They’re setting up as we speak for my least favorite waterfront festival of the year – the Pepsi Waterfront Festival.

What, you say? What could be more fun than carnival rides, corn dogs, and the chance to win a prize? Well – call me a crank if you like, but I’m no fan of the Waterfront Festival, as my two children already sadly can attest.

Don’t get me wrong – I love carnival rides – the faster, the better. I love corn dogs. And winning prizes? I’m there, baby. But I’m also no fan of crowds, and don’t much like slogging through the mud (it rains every single year, doesn’t it?), I don’t much like having to take out a loan in order to attend the thing. And some of those rides look decidedly unsafe, don’t they? In short, I’ve become a true Oregonian – I now agree with the hordes of other PDX-ers who think it should just be abolished already.

If you feel like I do? Head out tomorrow instead to Oaks Park, where they’re celebrating the 100th anniversary with ride tickets on sale from 12 to 1 for only 32 cents a piece normally a buck seventy-five!). Or make the trip next week, when it’s much less expensive and annoying than a trip downtown, I’d bet.

Are you a fan of the Pepsi Waterfront Festival? If so, tell me why I should reconsider it. And if you agree with me? Share your reasons below…