Claire's Day!

Claire's Day is one day of the year that mini-me and I look forward to annually. Today was the best of the 5 years we have been visiting the event. The weather was phenomenal, cool breezes and patchy sun. The craft projects were marvelous, as always! mini-me made a weaving, a flower-arrangement, and an owl. She bypassed the coffee filter hats and head wreaths this time.

We picked up about every item possible from the local PBS station, and she had her photo taken with STRAW Man. She got all kinds of paraphanelia about all of her favorite shows, including something new about Super Why and Princess Presto that I haven't even seen yet! For my money, nothing will ever replace Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow! Oh, and let's not even dare to dream about good old-fashioned Kratt's Creatures (no talking lemurs and dorky claymation!).

Hmmm. . where was I?

Our favorite author of the day was Jonathan Rand. We had already purchased 2 of his books and were waiting in line for an illustrator to sign our copy of "The Legend of the Loon" when Mr. Rand's vehicle arrived. He is the author of such series as Michigan Chillers, American Chillers, and Freddy Fernornter Fearless First Grader. His van is not inconspicous.




We were brave enough to split up for a few minutes so that I wouldn't lose our place in line while she joined the throng of children meeting Mr. Rand. It helped that we could see one another the whole time. I would've liked to get a better photo of him signing her books, but I got what I will refer to (and Picture Pam will understand) a "Mellencamp Moment" photo here:




This is the first of the 5 years we've gone that mini-Me has actually sat through an entire lecture. She started out sitting second from the aisle in the back row of chairs and ended up sitting on the floor so close to the author that I worried he would trip over her. Here she is at his feet and hanging on his every word!



We were reunited just in time to get her picture taken with the great van Frankenhuzers She is an author and he illustrated the loon book I mentioned above. I love loons! (pause for cheap shots from my loony friends) The Mrs. took time to point out to us that there is a secret about the book we purchased and had signed! On each page, there is a hidden loon or two, awaiting discovery!. The paintings are simply gorgeous and make me want to rush "Up Nort" to for a summer visit!




Most years, we have been lucky to get one autograph, but this year, was record-breaking. Last year was awesome when illustrator Will Clay took time to sketch a precious drawing of mini along with his signature. Remembering that, or maybe it was the intense Disney World training from January, she waited patiently as we took turns choosing activities.

I was able to have books signed also by Denise Brennan-Nelson and Sara Holbrook who is a wonderful poet, especially for "tweens".

Well, I could post a lot more photos and drivel on about how much fun we had, but this is already longer that most people will hang in there. It's after 10 p.m. and I still hear pages turning in the little one's room next door. I think I will pretend I don't hear a thing and just let her bask in the glow for tonight!

Carousels and memories

Growing up, my small-town family would pile in the sedan for Sunday road trips to nearby cities. Many a Sunday afternoon were spent at Southwyck Mall in Toledo, Ohio. Memories of meeting my aunt and uncle there and my first $5 purchase - a stuffed terrier-type dog that I named Butterscotch - was my pride and joy for years. I remember my Aunt Mildred handing me the fiver and suggesting that I choose something with it to be my own. The thrill of handing that money over to a real-live cashier and making my very first purchase, the power of the free enterprise system coursing through my tiny veins, can never be replaced. After that trip, I bored my Defiance friends to TEARS wanting to play store for weeks! I must have been about 7 years old. Built in 1972, the mall had been open for five years and was still the happening place to be. Movie theaters, stores, rides, fountains, and the gorgeous dome. There was no place like it that we knew of. Later there would be an incredible arcade, a second set of theaters, and a rockin' food court.





Now I live in Toledo. When my daughter was big enough to walk, I began taking her to the same mall for Family Fun Day the first Sunday of every month. The mall was seriously failing by then, but we trusted that our community would somehow rescue it - at least the beautiful carousel. Each month it seemed, there were fewer storefronts and more closed gates with gaping emptiness looming behind them. Here we met Foop the clown, now a favorite family friend. We looked forward to seeing him each month and he knew dd by name. There was also JoJo, the lady clown who offered free face painting, and even a caricature artist who once sketched a picture of dd with her precious older cousin. Below is a photo of then three-year-old at the mall with Foop.

As Connie grew, our FFD visits became less frequent. Still, several times we took the whole family - and even visitors from out of town. Family Fun Day was south Toledo's best-kept secret. So often overlooked was the value of this innocent fun time. We would almost always find something to purchase at the mall. When she was 4, Connie got her ears pierced at the Claire's at the mall. Several month later, that too was closed. Disney Store and Montgomery Ward were long gone. Goodbye Hallmark and GameStop. Spencers was a memory from my teen years. The GNC store went out. Is the Deb Shop still there? It's not worth the effort to walk down the wing past all the blackened craters where stores used to be.

In it's day, it wasn't just a mall, it was a recreation center. I believe we had my first Junior Achievement Trade Fair there. The following year of JA, I met the boy who would become my husband. Even over 15 years later, when I began my monthly treks there with our daughter, there were often different activities and booths set up each week. Craft fairs, collectibles shows, and even pet adopt-a-thons brought in extra traffic. Later, the activities faded and I held dd a little closer as some suspicious looking teens lurked around and roughhoused in the wings. We began to stay closer to the hub of the shopping center. Now, even the gangs have lost interest in our mall.

On Family Fun Day, carousel rides (normally a dollar) were free. Before she was big enough to climb up on the individually named fiberglass horses on her own, I would stand beside my only child and hold her while we revolved. Each time we went by the giant flag hanging under the mall's signature dome, my toddler would gleefully greet it "hello fwag!" and bid it adieu "bye-bye fwag!" I found this irrestibly cute. Then we would toddle down to the other end of the mall to share a hot pretzel and an Icee. I remember being relieved and sad at the same time when she first told me she was big enough to do it by herself. No more backward circles for me.

This Sunday, the first Sunday of 20008 - my husband, daughter and I went to see Foop. She was so excited to see her friends the clowns and show them her new toothless smile. The winds blew across the vast and empty desert that is now Southwyck Mall. We paid a dollar to ride the carousel one last time. There was no notice that Family Fun Day would be cancelled . . . only the imaginary howl of a far-off coyote and the last tumbleweed blowing by under the "fwag". We strolled slowly down the far spoke of the mall, past the Bath & Body Works fumes and the "nekkid ladies" pictures on the Victoria Secret windows. At the end, we didn't buy a pretzel or drink because the store was closed. A faded wooded "SHERIFF" sign dangling in the wind, creaking memories of our ghost towned mall.
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http://www.deadmalls.com/

http://youtube.com/watch?v=IhHBJ3GaYic

http://mallsofamerica.blogspot.com/