Ocean Beach Street Fair

It had been on my calendar for several months, after all it is a once a year happening!

I was looking forward to going, as I hadn't been able to attend in the past several years. The weather was perfect, sunny and warm, but not hot. So I was ready to get out there and mingle with the local masses and spend some of my money. And I did exactly that!

But I was disappointed in the event. It had people, wall to wall people! And many, many, booths; everything from church groups to sunglasses, to zydeco CD's!

And there were food booths (I had brought my appetite); Sausages, egg rolls, kettle corn, roasted corn, peppermint water, and regular & no-sugar lemonade.

There was a chili cook-off, a skate board competition area, and a 'kiddy-rides' section.

All under the bright summer sun, with the muted sounds of local bands playing on 3 stages around the venue, and the Pacific Ocean a sparkling blue in the distance.

But the Ocean Beach Street Fair was missing some very important things: Cotton Candy!!! Snow Cones!!! Clowns walking around handing out balloons to children! People making balloon 'animals' for the kids! People walking around handing out freebies to the adults, invitations to religious services, decals, coupons for tune-ups. There was not one political booth! The library didn't have a 'book sale' booth!!! Gone! All gone!!!

In the last few years when I hadn't been able to attend this event, these things, which signify fun under the sun to me, just went pffft!

Society has really hit a new low when even a local, community event, is reduced to pure commercialism...