Are You Going To Scarboro Fair (Childhood Memoir)

As a little girl, I would burst with excitement when my father would tell me that we were going to the summer’s first county fair. There was nothing more spectacular to me than the smell of fresh baked goods and getting spoiled with one of my favorite things to have a huge, circular, multi-colored Lollipop on a wooden stick, with flavors that taste like a rainbow's colors.

My grandmother for as long as I could remember had made dolls from remnants of clothing, strands of yarn, buttons, ribbons and any item of odd quantity. She had entered a set of homemade dolls at this county fair for the first time.  I remember wanting to see them for they were packed in a box that sat next to me in the back seat of the car, I tried to peak but was scared someone would see me and I would be scolded.

It seemed like days were passing as we waited for the judging of the dolls, we walked past several tables and viewed all the dolls that had been entered.  We finally came to the table were my grandmothers dolls were displayed, I could feel my heart race and my eyes widen when I finally looked at her entries. There were a set of three dolls; the first one had golden braided hair, with big blue button eyes and a yellow dress with big sunflower print.  The next doll had black strands of yarn that she somehow had been able to make big flowing curls and a dress bright blue with big poke a dots. As my eyes came to the final doll, I began to wonder had my grandmother had me in mind when she created this one; the doll is wearing a dress with lollipops printed all over, the same ones that I love, circular, multi-colored on a stick.  This doll had braided reddish hair, just like mine and big brown eyes just like mine.

My father and I joined my grandparents for some lunch, they proceeded to play some fair games and ride some carnival rides.  I just want to go back and gaze at the dolls again. I had truly lost my interest in most of the fair activities, excited to go see were my grandmother had placed and what color ribbon was on her dolls. On our way back to the display area for the dolls, I did get that lollipop, big, round colorful and yes it taste just like a rainbow. We finally returned to the display area, as we pushed through the crowd to get back to her table, I thought I was going to burst.  We walked up to the table; I was holding my fathers had so tight; a big Blue Ribbon was displayed on her table, first place.

As my father fastens the seat belt I turn to my left and there sits in the back seat with me, the three dolls my grandmother had entered and won first place for.  As we travel down the road, heading home my grandmother turns to me and states that I can choose one doll to keep for my very own. Can you guess which one I chose.............?  That’s right the one that looked just like me, or so I thought, the one with the dress of lollipops, reddish braided hair and brown eyes.

We arrived home, I grasped the doll like there was no tomorrow. My grandmother had asked me a short time later are you going to choose a name for your doll, I explained to her that I had a name for her the moment I choose her. She asked what that name might be?  I replied Lilly Lollipop. Lilly did not leave my side the entire weekend and for many years to come.