Three Rivers Festival

Okay, so in trying to catch up from all the weekend craziness, I completely neglected to tell you all about the Three Rivers Festival.

First off, let me just say, that the festival is going downhill, fast. Both Chris and I talk every year about how much fun we had going to the festival with we were younger. The Gateway Clipper came to town, there were some really cool rides. It was great.

Some of that you can write off to the memory of a child. But since our parents also agree that the festival is not as cool now as it was then, I think it's a pretty accurate statement.

This year, Jordan's class took a field trip to the festival. We actually only spent about 2 hours at the festival itself....all the other activities were organized just for the school tours and were not open to the general festival public.

So we started off at the festival bright and early, 9:00 Thursday morning. Me, my son, and 5 little girls. Thank goodness, because most of the other boys in his classroom are and and foul children who I may have thrown in the river. I think his teacher knows that, ans she was smart enough to give me some well behaved little girls.

So we watched the Magician, then went to check out the rides. The kids were thoroughly disappointed by the 8 rides that were there this year...only 4 of them being open this early in the morning. One little girl also had a bad memory of almost puking some previous festival year and wouldn't go near the things. The other kids were bored with those rides after about 15 minutes. Thank goodness. I always think those things are shoddily assembled death traps (and our experience with another carnival type ride over the weekend would prove that statement to be true). Luckily, the bounce houses were FREE to the school kids, so they jumped on those for about an hour. Then, they were hot, sweaty, hungry....and broke. Most of them came with no money, they ones that did bring a little money couldn't afford the inflated festival prices.

So I treated everyone to lemonades (well, 3 lemonades and 6 straws....even I couldn't afford those prices!) and a giant funnel cake that we all shared. We found a shady spot with Jason Parrish (head meteorologist for WBOY) and sat there until it was time to go.

The kids loaded up on the busses and I went back to my car (because for some reason, chaperones had to drive seperately...not that I minded, but it was weird).

Across town to a Carnegie Science Center presentation at the Elks club (pretty cool) and lunch on Veteran's Plaza (not cool...as in high noon and no shade, plus I had I corral a couple of 6th grades who wanted to discuss their balls with my 4th grade girls)

Then a tour of the Times WV newpaper office (yawn, for both me and the kids) and we were done.

The soccer game that was scheduled that night was cancelled, so the family and I trekked back down to the festival. See we live 3 blocks away. Since the kids can hear all the festival noise (and I can smell the funnel cakes), we do have to go down for one evening. Plus, it was parade night, and everyone loves a parade. Even if all you get is two bands, 15 firetrucks, 47 beauty queens, the Rockettes (ugh, don't get me started) and the secret Gay and Lesbian support league. They were my favorite....just this little jeep covered in rainbows stuck on the end of the parade, giving out stickers and bracelets. With rainbow and peace signs. So I think they were a gay and lesbian support group....but I'm not sure. Because they never said (or had any signs). I'd love to support you, if I knew what I was supposed to be supporting. I'm going with Gay and Lesbian acceptance because of the rainbows....but it very well could have been citizen for colorblindness. In any case, I clapped for them.

Back at the festival we ate about $40 worth of carnival food, spent $20 so the kids could play in the bounce houses for 20 minutes, then helped my kid win a bear at a rigged carnival game. One more funnel cake for the road, and we were done with the festival for another year.

I'm hearing rumors that one of our local personalities wants to blow the whole thing up and have a Pepperoni Roll festival. I'm not sure that I care either way, it's been crap since they dropped the "Coal Festival" moniker. But really, who wants to ride in every other festival parade around the state in a car with a sign that says "Little Miss Pepperoni"?