No ride thrills like the bed race

By MATT BIXENSTINE
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- I spent the first day of my first trip to the Canfield Fair lying in bed under the sun.
I was strapped to a Boy Scout camp cot with a welded metal frame and bicycle wheels as legs. Actually, I wasn't so much strapped down as much as holding on as tight as I could as Scouts pushed me along the fair's north racetrack area, pretending the cot was a bobsled made for dirt.
Needless to say, it wasn't exactly the mattress-induced slumber to which I'm accustomed.
The Mahoning County's Junior Fair Bed Race, now in its fifth or sixth year, has become a full-fledged sport at the Canfield Fair. It's gotten to the point where wooden beds have been replaced with lighter materials and one team had to be told to take off its cleats -- an unfair advantage.
Wednesday, nine teams and 45 participants from various youth groups gathered for the annual race, one of several events sponsored by the junior fair board, a group of more than 40 youths who promote educational exhibits and activities at the Canfield Fair.
Pajamas, nightgowns and other night wear were optional.
"It's not so much the race as it is the fun of building it [the racing bed], making sure it's aerodynamic and drives well," said Carol Ricker, junior fair board adviser.
Here's my team
But at the moment, it's all about the race. I'm lying in bed glaring up into the sun as Scouts Steve Ernst of Struthers, Josh Bodnar of Berlin Center, Steven Gibson of Youngstown, all 17, Jacob Smith of Boardman, 16, and Steven's brother, Tim Gibson, 15, prepare for a siren to sound the race's start.
The quintet made up a bed-racing team known as the Arrowmen, named after a Scouting national honor society to which they belong. They have already won the division for those 14 to 18 and have now strapped me on their mattress to go against the Ko Ko Puffs in the 19-and-older division.
Forget Ferris wheels. My first Canfield Fair ride is going to be 100 yards down a dirt track on a cot.
Because the Arrowmen have just won a race, the Ko Ko Puffs are given a head start, giving my five-man engine extra incentive to catch up.
The siren wails and my team bolts from the starting line. The wind is the first I've felt during this hot, hazy day.
My team digs deep into the dirt and propels me down the track, gaining on the opponent with each passing second. I'm certainly not helping things with the weight disadvantage I've provided.
Cake job
I begin to realize I have the safest "job" on the team. In the 9-to-13-year-old division race held earlier, the two leading teams had their beds collide, sending team members scurrying and allowing the Llama Beans, five participants clad in red, white and blue tie-dye shirts and bandanas, a come-from-behind victory.
Three quarters of the way down the track, my team has almost caught the Ko Ko Puffs, but an obstacle stands in our course in the form of what appears to be horse dung.
We narrowly miss the obstacle and reach the finish line, but our opponent has held off our comeback. Several of my teammates lose their footing as they struggle to slow the cot to a halt.
My teammates rise from the dirt, looking no worse for wear. After all, they're already victors and they have another job to do, lugging the cot back to their campsite.
As for me, I can't wait for my second day at the fair.
mbixenstine@vindy.com