This weekend I spent two days in Winchester, Virginia, at its annual Apple Blossom Festival. “The Bloom,” as the locals call it, is no joke, drawing tens of thousands to this otherwise two-bit town for a few days of diversion and merriment.

It’s good to see that in this crass and jaded world in which we now live there are certain glimmers of Americana for us to discover. Winchester is where real Americans live doing real American things in real American small towns. The festival is sort of a family-friendly version of Mardi Gras meets the Kentucky Derby. Sadly, though, I must report that within the last few years the locals did discover one trick the rest of the world learned years ago: that fair food and games should be as overpriced as they are in airports and wartime. (Joke was on them, though, as nice weather is still free.)

Kudos, Winchester, for another fine Bloom. See ya next year!