Carnival/Fair Games Season Is Here

Here's a informative video

I have a few stories of mine own to tell.. Way back in the 50's someone could win a shotgun at the Allentown fair. My stepsister's husband reached a point where he felt he had too much invested to quit. So he continued playing till he eventually won. It ended up costing him almost 3x's as much as one he could have bought at a store. No doubt fearing sore losers may explain why the game stand owner didn't supply ammunition

That pretty much the way it was when I went to the fair in my teens and blew about three bucks winning a small bear prize. I ended up laughing at my own stupidity. Turns out his small bear prize wasn't on display but rather hidden under the game counter I was playing on. He handed me a 2 inch plastic bear key ring worth about a quarter.

Another time I screwed myself out of about twenty bucks playing the floating duck game. Back in those days this was about a third of my weekly pay. Each have a number on the bottom where you can accumulate prize points. I have to admit this guy was really good. Every time I tried to walk away he reminded my how much money I'd invested and how I can't possibly endlessly draw a lousy number. He pulled a few ducks out of the water to show me how easy it was. Yeah right. He even had the nerve to have a brief chuckle on his face after I walked away after the fourth or fifth time he duped this young teenager.

I use to go to the fair every day. One day I paid close attention to the stand where you could win cigarettes by putting ten cents on different colors. This after I won a pack of defective KOOL cigarettes with missing filters. There were four colors. Back in those days cigarettes cost thirty cents a pack so you'd be wise to play only two colors at a time. Funny how the same guy was there every day either behind the stand or in front winning no matter which colors he played. DUH!

In the video you've seen the shooting game where someone attempts shooting out a complete hole in the paper. Well my brother actually managed to do that and he still refused him the prize. My brother called a cop and the guy showed the cop a different target. The officer wasn't having any of it threatening to shut down the stand. Oops he said must have made a mistake. Here's your prize :-)

The way I understand how the throwing a ball into the apple basket game works is-- the baskets are placed over a hole. This makes hitting the bottom and having the ball come to rest impossible. A friend in high school worked the milk bottle game stand. He explained the bottom bottle(s) are not hollow like the rest above. They are weighed at the bottm making them much harder to knock over.

Got conned in those old time girlie shows too. Turns out the three babes outside the barkers stand never appeared in the show. Three magicians and overweight woman and a half attractive woman in a bathing suit didn't quite live up to my expectations. :-)

Then there was the animal freak show. Out in front was the distinctive smell of formaldehyde spread amongst sawdust. Must have leaked from the display jars inside. HEY WAIT I THOUGHT ACCORDING TO THE GIANT POSTERS THESE WERE SUPPOSE TO BE INSIDE ALIVE! Guess Not. :-)

Saved the best part for last. I hung around with guys who were nothing like me. They'd bet on anything. They'd gamble between themselves on the next train engine number coming down the track (Les lived along the tracks-- hmmm?). Where a fly would land. You know, just about anything. We'd hangout after the fair closed. Terry decided to play against the guy owning the poker game machines stand. In the day you could win stuff animals. After hours Terry decided to play him for cold hard cash. It ended up costing Terry $200 for his attending the school of hard knocks. So much for his week's pay. He thought about it for a few days. After the fair left town he began to wonder if somehow he was cheated. Gee, do ya think!
A lot has changed. They no longer award shotguns, parrots/parakeets, lizards, cigarettes and the like so at least they have that going for them. Sorry to be a party pooper but if someone truly wants a stuffed bear, candy bar or goldfish I'm not certain these are the best places to get them.

Perhaps the most satisfying part is still being able to dunk that big mouth clown in the water. Who doesn't enjoy that. This year I heard there will be two. One featuring Hillary the other Trump. No not really, but looks like it would be a big money maker to me. Maybe could switch them out for news hosts from time to time. Hey if they do-- keep in mind you heard it here first :-)




Seminole Heights restaurant "Dunks Trump" to benefit Planned Parenthood

Oh damn it..

Looks like I'm too late already.

So much for originality.