I have been to county fairs. I have been to festivals. I have been to carnivals. But I have never seen anything quite like the Washington Parish Free Fair.

After I moved from Alabama to Louisiana in August, I usually heard two questions from the people I met. First, “Are you a Crimson Tide fan?” (Answer: No). And second, “Have you been to the fair?” (Answer: It was no, but now I can say yes).

There are few things more enjoyable in this world than experiencing events that make you feel like a kid again. And the Washington Parish Free Fair is exactly one of those times.

While walking through the fairgrounds Wednesday, I remembered the times my parents took me and my siblings to Six Flags in Atlanta, or Disney World, or even Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. Those were wonderful times, when the only thing I had to worry about was whether I would feel sick after eating a funnel cake and then riding a roller coaster.

I am definitely jealous that kids living in this part of the country have such a wonderful pastime to spend their Octobers. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say it’s like having a theme park right in your backyard.

However, the thing that really impressed me about the fair was the number of people who volunteer to make it a success. All you have to do is flip open the catalog a few pages and read the lists of committee chairmen and committee members who helped make the event one of a kind.

I hope that everyone will take the time to buy some raffle tickets while attending the fair. In addition to giving you a chance to win a number of great prizes, it also helps to defray the fair’s cost and keep it free for everyone. Thousands of people visit the fair; imagine how much could be raised if everyone bought just one $1 ticket. And you never know, you might win $1,000 (or countless other prizes).

Good luck, and thanks for reading The Daily News.