Ride the rides? Think twice.

Ride the rides, think twice before you trust a stranger to tuck in your precious little one.

We have beautiful fair grounds here in Grass Valley, California. People come from miles around to eat the favorite treat on Treat Street at the Job's Daughters corn dog. The lines are huge (for Grass Valley) and they sell 10,000 to 15,000 battered dogs during the 5 day run. Fair has games, with hopes to win the big prize. Lots of rides to ride, how about seeing who has the largest hog. And working all year to enter their handcrafted items hoping to win the blue medal under our tall pines.

But what I'm about to tell you could happen anywhere.

My daughter took her little girls, ages 9 and 6, with a young friend age 8, for a fun filled day with all of the usual county fair expectations. The three little ladies, proceeded on a large, colossal ride that throws you from side to side, up and down....lets just say that you wouldn't catch me on it. The containers would only hold two, so the two sister got in one and the extra girl in another. My girls were strapped in. My daughter noticed a look of panic on their young friend's face and realized that she didn't get strapped in!

The young mother flew over to the operator of the ride and reminded him that the little girl was not strapped in yet. He brushed her off as if to shoe away a fly as he walked away to set the ride in motion. She came to find out that he couldn't speak ENGLISH. Terrified that he wasn't taking her seriously, she began jumping up and down, waving her arms like a distressed bird, she then finally got him to understand.

I'm horrified to imagine what would have happen if she had been looking the other way.

to be continued tomorrow......