Tales of corn chowder, cotton candy and credit cards
DAN MEYER Political Columnist
Some random thoughts and first-hand observations related to some of my recent travels, as well as some brief analysis on some topics that may or may not be making headlines as we enter the unofficial "dog days of summer" portion of the calendar for those who live in Western New York:

• Another year in the books for the Eden Corn Festival, one of the best summer celebrations in this region. The Corn Fest has been a destination for family and friends to gather for 45 years now, with the recently concluded festival ranking in my book as one of the more enjoyable experiences I've had in quite some time.

The organizers of the Corn Fest hit a home run this year, finding the perfect blend of family-oriented attractions, tasty treats and musical entertainment. Kudos to the many volunteers who helped make the event such a success.

• The corn-on-the-cob eating contest is always a spectacle that is enjoyed by hundreds of festival-goers who come to Eden to enjoy the annual celebration of corn.

This year's winner gobbled down the kernels from 16 ears of corn in just three minutes. The man is a machine, and I am just one of the many onlookers who bowed down to his impressive eating antics.

• Speaking of festivals, my attendance of the big gathering in Eden meant I was unable to attend the annual Onion Festival, an event I was unaware of until I happened to stumble upon some online photographs that documented the big party in the Town of Elba.

Apparently Elba, a quaint little town in Genesee County, is known in the farming industry as being the "onion capital of the world," and the Onion Fest is a big deal to the fine folks of that community.

Grab me some tissues as I mark the calendar for next year's honoring of the onion. I do have one question though — are the contestants in the onion-eating contest allowed to finely chop up the tear-producing vegetable, or do they just bite into it like it is an apple?

• Back to the Corn Fest for some thoughts about one of America's favorite festival foods.

Cotton candy is basically pure sugar. And I love the stuff. Over the past 10 years, I have probably eaten my weight in it when you figure out how many times I've ordered a stick of the colorfully spun sugar.

But after reading a recent article online about the "dangers" (and yes, the word danger was used) of certain summer festival foods, I'm starting to second-guess myself and wonder if my fascination — heck, it may be a borderline obsession — with cotton candy may have something to do with my current mental state.

Research from a recent medical report suggested the food coloring used in cotton candy is linked to hyperactive behavior and decreased intelligence.

Insert your own punch line here.

• Candy apples: I hate 'em. In fact, I don't know if I've ever finished one. That hard sugar candy coating is usually too thick for me to get my choppers close enough to the actual fruit buried inside. Sorry, it's just not for me. Same goes with caramel apples.

• My favorite delicacy at this year's Corn Fest was the corn chowder. The gang from the Eden United Methodist Church sure know what they are doing. It's just too bad I couldn't figure out a way to barter with the cashier and take myself home an entire crock of the stuff — I would have gladly traded them a dozen candy apples.

• Two more friends from my college days at Buffalo State recently declared bankruptcy. Both admitted to me it was the excessive use of credit cards that wreaked havoc on their personal finances. Simply thinking "I'll just pay for it later" was the answer they often used whenever they pulled out the plastic to make a purchase.

But my one college chum — and I hope even after reading this that he remains a friend — still hasn't accepted total responsibility, claiming it was the "crazy credit cards" that did him in, not his own decision-making.

Chris, the cards aren't crazy. Using one of them to purchase $800 worth of Superman comic books is.

(Daniel Meyer is a columnist for the Weekly Independent Newspapers of Western New York. Comments on this column can be sent via e-mail to: meyersmusings@gmail.com. Opinions expressed here are those of the author.)