THE (un)FAIR

fair1  /fɛər/ adjective, -er, -est, adverb, -er, -est, noun, verb

–adjective 1. free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice: a fair decision; a fair judge.
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I popped over to Dictionary.com for kicks after feeling strongly disappointed by this year's fall Fair experience. I was curious about the orgin of the Fair's name. But I got hung up on the adjective instead and found it a bit ironic considering this year's changes to the newly enforced ride rules.

It was a shock to realize that the Fair's new, strict, height restrictions cut my son's participation from all but a single ride. No longer are parents able to hold their children on the carousel or train if they are under the specified height. The new minimum requirement on many of the Sillyville rides was stated at 36 inches, and 2 years old. While all children grow at their own pace, this surely restricted more families than just my own. My son, who's nearly 2, was unable to enjoy what has become synonymous with a Fair experience. Not to mention that he was allowed on both the train and carousel at last year's Fair at only 6 months old! My nearly 4 year old daughter has also been riding these same rides since she was 9 months old.

Can you imagine the disappointment of families who may only have young children and paid to give their kids a spin on the highly visible carousel? Can you imagine the disappointment on the kids' faces as they realize that they're only to walk around and look in the 80-degree heat? Not to mention the whining and crying.

Thankfully, we took advantage of the Fair's opening day free entrance hours so we were not out the $22 in adult admissions. Thankfully, we checked all rides for height restrictions before we paid $15 for a sheet of 20 ride coupons which my son would have been unable to use. The Fair not only lost money in their new hyper-sensitive liability fears, but also gained a disgruntled family who is willing to tell everyone about the experience.

With so many people watching their dime these days, I was surprised that these rules were not more clearly stated prior to walking up to the rides line. These new ride restrictions were not mentioned clearly, or at all, in any Fair advertising. Unless you go online and specifically look for the riders height restrictions, you would not know. And further, on theFair website, there is no wording to indicate that these restrictions are new to this year's Fair. Many Fair goers have done this same family outing for years, and it's certainly easy to assume all would remain the same.

There are enough entertaining avenues to enjoy without being victim to the annual Fall Fair. A trip to the local mall will get my kids on a carousel for $1.50 each. Add a hot dog and smoothie, and a trip to the kid zone and I'm only out $10. Not to mention free parking, cool and constant indoor air-conditioning and a whole lot less crowd.

Be warned.