Day 2 of “Off the Leash” Happy 55th birthday Lisa…..

The Mighty Thomas Shows

If you live in Duluth, MN, one of the staples of our summertime (with the exception that it always falls on a single Wednesday in July) is the Mighty Thomas Show. The DECC parking lot fills with brightly lit carnival rides and attractions that delight both the young and the old.

The “Carnival Atmosphere” seems to bring out the kid in us. Rides, mini-donuts, games of chance, and the opportunity to visit a world that may be polar opposite to our everyday lives, draw us to loosen our purse strings and have some fun.

We step out of our daily routines and into the bright lights, bull horns and loud music. Throw three tennis balls, knock over a pyramid of cans, and win your girlfriend a huge stuffed bear. It’s all good. Listen to the man. It’s so easy. And it only costs a single dollar to try. Shoot the floating ducks. Any man worth his salt can shoot the floating ducks. It only costs a single dollar to try. Where else can you prove your manhood and win a stuffed bear for your girlfriend at the very same time. Toss a ping pong ball and make it land in a glass with a goldfish in it. Win a goldfish. It only costs a single dollar to try.

Like our Duluth summers, The Mighty Thomas Shows are only here for a few days. The bright lights draw us in. Have you ever ridden on a Ferris wheel that didn’t have lights on it? We will walk toward the light every time.

Mini-donuts, funnel cakes, floats, shakes, and a dozen other nutritious delicacies just waiting to satisfy your cravings. Then you climb onto the “Scrambler” or the “Tilt a Whirl”. I don’t do “Tilt a Whirls” any more. For me, “Tilt A Whirls” and funnel cakes belong in alternate dimensions, unless you have a bucket and a mop.

My Uncle Enoch tells a story about his very first trip to the fair with his dad, (My grandfather Ruggles who died when I was very young). The best part of the fair that my uncle remembered, was when his dad bought him a banana. He’d never had a banana before that day in his whole life. Can you imagine thinking of a banana as the greatest thing you’d ever eaten? It’s amazing how a very simple memory can bring happiness to us for the rest of our lives.

Well, here it is. A simple memory captured on a 4″ X 5″ piece of film. My view camera rendition of “The Mighty Thomas Shows”
Capture the memory and walk toward the lights…….

I’m off to the doghouse now…….