Two weeks to go until the Fair. The Champlain Valley Fair was the biggest thing in Essex Junction, and the highlight of every kid’s summer. We would try to save from our allowance for months to have enough to spend at the Fair. My parents used to give us each a dollar extra on the first day of the Fair, to add to whatever we had saved.
The price of admission was not a concern. Every kid I knew found a way to sneak in, usually under the fence or over the fence. There were holes everywhere, from Williams Street to Prospect Street, and even if you got caught by one of the security guards, half of them would let you go anyway. Besides, most of them were middle-aged and overweight and couldn’t outrun even the slowest kid.
Most of us would be there every day, and sometimes all day. The Midway, King Reid Shows, was the main attraction. There were dozens of booths with cheesy games of luck or skill, where you could play for a dime, hoping to win a prize that probably cost the operator two cents. At the western end of the fairgrounds were the barns with all of the farm animals. It was supposed to be an agricultural fair, but us kids didn’t care much about that. When I was younger, and had to go with my parents, we would look at all of the cows, pigs, chickens, and whatever else, but when I was old enough to go with my friends, we were done with that.
The rides were the big thing, and that’s what we would save our money for. None of us could afford very many rides, so we would pace ourselves, maybe doing one ride an hour in between playing the stupid games and eating French Fries. There were all levels of rides, from little kid ones, like the Merry-Go-Round, to the more exciting Tilt-A-Whirl, the Dive-Bombers, and the Mad Mouse, which was a mini roller coaster. Adults mostly rode the Ferris Wheel; it wasn’t very exciting, but I would ride it once a year, just because it was kind of neat to stop at the top and look around. You could see almost all of Essex Junction from the top of the Ferris Wheel.
The Bumper Cars was not a “ride,” strictly speaking, but it was a favorite attraction, especially when you were with a bunch of friends. We usually spent more on the Bumper Cars than anything else.
The shows at the grandstand were mostly for adults. The one we would always try to watch was Jack Kochman’s Helldrivers. They did a stunt driving show early in the week, then did a Demolition Derby on Saturday, the last day. We couldn’t afford to pay to see it, but you could catch most of it watching through the fence.
A lot of High School kids got jobs working at the Fair, mostly at the game booths. The regular fair workers, the “carnies,” were pretty scary. The ones who worked the rides, especially the rides that turned you upside down, would make extra money picking up change that fell out of peoples’ pockets. I knew some kids who tried to dash in and grab coins on the ground, but those guys were always watching, and they would kick a kid in the ass as soon as look at him.
A lot of the carnies had kids, who worked and traveled with their parents all summer. I assumed that they must have to go to school somewhere, when the season was over, but I didn’t really know for sure. Part of my plan was that we had to try to make contact with the carnies’ kids, or at least pretend to. I wasn’t sure how we were going to accomplish that without getting the shit beat out of us. The kids were no friendlier than their parents.
The first three days of the Fair, we had a lot of fun, of course; the Fair was always fun. But we weren’t really making any progress. It was frustrating trying to figure out how to make people think we had made friends with the carnies, or their kids, without actually doing so. If we got too close to them, they would chase us away, at best, and beat us up, at worst. Either way, it wasn’t going to make anyone think we were friends. Larry and Jimmy and Roy were going to tell their stories, but they would be more convincing if there was some evidence from another source.
It was Win who made the breakthrough. It was Thursday afternoon, and the four of us had split up, hoping for an opportunity. The midway was crowded, as it was a beautiful sunny day, and we were each walking around on our own, looking for the carnies’ kids and hoping for a chance to make some kind of connection. We had planned to meet up at the bake shop at four, and that's where I was headed when I heard Win calling my name as I walked out the center gate. I waited up for him, and we walked to the bake shop together. He was excited, but I asked him to wait and tell me when we got there.
Amy was working, much to my delight, and we went through the usual routine of proving we had enough money before she would bring our order. I only had enough for a chocolate milk today, and Win had a small soda. We hoped Tom and Rollo would be there soon, but I couldn’t wait, so I asked him to spill it.
“It was perfect!” he exclaimed, “I was walking along the first row of booths, near where their cars and trailers are parked. You know those kids we saw the other day, when we tried to follow them?”
I nodded. “The ones named Rudy and Bill?”
“Yeah, those two. Well, I saw Rudy; he was hanging out by his Dad’s booth. And just as I saw him, guess who’s coming along in the other direction? Slingerland and Junior!”
They were cops. Slingerland was an older veteran cop, nicknamed “Shit Slinger” and “Sergeant FMS.” The second name Tom had given him; it stood for fat, mean, and stupid. He was the meanest cop in the village, and he hated kids. Junior, on the other hand, was young, good-looking, and friendly, and he actually liked kids.
“Yeah,” I said, “so what happened?”
“Well, when I saw them coming, and Rudy was just walking around the corner, I yelled out ‘Hey, Rudy, wait up!’ and I ran after him. I’m almost certain the cops saw me, and heard me.”
“What did you do?”
“I ran through the space back to the row where the carnies’ trailers are parked. Rudy had heard me, and he was standing there waiting for me, snarling like a Tomcat and ready to clobber me. I didn’t want to go back out where the cops were, so I turned and ran along the row behind the booths. Rudy chased me, but he couldn’t catch me.” There was a smug little smile on Win’s face; he was the fastest kid in Essex.
“That’s great! If they saw you and heard you, they’ll think you’re friends with Rudy! At least, that’s what we hope they’ll think.”
Rollo and Tom came walking in, and we gave them the good news. I had explained what I hoped would happen, and this was even better, so they were pleased. Everything seemed to be working out for us, so far. Now we could use tomorrow, Friday, the way I had hoped to.
Chapter 12 – The Fair