Sights and sounds of the Midway at the 102nd Manatee County Fair | Bradenton Herald

Palmetto

From the smell of cooking food to the flashing lights of fast-moving rides to sounds of children screaming with delight, the allure of the midway may just be the last thing left that spans generational gaps.

The Manatee County Fair is annual event that brings generation after generation back to the fairgrounds in Palmetto.

Lauren Field has gone to the Manatee County Fair since she was in the eighth grade. On Sunday, with a husband at her side and three young boys in tow, she made her annual trek to the fair for what she said had to be the 20th straight year.

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“It’s pure enjoyment,” Field said while her three boys dipped their fingers into a pile of greasy French fries. “I used to come when I was a kid and now we do it for our boys.”

Ages 9, 8 and 5, the Field boys were decked out in identical camouflage jackets to fight off the Sunday morning cooler air. Their appetite for fries was only as strong as their appetite to ride anything that spins.

Rides haven’t changed drastically over the years, and the familiar sound of an insulting clown trying to get you to dunk him is as omnipresent at the fair as the corn dog itself. On Sunday, he was particularly having fun heckling a young woman trying to dunk him. “You throw like a girl,” the clown said. The young lady had a good arm and for the record, she dinged the small metal dunking target at least once, but the clown never hit the water, claiming that she didn’t hit the target hard enough.

This reporter would disagree, but mostly because he threw a few insults my way, as well. But whether trying to dunk a clown or watching a ping-pong ball dance teasingly across glass fish tanks, seemingly wanting to fall in, but hardly ever does, it’s about family fun time.

Jesus Garcia was sweeping to and from midway games trying to win his bride a prize as their young son looked on with not a care in the world at what dad was up to. At 2 years old, what care does one have other than watching the flashing lights in awe? Getting ready to sit down for lunch, Garcia put his wife’s prize, a decent sized teddy bear, next to her as he got in line to get his family some food.

“It’s just a lot of fun,” Garcia said, who after some prodding acknowledged he spent way more on games than his prize was worth, “But I still won,” he pointed out.

Fun. It’s what it’s all about.

Even when your child is screaming bloody murder on his first ride. A young boy on the biggest spinning ride at the fair was having a tough time on his first big boy ride. He looked like he was going lose his, well, corn dog, and was doing everything he could think of to keep it down, including holding his hand over his mouth. But mom and dad were enjoying it.

“Hang in there,” dad screamed. “Remember, we’re having fun.”

Not sure if the young boy thought it was funny, but mom sure did.

At the gate, a young girl was crying because she was too little to get aboard any of the rides.

Mom did her best to console her. “Maybe next year you’ll be big enough.”

The little girl wasn’t buying the logic. And then there was a young boy who was crying because mom and dad encouraged him to try one of the small, slow-riding children rides that barely rises off the ground. But to be fair, to a small boy, the ride probably looked pretty scary to him. And at least he got to ride and in the end, had a big smile on his face.

The 102nd Manatee County Fair continues daily until Jan. 21. Monday is Kids Day, and all children and students with a school ID get in free between noon and 3 p.m. —

A full schedule of events is available at manateecountyfair.com.