photocredit: etsy.com

BY: RACHEL SMITH

Are we having fun yet?  Have you SEEN the new ride at the carnival?

HO. LY. BUCKETS.

First thing my 7 year old daughter said when she woke up yesterday morning was that she couldn’t wait to go to the carnival and then, “Mom, will you go on that Freak Out ride with me?”

Y’all… the sheer panic that coursed through my veins at that moment was almost enough to stifle my heartbeat.  Seriously, I wasn’t sure I’d make it.

So our day goes on.  We did our civil duty to Clear Lake by working a shift in the BINGO tent.  Now, I know I’m harping on people to volunteer all the time, but seriously, we had so much fun!  I highly suggest taking a shift next year!  My kids even called a few games and had a blast!

After, we strolled through the carnival and rode a few rides.  Just as we came around the corner she goes, “There! That one!  I want to do that!”

 GULP.  The things you do for your kids, right?

You may have heard the screams of an almost-forty-scared-out-of-her-mind woman throughout all of Cerro Gordo County.  Not even kidding.  I screamed through the entire ride as my 7-year-old daughter giggled and the surly teenagers on the ride with us looked at me like I was the dumbest person on Earth.

**sigh**

My reward, after my insides had been pushed up into my throat, was a delicious bucket of cheese balls.  It’s a staple of the Clear Lake Carnival and, washed down with an ice-cold, freshly-squeezed lemonade, it was just the trick to get my adrenaline back to normal.

We closed out the evening with a cooler full of drinks and lawn chairs in the park to take in the free concert by Nick Hickman.  I’m calling it right now – this guy is going places!!!  He was absolutely fantastic.  I think it’s great when an up-and-comer covers songs from all different genres.  It really shows that they want the crowd to have a good time and not just promote their own stuff.  He played Bruno Mars, Tom Petty, various country songs from every decade, and even a little N’Sync & Backstreet Boys medly.

Now, that’s talent!  If you missed your chance, you can catch Nick in Clear Lake yet again on July 18th & 19th.  He’ll be performing on the Lady of the Lake for Dockside night and then at Thursdays on Main.

After the dreaded rains put a wrench in some of our weekend plans, it looks like blue skies for the rest of our celebration.  The weather should be pretty much perfect at parade time on Wednesday.  My weather app shows 79 degrees and sunny!

If you still haven’t made it up to the carnival, they’ll be in town for 2 more days!!!  Go forth, make memories, scream loud on the rides, and fill your gullet with fried foods of every nature.

Happy 4th of July!