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Everyone Loves the Fair!

I heard that the Middlesex County Fair was happening now. Fairs and carnivals hold a special place in my heart…when I was a girl of just 18, I actually decided…

Ginny's carnival work ID

Ginny’s carnival work ID

Ginny Otte

I heard that the Middlesex County Fair was happening now. Fairs and carnivals hold a special place in my heart...when I was a girl of just 18, I actually decided to join a carnival when it came through town.  I performed many different jobs in each spot, from the merry-go-round to the dime pitch game; from making funnel cakes (I would get so covered in sugar that bees would chase me all the way to the showers each night) to being "Serpentina, the Snake Lady!" I traveled throughout the Northeast, into Canada, and the Southwest, eventually settling in Texas for a few weeks before coming home to New Jersey. I even have a work ID that declares my job title that week as "popcorn."

I have so many memories of tearing down the carnival, moving to a new place, setting up, and opening the show...watching families and young kids enjoying the rides.  I always get reminded of the song "The Loadout" by Jackson Brown when I see a carnival set up nearby. The experience of doing a different job every two to three weeks, handling snakes (despite being afraid of them!), meeting new people across the country...I've often felt that it actually prepared me for my adult career of working in radio!

So, if you're going to the carnival this summer, or to the Middlesex County Fair...say hello to the people who are actually working the carnival.  They're enjoying being there and meeting you just as much as you are enjoying a fun outing with the family!

6 Classic Summer Cocktails Everyone Should Know How to Make

Summer is in full swing! With the July 4th holiday just days away, now felt like an appropriate time to make sure your summer cocktail game is up to snuff.

Whether you find yourself road tripping in an RV, heading to a cabin or hosting a BBQ in your backyard, you should know how to make these six classic summer cocktails.

Margarita

shutterstock_571725262.jpgTeri Virbickis/Shutterstock.com

Waste away with five simple ingredients: Tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, ice and kosher salt. Don't waste your time with sour mix.


Negroni

shutterstock_1127029988.jpgMicaela Fiorellini/Shutterstock.com

The Negroni is equal parts London dry gin, Campari and vermouth rosso, and it's equal parts satisfying and refreshing.


Pina Colada

shutterstock_757511452.jpgLiliya Kandrashevich/Shutterstock.com

Rum, pineapple juice, coconut cream and ice all blended together, the Pina Colada is an island paradise in a glass, regardless of whether or not you enjoy getting caught in the rain.


Mai Tai

shutterstock_449441356.jpgBrent Hofacker/Shutterstock.com

You could serve this tropical delight in a tiki-style glass, but a standard large Collins glass is just as fun with this dark rum-based cocktail.


Paloma

shutterstock_641845363.jpgiuliia_n/Shutterstock.com

The Paloma has had a bit of a resurgence, and it's understandable why. Tequila, lime juice, and grapefruit soda on the rocks? What's not to love?


Hurricane

shutterstock_642632335.jpgBrent Hofacker/Shutterstock.com

Saving the sweetest for last. A Hurricane is like dessert in a glass! Created in New Orleans, this dark rum, passion fruit syrup and lemon juice cocktail is traditionally garnished with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry. Laissez le bon temps rouler, indeed!

Ginny Otte is a lifelong resident of New Jersey, having grown up in Lincoln Park, and lived in Wayne. She began her career in radio as the result of a prank phone call where the on-air personality she called said “please call again tomorrow,” and the station hired her to produce the show two months later; by 2006, Ginny began working middays at WMTR, and considers spending middays with listeners for so many years to be one of the highlights of her life. Ginny’s hobbies include genetic genealogy, family trees, knitting, crocheting, camping and hiking. She is a mother to three adult children and a grandmother to one.