of writers works to get a since of what they can do and whether they are worth reading or are promising and need encouraging. I got stuck going past your site and believe am hooked. I write a lot of short stories, and particularly liked yours, along with your poems. I'm not the maudlin type and do not dwell long on poems on ache-breaky heart scenarios, but yours were still a good read, with content. Since this story is such a pleasant read, I'm going to go back and see if you have some other poems with other themes.
Lar

[April Child]

Oh my goodness I almost felt sick just reading about all those things and thats before I even got to the rides. How did we eat that stuff? I thought I would never eat a corn dog either but I actually did, only the once and I have to admit actually it was so bad it was good, a guilty pleasure. I remember the boys on the rides who took your money and then walked around spinning your car again and again "the louder you scream the faster we go" Of course things are slightly different in the UK and salt water taffy well that is something I only just discovered recently and yes I now have a weakness for it especially the butter popcorn flavour....

You brought back so many precious memories here and accommpanying smiles. Thank you.

[Ken Simm.]

Or what I did as a child hedonist. you were getting quite caught up there my friend. There is a series here and no mistake.

[Murphy]

This is great, Kath... very colorful, a welcome escape from this cold and rainy day. A few of my favorite lines were:

"Amusement Park - haha - back in the day that meant rollercoasters and other metal clanking rides that whipped you into near delirium".... yep - back in the day, ol' girl... remember when?... haha

"Let's have one more of each and see which one truly is our favorite and a box to bring home for Mom"... and bring a box home for Mom... smiling here... great memories... my Nana always had a weakness for salt water taffy.

Do you learn to wear a shirt that the sugar blends in on or do you just assume you will be wearing "the fair" at the end of the day?... a messy job, but someone has to do it, right?

This is a classic... going on my shelf to be read again some rainy day in the future. Thanks for posting this :)