As I walk inside the gates of the Great Allentown Fair, my mind immediately transitions into a euphoric state of mind as bright lights erupt and flood into my mind. Smiling from ear to ear, my heart is filled with happiness and joy as I reunite with my cousins. For the past decade, my cousins and I have made it a tradition to attend this fair and it’s amazing how as college kids we still live up to this tradition. Instantly at this fair, I am reminded of my youth as I see little kids scurrying around dragging their parents to these fascinating rides like the Army plane, Cliff Hanger, and the humongous fun slide. After waiting a long anticipated thirty minutes, I finally got my $35 wristband that enabled me to go on any ride that this fair offered. As time passed by, countless neon rides were ridden, shared endless laughter were given, and unforgettable memories were made. Genesis, an alien themed ride, was such a fun ride to experience as we went up and down til our stomachs hurt…literally. Zero Gravity was another ride that was circular shaped and filled with flashing lights and loud popular Spanish music. As the ride was spinning in circles, everyone was screaming the lyrics to Bad Bunny’s song Efecto, which was such a joyous moment.
As the sun went down, the smell of freshly grilled burgers, chicken, and funnel cake was hard to miss. I was sold. As I walked down what felt like a hallway of food, my mouth began to water and my stomach rumbled almost as if my body had never seen food before. As an indecisive person who loves food, I analyzed every food station and finally decided to eat from the stand “Chicken on a Stick”. When the lady handed me my chicken, it looked delicious and was perfectly grilled and seasoned. After taking my first bite, my taste buds filled with beautiful juices and I was happy that I picked the right food stand. After devouring the chicken in less than two minutes, I was eager to see the baby goats and livestock. I quite literally dragged my cousins all the way to the end of the fair, a six minute walk to be precise, just to see the baby goats. The Steinmetz Family Farm section was one of my favorite places to be in the world. Just for five dollars, I was able to pet and hold cute little baby goats which made me forget about all my problems in life. I did not want to leave the goats but my cousins forced me to go watch the pig race that began at 8 P.M. that was right next to the farm. There were four pigs and I was rooting for Miss Kardasaham to win but pig number one ended up winning the Pig-lympics obstacle course. Once the pig race ended, my cousins and I wanted to ride the infamous ferris wheel, a staple component to any fair. Itsy Bitsy was a spider-themed ferris wheel that had colorful webs that ranged in all colors like red to green to purple and even to teal. The ferris wheel was the perfect opportunity to take pictures and admire the beauty of Allentown.
Walking down the Allentown Fairgrounds made me realize how unique the city of Allentown truly is. Although recently we were ranked the third noisiest city in the United States, I believe it was a good representation of our city. As I exit this fair, my heart longs for next year’s “Great Allentown Fair”. I’ll miss the smiles from random people. I’ll miss the loud screaming from the rides. I’ll miss the loud music that always makes my ears hurt by the end of the night. I will miss the amazing samples of fried oreos. I will miss it all. Until the next annual fair, I am inspired to live a little more happily and am reminded to be the light of the world just like how the fair brightened the light of Allentown’s people.
