This year’s Spokane County Interstate Fair, Sept. 9-18, will have everything from candy corn to carnival rides, and Erin Gurtel, director of the Spokane County Fair & Expo, is ready to get the festivities started.
This year marks the 18th anniversary of the fair and the fourth as director.
“There’s a real adrenaline rush you get from planning, building, executing,” Gurtel said.
The most popular attractions are the food, animals and concerts. But according to Gurtel, everyone can find something they like at the fair.
“There’s a lot more to the fair than just concerts,” she said.
Especially travel.
“Carnival is something that people really enjoy,” she said.
For Andrea Stillwell, director of Butler Amusements, the carnival ride business is a family affair. She started at Butler Amusements in 2001 when her father, an employee, helped her get a summer job there.
This year, Butler Amusements will offer 36 rides for the carnival area of the fair. Unlike many other attractions, fairground rides give attendees an adrenaline rush.
“It’s not something you get to experience on a regular basis,” Stillwell said.
Stillwell said the fair’s most popular rides are the Zillerator roller coaster, the Yo-Yo and Lolli swings, the Wacky Worm family roller coaster and the Century Wheel. While some rides, like the Zillerator, are more suited to thrill seekers, rides like the classic Century Wheel appeal to more cautious riders.
The Zillerator is the biggest roller coaster in the carnival, while the Wacky Worm is a roller coaster designed for both children and adults. The Yo-Yo is the biggest and fastest swing ride, but the Lolli swing appeals to kids and adults alike who are more comfortable with a smaller swing ride.
The Century Wheel, also known as the Ferris wheel, gives viewers a more relaxing ride coupled with a bird’s eye view of the fairgrounds.
“The Wheel of the Century is probably the favorite because it’s the longest ride at the carnival,” she said.
First unveiled at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, replicas of the original Ferris wheel have been fan favorites at carnivals ever since. But the oldest operating ride at this year’s fair is the 1985 Hampton Corvettes ride, consisting of eight Corvettes driving around, all shaded under a large umbrella.
“Everything else is much newer than that,” Stillwell said.
Most of the rides at Hampton are designed for younger children to enjoy. Despite being some of the lesser known rides offered by the carnival, Stillwell likes the fact that they introduce a younger crowd to the carnival rides.
The Zipper, a ride complete with rotating passenger capsules attached to an elongated Ferris wheel-like hub, is a bona fide classic ride known for its speed and intensity.
“I’m a big fan of his,” Stillwell said. “I don’t know why it doesn’t get as many tickets as some of our more popular rides. It’s one of the top three rides that people think of when they think of a carnival.”
Although Stillwell is a fan of the ride, she can understand why some carnival-goers would want to avoid it.
“It’s not for everyone,” she said. “It’s only for people who want the biggest thrill.”
“We continue to offer Zipper at most of our events because there is so much demand from each of our fairs,” she said. “Most don’t realize it’s one of our lesser known rides.”
The COVID-19 pandemic caused Butler Amusements to close from March 2020 to April 2021. But Stillwell said her industry saw a big boost in the post-pandemic world.
“We were seeing record numbers of attendees after COVID-19 because they were so tired of gathering at home,” she said.
“We are grateful to be allowed to safely experience outdoor events again.”
Gurtel hopes the Spokane County Fair & Exposition will also see a good return this year.
“I really hope it’s going to be a great fair,” she said. “What I’m hearing from other fairs in the region is that they’re having tremendous years.”
Regardless of the participation, she is ready to enjoy her favorite part of the job.
“The most exciting part of the fair for me is seeing all the smiles on the faces,” she said.
Molly Wisor is a member of the Spokesman-Review Teen Journalism Institute, a paid high school summer internship program funded by Bank of America and the Innovia Foundation. As the only paid high school newspaper internship in the country, it’s for local students between the ages of 16 and 18 who work directly with senior editors and reporters in the newsroom. All stories written by these interns can be reprinted by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information, please contact the managing editor of our newspaper.
