Brave riders tackle G-Force
<p>Riley Stanwood, 10, of Whitefish, was the first to ride the G-Force at the Northwest Montana Fair on Wednesday.</p>
For the 200 or more people waiting in the baking sun Wednesday for the Northwest Montana Fair’s ticket booths to open, one thing made it all worth it.
The rides.
New to the fair carnival this year is the G-Force, a spinning centrifugal contraption that allows riders to flip while they get thrown in a giant Nolan Ryan-esque arch.
Despite a slow start at the ticket booths in which sun-drenched fair-goers waited nearly half an hour after the carnival and midway were slated to open to purchase tickets, the rides were started up and carnival workers waited to dole out stuffed animals to the deserving few.
Riley Stanwood, 10, was the first person in Northwest Montana to take on the G-Force.
“I’m dizzy,” he said. “It was slowing down so I thought it was done and then it reversed!”
Stanwood, who turns 11 next week, came with his mother, Christal, and 7-year old sister Madison. The family lives in Whitefish.
“He loves these rides,” Christal said. “He’s been to the fair in Houston before and I’m taking him to Silverwood tomorrow.”
The G-Force costs 10 carnival tickets or three in addition to a ride wristband, so it isn’t exactly cheap (each ticket costs a dollar), but Riley certainly felt he got his money’s worth.
So did his mom.
“I bought 25 tickets, so this one ride is taking up most of his,” she said. “But he’s having fun. He’ll probably want to take a nap when we get home.”
Up in the air for almost 10 minutes, Stanwood was quite quiet, although he contends the ride is a 20 on 10-point scale.
His sister was the first on the Twizzler, a clanking whirling dervish that has become a fair staple.
Other young people and parents braved the 90 degree heat and long lines to get a taste of the G-force and the other rides.
The carnival operated by North Star Amusements and Paradise Amusements opens at noon today, 1 p.m. Friday and noon on Saturday and Sunday at the Flathead County Fairgrounds in Kalispell.
Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.