“Hey It’s Good To Be Back Home Again” – JD

At the risk of sounding like a cliche, it IS good to be back home again! John Denver seems to be my Driving-Home-to-Forest muse each time I hop in my Jeep and head west. This weekend I made a quick trip home to visit family and attend our yearly tradition, The Forest Fall Fair. Technically, our family made it to the parade only this time, seeking shelter from the afternoon rain at our parent’s place where cups of tea and “yarns” kept us from ever getting to our beloved fair. For us it was a moot point. We wound up sharing stories about past fairs: the time when we Kinnaird Public School kids had a float in the parade; the fair when I got sick just watching the “Tilt-a-Whirl” (thereafter known as the “Tilt-a-Hurl”); and the fair when my Dad, Jack, won the baby contest (!)

Believe it or not, our local fair has been around for 143 years! The fair might be about rides, parades and food now, but there was a time when Miss Flo K. Tompkins, one of North America’s top aerialists, ascended to the sky in a hot air balloon and parachuted back to terra ferma! I kid you not! The fair also has a history of Shakespearian plays presented at the local town hall back in the late 1800’s.

Now it seems like each year all of us from Forest come back home, the fair representing the tie that binds us together if only for a weekend. We see old school friends, our favourite teachers, our beloved families. It is a tradition I hope we always share!

If you would like to see a few more snaps from the parade, please visit my Facebook Gallery. And please consider joining us at the historic Forest Fall Fair next year. We would love to see you there!