I’m becoming something of a connoisseur of children’s television. And yes those may be the nine most embarrassing words I’ve ever had to type. Unfortunately they are true. Of all the children’s television networks out there my favorite has got to be Boomerang Network. They play all the favs I watched when I was growing up and beyond. Nothing brings out the child in a grown man like sitting down to watch a little Bugs Bunny! Except, that is, for maybe one other thing, sitting a grown man behind the wheel of a go- cart.

If I may reference the aforementioned Bugs Bunny; men and motorized vehicles, are a lot like men in hats. Recall with me the classic episode were Bugs and his arch nemeses Elmer Fudd are barraged by a truckload of different hats. Each time the hat changed so did the personality of the wearer. I think the same thing could apply to most males and just about anything with a motor. Sit a city boy in the cab of a pick-up truck and you may detect a slight drawl the next time you hear him speak. Put the average school teacher behind the wheel of a BMW and he becomes as cultured and competent as James Bond. Put any or all of the above into a go- cart and they become boys with aspirations of turning into the next Jeff Gordon or Mario Andretti. 

Ok so I admit that was kind of a long way to go to discuss go- carting, but I think it’s all true nonetheless. Pit my brothers and me against each other on the track and you’d think it was either the Indi 500, or a bad live action version of Burnout. I only know of one place in Tyler or East Texas where grown men can take over a child’s birthday party and relive his dreams of becoming a race car driver, and that’s Fire Mountain Amusements (FMA).

Fire Mountain has two go-cart tracks “for the whole family,” as well as bumper boating, miniature golf, carnival rides and a huge video arcade, (so the kids will have something to do while the dads play). One other nice thing about this park is that parking is free, and visitors only pay for the amusements in which they participate. Visitors buy tickets which they use to pay for admission to the park’s various attractions. The business hours are a bit unusual. During the summer, FMA is open Tuesdays through Thursdays from one to nine pm, on Fridays and Saturdays from one to eleven pm, and on Sundays one to seven pm. During spring and fall they are only open on Fridays from five to eleven pm, Saturdays one to eleven pm, and Sundays one to seven pm.  If I have made it too complicated, or just to find out more about Fire Mountain Amusements, visit their webpage at www.firemountainamusements.com. For reservations or any additional information call their office at 903-561-2670end_of_the_skype_highlighting. FMA is located a Mile South of the Grande Blvd. & Hwy. 155-S.