About the Mighty Thomas Carnival
The Mighty Thomas Carnival appears at the 2015 Rapides Parish Fair, in Alexandria, October 14-18, 2015. The traveling show will provide thrilling rides, fun games, and tasty carnival treats for the 34th year at the NEW fairgrounds located on Highway 71 South. Founded in 1928, in Lennox, South Dakota, by Art B. Thomas, the carnival is now based near Austin, Texas, and is providing its 88th season of summer fun and excitement for fair-goers, including 46 events in 11 states. The 2015 tour began at Pearland Winterfest in Texas on January 31, then spent the next four months serving fairs and festivals in the Lone Star State. May brings springtime to the North Central states, and the carnival entertained customers at Morningside Days in Sioux City, Iowa, the company’s oldest engagement - - 66 straight years beginning in 1950, where the rides are set up in the public library parking lot. The show also appears in Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arkansas, and Louisiana before returning to Texas, late in October.
PEOPLE MOVER tram vehicles will be available to transport fairgoers throughout the spacious new fairgrounds. NO charge for this service. NO admission fee to the fairgrounds. NO charge for parking.
A brand new family roller coaster will be seen on the midway this year. The “Wacky Cowboy” was delivered to the carnival in Bismarck, North Dakota, in early June. Setting on a footprint of 92 feet wide and 42 feet deep, the track rises to a height of 22 feet. The Wacky Cowboy was manufactured by Fajume in San Salvador, El Salvador.
And an exciting new Cliffhanger amusement ride with spectacular lighting is reintroduced to the Thomas Carnival midway. The Cliffhanger is the only ride that lets customers fly through the air like Superman.
Monster Trucks: Wisdom Rides of Colorado built this new children’s ride featuring realistic monster trucks with a rear-wheely motion. Each car has sound effects – pickup truck engine sounds. And each rider has a steering wheel – adults may accompany youngsters.
Martian Maze: Adorable Martians are pictured on the scenery of the Martian Maze. Young children climb latters, cross bridges, slide down slides, and walk through a rotating barrel. Martian Maze is found in the Fair’s kiddie-ride area, a family area with benches and picnic tables.
Frog Hopper: Another popular youth ride introduced in 2012, this one with a hopping motion, made by Utah’s S & S Sports. Adults may ride with the youngsters on the Frog Hopper, as well.
Returning favorites include the 100 foot Fun Slide, the Mini Jet with 8 bold ships shaped like barrels melded into fantastic flying airplanes. The ride’s air compressor sends the ships hissing into the air for the imaginary trip over the fairgrounds – the crafts glide smoothly back down to the ground after a 90 second flight. Fun Zone Fun House walk-through starts with fresh and friendly fun cartoon figures painted on the front’s façade. Inside, look for easy obstacles, visual tricks, spinning disks, and an exciting Barrel O Fun- at the exit. Happy Face Bounce: Children under 42 inches enjoy jumping in the Thomas Carnival bounces. Our air-supported jumpers feature Beetles and Happy Faces. The Starship 4000 is Wisdom Manufacturing’s latest update of the archetypal space ship simulation, the feeling of weightlessness never gets old as the ship races around at over 20 revolutions per minute. This ride features groundbreaking technological advances in its mechanical operation as well dazzling new lighting and scenery packages. The centerpiece of the midway is the towering Century Wheel, a 70 foot ferris wheel with gondola-style seating designed to be enjoyed by the entire family (the Century Wheel is Thomas Carnival’s most popular ride.) Other thrilling rides include the spinning Himalaya, the exhilarating Zipper, and the swinging Pharaoh’s Fury. Adventurous ridders enjoy the exciting wave action of the Moby Dick. The Super Shot, a 90-foot tall drop tower, always draws a crowd to watch the hilarious reactions of riders who have just completed the free fall to the bottom. Thomas Carnival classics include the Tilt-a-Whirl, Merry-Go-Round (check out the artwork on the carousel horses) the Crystal Lil’s House of Mirrors, the Dodgem Bumper Cars, the Dizzy Dragons, Tornado and more. In the children’s midway ride area, look for the Barnyard, the Speedway, and the Rio Grande Train (the operator often wears an old-school engineer’s cap and rings a bell as the train departs the station.) The whole family can enjoy the Cobra Coaster, as well as the Up Up and Away and the Airport.
There will be a fabulous “Extreme” riding attraction at the fair this year - - the Speed, brand new in 2012, and it’s huge and sensational. Pricing on this attraction is separate from the normal carnival tickets and wristbands.
Popular carnival games include water races, the duck pond, balloon pop, basketball, break-a-bottle, big ring-o-bottle, grab bag fish ‘til you win game, bulldozer-token push, and the rope ladder. Everyone enjoys the colorful prizes – teddy bears, dogs, frogs, picture mirrors, computer portraits, buttons, t-shirts, wall-hangings and a fantastic array of neat trinkets and novelties. Minions and Stuffed Sprinkled Donuts are popular this year.
Enjoy tasty traditional fair food items on the midway, including corn dogs, foot long hot dogs, caramel and candy apples, nachos, pickles, funnel cakes, pizza, hamburgers, popcorn, cotton candy, sno-cones, and soft drinks. The Midway Pastries has anew-age automated lemon squeezer device made of clear plastic – you can watch the fresh juice being produced and delivered to your own cup. The other stands have catchy names and logos, including the Sugar Barn, the Sweet Spot, and the Midway Grill.
Thomas Carnival facilities include generators and wire, light towers, benches, rest and shade areas, trucks and trailers, repair shops, laundry and uniform facilities, offices and living quarters in addition to the rides, games, and food concessions seen by the public on the midway. One hundred and fifty (150) traveling workers are joined by locally hired employees to set up, operate and then dismantle the show after the Rapides Parish Fair closes late on Sunday, October 18th
PEOPLE MOVER tram vehicles will be available to transport fairgoers throughout the spacious new fairgrounds. NO charge for this service. NO admission fee to the fairgrounds. NO charge for parking.
A brand new family roller coaster will be seen on the midway this year. The “Wacky Cowboy” was delivered to the carnival in Bismarck, North Dakota, in early June. Setting on a footprint of 92 feet wide and 42 feet deep, the track rises to a height of 22 feet. The Wacky Cowboy was manufactured by Fajume in San Salvador, El Salvador.
And an exciting new Cliffhanger amusement ride with spectacular lighting is reintroduced to the Thomas Carnival midway. The Cliffhanger is the only ride that lets customers fly through the air like Superman.
Monster Trucks: Wisdom Rides of Colorado built this new children’s ride featuring realistic monster trucks with a rear-wheely motion. Each car has sound effects – pickup truck engine sounds. And each rider has a steering wheel – adults may accompany youngsters.
Martian Maze: Adorable Martians are pictured on the scenery of the Martian Maze. Young children climb latters, cross bridges, slide down slides, and walk through a rotating barrel. Martian Maze is found in the Fair’s kiddie-ride area, a family area with benches and picnic tables.
Frog Hopper: Another popular youth ride introduced in 2012, this one with a hopping motion, made by Utah’s S & S Sports. Adults may ride with the youngsters on the Frog Hopper, as well.
Returning favorites include the 100 foot Fun Slide, the Mini Jet with 8 bold ships shaped like barrels melded into fantastic flying airplanes. The ride’s air compressor sends the ships hissing into the air for the imaginary trip over the fairgrounds – the crafts glide smoothly back down to the ground after a 90 second flight. Fun Zone Fun House walk-through starts with fresh and friendly fun cartoon figures painted on the front’s façade. Inside, look for easy obstacles, visual tricks, spinning disks, and an exciting Barrel O Fun- at the exit. Happy Face Bounce: Children under 42 inches enjoy jumping in the Thomas Carnival bounces. Our air-supported jumpers feature Beetles and Happy Faces. The Starship 4000 is Wisdom Manufacturing’s latest update of the archetypal space ship simulation, the feeling of weightlessness never gets old as the ship races around at over 20 revolutions per minute. This ride features groundbreaking technological advances in its mechanical operation as well dazzling new lighting and scenery packages. The centerpiece of the midway is the towering Century Wheel, a 70 foot ferris wheel with gondola-style seating designed to be enjoyed by the entire family (the Century Wheel is Thomas Carnival’s most popular ride.) Other thrilling rides include the spinning Himalaya, the exhilarating Zipper, and the swinging Pharaoh’s Fury. Adventurous ridders enjoy the exciting wave action of the Moby Dick. The Super Shot, a 90-foot tall drop tower, always draws a crowd to watch the hilarious reactions of riders who have just completed the free fall to the bottom. Thomas Carnival classics include the Tilt-a-Whirl, Merry-Go-Round (check out the artwork on the carousel horses) the Crystal Lil’s House of Mirrors, the Dodgem Bumper Cars, the Dizzy Dragons, Tornado and more. In the children’s midway ride area, look for the Barnyard, the Speedway, and the Rio Grande Train (the operator often wears an old-school engineer’s cap and rings a bell as the train departs the station.) The whole family can enjoy the Cobra Coaster, as well as the Up Up and Away and the Airport.
There will be a fabulous “Extreme” riding attraction at the fair this year - - the Speed, brand new in 2012, and it’s huge and sensational. Pricing on this attraction is separate from the normal carnival tickets and wristbands.
Popular carnival games include water races, the duck pond, balloon pop, basketball, break-a-bottle, big ring-o-bottle, grab bag fish ‘til you win game, bulldozer-token push, and the rope ladder. Everyone enjoys the colorful prizes – teddy bears, dogs, frogs, picture mirrors, computer portraits, buttons, t-shirts, wall-hangings and a fantastic array of neat trinkets and novelties. Minions and Stuffed Sprinkled Donuts are popular this year.
Enjoy tasty traditional fair food items on the midway, including corn dogs, foot long hot dogs, caramel and candy apples, nachos, pickles, funnel cakes, pizza, hamburgers, popcorn, cotton candy, sno-cones, and soft drinks. The Midway Pastries has anew-age automated lemon squeezer device made of clear plastic – you can watch the fresh juice being produced and delivered to your own cup. The other stands have catchy names and logos, including the Sugar Barn, the Sweet Spot, and the Midway Grill.
Thomas Carnival facilities include generators and wire, light towers, benches, rest and shade areas, trucks and trailers, repair shops, laundry and uniform facilities, offices and living quarters in addition to the rides, games, and food concessions seen by the public on the midway. One hundred and fifty (150) traveling workers are joined by locally hired employees to set up, operate and then dismantle the show after the Rapides Parish Fair closes late on Sunday, October 18th