This is it. This is the big one. September begins at midnight! My first marker of this glorious month was the Jerry Lewis Telethon that played over Labor Day for many years. I was always a Jerry Lewis fan but never more than when I witnessed his sincerity for children in need. When I watched the show I understood that my favorite third of the year had arrived. I was never a summertime person. The Ber Months are my jam. Being a classic horror film aficionado I begin my viewing of them now. The original Frankenstein movie will be on Svengoolie on METV on Saturday night. I rejoiced to discover just last month that we are now receiving METV. We used to get it and then we did not for a period of years. It has all manner of old television shows…I am speaking of the ’60s…and some wonderful kitschy commentary on the weekly horror show Svengoolie. My cousin Benda used to babysit me on Friday nights and we would watch the Friday Night Horror Show through our laced fingers covering our eyes. Friday was grocery day and Neva J and I would procure the groceries at the Eldorado Food Center I would often get a comic for 12 cents and then two pepperoni sticks for my Friday night feast. The perfect combination of these magnificent weekly occurrences made for a wonderful start to the weekend.

Today I pursued DuQuoin which was my childhood destination for the DuQuoin State Fair…which is going on as we speak. In those days DuQuoin was a magical city. I understood that DuQuoin was so much larger and more of a happening place than Eldorado where I lived. After all the State Fair boasted of hosting the Hambletonian which was the premier harness race in the nation. The famous comedian and movie star Bob Hope was a regular performer at the Fair as well as Red Skelton and even Elvis. There were my delight in those days of shows termed ‘Freak Shows.’ I saw the Headless Man as well as the Headless Woman. There was an African American man who came out on stage and danced a lively dance to a swinging band and invited us in to see exotic women…but alas I was too young. DuQuoin State Fair was mystical mysterious and otherworldly. The combination of the Carnivale Barkers and the loud music and the crush of the crowd…I became a bit dizzy with delight.

We often attended the Fair on Labor Day which was its final day of operation in DuQuoin. Often well before closing the Ferris Wheel Operator would already be closed down and in the process of disassembling the scary machine. When I mentioned to the grizzled lady that it was not closing time she responded that it was Labor Day…Kid…