I have always found clowns both bizarre and scary. This kitsch example in Abingdon's annual street Michaelmas Fair rather proves the point.This Fair actually goes back a long way. It started as a medieval hiring fair for rural farmworkers to find work in the local area around Abingdon-on-Thames. Over the years, more and more stalls and fairground rides were added to make it now the longest street fair in Europe, running a mile down the length of the High Street from the market place and down Ock Street.