We walk E up to the park virtually every day. He goes up with his mother in the morning, sometimes again in the afternoon, and then I generally join them for an evening stroll with the dogs. We swing a bit, play on the slides, and Lacie gets to chase a few squirrels. So when we loaded up the stroller this evening after dinner, even with the dogs left at home, Eastland knew we were on our way up to the park.

But he had no idea what he would find once we got there. As we crested the top of the hill into the center of the park, E's eyes grew wider and wider. Lights were dancing, music was playing, and colors were spinning and twirling as the rides did their stuff. A few meters into the park, I stopped the stroller and Eastland got out.

From one end of the park to the other, he was completely enthralled by the Fair. Together, we rode the carousel twice, once with mom, once with dad. We danced to the live music. Mom won a fish. We stared for a while at the big kid rides twirling and humming as the teenagers screamed from inside. And as if that wasn't enough, we topped it all off with five minutes of moon bounce action.

By the time we got home, just in time for a quick bath before bed, E was completely exhausted. Instead of his usual frolicking in the tub during his bath, he sat quietly and organized his whistling dolphins. There was no argument when we lifted him into his crib. He was out before the lights.

As much of a surprise as the festival suddenly showing up in the park must have been for him today, I can only imagine his disappointment next week after six days of daily Dogwood action. But we'll save that for later. We've still got five days left. (And I haven't even mentioned the Saturday parade yet!)

So in celebration of the opening night of Dogwood Festival 2002, I offer two photos of the day. Enjoy.