The Mighty Thomas Carnival is a big success at the Twin Falls County Fair

The Mighty Thomas Carnival has been a part of the Twin Falls County Fair for more than 10 years.
Published: Sep. 4, 2023 at 3:02 PM MDT
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FILER, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — The Twin Falls County Fair wraps up Monday evening, and as always it is Pal Day for the carnival.

The Mighty Thomas Carnival has been a part of the Twin Falls County Fair for more than 10 years, and for president John Hanschen, this fair is special.

“Labor Day for one thing you know, there is only one Labor Day spot a year, so Labor Day is fun, and there is an attitude on the fairgrounds, because it is their last chance to go crazy, I guess,” said Hanschen.

Hanschen says the weather didn’t really keep people away, as every day except Sunday was a record day for the carnival.

The Mighty Thomas Carnival travels all year long to different fairs and festivals, this year they will hit 50 stops with all 200 employees.

After they wrap up in Filer, they head to Salt Lake City for the Utah State Fair beginning on Thursday.

“Top rides every year, every year at every spot is the Century Wheel, Century Wheel is the most ridden ride, in addition, rides like the Starship 4000, Moby Dick and the Pharaoh’s Fury are the big leaders for us, in the kid land area, seems like the Monster Trucks are the most popular,” said Hanschen.

Three of the rides are operated by a separate family… Black Out and Speed as well as the Trampolines.

Tor them, a lot of the work happens before the rides open.

“We inspect the rides, make sure all the employees are in place, do the safety check, make sure if there is any weather conditions we need to be prepared for,” said Kim Sankowsky, an operator.

Kim Sankowsky says to her the best part is seeing the families make memories year after year.

“A lot of times we see families that haven’t seen each other all year, but it’s a tradition to come out here see the family go to the rodeo, ride the rides, sometimes there is bets involved, you know you lost the bet you have to ride Speed with me or whatever, so there are all kinds of traditions that are in place for the fair,” said Sankowsky.

The fair ends Monday evening at 9:00 p.m.

Pal Day is Monday where two wristbands at $40.