Thank Blank

Has anyone noticed, and been bothered (or at least perplexed) by the message on the electronic sign at the state fairgrounds the last few days?

(Safety consideration: This is best studied while stuck at the Rosewood red light when heading south on Assembly.)

The message is as follows:

First, the entire sign is filled with the word "Thank"

Then the word dissolves into a picture of the upper part of a clown’s face, and as you watch (waiting for the next word), the clown gives you an animated wink with his right eye.

That is followed by the words, "For a wonderful"

and the message ends with the words, "2005 State Fair"

So, to put it all together, the message is:

Thank (winking clown) for a wonderful 2005 State Fair.

What is that supposed to mean? Did someone forget the word "you," or is the first word supposed to be "Thanks?" If so, whoever made the error has had all week to fix it. I have to wonder whether there’s something I’m not getting about the message. Is the winking clown a reference to Conklin Shows, which used to run the midway (it has been merged into North American Midway Entertainment, the new vendor)? I believe its logo is, or was, a stylized clown face. Would the State Fair folks put up a sign facing the public to thank the (former) private provider in this manner? Seems unlikely. Is the fact that the winking clown is winking at you, the passerby, meant to imply the word "you?" If so, that is one really cryptic use of body language.

Can anyone decode this? As one who went to the fair, I’m assuming this is a message aimed at me, but I’m just not getting it.

3 thoughts on “Thank Blank”

  1. Perplexia

    Be thankful. The clown could have used an all too common hand gesture also associated with the word “you”.

  2. SC Source

    Yes..I think the wink is suppose to imply “You”. Maybe the wink was suppose to be personal or something. State Fair folks need to work on a better Thank You sign for 2006.

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