Sometimes the most
important part of the Fair are these machines.
Since I often ride around, my feet don’t feel as awful as G’s do. They tickle my feet as they vibrate, but they
turn his to happy feet.
We got there early thanks
to the press tickets given us by Captain Poolie. Thanks Poolie. She doesn’t like crowds, but this year she
would have loved the Firemen’s Demolition Derby held at the Fair as a
fundraiser for the Burn Center. Frankly,
it’s the best fundraiser around.
Yes, we went to the
woodworking, the quilting, the homemaking section, the kiddie area, and the sales
floor. We ate….lots, and we returned
over and over again to get images from the Demo Derby.
Slowly I begin to
understand things. Each fire district finds
a full frame car and raise the money to get it ready to race. The driver’s door is painted orange. Each driver flies a red flag and takes it
down when he can’t get his battered car to move one more inch. Glass is removed and a steel mesh installed
in the windshield space. Hoods and
trunks are chained down. Gas tanks are
drained. Anything dangling down has been
removed so most cars have straight headers.
Noisy and exciting stuff. Who
knew one donation could get so exciting.
The bigger car the
better. This was the first station wagon
I had ever seen racing. It was a really
heavy Ford LTD, full framed automobile.
I cheered the red wagon on. Who knew that the long rear overhang would
get pressed down into the dirt. Who
knew the firemen would find a way to press it upwards like bending a soda can
in the middle. This was a crush Poolie
would have enjoyed.
By the end of the final
race, number 76 looked like an AMC Gremlin.
The remnants of a frame you see in the last photograph are gone, and the
rear of the car is sheared off level with the back seat. Despite the prominence of Fords, a Cadillac
won as the last car standing.
We ate more high calorie
stuff for dinner and wandered the midway enjoying the drama of the moment.
“What do you want to do
now?” George asked.
“Home,” I replied. And so we did.
I do not like the noise nor the destruction that is left behind, but I a glad that it goes for a good cause. You write as though you had a great time, and that us all that counts. Back ti small portions of healthy food and keep moving.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed the fair! I haven't been there for about 8 years.
ReplyDeleteThis is something my nephew would have given his eye teeth to see.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't want to be a passenger in those cars:)
ReplyDelete