Weekend Happenings

We went to our town's show this weekend. (Australian equivalent to American fairs) My siblings and I have been going to the yearly show for as long as we can all remember, and our parents went as children before us! I love traditions. There is so much to see and do there, and it's very exciting!

The scent of showground food lingers in the air the second you step out of the car mixed with the smell of horses and cattle. Dust kicks up around your feet as you walk across the well trodden grass. People wander past carrying huge stuffed animals from the side ally games. Hot dog stands are dime a dozen, and music peals out of every booth. The loudspeaker blares with the sound of the announcer's voice, heralding the next event. Rides spin in crazy circles, and the screams of their riders' fill the air with excitement. It's enough to bring a grin to your face as you gaze delightedly at the multitude of sights.

We went to the pavilion first where all the art, cooking and craft exhibits were. A few of our friends won prizes for their cooking. Some of the cakes were spectacular! Even had a cake that looked like my favourite hat. I of course made a beeline for the art corner. The arts have dwindled over the years, but there were still some very beautiful pieces. Art judges make rather peculiar choices in winners, so I didn't really agree with their choices, but I loved looking at the various works and their mediums. As a pencil drawer myself, I can very much appreciate a painting since I find it so difficult. There were some gorgeous photography too. I must remind myself to enter some pieces next year... like I tell myself every year!


After that we wandered on back outside. We saw some wildlife people who had a python and a baby crocodile for people to pet. They were so cool! I wanted to hold the snake really bad, but they were too crowded and I didn't get a chance to. I was glad to see it though. They had an animal nursery with llamas, goats, calves, ducks and baby chicks. I gravitated towards the goats. There were two kids, and they were white with short ears, not like Ela's. They were sooo adorable! I can't wait till Ela grows up enough to have her own.

After this, my two brothers and I split from the rest of the family to go on the rides. This year we bought wristbands each instead of coupons. Wristbands are great because for the full price up front, you get to go on any ride you want for as many times as you like for the entire day. We all promptly lined up for the Dodgem cars. (question: do you guys in America have dodgem cars?) My memories of dodgem cars go so far back that I was too small to drive, and I remember having my face hit up against the spongy middle of the steering wheel countless times. So it was kind of memory jerking to sit in the dodgem cars this time and find I was way above the steering wheel! We had an awesome time - since the three of us each had a car, we all lined each other up as we went around the track, shunting each other all the while. We also picked out which cars were the best: three old ones, which went the fastest. Unfortunately, as the day progressed, some other people had worked out which were the better ones, which resulted in the boys running to beat the other people into the good cars first. It was quite funny to watch, although I guess I should have probably done some of my own running since I missed out on the good cars multiple times. *eyeroll*

We also went on a ride which had a bunch of swings tied to arms that swung in a circle, it was loads of fun. One of my brothers spied Mum walking past way below, and he took off his shoes and threw them to her. Mum ended up keeping the shoes, leaving my brother to run back and find her in his socks once we got back on the ground!

There was a new ride this year that the two boys went on. It was a shallow pool of water, and it had huge clear plastic balls that floated on the water. The bubbles had zippers in the side, and they would zip you inside them and fill them with air before releasing you into the pool. It was hilarious to watch! The boys looked like hamsters in a wheel, running like mad to try and get the balls to move. They tried to do a complete cartwheel on the inside of them, but failed. I don't know who had more fun: the boys, or us watching them!

By the time evening fell, we rejoined the rest of the family to watch some races in the showground ring. It was so fun to watch. The race went as follows: two people had to ride a quad (four-wheeled motorbike) around a cone and back, jump onto a waiting horse, jump over some haybales, around a cone and a drum, ride back to the start line, leap off the horse and crack the stockwhip. The first person to crack the whip was the winner. We didn't know anyone who raced, but it was so exciting half of us were yelling and shouting for the ones we wanted to win. It was awesome!

As it got dark, the vendors brought out their variety of flashing light toys, things I've always loved at the show; watching people walking around swinging lightsabers and pendants. So regardless of the outrageous price, I bought a starry pendant that flashed green/blue/red. *grins* Like my Mum said, "You have to have a souvenir when you've been to the show!" The little ones had lightsabers and flashing yoyos. We must have been a colourful troupe!

On the last round of dodgem cars, we saw the fireworks start. Fireworks!! We jumped out of the dodgem cars as soon as they finished, and ran to find the rest of the family, but didn't find them till the fireworks were over. The fireworks were incredible! Some of the best we'd seen. Some of the best ones would leave a trail of golden sparks, snaking up into the sky, and just as the spark would be about to disappear, it would explode with a boom that hits your chest and would launch a circle of bright pink and green sparks, that would all explode in turn. It was a magnificent sight, enough to take my breath away. The finale was also spectacular: a enormous array of greens, pinks, and yellows in an exploding scene of sparks. It was heavenly!

By this time we had had a dinner of KFC, and were ready to head back to the car. We arrived home tired, but happy for having had a wonderful day. And since I haven't done a lot of writing lately, the weekend was a good excuse to do some writing. *smiles* I may have some photos for all you Buzzlings... later. ;)