Make The World Go Away

The summer of 1967, shortly before his fifth birthday, I loaded up my son Douglas in this old station wagon  and moved us across the state. The picture was taken on his first day of kindergarten in Mount Vernon.
The move was quite an adventure for both of us. We knew absolutely no one in that area. Other than school and work, we did everything together.

We had been exploring the area around our new home - becoming familiar with the countryside, parks and small towns as well as the city. Some co-workers were talking about the "All-Iowa Fair" at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids. It was advertised as the biggest fair in Eastern Iowa - second in size only to the Iowa State Fair. I decided Doug and I should go one evening after work.
 After viewing all the livestock, varied industries and horticultural entries, Doug wanted to go on some of the rides. The merry-go-round and kiddie cars were too tame for my fearless little boy. He wanted to go on the Tilt-A-Whirl. I tried to talk him out of it, "It's too scary for you," I warned. But he prevailed and we got on the ride - after all, it used to be one of my favourites along with the ferris wheel. He loved those spinning baskets, but I was so close to being sick - I thought the ride would never end. I was so glad to get off that thing and I haven't been on one since.

But I got even. Eddy Arnold was appearing that night. Doug had to go to the grandstand with me. Arnold wasn't one of my top country singers, but I did like him. Especially his big hit at the time Make The World Go Away. Arnold's popularity had waned by then but I remembered his hits from the '50s and even some from the '40s that my parents had liked: Bouquet of Roses, Cattle Call, That's How Much I Love You, It's A Sin, I'll Hold You In My Heart, There's Been A Change In Me, among others. He even had two top songs in 1980, making him one of the few singers to chart in five different decades.
I've never been a big fan of going to concerts or grandstand shows. I figured with the money I spent to attend one performance I could buy a record and enjoy it over and over. But the memory of seeing Eddy Arnold at the All-Iowa Fair is one that has stayed with me over the years.

Most of the time Doug and I did things that didn't require a lot of money. One of my 'hobbies' was photography. I enjoyed using my cute little son as a model - even if he didn't want to pose. I remember how scared he was to stand atop this dam near Stone City. Instead of saying Make The World Go Away, he was probably wishing Make the Camera Go Away!