My wife and I did our first “grand” trip to Disney World in August of 2012, with accommodations at the Contemporary Hotel, one of the Monorail stops. Granddaughter Maddux was three and  grandson Gavyn five. It was our first experience dealing with a child’s disappointment of being too short to ride. Eleven years later, it’s now four-year-old granddaughter Nora’s turn to be the smallest family member, measuring 39″ in height. “Nona” and I took her to the Venice Italian-American Festival last night when the tape measure came into play, as the most appealing rides required a minimum of 42″.  This is a frustration factor that little Nora Grace will also have to face in our upcoming family trip to Disney World in a few weeks. 

The annual carnival and feast was advertised to start at 4 p.m. but the rides didn’t actually open until five. The Venice High School marching band performed, but an hour wait is tough for any youngster. We were hoping to beat the crowd and grab a bite to eat on the way out. Instead, a line was forming at the ticket window, so we were forced to stay longer than originally planned. During the “endless” delay, we purchased an order of dirt and worms (Oreo crumbs, gummies, and mini donuts) and decided on $20 wristbands instead of individual tickets. My daring wife agreed to be her partner on the fun house, but afterwards changed her mind when the only exit was a “filthy” spiral slide. She held up several kids during her cautious dismount. I then ended up on the giant rainbow slide, with all of Nora’s “favorite colors,” sitting on a potato sack to protect us from the friction.

Nora went solo on the revolving rabbits, choo-choo train, flying dragon, and spinning boats. “Nona” joined her on the mini-rollercoaster and another faster-spinner that I was glad to miss out on. We all stopped for spaghetti and meatballs, along with mac & cheese, but there was too much excitement in the air for total cooperation. Finally, we got a few bites of chicken nuggets into her stomach after threats of no cotton candy. My wife took her to the face painting booth for a mermaid mask, where she laughed when the artist gave me pink cheeks. After a few more repeat rides, she sank a basket (with a little help from the concessionaire) to win a giant unicorn that she renamed “uni-horse.”  It appropriately matched the outfit she was wearing for glitz day at pre-school. The last stop before driving home was for blue cotton candy. I had not been to a carnival since the 2016 Sarasota County Fair and hope that last night’s will be my last.