My Carnival Ride Experience at the Allentown Fair
When I arrived at the Allentown Fair, I was met with the overbearing smell of cigarettes, manure, goat urine, and diesel- all to unveil the heart-warming scent of fried food. I went through the gate with one objective and one objective only: I wanted to go on a ride that I’ve never been on before. It didn’t matter how thrilling or how boring the ride was, I wanted something new to experience. When I first entered the fair ride section of the fair I had so many options to choose from such as the pendulum swing, the gravitron, the ferris wheel, and so on. However, I noticed a ride that I’ve never seen before. It was like the swings, but instead of sitting upright, the machine took the rider up in the air and flew them in circles like superman. I wanted to fly. The line was long, but I was ready to wait as long as I needed to if it meant going on a different type of fair ride. The atmosphere was tiring, I saw strobe lights in every direction and heard music coming from every carnival game, restaurant, and ride in the area- people shouting at each other just to make conversation. While waiting in line I was able to notice one thing, the fair brought people joy. Every face I saw, regardless of age, was a happy face.Now it was time for the main event. My experience.
I was one cycle away from boarding the ride and I felt my heart rate begin to rise. It was funny how I was so amped up in the beginning, and now I believed I was in true danger(even though this was not the case). Feeling my palms getting sweaty, my knees getting weak, and my arms getting heavy, I knew this was going to be an experience like no other. As I saw the ride finish and people exit the swinging doors, my breathing started to get faster and faster- almost like jumping off the high dive at a swimming pool. Next, I climbed into my seat and was lying face down. The ride operator began walking around and checking everyone’s buckles to make sure they were fastened in. The feeling of the metal bars pressing against my collar bones made me realize that there was no going back. The seats all jerked upward and my friend and I began to ascend into the air. Once we were halfway up we began to spin in a circle. I could hear the air pressure release from the pistons working to make us move. When I made it to the top the view was breathtaking. I could see the entire fairgrounds. The people looked like tiny little ants. Although the bright lights, giant ferris wheels, and glowing signs were all very impressive, I was even more blown away by the view of the entire valley area. The sheer amount of nature that I could see in the distance gave me a true geographical idea as to where I am. It was truly beautiful. a
