Rollercoaster

This weekend kicks off a string of fall festivals and community events.

Fall Into Arts, the Kennett Kruisers car show, Crossroads exhibit and Author’s Fair at the Kennett Branch of the Dunklin County Library, and Clarkton’s Purple Hull Pea Festival, all culminate this weekend.

Of course the last week of September brings the Delta Fair back to Kennett, as well.

Lots to do in the coming weeks.

Fairs and festivals bring back many memories for me. Some pleasant, some not so pleasant. Perhaps the most memorable is the rollercoaster story.

I had taken my young kids to a huge amusement park outside of Chicago.

My son and I decided to ride one of the many rollercoasters. We were seated behind two girls, early twenties, one with blonde hair, directly in front of me.

The coaster made its slow ascent upward and all was fine. Reaching the top we were greeted with a spectacular view of the park and the surrounding area.

Then it got real interesting, as the coaster plummeted downhill at a terrific rate of speed.

Instinctively, I reached out to grip the safety bar in front of me, accidentally grabbing handfuls of the young lady’s long blonde hair along with it.

As her head was pulled back she, along with her friend, and my son, were screaming at me to let her go.

I couldn’t have let that bar go if a gun were pointed to my head.

What ensued was three minutes of sheer terror and curse words being shouted at me, from what I assume was a very sweet girl, had her head not been being pulled off.

When the ride mercifully stopped, I had many strands of that poor girl’s hair woven in-between my fingers.

More curse words followed from the duo as they walked away from us.

My son is now grown. He’s in his mid-thirties.

Occasionally, he will ask, “Dad, do you remember the time you snatched that poor girl baldheaded on the rollercoaster?”

Indeed, I do son. Indeed I do.

See you out there.