The State Fair has come once again to the Fairgrounds, bringing rides, fried food and fun for the whole family. However, students feeling the effects of the “economic downturn” may be wondering if the fair is worth the cost of admission. Technician has compiled a brief overview of what a night out at the fair could cost, including rides and various food items.
All costs are tickets per person and are as follows:
Entry Fee: $7
Tickets are offered three ways:
$1 / 1 ticket
$10 / 10 tickets
$20 / 20 tickets
Rides
Intensity Rating Scale:
Nickelback Lead Singer Chad Kroeger: Low
Carson Daly: Medium-Low
Bruce Willis: Medium-High
Chuck Norris: High
Ferris Wheel
Tickets: 5
Intensity: Chad Kroeger
A classic fair ride. Better with a significant other and best if ridden during the fireworks show which starts at 9:30 p.m. every night.
Sizzler
Tickets: 4
Intensity: Carson Daly
A good starting point for newcomers to the fair who really aren’t sure how much adventure they can handle. It’s the typical scrambler-type ride that spins you around side to side, but doesn’t have the elevation change of other rides, like the Spider.
Bumper Cars
Tickets: 3
Intensity: Chad Kroeger
Another ride that won’t upset the timid. Can get pretty annoying when the snotty kid decides to make you his sole target but overall an enjoyable experience. Take a date (because it’s CHEAP) and have fun being the snotty kid to them.
Starship Exodus
Tickets: 4
Intensity: Carson Daly
This ride is basically a large centrifuge with vertical plates that can slide up and down. Once the ride gets up to speed, the plate that you stand up against can slide up and down. While this seems like a disconcerting thought, it ends up being a really fun experience.
Toxic Shock
Tickets: 6
Intensity: Chuck Norris
While expensive, this roller coaster doesn’t look like it was made in 1975 or got left out in the rain all year. In fact, it looks like it’s brand new. This ride, definitely not for the faint of heart, is one to check out. It is worth the price, if not for the excitement, then for the fact that it looks like the track won’t collapse.
Enterprise
Tickets: 5
Intensity: Chuck Norris
Enterprise will definitely scare most of its riders. The carts fit two people and are positioned in a circle around the center. The ride starts with all of the carts spinning around in a circle. Then the ride moves upward until the carts are no longer spinning parallel to the ground but are instead almost perpendicular. It is an intense ride to say the least.
Zipper
Tickets: 4
Intensity: Bruce Willis
The speed of the Zipper is not what will get to the riders. The amount of time spent upside down, staring straight up or somewhere in between will. Not to mention the fact that each cart will rotate freely which adds a miserable rocking motion to the mix. Make sure you are ready for this one.
Alpine Bobs
Tickets: 4
Intensity: Carson Daly
As the track for this ride curls around the center, it moves up and down as if over hills. The speed can be intimidating for some, but it is a nice middle ground between something like the Zipper and say… the Swings. To add an extra bit of spice, make sure to use your body weight to rock the chair sideways!
Spider
Tickets: 4
Intensity: Bruce Willis
As with Toxic Shock, this ride looks almost brand new. It is also somewhat of a mixture between Enterprise and Sizzler. It has three arms with three chairs on each arm that begin spinning. They are then lifted up off the ground. Spider is a small step up from Alpine Bobs next door.
Megadrops
Tickets: 5
Intensity: Chuck Norris
Fans of the Tower of Terror at Disney World will find this ride attractive. The ride elevates to the top of a column, at which point riders get a nice view of the fair. This is then interrupted by quasi-freefall, coming to an end just before crashing into the ground.
Food ($)
Large Drink Refill: 2
Candy Apple: 3
Roasted Corn: 3
Small Drink: 3
Caramel Apple: 4
Nachos: 4
Funnel Cake: 5
Turkey Leg: 7
Gyro: 7
