On a Saturday morning in 1972 my buddy Scott DeAngelo and I went to the Nevada County Fair. As we were walking through the Carnival area, Claudette and Kristlin Noe came up to us and asked if they could hang out with us! Scott and I were both very quick to say, “Of Course You Can.” I remember walking around for a while, and then we decided to go on some rides. We went on several rides, but the two rides, I remember most were the Hammer (my favorite) and the Merry Mixer. There is something about having a girl sitting next to you, screaming at the top of her lungs that has fun written all over it! Walking through the buildings was next, and they looked at me kind of funny when I said let’s go through the sewing building first! They understood why, when they saw my Grandma Madge’s Quilts and her crochet pieces all with blue ribbons on them! Next was the flower building, I remember being in awe about how beautiful this one display looked, with the little creek running through it. Then we enjoyed looking at all the art, the oil paintings are still my favorite!
I remember sitting in all the cars that were on display, and climbing on all the tractors! I’m sure the car and tractor people didn’t appreciate us one bit! Then we walked through the big building at the front of the fair. I always liked going through that building. There is always something very educational in there, and I always found myself talking to someone for fifteen minutes or more about their product. Scott and the girls found this unexciting, so we headed to the outdoor stage. We watched a lot of fun entertainment, which included a Magic act, Nelda Honey’s dancers, and a jazz band that was really hot! Then it was off to treat street! I remember us getting some Hot Dogs and drinks, and we sat on some chairs under those beautiful shade trees and enjoyed our meal! The rest of the day, we saw all the animals, more entertainment, more treat street and more carnival! The four of us were enjoying the carnival when we heard over the PA “The Fair is now closed.” Scott and I were not planning on being at the fair all day, but having two lovely girls with us made for a wonderful fun-filled day!
Claudette and I became close friends and we dated a couple of years during High School. After we graduated from school we lost track of each other. In 2008 I was in charge of planning a church reunion. I got in touch with Claudette’s mom and she gave me the addresses for Claudette and Kristlin! When the Reunion party first started, I was in the gym of the church helping with getting some entertainment set up when someone said I was needed in the hall outside of the gym. I walked out into the hall, and I heard this loud “Mark” and I was getting this big hug. I didn’t know who it was till she let go and then I saw Claudette’s face! Since I was in charge of this party, I didn’t have time right then to talk. So later in the evening after things calmed down, she and I sat down and we had a great visit! We talked about a lot of different things, but there was one memory that I enjoyed talking about most. That wonderful day that the four of us had at the Nevada County Fair!