The Parsons Carnival

Growing up fair time in Tucker County West Virginia was the time all of us kids looked forward to. We waited all year long until we'd see those flashing lights, hear the hum of a running ride, and listen to the great music blaring from the casino at the end of Second St. The place was often so packed that the line for the casino sometimes stretched from the entrance all the way back to Heavens lane with everyone waiting their turn to jump on with their girlfriend, boyfriend, or friend to squish them with the centrifugal force as the ride sped up. The smell of cotton candy and raw sewage simultaneously filled the air as everyone ran around trying to make the most of their wrist bands before the fire whistle ended the fun.

Over the years the rides have seen repainting, remodeling, and LED light upgrades but the excitement you get when riding them has never really changed even with the crowds sometimes waning due to this reason or that. Covid-19 was a crazy time for everyone and an even crazier time for the traveling entertainment industry circuses, carnivals, and other amusement companies had to batten down the hatches to keep from going belly up in an environment where towns that were usually excited to see them shunned them and pushed them away as virus numbers spiked. The resulting downturn left most amusement companies shuttered several of which would never resume operations. Parsons went two years without it's local street fair as residents wondered if normality would ever return to our daily lives and just when that would happen.

In 2022 a return to the usual is what local residents are striving for as the community once more welcomes the street fair to our small city with a big heart albeit a slightly thinned out version. The main draw rides are mostly present including Zero Gravity, The Backdraft (formerly hurricane), the Casino, Rock-O-Plane, and several small kiddie rides but missing is the crowd favorite the Scrambler, The Twister, Bumper Cars, a Ferris Wheel, and even the Carousel. The biggest difference this year has to be the lack of games with only one double game trailer in place and a few food trailers serving up those tasty fair treats. While some will undoubtedly complain about this missing or that I'm just glad to see the carnival back and drawing business once more to the streets of Parsons. I look forward to the coming years when the missing rides and games begin to once more make an appearance on our local streets as normal once more becomes routine.