The Daily Citizen, Dalton, GA

Jimmy Espy

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August 1, 2009

Jimmy Espy: Revisiting the park

The world dropped out from under me.

That’s what happened about 30 seconds into a ride on the legendary Cannonball at Lake Winnepesaukah on Saturday.

It was my first visit to the park in 30-plus years.

Clan Espy gathered for this outing — wife, daughter, brothers, sisters, significant others, cousins, nieces and nephews.

My memories of Lake Winnie have been whittled down by time but almost all of them are good ... except for the less-than-sterling occasion I wolfed down a couple of chili dogs and a pile of ketchup-drenched fries before getting on a Tilt-a-Whirl and then having to pay the price demanded by the Gods of Wretched Excess. (I tossed my cookies).

At 47 I was a little smarter, at least until I allowed myself to be goaded into strapping into the Cannonball. (No one’s going to call me “a big, fat sissy boy!”)

Wife Alison was at my side as we ascended the first peak. I looked to her for reassurance. Her eyes were closed tightly and she was making the sign of the cross.

Not too reassuring.

Well, what goes up ...

Whoosh!

Down we hurtled, gravity giving way as my large carcass rose slightly from the seat.

The first drop on the Cannonball is the big one, but before you can catch your breath the smaller ones follow.

Up and down, up and down at breakneck speed.

A turn to the right.

Then a series of smaller, but still soul-jarring dips later followed by a rapid stop.

We survived.

I looked at Alison. She looked at me. We looked like we shared a makeup man with Casper the Friendly Ghost.

Shakily I walked away from the Cannonball — no “big, fat sissy boy after all.”

Speaking of fat, c’mon America, we’ve got to lose some weight, and when I say we I definitely include my 250-pound keister. There were a lot of really fat people at Lake Winnie and you can’t convince me that all of them have “slow metabolisms” or “weight issues.”

We’re just fat, people! Don’t eat so much. Get a little exercise. I will if you will.

It was hotter than heck on Saturday but that did not discourage The Little Ones — Rowan, Emma and Isabel — from riding everything in the park. I think they would have jumped on one of those huge Lake Winnie carp if we told them it was OK.

The giant carp was one of the things I remembered from my Lake Winnie visits all those years ago. Sure enough they, or their descendants, are still lazing around, living off goodies provided for free to them by others.

I suspect the carp are Obama voters.

My one big disappointment of the day was The Castle. When I was a kid I loved that ride. The cart moved slowly through two levels of haunted house jammed with things designed to raise the hair on the back of your neck.

I had been telling my daughter about that ride for weeks, promising her thrills galore.

Didn’t happen.

The old girl just ain’t what she used to be. The ride has been shortened considerably and most of the spooky items I remembered (or thought I remembered) so fondly have been taken out.

Still, it was quite a day.

Who would have thought six hours in the broiling sun could pass so quickly.

I hope Lake Winnie lives on for another 30-plus years so one day my daughter can go there with her kids and show them the Cannonball, the Matterhorn, the Boat Chute and the place were Grandpa Jimmy threw up.



Jimmy Espy is executive editor of The Daily Citizen. He blogs at Jimmyespy@blogspot.com

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Jimmy Espy