County Fair 2006 was my first at Parker. The theme: “The Adventures of Parker.” After sharing popcorn with my parents in my JK classroom, we wander through the courtyard, my wobbly 4-year-old legs barely able to keep up with my brain. I’m so excited I don’t know where to begin, but I spot my Big Brothers and Sisters at the newly-rebranded “Senior Barbecue,” still affectionately known as “Senior Weiner” by students and families.

Since that County Fair, many of the beloved booths I visited and/or operated have disappeared, replaced with culturally-sensitive or allergy-friendly options. The end of each respective booth disappoints me at first because of the fond memories with which I associate it, but I have come to understand the reasoning behind its removal. This year, though, I remain confused over the elimination of the booth that would’ve been my own.

This year, the class of 2020 was told that the “Senior Barbecue” tradition would not be continued. It was presented as an “opportunity for the 12th grade to create a new tradition” and met with hearty opposition from the senior class––even the vegetarians.

The 12th grade County Fair booth was one I consistently looked forward to. It was a place to connect––a booth whose offerings were meant for the entire community, from Junior Kindergarteners to parents to faculty. It was a rite of passage––for generations, seniors had donned matching t-shirts and served hungry County Fair-goers, even after the cafeteria staff took over the grilling. It caused controversy, too, particularly over the “Senior Weiner” innuendos of recent years. But no matter its name, the 12th grade booth was a County Fair cornerstone for the first 13 years of my Parker tenure.

And the seniors were genuinely invested. At 18, the oldest in the building, it’d be all too easy to adopt a “this is stupid and childish” mentality around County Fair––especially for those who’d been to 14 of them. But not once did I see or hear a senior complain about having to collect tickets or pile a hot dog high with ketchup and relish.

The Senior Weiner is dead, the latest victim of dilution at the hands of our administration. Some of the other recently eliminated booths have lineage which can be traced back to racist practices or raise concerns about animal cruelty. And though the “Senior Weiner” jokes were targetless and not maliciously intended, it is fair for the administration to assert that those jokes may cause unintended harm. But the reason the seniors were given for the discontinuation of the Senior Weiner was that “Quest was handling all food production this year,” stifling any room for conversation or opportunity for the seniors to prove their ability to maintain an appropriate environment in the interest of keeping the tradition of the Senior Weiner alive. 

Last year’s County Fair––during which the seniors wore blue t-shirts designed by a student and funded by an anonymous parent that read, “The Senior Weiner, established 1901, always hot and fresh”––drew debate over privilege. While the school’s worries about equity are certainly valid in that situation, it could have easily become a teachable moment for the class of 2019 and younger classes. To shut the entire booth down, ending a tradition that has existed for nearly as long as County Fair itself, is to act in the interest of image preservation over the interests of the student body.

So may the tradition of the vanquished Senior Weiner live on in our memories, and may the Parker community question and challenge administrative silence surrounding its removal.