Headed out and down the street around quarter of 11. We cut through a quiet, lovely Newton Lake Park and down the road to Collingswood. Today was their annual May Fair. Every year on the Saturday before Memorial Day, they hold a huge, blocks-spanning fair on the section of Haddon Avenue that runs through the town. They were already mobbed at 11, with music playing at stage on the corner of Collings and Haddon.
Our first stop was the Farm Market. On the day of the Fair, they're on a side street. Ducked through another crowd watching a juggler and magician perform his act, then around the big booth from the farm in Cherry Hill. The Farm Market was so packed, we could barely move. I was hoping for spring peas, but they only had strawberries. I bought a pint of those, and we headed back on the sidewalk.
As we made our way to the other side, we ran across the booth selling crocheted stuffed animals. I've bought Lauren gifts from her before. We both did very well. Lauren got a purple pig and a lavender kitty. I found a bear done in navy and burgundy and a pig in yellow and berry-colored yarn. The piggy is Berry Muffin, and the bear is Burgundy.
The reason I wanted to take Lauren to the fair was to show her the Classic Car Show. It's nearly five blocks and more than a 100 cars ranging from a 1910's Ford to a 1992 truck. Lauren took many pictures. Her favorite was a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner the same shade of purple as the irises in local gardens. I liked the sporty Camaro in bright red-orange. I saw a Cheetos-themed car, and a bright pink and white Chevrolet with a tray of food on the window that was popular with little girls.
Strolled around the booths next, at least as well as we could with the crowds. I didn't buy anything else, but Lauren found a cute bucket hat in a blue and white print. She burns easily, but I suspect her corduroy baseball cap may have been too hot for the almost 80-degree day.
I needed to stop at PNC, since it's on that side of Haddon Avenue. The inside ATM had a long line...but no one was at the outside ATMs, and the drive-through was likely closed, due to the fair. We both picked up money and moved on.
We don't have kids and didn't really need to stick around for the midway. The train is a block from PNC, so we figured it was time to get away from the crowds. We bought our tickets, and though there were quite a few people there, the train to Haddonfield still wasn't even half-full. It's a less than five minute trip to Haddonfield, anyway. We walked off at their underground train station.
Haddonfield is known for its wide variety of restaurants, including the British Chip Shop. We've eaten there before when we were together, and I hadn't gone there in a while. Unfortunately, when we got across the street, we discovered they were closed for the Memorial Day Weekend.
No matter. The Bistro across the street and a block down is just as good. In fact, it's really my favorite place to eat in Haddonfield. They were busy, but it only took about 5 minutes to be seated in their shady outdoor area. Lauren had their enormous Italiano panini sandwich. I had a "Chocolate Hazelnut Dream," a crispy waffle topped with bananas and Nutella. She let me share their tasty fries that were more like thick chips.
The reason we came up to Haddonfield to begin with was the RAM Arcade. They recently opened in a small storefront on Haddon Avenue. Jessa mentioned them last night, and we thought it might be something fun and different. Like Pastime Pinball in Vermont, this is a working museum. It has a lot more than just vintage pinball games, though. The games I saw today ranged from the 1978 black and white Space Invaders to the 1991 Simpsons arcade game. Among the games I played today were Q-Bert, Mr. Do's Castle, Donkey Kong Jr, Pac Man, Dig Dug, Galaga, Frogger, Asteroids, and Centipede. I actually did best at Q-Bert. At least, I got to the second round, which I don't think I've ever been able to do before. There were four pinball games in the back, but only Black Knight and No Fear worked. I played them, too, along with a carnival-themed shooting game.
(Incidentally, if you're looking for something fun and inexpensive to do with older kids and teens to distract them for an hour, I highly recommend this place. It's only 8 dollars for an hour session, a steal in pricey Haddonfield.)
Since the train tracks are on the other side of Haddonfield, we decide to walk back to Westmont. It was too nice of a day to be inside, anyway. Though it was warmer, it also remained sunny and dry. The stiff wind felt great as we hiked down Haddon Avenue.
We wet our whistles at Primo's Water Ice in Westmont. They're one of the best water ice and ice cream parlors in the area, with a wide variety of flavors. Lauren went with sugar free lemon. I had their creamy coconut. Yum. Tasted like real cream of coconut. Lauren said her lemon was so good, you couldn't tell it didn't have real sugar. We enjoyed our treats on a bench outside, listening to two other sets of women and a mother and her children chatter and eat their water ice and ice cream.
It was past 4 when we finished. Samaritan Thrift closes at 3, but Phidelity Records stays open late on weekends. We explored the shop far more thoroughly than I did a few weeks ago. Lauren came up with a pile of CDs. I found a set of Mae West's best movies (including My Little Chickadee and I'm No Angel), The Brass Bottle with Tony Randall and Barbara Eden, and A Manheim Steamroller Christmas.
Made our way across Haddon to WaWa after we got out for drinks. We'd considered going down to the small Target, but it was nearly 5:30. Rush hour on Cuthbert is no fun at any time of the week, but it's especially a pain on weekends. I ended up calling Uber. That may have been the smart thing to do. He picked us up in less than a minute and dropped us off in less than five, even with the traffic.
Spent the next few hours after we got settled in watching more Hogan's Heroes. "The Scientist" is captured Frenchman Henry DuBois, whom the Nazis are forcing to work for them. LeBeau and Newkirk have to pass themselves off as scientists in order to get the real DuBois and his daughter out of the country. (And I suspect Robert Clary resembling a French Jerry Lewis was intentional, considering the popularity of his movies in the 60's and with the French.)
After they inadvertently let the money needed to pay off an informant burn up in their stove, Hogan, Newkirk, and LeBeau concoct "The Great Brinksmeyer Robbery" in order to get more. Hogan romances the young woman whose apartment abuts the bank and gets her drunk, while the other two get the money and even repair her wall.
"Hogan and the Lady Doctor" puts the Heroes under the orders of Dr. Suzanne Lechay, a noted French chemist on the run from the Germans. She turns herself in to them in order to have access to a lab where they're working on a synthetic fuel. Hogan doesn't like her doing it when the Getstopo takes over the lab, but she insists on it. He and the guys find a way to help her out anyhow.
We switched to Season 6 for "Kommendant Schultz." Schultz is given the run of Stalag 13 for a while...and proves to be such a tyrant, Hogan and the boys tries to find a way to get him pulled from duty. He's not to be persuaded, though...until Klink comes back.
"Eight O'Clock and All Is Well"....except maybe for the new prisoner who is making everyone a little nervous. He seems legit, but the Heroes have been fooled before. They find a way to keep him off their trail and blow up a major supply train.
Klink lets the prisoners make "The Big Record" and put out recordings to send home. Hogan has other plans for the equipment besides sending messages to their families. It may come in handy to record a top secret meeting going on the mess hall that no one will let them near.
Finished the night online after dinner and a shower. The Match Game Classics marathons resumed with a salute to Dick Gautier. Best known for being the original Conrad Birdie in the Broadway Bye Bye Birdie and for playing Hymie the Robot on Get Smart, Gautier's enormous ego, goofy sense of humor, and excellent artwork on his cards really livened up his appearances from 1973 to 1977. He was a good sport about being on the receiving end of teasing, too. In one of my favorite episodes from 1977, the lower tier played the upper tier when they all matched the contestant. Funny as Richard was playing Brett, it was the ladies who stole the show. Fannie Flagg was a perfectly hysterical Charles Nelson Reilly, and Jo Ann Pflug was a riot as Dick, complete with huge smile.
Bring your best artwork along to join this hilarious look at one of the show's funniest hunks!
Tomorrow, we take another longer trip, this time to the Gloucester Outlets to walk around there and check out Dave and Buster's.
(And...by the time I finally got online, it was too late for reviews. I'll do it tomorrow.)
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