Letter: No Strings Attached

By David Anderson, Tillicum

Just so you know I’m not always defending our community against all enemies foreign and domestic, I also write for fun.  This is one of those.

The sights, sounds and smell of the Puyallup Fair are, as they say, “worth the price of admission.”  There was a young trapeze artist spinning in the air; a magician hawking a fair special on tricks to perform “on your friends at the bar” – among them a playing card spinning all by itself before our very eyes; and outrageous rides that no one in their right mind would ever otherwise contemplate were it not for peer pressure.

There are strings attached – fortunately for the gal suspended far above the audience, and no doubt those in the sling-shot hot-seat were happy their ride was retractable.  Somehow I think the card shark had strings attached to what he was selling too.

As I was helping our just-days-away-from-being-five-years-old grandson Jacob buckle his seatbelt for his turn on a ride, I asked him if he knew his home phone number?   “Never know,” I suggested, “this little yellow helicopter with the three daffodil-like spinning blades on top might just have a mind of its own and take off somewhere in which case you should call and tell us where you are.”    

It’s all intoxicating fun and I even got into the act.  Finding no place to sit when  happening by an already-in-progress stage show, my wife sat down on the curb but I spied a ladder leaning against a wall, unfolded it, climbed to the top and had inarguably the best seat in the house.  A no doubt envious passer-by stopped, reached up his hand for a high-five, congratulated me on my creativity, and continued on his way after offering a “God bless you man!”  I shouted the same to him.

Then a more official looking fellow happened by, looked up and said, “Are you connected to this show?”  From my perch high atop the ladder, I thought for a moment and considered that I was indeed connected to the show.  I was watching it wasn’t I?  But I admitted I was not and he didn’t bless me like the other guy but muttered something about his boss would be along shortly.

At that point I thought I should do something official that would validate my new-found position in life so I got out my ever-present pen and pocket notebook and began a tally of strollers vs. non-strollers being careful however not to lose my balance nor miss a moment of the performance.