Last Saturday at Manatee County Fair

Saturday afternoon at the Manatee County Fair was a culinary delight.

Make that adventure.

Had a corn dog from Manatee Sunrise Kiwanis. Again.

Scarfed down a slice of pizza.

Ate half a bag of kettle corn.

Had some strawberry shortcake from Church on the Rock.

All of it washed down with Pepsi.

Didn't ride any rides this year, but enjoyed watching others get their kicks.

Especially on the Freak Out, a ride that swings four sets of thrill-seekers back and forth from a 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock position, rotating the seated-and-strapped-in riders as they go.

Watched the Robinson pig races, too, a better, longer entertaining amusement than the dog-riding monkeys last year.

But the biggest kick I got was watching kids climb the Spider Web.

It was a column of nine ringed platforms spaced 3-feet apart, crisscrossed with strips of trampoline-like material.

The object was to climb through each platform, then dive into the entrance of an inflated chute and slide back to the ground.

Watching kids try to conquer this thing was hysterical.

Most would manage to get through a couple of platforms, then fall through one. Or both.

It took a while to do it.

In fact, there was one boy who just could not climb past the third rung, unlike his brother who navigated his way to the top and then down the chute in no time.

We finally left, half-expecting to see that youngster still gamely working his way up the Spider Web our next trip around.

May try to climb that sucker myself next year.

Think they give senior discounts?