Old Settlers Day, With Two Kids

Last year I took Joshua to Old Settlers Day as part of a date day.  This year, Clara was likely tall enough to ride some of the rides, so I took both of them.  There were still a few rides that required extra height that only Joshua met, like this one that swings them around in these seats.  I bought enough tickets for each kid to get to ride a handful of rides.  After Joshua did that one, we picked out one for Clara, and she chose this helicopter ride.  She really liked it, as it went up in the air, but not enough to be scary.

There were both really interested in driving the cars, so they got in back-to-back vehicles.  Look at how excited Joshua was!

Most rides were only for the kids, but I wanted to do a few with all three of us.  We rode the Ferris wheel, and despite Joshua's trepidation last year, neither kid had any fear of it this year.  We also all rode the tilt-a-whirl together.

There was a parade that mostly consisted of area high school bands, but also some politicians and local businesses.  It wasn't very exciting, so we just stayed to watch for a little bit.  There were also several streets worth of vendors and booths for everything from local churches to individuals selling their crafts and canned goods.  Joshua and I hadn't explored that area last year, probably mostly due to the storm that came, but also because we went at night.  Since we had plenty of time today, we walked through them, and the kids were excited to collect the trinkets and balloons that they hand out.
We ate lunch there, and Joshua chose a corn dog while Clara and I wanted hot dogs.  I remember that last year I had to throw out my drink (Mountain Dew, because I'm an old parent who needs caffeine) because it tasted like bad chemicals.  This year I got it again, hoping it would be better, but it wasn't.  Apparently that's just how it tastes at that food truck.  I returned it and got a water instead.  Now that  I know it's not a fluke, I'll just avoid getting it next year.  For dessert, we had cotton candy, which the kids were very excited to get.  It's a pricey endeavor, as the tickets are surprisingly expensive, and obviously the concessions are overpriced, but it is a fun time, and it's only one a year, so we'll likely do it next year again.