RAIDER RIDES

I remember the fairgrounds before the war, when a wooden ship and a row of seats could make a youngster feel like a sailor. High Grade Jay must have had something similar in mind when he put Raider Rides together. After all his building in the Commonwealth and Appalachia, he still found a reason to try something a little out of the ordinary.

Jay fitted his ship with log sides, stepped seating, ropes, and bright bunting, then set the whole thing among old metal supports. There is a ticket counter beside the boarding steps, and lanterns pick out the edges of the platform after dark. I spent a good while looking at how he joined those pieces together. A carpenter notices that sort of thing.

The pirate decorations give the place its name, though I have no use for the real raiders roaming these hills. What I appreciate is the care Jay put into this odd little patch of fairground. With the trees all around and the lamps still burning, it reminded me that a man can build something cheerful even after he has seen a hard world.