Vakkotaur

In the mid-late Summer, when it got rather hot on sunny days, there were a few days of the Lincoln County Fair in Merrill. As a kid this was great. There was activity. There were rides. There was food not seen at other times or places. What had been a large lot with a scattering of buildings became a big interesting place.

There were also the smells, a waft of the scent of various animals from the barns or maybe from one of those just-go-in-circles pony rides. The aromas of various foods, probably none of them healthful in the least. The occasional whiff of diesel exhaust from the big generators that supplied power for the rides, their thick cables crisscrossing the site. Smells. Sounds. Sights. Lights.

One of the rides that was acceptable for a small kid was the merry-go-round. I didn't really care for the idea of some of the rides, but I think most those were ones I wouldn't have been allowed on anyway, whether by my folks or the fair. But the merry-go-round was always a nice, safe ride. It might be surprising to some, but it wasn't the riding itself that got my attention and it wasn't the supposed horse riding that is a merry-go-round ride.

What got my attention was the machinery driving the thing. There was a big, well big to me at the time, motor in the center and some visible gearing. And a big lever that controlled the little world that revolved around it. The central shaft went up and then something, somehow went out and other bits of mechanics moved the horses up and down. Sometimes I looked up that, trying to see it all work. Some of the time I'd look out at the fair and wave to my folks who were watching. But most of the time I think I looked inward, at the gearing and what drove the whole thing. It was exposed, visible, and for that probably not as safe as it could have been. I don't recall seeing any guards over anything.

The Lincoln County Fair changed which company it used for rides since then, going with one that probably has a better record. I've been back a time or two, but the fair just isn't as appealing to me as an adult. It's hot, crowded, noisy, and generally unpleasant. But what I remember is that the merry-go-round has a big box in the center. It's painted up nice and all, and is likely far safer for the operator and anyone else who might be close. I suppose to many it looks better this way, but not to me. It was disappointing to see that they'd covered up the most interesting part of the thing.