Children at play, marks or rubes?

Many in my day, and maybe many of you, probably had their first "date" at a roller skating or ice skating rink or carnival. Each venue had its advantage. Roller skating and ice skating were great for the first date because they were activities that really let your hair down. You might fall, stumble, trip and need the steady arm of your date to help regain your balance. I fell much too often, even though the roller skates in those days had four wheels! My "dates" quickly found more coordinated specimens, so my first date venue of choice was the carnival. I felt I might have the possibility of winning a cool prize on the midway. I'd seen the look in a girl's eyes when she was handed a twenty pound stuffed bear; promises of eternal gratitude, young romance. In my case, since I was also terrible at the games of chance, I learned a valuable lesson. "Love" could be very expensive.

Now, as an adult, I realize that I was probably a classic rube, a mark. My mother never said anything, but I'm sure my shirts had chalk stains from being identified by the midway carnies. When dishonest carnival game operators found someone who they could entice to keep playing their "rigged", ("gaffed") game, they would then "mark" the player by patting their back with a hand that had chalk on it. Other game operators would then look for these chalk marks and entice the individual to also play their rigged game. Silly me. I always thought that their smiles were smiles of appreciation for the attractive girl by my side!

Many traveling carnivals still have games of chance and skill. Games like the "Crossbow Shoot" game or the "Balloon and Dart" game will test an individual's target shooting ability. Of course today I would improve my odds of winning. If you have your own darts like I do, bring them. Most Carnies will let you use them. If not, just throw the dart towards the middle of the board and use an arc. Don’t aim because Carnie darts are seriously designed to fade fast, meaning they will plummet. Aim high and let ‘er rip! Other games, such as the "Watergun" game, will pit a group of individuals against each other to win the game. Most games offer a small prize to the winner. Prizes may be stuffed animals, toys, posters, etc. Continued play is encouraged as multiple small prizes may traded in for a larger prize. Some more difficult games, including the "Baseball and Basket" or "Stand the Bottle" game, may offer a large prize to any winner. Always try to "swish" the basket, the steel rims have no give and are crooked. Rip the net! The macho guys, the future criminals, gravitate to the machine gun games. I'm probably being too hard; we all want to be Rambo right? The ONLY way to ever beat this game is if you shoot a complete circle around the star. Most people try to start at the center and move out because by nature, hitting the center means you have good aim. In this game, you can forget that. You simply don’t have enough pellets to hit the middle and move out.

In short, if I ever have another date, I may stand a chance at romance. I have some balanced darts. And, if all else fails and I don't win her a stuffed bear, I can afford to take her out to dinner.

Come back to this blog soon if you are planning to attend the next carnival in your area. I'll be writing about my experience helping to assemble the giant Ferris wheel at a carnival in Fort Hayes, Kansas. The title will be something like: "Are these nuts and bolts extra?"

You may enjoy reading: Send In The Clowns.

Also, may I recommend for your enjoyment: He was, in short.............CEREBUS THE AARDVARK.

The Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd) is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in the comic book Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966), the first of a three-issue arc fans and historians call "The Galactus Trilogy".

Originally a young astronomer of the planet Zenn-La, in order to save his home-world from destruction by a fearsome cosmic entity known as Galactus, Norrin Radd made a bargain with the being, pledging himself to serve as his herald. Imbued in return with a tiny portion of Galactus' Power Cosmic, Radd acquired great powers and a silvery appearance. Galactus also created for Radd a surfboard-like craft — modeled after a childhood fantasy of his — on which he would travel at speeds beyond that of light. Known from then on as the Silver Surfer, Radd began to roam the cosmos searching for new planets for Galactus to consume. When his travels finally took him to Earth, the Surfer came face-to-face with the Fantastic Four, a team of powerful superheroes that helped him to rediscover his nobility of spirit. Betraying Galactus, the Surfer saved Earth but was punished in return with everlasting exile there.

Stan Lee enjoyed the character and decided to feature him in his own individual title in 1968. John Buscema was penciller for the first 17 issues of the series, with Kirby returning for the eighteenth and final issue. The first seven issues, which included anthological "Tales of the Watcher" backup stories, were 72-page (with advertising), 25-cent "giants", as opposed to typical 36-page, 12-cent comics of the time. Thematically, the stories dealt with the Surfer's exile on Earth and the inhumanity of man as observed by this noble yet fallen hero. The Silver Surfer comic book series became known as one of Lee's most thoughtful and introspective works. Englehart writes that Buscema and Lee were "pouring their souls into the series".

Waldo County, situated in mid-coast Maine along scenic Penobscot Bay, has genuine New England character evidenced by working port towns and quaint rural villages. Visitors are awed by the area's unspoiled beauty. From striking coastal views to sweeping mountain vistas, dramatic natural settings abound. In addition great care has been taken to preserve and refurbish numerous historic landmarks, homes and buildings. Consequently, the Maine of yesteryear is still found here.

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