A Perfect Night for a Carnival

Because I am not native to New Jersey, there are certain features of local life that I find a bit exotic. JT came to Jersey when he was two years old and so many of the things that are foreign to his California Mama seem perfectly normal to him. I like that ---- that my exotic is his average. The neighborhood carnival is one of those things.

Around here, a local carnival is a fairly common event. Though different at the margins, they mostly feature the usual assortment of carnival delights: ferris wheels, carousels, super slides and bumper cars for those who like their thrills in the mild version. The less cautious can enjoy different sorts of rides --- with names like Gravitron --- the kind that challenge everyone to scream louder than they ever thought possible. There is cotton candy and other sorts of treats that will violate the norms of the nutrition pyramid or rot out your teeth or both. There are games of chance and 50-50 raffles. For a kid, a carnival has the touch of enchantment.

I'm always sucked in by the magic of a carnival. I feel that I am escaping from the mundane realities of every day life. A carnival promises a little mid-week excitement. I think that the best time to see things is twilight, when the sun is beginning to set and the light is just right. Last night was a perfect night for a carnival and so JT and I set off for the St. Mathias carnival just after 6 pm. It had rained earlier in the afternoon but the sky was clearing and the air still had some spring warmth.

JT is just the right age for a small town carnival. At six, he's still young enough to be thrilled by the lights and the rides but he's also old enough to be a patient and flexible companion. He held my hand as we walked across the field where we parked and I could tell it was going to be a good night --- just a Mama and her boy out for adventure. Once we entered the carnival, we surveyed our options. We bought some tickets for rides and scoped out the snacking options and then we agreed that we'd try a few rides before we sat down to our corn dog and cotton candy supper.

The St. Mathias carnival was the sight of JT's first ferris wheel ride. I've been on many ferris wheels and I always like the thrilling feeling as the wheel brings you around. JT wasn't sure how he would feel about being so high but he put on his game face and climbed into the seat to give it a try. He loved it. The view from above was complete. The darkening cloudy sky looked soft and lush, with pink at the edges where the sun was setting. The freshly bloomed green trees in the field were the perfect frame for the twinkling lights of the carnival. Life was sweet and good as the wheel circled us round.

JT rode a few more rides and slid down the super slide with a big grin on his face. It was a night to indulge and so we had an ice cream cone after our corn dog supper ----- chocolate twist with sprinkles for JT. His grimy six-year-old boy hand felt warm and sticky in mine as we left the carnival.

It was a perfect night.