&uot;Where are the clowns? This I uttered sitting in a box seat on the floor of the Boston Garden while members of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus performed. Seat courtesy of Uncle Bob – New England’s favorite sports cartoonist. Today at the invitation of a dear friend I thought I’d be saying the same thing while at the Suffolk airport where they were celebrating the Peanut Fest.

I know! I know! Why the lowly peanut? Today in Suffolk at the airport, and for another few days of celebration, the peanut is king. No whys -all Suffolk knows. As to my knowing I’m not sure, but I’ll tell you what I saw.

Starting out we had just a few sprinkles – no big deal. Ride to airport pleasant – sprinkle now and then Good conversation – sprinkles hardly noticed. Arrived – how can a car agency flourish in Suffolk? Everyone has a car and they were all parked where we wanted to. Good beginning and now sprinkles got bigger. How did I know? They came down on me. Parked, and with my friend and my three-wheel walker off we went sprinkles and all Being a northerner I know I’ll take a beating for saying this, but at that point with heavier sprinkles I didn’t look on the peanut with any joy. I decided I could live without it.

I think if every Indian ever lived and throw in the European tribes you couldn’t come close to the number of tents used today. This was more like a carnival but no barkers for all the products. Let me bring to mind a few. All sorts of food, (pizza big here) insurance companies, (honestly!) gifts, leather goods, plants, even cars for sale. Tents where Suffolk school children performed and a triple tent for the bingo players – prize for a game – a can of coffee. (Good prize – coffee is expensive.)

By now Noah could have used the water streaming down – more sprinkles. My friend, being a dear one, left me in the oversized bingo tent and went for the car to bring it closer altho’ at this point we were already drenched. Got to the car, left all the tents and bingo – went to Hardees and ate. Got back to Hillcrest and finally shed all the wet clothes and dried my hair.

If the peanut wants to see me next year, get rid of the sprinkles and what follows them. Happy Peanut Fest!

Florence Arena is a resident of Hillcrest Retirement Center and a regular columnist for the News-Herald.