I earlier gave a plug on this blog for this weekend's Apple/Scrapple Festival in Bridgeville, DE. When this event comes around next year, I may have to add a big
BUT to the plug.
Personally, I haven't attended the affair for a couple of years. When I last attended, it was during the daylight hours. It was quite crowded, and all in all, was a nice event, as small town fairs and carnivals go. The crowd was a very typical for a folksy, family event.
This year, my wife and I didn't get up to Bridgeville until after dark. I have to say, in relation to my previous daylight visit of a couple of years ago, it was like "night and day". Confused?
Here's what I'm getting at... My kids are grown now. But if that weren't the case, the last damn place I'd take them (after dark) would be the Apple Scrapple
F-estival (emphasis on the letter
F). It was as if, the sun went down and all the dregs of the earth came out. The place was overtaken by hoodlums, thugs, and mostly scum of society. It was really scary. After about 15 minutes, we were back in the car heading out of town.
What about the "
F"? You couldn't walk 3 to 5 feet without hearing some scum bag mouthing off the "F word". F this and F that. This of course is dotted in between other wonderful expletives, which seem to delight the youth of today. There were herds of these low life, maggot
infested individuals loping around acting tough.
We should contract a professional photographer to snap some pictures of this evil looking and sounding crowd. Then we could make a perfect poster for "why we NEED easier access to concealed weapon, carry permits". If someone would throw a $20 bill on the ground, I'm sure there would be a violent riot.
There actually were many children roaming through this environment. I'm sure their parents would scream and yell if their kids were exposed to second hand smoke. But there's no problem with exposure to first hand filth.
Don't get me wrong, I don't blame the police on duty there earlier tonight. Their presence was obvious, and I'm sure if a problem would develop, they could probably control it. I also don't blame the event's organizers. My complaint is with what our culture has evolved into.
This may sound simple, but here's an idea for what may help in alleviating some of this. The problem develops after dark. I suggest intense lighting be installed for the event. A lot of the potential, criminal element stays away when they can't play, and they always play in the dark.
Overall, it's just a sad observation of today's society and what we've grown to accept. (Parents, are you listening?) It's sad and shameful.