Where are you going tonight, to-
night-
Where are you going, John Everel-
down?
There’s never the sign of a star in
sight,
Nor a lamp that’s nearer than Til-
bury Town

From “John Evereldown”, by Edward Arlington Robinson.

The Tilbury Town of Edward Arlington Robinson was a land of diminished opportunities and lonely dreamers, and the Gardiner that he lived in and fictionalized wasn’t much happier. The family fortune dwindled, both parents and two brothers died, the love of his life married his brother. Ouch.

It was the end of the line, the last leg of a road trip, anchored by Burlington, VT and Cooperstown, NY, that saw us hit seven states and all of New England in 60 hours. We needed a Maine homecoming.

It’s all kind of a blur, really. Snapshots flash by in double-time, leaving me as dizzy as I was during the actual event. Hurry up, taste, wait, smell, resume… I’ll try to process this orgy of sensory overload in real-time, but I don’t guarantee anything. Welcome to the 156th annual Fryeburg Fair.