Something about an east coast small town is just, "different". Not necessarily better, just different. I think people talk slower. They seem in some ways more, "normal" if there is such a thing. In small towns, breast implants may cause a stir in the neighborhood, but they don't need, "HOA approval". Life is more about meat and potatoes than sushi, and walnut/raspberry salads. 
More smokers, less fitness. Older buildings, less shine. I wonder if the residents of small towns have more substance with less bling?
This past weekend, we visited a small town carnival in New Jersey. I admit it. We walked past the rides and games to get to the beer garden. I enjoyed joking with the Jet's and Giant's fans, while wearing my Char
ger's sweatshirt. They were good people and good fans. The type of fans we need more of. The small town carnival was to benefit the local Fire Department. They even had a picture of a fire engine on a beer poster. Not something your likely to see in San Diego.
Many of you may have also noticed they were offering sixteen ounce, ice cold drafts, for only three dollars! Support firefighters by drinking beer. Now that's a campaign slogan I can get behind! No Guinness, or Karl Strauss, but sipping cold beer and hearing the sounds of kids laughing and their high pitched squeals from the carnival rides still indicated, life was good.
While sitting on the old wooden picnic tables sipping my dark beer, I noticed a sign at the entrance to the beer garden, "No one under 21 allowed". The small town had not only one, not two, but three uniformed police officers assigned to guard the entrance. It seemed like most of the community knew them. The officers looked sharp, smiled, and were joking with each other as they occasionally adjusted their over sized body armor. The 9mm's, extra ammunition and second set of handcuffs indicated that despite this being a small town, they still had the occasional big problems of larger cities. That's too bad.
What I found hilarious was about ten feet past the phalanx of law enforcement officers and the, "no minors sign" was a beer garden which at first glance, looked like a daycare center. Kids giving parents hugs, sitting on laps. I would call that small town, "police discretion". I really like that. I took another sip of my beer and told my sister in law and her husband, "I love this place".
Our three sons wandered in and out of the beer garden to check in. As darkness fell, the lights of the carnival came alive. It was good mojo. No pat downs, no metal detectors, retired firemen serving cold beer, pretzels, fresh steamers, and hot dogs. Volunteer firefighters hawking a fifty-fifty drawing which had surpassed two hundred and fifty dollars. All for a good cause, no hassles, just a sense of family, community, and kids.
Maybe it was the beer. I began texting Tom and Stacy Brown who are the owners of the best carnival company in Southern California, (click link here). I told Tom. "I Love carnivals". Maybe it wasn't as much the beer, but because I wasn't the cop or the host. If you decide to have your own, carnival or a single ride, call Tom at 760 735-8542. He will take great care of you.
I knew for sure our family was in a small town when I was playing a game on the midway, trying to win our youngest son Ryan, a stuffed animal. It was a pink pig, (something every eight year old really needs). I tossed the bean bag hitting four of the five cans and they flew clean off the platform. The next throw was like a Trevor Hoffman fastball, but about fifty miles per hour slower. It was fast, low, and of course off target. I hit platform. The bag hung their for a second and fell harmlessly to the ground.
As I started to reach for another dollar bill to try our luck again, the carney, who appeared to be also the owner of the game, threw me the bean bag and said, "ah, try again". I was surprised. I then luckily knocked the final tin can off the platform. As the owner handed Ryan the pink pig, I thought for a moment that maybe we were missing something by not living in a small town. When Ryan ran off kicking the pink pig into the air like a soccer ball, I began to ponder if we moved here, where would be a good location to put a Community Hub?
Have a great 4th of July holiday!
Maybe it was the beer. I began texting Tom and Stacy Brown who are the owners of the best carnival company in Southern California, (click link here). I told Tom. "I Love carnivals". Maybe it wasn't as much the beer, but because I wasn't the cop or the host. If you decide to have your own, carnival or a single ride, call Tom at 760 735-8542. He will take great care of you. I knew for sure our family was in a small town when I was playing a game on the midway, trying to win our youngest son Ryan, a stuffed animal. It was a pink pig, (something every eight year old really needs). I tossed the bean bag hitting four of the five cans and they flew clean off the platform. The next throw was like a Trevor Hoffman fastball, but about fifty miles per hour slower. It was fast, low, and of course off target. I hit platform. The bag hung their for a second and fell harmlessly to the ground.
As I started to reach for another dollar bill to try our luck again, the carney, who appeared to be also the owner of the game, threw me the bean bag and said, "ah, try again". I was surprised. I then luckily knocked the final tin can off the platform. As the owner handed Ryan the pink pig, I thought for a moment that maybe we were missing something by not living in a small town. When Ryan ran off kicking the pink pig into the air like a soccer ball, I began to ponder if we moved here, where would be a good location to put a Community Hub?
Have a great 4th of July holiday!
Ray & Theresa Shay
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