The tune of a carousel, the clanging of a roller-coaster car climbing upward, the swoosh and screams trailing at its descent, barkers promising prizes. These sounds immediately transport me back to my favorite childhood place, the fairground. No other location could offer up such excitement. From the food carts selling cotton candy to the tent waiting to unveil the most horrifying of freaks, the fairground was so far removed from my normal life; it might as well have been like traveling to the moon.

While driving through northern California last week, I felt the old pull of the fairground and made a detour to the Santa Cruz boardwalk. The day was foggy and the colors muted but the sounds were the same. Even the cotton candy was as sticky and sweet as I remembered.