Well, day one of the Chenango County Fair has come and gone (and with it the traditional “first day thunderstorm” that seems to roll in every year for the occasion) and I must say I had myself a good time wandering the fairgrounds yesterday afternoon and evening, which is saying something, to tell the truth. Let me explain.

Now I’m fairly certain I’ve brought it up before – and it’s never really been something I tried to keep secret – but in the decade prior to the one year, eight months, three days and, well, about two hours I’ve spent here at The Evening Sun, I did everything within my power to avoid the fair if at all possible. It’s not that I have anything against the event, honestly. I simply found that, as I got older, I’d lost the urge gorge myself on “fair fare,” risk losing said fare while hanging upside down on the Ring of Fire (known by some as the Ring of Death, others the Ring of Here-Goes-My-Lunch) and watching copious amounts of my hard-earned cash change hands as I attempted again and again to win that super-sized teddy bear, inflatable guitar or other meaningless game of chance prize.