Jamie PattersonI rolled around in bed for several minutes Tuesday night before I finally found a position where I wasn’t in pain.
My stomach started growing tight, and I knew the end could very well be near.
That is when it dawned on me. I shouldn’t have devoured that entire funnel cake just hours earlier.
It’s official. The Yazoo County Fair is back in town. And judging by the spark in children's eyes, the gripping of  stomachs and the smile on everyone’s face, it’s safe to say that all of Yazoo knows it.
The fair is the one time of the year that you can overindulge in just about everything. You always take a spin on every ride at least three times. You can eat massive amounts of fair food when you know it can’t be healthy. You can spend an entire paycheck trying to win your sweetheart or child that stuffed animal.
And even after all that, you leave with a smile on your face and anticipation for next year.
I have been to the county fair twice so far this year. The first time was Tuesday night. My friend and I were helping out at the Junior Auxiliary booth, so we decided when our hour was up, we would tour the fair.
After calling our husbands to make sure supper was taken care of and the kids and dogs were safe, we were on our way to fun and excitement.
We then found ourselves locked into the same kind of spell that causes bugs to go toward the light only to be zapped a few seconds later.
The flashing sign, “Funnel Cakes, $5,” was our bug zapper. We floated toward the food booth like we were senseless.
With our noses almost to the glass, we accepted our treats like we were kids. Finding a table and two spare chairs, we dove into the cakes and all their goodness.
“I wish they had some kind of funnel cake eating contest like they do with pies and stuff,” I suggested. “I would win that thing easily.”
By the time we were done, our two plates were almost destroyed.
I paid for it that night, along with my husband Jason and son James. They had to listen to moan and complain for hours. I vowed never to eat a whole one again.
The next night Jason, James and I all loaded up and headed to the fair for our family night.
James, being only 2 years old, was scared of the rides last year. But we thought, surely, he would be over that this year.
The first ride that caught his attention were the motorcycles that went around in a circle.With his baby blues, he gazed up at Jason and me.
“Mommy, Daddy,” he said, raising his arms. “I wanna drive.”
We secured him in his seat. With his hands gripping tightly on the handle bars, he even posed for some pictures. We thought our troubles were over.
Then the attendant started the ride, and with a quick jerk, James took off.
It didn’t go as planned.
His face instantly changed into fright mode. His eyes squinted so tight together, I think he went blind for a second. His open mouth practically consumed his whole face. And his ear shattering scream sent children into frenzies and parents into fits of concern.
The attendant shut the ride down so that we could save James.
You would think Jason and I would have learned our lesson. But we had three different rides stop within seconds so that we could remove James.
Jason was determined to keep trying, so fortunately we finally found something that worked. For some reason the orange riding lawnmower at the Sears booth in the barn  was irresistible to James.
He insisted on sitting on it and pretending to drive. We had a hard time getting him off. Somehow James was having just as much fun on that lawnmower as the kids on the carousel just outside.
Well there’s always next year. Maybe his fear of rides will disappear.
If not, we can always go home and cut some grass.
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Jamie Patterson is a reporter for The Yazoo Herald. Contact her by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .