Queen of the Midway
Hot Dog Nellie
My Grandpa, Pamp, used to say,
“Oh child, remember—once you step on a spiritual path,
you can never, ever step off again.”
What path are you on?
The Merry-Go-Round was my babysitter. Growing up, I spent my summers in the carnival. I stayed with my grandparents, Pamp and Hot Dog Nellie, in the Blue Goose.
When I was seventeen, Pamp died in my arms at the Pike County Fair.
I had to choose — walk away from the show, or make the money to begin my college career at The Ohio State University.
Three weeks later, I opened the Apple Dart game at the Ohio State Fair. I marched into press headquarters and announced, “I’m Queen of the Midway, and I want you to write my story.”
And they did.
Two years later, I was hired as a full-time reporter at The Columbus Dispatch.