Having a great time at the Deep-Fried Festival

If you didn't get a chance to spend time at Saturday's Springtime on the Mall — the annual festival put on by Main Street Blytheville — you really missed out.

Not that I can get on too high of a horse on this matter. After all, this was the ninth Springtime on the Mall since I moved to Blytheville, yet it was only the second one I've attended. Most often, the festival conflicts with the annual meeting of the Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors, so I've almost always had a conflict. This year, however, the editors had to push back their meeting. So I was able to attend.

A highlight for our family was the kids area, sponsored by the United Way. Eight-year-old Katie and 5-year-old Drew both loved playing a few of the games, but the giant inflatables were the true crowd-pleasers. Their favorite was probably the flying-saucer shaped inflatable, where the kids could run around inside for as long as they wanted. Drew even got to do this one twice. "There was a quiz in there!" he told me. (I'm pretty sure he meant, "a maze.")

Of course, there was no shortage of food along Main Street. In addition to the usual hamburgers, hot dogs and barbecue, there also seemed to be an abundance of deep-fried items. In addition to the ever-popular funnel cakes, there were also fried Twinkies, fried pickles, fried Snickers and even fried Oreos. This could inspire a whole new theme for Blytheville's annual festival. While some communities have food-related festivals like the "Sweet Corn Festival" and the "Soybean Festival," we could lay claim to the "Deep-Fried Festival."

I had never heard of "fried Oreos," so I had to try one. And I sincerely hope that my doctor, who only 24 hours earlier had been expounding on the evils of all foods highly sugared or deep-fried (let alone foods highly sugared and deep-fried), isn't reading this. The fried Oreo was ... interesting. Very sweet. Very fried. I think I may have gained a couple of pounds just by holding it in my hand.

We made a visit to Arkham Comics, which was celebrating Free Comic Book Day. Both Drew and Katie got to pick out three comics each, from a nice variety of books, which ranged from the traditional comic book fare, to more kid-friendly options, such as "The Simpsons" and "Sonic the Hedgehog." Neither child has ever been a comic book fan before, but when we got up Sunday morning, we found the kids reading to each other from their new comic books. (The comic books also kept them quiet in the car for an hour Sunday afternoon on a trip to a graduation party in Glennonville, Mo.)

The award for the most bizarre booth goes to Jagger McGuires, and it isn't even close. I can only begin to describe the bizarre dance/art/weirdness that this salon had on display as some sort of a cross between mud wrestling and pantomime. Somebody told me it was some kind of art nouveau. Maybe. But I was just weirded out. I will say this: It attracted a crowd of onlookers through most of the day. So if getting people to stop and look was the goal, it was a smash hit.

The award for most courageous booth goes to the Blytheville Police Department, which actually had an operating dunk tank, despite the breezy, 60-degree weather. Several volunteers, including Chief Ross Thompson, took turns alternatingly falling into the cold water, and sitting — shivering — on the platform above. I couldn't even bear to ante up to throw a few balls. I would have felt too guilty.

Overall, the kids had a great time. We ate, we played. We saw a magic show and had caricatures drawn. We saw friends and neighbors, and petted some of the cutest dogs this side of the Mississippi. It was one of those events that makes you feel really good about where you live.

And therein lies the heart of the Springtime on the Mall. It's not just about inflatables or fried Oreos or dunk tanks or dog shows. It's about community. It's about people coming together to celebrate where they live. And that's why I say those who missed Springtime on the Mall really missed out. They missed a chance to see Blytheville at its best ... people coming together ... black, white, young, old ... celebrating a beautiful spring day in the Delta.