Step right up.

We are still several months  away from the long weekend when the carnival comes to town. But that doesn’t mean we can’t think about it.

I am not a huge carnival fan, but my kids are; when we see the parking lot across from McChesney’s start to clear out and fill up with the carnival trucks, we know the questions are not far behind. “When can we go? Can we get the wristbands? How many games can we play?” and so on. Funny, except for the wristband question, I did the same when I was a kid living in St. Louis, MO. Carnivals are part of growing up , and the annual carnival that comes to Glen Ellyn is very much a part of “Our Town.”

It must be the camera I carry, but now when I go down to the carnival, people know me. I am not sure if that is anything I really want to divulge, but then again I do get to take photos without anyone asking questions. The owners of the carnival are very protective of their employees; they do not want them to be photographed or in any of the photos where they are visible. I didn’t question it…I just took photos of the rides.

One of the best things about the carnival are the lights on the games and rides; if you remember the movie “Big,” the appeal of the fortune teller was what got it all started, but it was the lights and sounds of the carny, that made the scene so real and credible. The slamming of the hammer on the pad, the bell ringing when it hits the top, has been going on for decades; sure there is a trick to it, but the appeal is still there. Yep, everyone wants to win a stuffed animal.

All in all, the carnival is a great attraction, but it is the rest of the experience just south of the tracks that brings the adults to the center of town. Vendors from the area, and beyond, serve up food and sell items that make the event---Americana. This is what I dreamed of when I was a kid---and even as an adult, when I lived in a community that didn’t have a downtown, I missed these simple parts of the summer.

The warm weather may seem far away, but it will be here as quickly as the cold weather came last fall. If you have not been to downtown Glen Ellyn during these fun times in late spring, step up and do it. You may not win a stuffed animal, but then again if you hit the pad the right way, you just might.

Thanks for stopping by.