Fall Fest Goldfish: Raising our Generation

Finley Bell, Staff Reporter

Once a year the fair comes around again-Fall Fest! As many of us grow older, the fun and excitement begins to die down. However, it’s hard to forget the joy and excitement we used to hold this time of year in our youth. I can still recall the excited chatter and the talk of whether or not you or your friend were going to get a goldfish at the fair. The goldfish were truly a staple at Fall Fest, something that surely many of us look back to when thinking about the Fair. Whether you realize it or not, these goldfish had a large impact on many Frankfort children’s lives.

 

Many kids reach an age in their life where they are just desperate to have a pet of their own. They met Julie’s dog and he was just so cute and cuddly, and Stacy has 3 cats, 2 dogs and a lizard so why can’t they just get one pet? It’s one of the many difficult questions a kid gives their parents. The simple solution is a fish. And where could a Frankfort parent possibly find a fish for their kid, the Fall Fest of course. The goldfish are a simple solution on a kid’s quest for their own animal companion.

 

Now I’m sure many people feel as if they’re now stuck with some stupid goldfish, but these goldfish have a lot to teach kids! Many of us had learned difficult things from the help of these tiny fish. When you’re stuck with parents who very clearly didn’t want this fish in their house, your only option is to keep this thing alive all on your own. This is many kids’ first introduction to responsibility as well as the rather devastating consequences your laziness can have. You had to feed the fish everyday and clean the tank every once in a while. This taught many of us responsibility which amazingly enough around 50% of Lincoln-Way East students that participated in my survey were able to keep their fish alive for over a year. Another important lesson was the compassion for taking time out of your busy elementary school schedule to care for another living thing. This also gave kids a gentle introduction to death. Death is another one of those difficult things to explain to kids that can really only be taught by experience. The sad loss of your dearly beloved fish may have left you in tears for a day, or more than likely less, but it taught you how to live on after losing a loved one at least in the sense of a small fish dying. Of course these lessons also flew way over many of our heads. I’m sure all of us know a student or two who let their fish starve or flushed it down the toilet while they were still very much alive. Oh well! These were still important lessons for those of us that were ready for them.

 

Although the goldfish stand at Fall Fest is no longer around and it is probably for the best, the stand will still surely be missed for all the memories it has created and lessons it has taught. May all of the Fall Fest goldfish rest peaceful in their resting place, the sewer.