As I’ve mentioned before week in a quick post, I attended the fantastic Demolition Derby at the Great Jamestown Fair this past weekend.
- The Blanket Rule: We got their right as the gate opened this year, and saw a new phenom. The blanket method. Silly us, we sat there for two hours before the official start time. Others bought their entry and hand stamp, layed a blanket down on their desired seating, and tied them to the bleacher. Some with cabling. Some with masking tape. Some with Priority Mail tape. So the best seats of the house were reserved as the owners took off to get their fill of corn dogs and funnel cakes.
- The Bruce Springstean Rule Does Not Apply: So the show started at 6 PM, as marked in the illustrious Fair Book schedule, with a tribute to 9/11, as was done every year. Then we waited. For another hour.
- Wear Safety Glasses: I was sitting in the better seats that I may have had in the past, right in the middle. We were sitting there, enjoying the second heat of the night. then bam. Something hit me. I don’t know what. No one saw it. But my head was thrown back as something, that felt about eyeball sized, hit me in the right eye. My classes were shoved against my head, and my lense popped out. Somehow, and amazingly so since it was getting dark and we were three rows from the top, my lense landed on my lap. For once, I’m very happy those contacts didn’t work out. I could be a perma-pirate right now.
- This is the best $6 can buy you. In a day when an 80 minute movie is 9.50, or a night out on the town can be $50, it’s nice to drop a 6-spot to watch 3 hours of car destruction. The usual 5 heats (3 + consolation + Finals), Powder Puffs (the girls’ heat like my own sister participated in at one time), Mini’s (front wheel drive smaller cars. The funnest of the night. And most flammable.), and, new for me this year, full size pick up trucks. Next on my list: see a Bus Demo next year someplace.
- My grandchildren will likely not enjoy a Derby: As I watched the wreckage of the full sized cars in 3 heats+, the minis, and the trucks, one thing became clear. This may go away with the advent of the electric cars. Even today, with all of the plastic we construct our cars with, we may not have as much fun when the Cadillacs run out. And then after that, I’m sure the crowd won’t want battery acid along with their gravel sprayings. Not that I’m an expert on electric cars…