Hampton, 6, and Hadleigh, 8, make up their own high-wire act over the lines that power the Midway rides.

Their front yard is a transit road that separates the row of employee trailer homes from the Midway.

The kids sometimes join Dad as he 'takes a lap.' Chris is a Midway supervisor who is on-call 24 hours a day; he typically works an 18-hour day. His commute to work is 20 steps.

Chris checks in with fellow employees on his lap. The kids are interested for awhile, but like any child who goes to work with a parent, they create their own amusements, even in the midst of a huge amusement park.

Hadleigh and Hampton get a back-stage look at the eagerly awaited new ride on the Midway, The Haunted Mansion, crafted in and imported from Italy. Hampton got his wish to be the first to ride the new thriller. Their days are full of these behind-the-scenes and first-in-line benefits.

Hadleigh is often curious and asks a lot of questions about the Midway.

Not every question gets the desired response. Allison sets boundaries; she's very aware that her children are being raised at a carnival full of temptations.

Hampton takes some alone time as he adjusts to his new space after a 12-hour day in the truck.

Hampton always longs for more time with his Dad. Chris returns to the trailer every few hours, and plays with Hampton in their ‘yard' between the trailers and the Midway.

Hadleigh makes up her own game on the cement stairs behind their trailer; Chris is very proud that his children play on the same hill used by carnival kids for decades, going back 80 years to when the Royal American Carnival pulled into town in train cars.

Energetic Hampton is often underfoot. The fairs are huge; their trailer is small. The kids share a bedroom. Even in their 'real' home, where the kids have their own bedrooms, they often sleep in the same room.

This family is tight.

The kids are home-schooled by Allison, previously an elementary school teacher. Allison and Chris often try to include Missouri in their fair circuit so that the kids can attend a renowned 'fair school' tailored for traveling children.

Hadleigh loves her trips to the local half-price bookstore, where Allison stocks up on books and educational toys for the kids. Allison plans daily activities for the kids to experience the cities they are in, ranging from local parks, museums, and memorials.

Hadleigh is the insatiable reader. Visitors to the trailer are regularly greeted with the accounting of how many books Hadleigh finished that day. Hadleigh hopes to one day write her own book.

Hadleigh goes to a birthday party for a ‘neighbor’ who lives down the transit road. The neighbor is an adult, a co-supervisor with Chris.

A giant Midway full of prizes and treats can be tiring, boring, and seen enough.

The kids wait for Mom, as Allison connects with old friends during an impromptu encounter. The kids have a few friends at various fairs, and they remember these friends from year to year, but they are never certain who will be there.

Hampton and Hadleigh are each other’s best friends.

While on the road, Chris and Allison take time to run their family's food concession truck in their home state. “Big Al’s ShakeUps" was started by Allison’s father, Al; she met Chris when he applied for a job. Chris regularly monitors his job opportunities, as they sometimes change while on the road. As well, the family makes plans for more travel during their four winter months of fair furlough.

A holiday postcard highlights the Walden's six-week trip to the Middle East and Europe. The idea for the trip was born while on the fair circuit when the family missed the last train after a late-night local football game and decided to walk the several mile, two hour trek home. When Chris and Allison saw the kids could go the distance, the green light was on for an even longer journey.

Through texts, Chris keeps me current with the family's adventures, and to show-and-tell the past. As toddlers, Hampton and Hadleigh shared the stage with 'The World of Wonders' (formerly called 'the freak show').

This common rite of passage, losing a tooth, occurred on the midway.

Hadleigh was once the child looking in to buy tickets.

Today Hadleigh, as the young adult, looks out from 'Big Al's Shakeups.' Chris proudly reports that Hadleigh has learned to ask customers, “Wouldn’t a funnel cake go well with that fruit drink?"

Chris's love of fairs includes attention to every detail of the Midway. He left a career as an architect to 'run away with the circus', he laughs.

Hampton now follows his father's stance, marking the midway concrete for the placement of the rides.

Hampton stands tall as the poster child for the 2021 Wisconsin State Fair.

Like any child, Hadleigh and Hampton were once charmed and dwarfed by the bright lights and prizes.

Today they navigate a carnival in confidence. It is their turf.

Will they will follow in the fair-loving footsteps of their parents and grandparents? Or will they someday want to walk their own path?

I can't wait to read Hadleigh's book.