Just got done taking the grandkids to the Bull Run light show. It was okay, but at the end of the GD thing they had a little Santa carnival they didn't tell us about or give us a heads up. Shit. WE HAD TO RIDE RIGHT NEXT TO THE FORKER. There was no way in hell I was going to spend more than $20 admission to have to turn around and spend $50 on 5 silly rides and shit to eat. Suffice to say, the kids balled themselves silly all the way home and granddad is now the biggest ass ever. Thanks Parks Authority! Shmucks!! Merry Xmas, my ass!

"Suffice to say, the kids balled themselves silly all the way home and granddad is now the biggest ass ever."

ROFL...that cracked me up. But dude, haven't you seen those rides there? I've driven by them at least 100 times in the last month (they are visible from 66).

Do you mean to tell us that your grandkids have you wrapped around your finger? If they were good kids and you simply explained to them that the purpose of the drive was to see the lights - and not go to the carnival, then things would have been OK. Or, is it because their parents never say "NO", so they figure they can manipulate you too so they can get their way?

Heck, maybe the balling was their best lesson of the night, the month or even the year. Don't feel guilty about this. As a grandparent, there are plenty of bonding things you can do with your grandchildren without having to open up your wallet for some major spending each time you see them.

Santa's Village & Carnival are fully publicized on the website, in all the articles written by newspaper reporters, and from I-66. Talking to Santa is free, a tractor-pulled hayride through more smaller light displays is free, warming up by the fire pit is free, kid's drawing crafts inside a tent are free, and another large Christmas Tree light show coordinated to music is free. $6 gets you a bag of marshmallows and some long sticks to toast them at the fire pit. Hot chocolate is also available for a small charge, as well as a small fee for a picture with Santa. Many parts of the above are just the type of Christmas outing experience that many families are looking for.

The dozen or so carnival rides are 3-4 tickets each. You can buy individual tickets, a sheet of 30 tix, or a wrist band for all rides. It has been so cold that most kids are frozen and done after 2-3 rides anyway.

Or just not do the carnival and focus on the 'free' stuff.

All in all, Bull Run puts on a decent event.

I would be very concerned if the grandkids really were balling!

Now, if grandpa is a dumb fuck that can't spell, and he meant bawling, as in crying, then that's OK.

You're an idiot. I've taken my family to Festival of Lights for years. Some years we have gone to the Carnival, other years we haven't. The grandkids will only think you are an ass if you act like an ass (like crying in front of them about how fucked up the Park Authority is instead of being an adult and saying, "Sorry kids. Maybe next time.")

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You're a cheap fuck, grandpa. Don't bother stopping by next year, cuz we ain't going with your sorry ass!

last white guy in centreville Wrote:
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> "Suffice to say, the kids balled themselves silly
> all the way home and granddad is now the biggest
> ass ever."
>
> ROFL...that cracked me up. But dude, haven't you
> seen those rides there? I've driven by them at
> least 100 times in the last month (they are
> visible from 66).

Hey, fella....I rarely drive 66 because of the *ssh*les that infest the road. Plus, there's no indication that the "rides" are anything more than bullshit bull run light art. I did not realize that some of the crap there was free. Of course, the good stuff all costs and that's the shit the kids would want to do. Merrigold shitfest, why the hell don't they put signs up at the beginning of the damn thing or better yet, put if off in a more remote part of the park with a sign at the end of the light show saying "Go here 1/2 mile for Santa's $50-a-head shop".

On a lighter note, the kids all gave me a hug before they left with there parents for Atlanta. Amazing what a surprise $5 will get ya.

Hey gramps, most gradkids cherish the years they are able to spend with their grandparents for the rest of their lives. The memories of going on some amusement rides and sipping hot chocolate on a cold Christmas night with your grand dad stay with you your whole life.

Too bad all your grand kids will remember is what a tightfisted, cheap old cranky bastard grampa was.

You're tighter than bark on a tree, gramps. Why don't you enjoy life and spend a little money so the kids have something to remember you by? Like they say, you can't take it with you.

The grandkids are going to remember two grandpas...Grandpa Awesome and Grandpa Asshole. Guess which one the OP will be.

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http://bible.cc/1_corinthians/13-11.htm

15 years and it's the same shitty boring lights. I see better lights going around my neighborhood

Checked out the chrismassie lights in Fairfax City last week beside the old Huddleston library downtown. It was kind of cute how the lights and the christmas music went together
i swear the trees looked like they were moving but it could have been too much christmas cheer
worth the 10 minutes i spent
think this was designed by same folks who designed the bull run light show