BUCKING THE SYSTEM: FAIR'S FAMILY ATMOSPHERE NO PLACE FOR NEGATIVE PROMOS

Vendors need to consider the consequences of trying to make a fast buck.

Last weekend Patrick and I were casting about for something to do when we realized it was opening day for the SEMO District Fair. I had never attended the event, something my husband had a hard time believing.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a complete yokel, I told him. Charleston has had carnivals before, and I've often traveled to nearby Sikeston for its annual Cotton Carnival.

This fair was different, my husband said, aghast at my ignorance. This is THE fair, and my childhood was incomplete because I had missed it.

He decided that I needed to get my fair fix as soon as possible, so he bundled up the baby's necessities and off we went.

I think my husband got a kick out of being the authority on something (I usually wear that hat). He confidently drove us through one of his "amazing shortcuts" and got us there safely, although I don't quite remember how many streets we used in the process. He was aided by the fact that we had friends who lived near the fair, so parking was cost- and hassle-free.

The first thing we did was take Jerry on a walking tour of the sights and sounds. He oohed and aahed at the lights and sounds on the midway, and I think he enjoyed his quality social time spent with the llama and pygmie goats in the petting zoo.

Even though Jerry is only 15 months old, there were a couple of sights I would have rather not exposed him to. Clothing and signs depicting drug paraphernalia and negative racial emblems were available at some vendor stands, as were items that could be used as dangerous weapons.

This wasn't the fault of the fair committee; I think they did an admirable job of putting together a week's worth of family activities. But I've noticed at the fair-like events I've attended that there are always seem to be a few vendors who are a little out of touch with their audience and setting.

Fairs, carnivals and the like are generally family events. Parents and guardians gather the kids and take them out for an evening of wholesome entertainment. Bands play, clowns roam the crowds and kids get all sticky with candied apples and cotton candy.

That's not the setting for confused vendors to promote drug use or sell a potentially dangerous weapon that a school-aged child can buy and take to school. Vendors need to consider the consequences that come with trying to make a fast buck.

Many of the fair's vendors understood its aim of providing wholesome family entertainment, and their wares demonstrated this fact. These booths far outnumbered those of their more shortsighted competitors, but it was those misguided few that stood out.

Today's schoolchildren are being told to "DARE" to say no to drugs. In light of that, why should we glorify the use of drugs with shirts, hats and other promotional items? On the same token, concerned parents and educators are doing everything they can to "stop the violence."

These catch phrases don't exist without a reason. Maybe it's time for vendors of all places and locations to catch the hint and spread the word that drugs and violence aren't cool, not even when their message is delivered in a thrill-seeking atmosphere.

Tamara Zellars Buck is a member of the Southeast Missourian news staff.