2 Tribune reporters have a blast at the Mid-State Fair, trying out rides, games and food

The annual California Mid-State Fair has returned to toasty Paso Robles, bringing 12 days of summer fun to San Luis Obispo County.

Naturally, we had to see for ourselves what all the hype was about.

The Tribune sent us, its two bravest reporters, to the fair on Wednesday for a purely professional, fact-finding mission.

We checked out the newest, most-stomach-turning rides and gorged on fan-favorite carnival classics like corn dogs and kettle corn.

Here’s what we thought of our night at the fair.

First things first: food

Upon entering the fairgrounds, we made a bee-line for the food vendors. There was an abundance of options to choose from, from cinnamon rolls to spicy meat and mac-and-cheese sandwiches.

Tom Keffury, sponsorship coordinator, said that one of the fair’s oldest attractions is Old West Cinnamon Rolls. Keffury said the family-owned business — based in Pismo Beach — has been a staple for decades.

“They run third generation, being here at the fair,” Keffury said. “They’re one of the most popular.”

In terms of fan favorites, Keffury said the Crazy Mouse rollercoaster and the Alpine Slide are some of the most popular attractions.

Corn dogs, pig races, and the traditional Barn Dance late at night have also been typical crowd-pleasers.

We went with the classic “Hot Dog on a Stick,” a carnival staple otherwise known as the corn dog. With our snacks in one hand and a refreshing lemonade in the other, we headed off to brave the rollercoasters.

Rode the newest ride, Black Out

We started off strong with the fair’s newest carnival attraction, the Black Out , aptly named for its attempt to make its riders pass out.

This ride is not for the weak-hearted.

“Are you sure we’re strapped in tight?” Kelsey asked more than once as we were secured by hefty shoulder restraints in a cluster of seats at one end of a long rotating arm.

For multiple minutes, riders rock in their seats while the arm simultaneously whips them through the air in large, fast circles.

“I feel like I’m going to face-plant,” Kelsey screamed as we plummeted quickly toward the ground, followed by a long arc into the sky.

This is definitely a ride for thrill-seekers, but we would not recommend Black Out to anyone prone to nausea.

“This was maybe a mistake. Definitely 10/10 on the whiplash scale. I think we went upside down three times.” — Chloe

“I felt like if I had eaten anything else, I would have chucked it all up.” — Kelsey

Got water-logged on the log flume

After our bold start on Black Out, we headed to the carnival’s only water ride to cool off in the 99-degree Paso Robles weather.

The Big Splash is a classic double-drop log flume. Water pleasantly mists riders’ faces as they fly down not one but two hills, sending waves of water shooting in either direction around their imitation-log boat.

Surprisingly though, you don’t have to worry about getting wet as much as the lack of seat belts.

“We weren’t strapped into anything. It felt weirdly unsecure.” — Kelsey

“I felt like I was holding on for dear life. We were just bouncing around back there. It wasn’t unsafe, per se, but it was surely thrilling to be so loose on a ride like this.” — Chloe

We had to try the Medusa, of course

This 70-foot-tall thriller, a focal point of last year’s fair , returned to the fairgrounds by seemingly popular demand, based on the length of the line.

Medusa features a double-ended arm with four seats on each side. Riders swing around the 360 degree axis, tumbling head over heels through the air for nearly two minutes.

With significant upside-down time, this ride is also not for the faint of heart.

“It’s similar to Black Out, but less sickening. I thought the views were kind of beautiful, actually.” — Chloe

“Are you sure we’re strapped in tight?” —Kelsey

We dropped from over 100 feet in the air

The Super Shot drop tower is a good-old-fashioned stomach churner.

A 12-passenger gondola slowly climbs to the top of the tall tower, then plummets back down to the ground before you even realize you’ve fallen.

“It was very short-lived but fun. The feeling of being in free fall flips your stomach upside-down.” — Chloe

“The girls screaming at the top of the ride raised hairs on my arms.” — Kelsey

We took a break on the Alpine Slide

One of the fair’s more child-oriented attractions, the Alpine Slide is a relaxing multi-lane, plastic slide. Kids glide down the four humps in burlap sacks, a cool breeze blowing in their faces.

We seemed to be the only people over 8 years old riding.

“Best ride of the night.” — Chloe

“This was a nice break from the bigger roller coasters.” — Kelsey

Chloe participated in the game show

The fair offers a free game show a few times each day at one of the stages near the carnival rides. Participants picked from the audience compete to win an unlimited ride wristband with a fast pass to skip the lines, a $55 value when purchased at the ticket booths.

Naturally, Chloe was selected from the crowd for her “enthusiasm.”

After a few not-so-grueling rounds of trivia questions about the fair attractions, she won!

Actually, all three participants won a wristband, and she got hers last.

“A win is still a win.” – Chloe

Lastly, we rode on Zero Gravity

Replacing the similar Alien Abduction ride from last year, Zero Gravity harnesses centripetal force to hold riders firmly against the walls of the circular ride, spinning you at speeds that make you feel like all your limbs are made of jelly.

As the ride turns faster and faster, riders are flattened like pancakes against the cage. That’s when the ride begins to tip, reaching a 50-degree angle mid-air.

The G-forces are meant to evoke the feeling of blasting off on a rocket ship, but for some they just evoked their undigested carnival snacks from their upturned stomachs.

“Very dizzying, very nauseating. I feel like my brain was being liquefied and drained out of my head.” — Kelsey

“I could never be an astronaut.” — Chloe

Took a snack break

We were pretty done with the rides at that point, so we took a break to fill enjoy buttered corn-on-the-cobs and a perfect chocolate-dipped soft serve swirl in a waffle cone.

We tried on some cowboy hats, walked through Adelaida Hall and soothed our tensed muscles in some display massage-chairs, and made our way back to the Ferris wheel just in time for sunset.

“It felt like floating in the sky.” — Kelsey

“They let me take my ice cream cone up there for an idyllic golden hour view. I don’t know why, though, because it was dripping everywhere.” — Chloe

Squirted a Sponge-Bob

We played a Sponge-Bob-themed game, where each of us paid $10 to aim a squirt gun at a rainbow-colored target. Whoever pushed their Spongebob highest from the pressure of the water won.

Kelsey took the cake for this game, but the game vendor, Jim, was kind enough to give us both stuffed animal prizes.

When The Tribune asked Jim how long he’s been working there, he replied, “too long.”

Overall, the prices to play games were fairly steep, especially for the larger stuffed animal prizes.

A game attendant said players have to win eight times to collect a large prize. One man carrying a large teddy bear said he spent $100 on his award.

That’s a wrap

There is so much more to check out in the coming weeks that we couldn’t make it to — rodeos and watermelon eating contests, a pancake breakfast and monster truck madness, concerts, horse and livestock shows. The list goes on.

But you’ve got plenty of time to explore it all before the fair closes at the end of July.

We hope you’ll have as much fun as we did at the California Mid-State Fair!

“This is the best work assignment ever.” — Chloe and Kelsey