Fair enough

Just got back from the final night of the Southampton Days Fair. I noticed that the density of slutted-up underage hooch was much lower this year than last year. Oh don’t get me wrong, there were still a few notable seventeen-year-olds (okay, fourteen-year-olds) walking around who would bring out the statutory rapist in any guy, but for the most part more parents must have put their foot down this year and declared, “You are NOT leaving the house dressed like that, young lady.”

We were able to have a lot more fun at the fair this year. Allison is that crucial year older and that crucial bit taller, which allowed her to go on all the kiddie rides, even the ones we couldn’t go on with her. And she had a blast. I felt a little bad because our friends Jen and Mike came along as well with their year-old son, David and they were treated to a full evening of following us as we followed Allison from ride to ride to ride. But at the end of the night we all got to sit down to a fireworks display that was actually rather impressive for the size town and fair this was.

So all in all a good night, though I did let nostalgia bum me out a bit. Last year when we came to the fair, the evening closed with a guitar man named Ray Owen on the main stage who put on a show for the kids and played all sorts of cool “Americana” folk-rock songs like “City of New Orleans”, "Me and Bobby McGee" and others I can’t seem to remember. Then at the end of the night he asked if there were any requests. I shouted out, “Mister Bojangles.” He told the crowd – consisting mostly of teenagers who impressed me with their appreciation for older music – the backstory of the song and then closed his set with the Jerry Jeff Walker classic. While Ray did play the fair this year as well, he went on earlier in the week on a 6pm slot, right about the time I would have been rushing for the train to leave New York City for the day. So we didn’t get to see him and didn’t get to end the night holding each other as a family and swaying to the sounds of “Mister Bojangles.” But other than that, a good night all around.

One question occurred to me tonight though. I know I’m probably showing my age here, but what the hell is “Hollister”? I saw so many people walking around in t-shirts bearing that word tonight. I mean entire hordes of people (teenagers mostly), sometimes two or three in a group of five, were wearing these shirts. At first I merely assumed it was the name of one of the high schools in the area, but then I realized that a lot of them had the word, “California” printed on it as well. So seriously, what is Hollister? Is it a clothing line, a sporting goods line, the name of the high school from The O.C.? Somebody please help me be hip.