Marching through Atlanta

The wife and I motored up to Atlanta, IN yesterday to attend the New Earth Festival. The entire town was a collection of booths and food stalls. A band was rocking the stage. As usual in these street fairs the booths sold everything from flea market goods to crafts to junk. A couple of intrepid young boys of perhaps eight were selling rocks from a card table. The visitors easily quadrupled the little town's population. * One middle aged couple had a goat on a leash while wandering the streets. Other folks had dogs with them and at least one kid was leashed too.

Festivals of this type bring out a range of people from comfortable middle class to complete white trash. For the most part, people are polite and good natured. If everyone wearing Harley gear actually owned a bike than the streets and highways of central Indiana would look like Sturgis, SD in August. On the other hand, I was sporting a Colts T-shirt and I certainly don't suit up on Sunday afternoons, so I guess it is the same thing.

The wife and I had a good time just hanging out together. I wish I had not already gone on a long walk in the morning. By the end of the day my legs were tired. But such exercise is good for me. The wife bought a new fall lawn flag. She is under the mistaken belief she will replace my Cubs flag. Unless she wants to. I bought a small bag of taffy. We shared a shaved rib eye steak sandwich for a late lunch.

The highlight of the trip was shared piece of deep fried sugar cream pie. Yes, you read that right. Sugar cream pie is a regional dish and is good and wonderful and decadent by itself. Add deep fried goodness and what you get is ambrosia. Granted, it is vein-closing, diabetic coma, high calorie awesomeness. Oh my, if I was ever interviewed for that show I could name it as one of the Best Things I Ever Ate. It was that good. I only had about a third of the piece of pie and that was probably too much, but it was worth it.

There is the Riley festival over in Greenfield next month. I bet that deep-fried pie guy is going to be there...

* the population is 725. There were over 600 booths, so it is fair to guess the vendors outnumbered the population before the attendees are even counted.