K is for Kansas, K is for Kindness
Friends helping friends. Each and everyday Kansans showed up and helped each other make it through the crazy long hours of the fair. Watching out for each other and doing the little extras that are just part of most Kansan's culture were the norm, and not the exception.
A simple example I will title: Just Noodles. One of the workers in the administration office explained to me that she doesn't eat meat. No big deal, but she really likes the chicken flavored noodles at the State Fair, except for the chicken part. (I don't believe it is a vegetarian preference, she just doesn't like the texture of meat). So she wanted some of the chicken noodles entree, but didn't order it. One of the workers in the food stand heard this and prepared a special meal just for her, just the noodles with a seasoning. I was aware that the administration building coworker had just suffered a loss in her family and a simple kindness of making her some meatless noodles gave her a bit of comfort in a trying season for her. That's being kind.
Another story involves a supervisor and his worker. Where as the first example was a small kindness, this one is a bit bigger. The Kansas State Fair is ten days. There are many workers who may only work these ten days in an entire year due to difficult circumstances . One man is unfortunately homeless. He actually lives under a bridge. I am not aware of the full details, but I learned that the gentleman who supervises the ticket takers ( the workers who scan tickets to allow individuals to enter the fairgrounds) learned the plight of the homeless man. He took it upon himself to provide a ride for the man, actually picking him up from where he stays underneath the bridge, transporting him to the gate where he worked as a ticket taker during the fair, and returning him to the bridge every evening. It may not be a full time job for the whole year, but for ten days this man is gainfully employed and making an income. And that is empowering.
At the fairgrounds golf carts are everywhere. Fair workers use them to transport people and supplies to all areas of the fairgrounds. As ticket selling staff we are constantly driving from one ticket booth to another to cover breaks and lunches and provide support. However, we also offer rides if we see someone struggling to get to a location or if we see someone in need. One evening, one of our workers found a school age child talking to his parent on the phone, struggling to find his way to the parking lot where his family was waiting. She spoke to the father on the phone and obtained permission to give the boy a ride to his father. Both were very thankful.
As the week progressed and the tiredness increased I found myself struggling to stay focussed. One day while driving to gate seven to give a lunch break for one of my favorite ticket sellers, I seemed to keep making wrong turns even though I knew the way by heart. I was confused because I drive to her place all the time. She works alone and we must check on her often. I ended up turning into the RV park by accident, when leaving there I missed another turn off and found I was at gate five and had actually parked my cart. In my mind I was thinking, what in the world is wrong with me! I know how to get there! Then one of the gate five workers came out with a wallet that had just been left there. She asked if I could take it back to the administration office lost and found. I was right next to gate seven, where I needed to go to, but felt compelled to go right then to turn it into lost and found, which was all the way across the fairgrounds once again. (This is difficult as one must deal with driving slowly through all the pedestrian traffic in between thoroughfares.) I hurried back to the office only to find the owner of the wallet, a young mother holding her baby, crying. She was beside herself, not knowing what to do. When I walked in with the wallet, she hugged me and called me an angel. What a moment. I told her, " I'm not an angel, God was just looking out for you. I just happened to be there." As I made my way back to gate seven I thought, were all those wrong turns a coincidence or truly an intervention....you decide.
Finally, I must stress that it's the people who make my experiences at the Kansas State Fair so incredible. Most of the people I interact with would never cross my path outside of this unique atmosphere. My last story brought us all a warm heart followed by a week long chuckle.
Half way through our week, our fearless leader Linda, was recognized for her long work hours, in an odd way. One of the vendors that sells products in a building near ours, and shares our parking area noticed that a car was always there when he came to work in the morning and after he left late at night. The car was always parked in the same place. He felt it never moved and was concerned that the person it belonged to might be hurt or missing. He called the highway patrol to report this and asked for a welfare check. The car belongs to our supervisor Linda. She works very long hours, arriving at the fair before anyone in our office and leaving after we have all left. She always parks in the same place. The vender did not know this. The highway patrol asked the administration staff to verify that Linda was fine. When asked , Linda said yes, she was fine and thought nothing of it. Linda later learned that had they not been able to actually "put eyes on her" for her "welfare check" at her age there would have been a "Silver alert" enacted across the state. Oh my! Needless to say, Linda suffered all week long being teased about surviving a "Silver Alert" while diligently working the Kansas State fair. One of her workers even had a cake made to commemorate her survivor status. The vender showed a kindness in caring about someone's welfare. We enjoyed the silliness in the aftermath.
