Festival freebies and carnival crap: Tell us your worst


It was Niska Day Saturday, a daylong celebration of the Town of Niskayuna with a parade, a fair with food, games and performances, and fireworks at night.

As I dropped my 15-year-old off at the fair around lunch time I gave her this instruction: “Whatever you do, don’t win a goldfish!” She knows this is a standing rule, but it’s good to be clear.

We’ve been through a lot of fair goldfish (there was Goldy and Pookie and Goldy 2, the quick replacement when Goldy died in the night). Why do they give living fish away — as prizes?? It never ends well. There’s the care and upkeep, then the mourning and clean up.

A friend from church said her daughters won three goldfish on Saturday and when she went to PetSmart to get a bowl, the clerk said, “Must be Niska Day.” She had been selling fish bowls all day long.

Goldfish are bad, but there’s plenty of other junk to be had at festivals, event giveaways, birthday parties and amusement parks. Like those really ugly stuffed animals with felt eyes that come off a day or two after you get them home.

What’s the worst you’ve gotten? And how did you get rid of it?

Categories: General
Tracy Ormsbee

7 Responses

  1. Tree says:

    May sound scroogy, but we brainwashed our son from day one that carnival games were rip-offs and that he should enjoy the rides and revel in the fact that he can eat some junk food w/ parental consent. As for the birthday dreck, I used to simply throw it out the day after it entered our home. Now, he does it himself. Oh, happy day.

  2. Jen Smith says:

    Thankfully we have a turtle so I just tell my kids any fish they win will be fedd to the turtle. Yes, I know, horrible mom, aren’t I? :)

    Honestly the thing I hate about Niska Day are the rides. My kids desperately want to go on them and I refuse to spend the money. Someone pointed out that it’s ONLY $20 for unlimited rides. Well I had 5 kids with me, that would have cost me $100. NO WAY!

  3. momto1 says:

    I agree with Jen. Especially since I can go to Great Escape for $20 per person. I also agree with Tree about the carnival games. But they are fun for kids and I find it hard to say no.

    Who continues to give away fish as prizes? A fish shouldn’t be a prize/surprise. It should be something a kid and a parent chooses to get with some thought put into it.

  4. luvpudders says:

    It’s a terrible shame when live animals/fish are involved in any carnival, then given to people who don’t even have the proper set-up to care for the creature an hour later. There must be an awful lot of dead fish at the end of each night. What a waste.

  5. Adrianne says:

    I was thrilled when I won my first (and only) goldfish! I kept him alive for awhile (or so it seemed). I ended up feeding him too much and he literally inhaled his food. I haven’t had a fish since. I don’t feel I can properly take care of ‘em.


  6. kimberly says:

    so funny you wrote this! we had our scotia carnival a couple of fridays back and husband and 3 year old came home with two of the worst carnival prizes ever -a goldfish anda trumpet – I wanted to kill husband -and guess who is taking care of the stupid fish!

  7. Your mom says:

    I run that booth its a very good fundraiser for the boy scouts