Florida (ewww Strawberry!) Festival - 2015

Strawberries are disgusting and I hate them so much but if they're gonna have a festival for them with a bunch of rides I really like.. I can forgive them, but only for a few hours or so... until I'm done at the fair.

Uh, the 2015 Florida Strawberry Festival in Plat City, Florida!

Celebrating 80 years in 2015

So I guess the farm animals are having a party?
(moo?!)

Ewww, although I guess its still a cake.
(but I wouldn't eat it... ew, strawberries)

Plants! Uh, in Plant City? Who knew.

Neat little wooden ride models.

CANDY LAND!
Yeeessssss!

And the amazingness that is Red Velvet Funnel Cake!
Sooo good (and messy)

And clearly, the greatest sport ever invented.

Love me some PIG RACES!
<3 <3 <3

The back side of Moo's?

Mr. Rooster?

Oh yeah, and a pretty massive Midway too!
(By mostly Belle City, and some independent booked pieces)

Over the day we took rides on all four Ferris Wheel variants found at the fair

Like the Mulligan Wheel, in Kiddie Land

The Eli Wheel!
(that I was sad didn't show up at State Fair....)

Chance Giant Wheel, on the Main Midway

And my love, the Sky Wheel!
And now a few overview photos... from those wheels!

Far end of the Main Midway

Kiddie Midway

Mid-Main Midway

Entering the ride area of the Fair, the KMG Freak Out was the first ride we passed..

Jeff sat it out, but I took it for a ride (as the only rider, ha)
It ran a pretty good cycle :D

We also rode the terrible Disk'O

I wasn't amused.... in fact, I pretty much hate the ride and find them boring and uncomfortable.
But I'd never ridden a portable model, at a fair at least.

I also hoped on the Spin Out, themed as 'Spin-A-Tron" and chrome plated.

Mmm, and I was sure to ride Space Roller a few times!
Love me some Monidal Top Scan.

<3 <3 <3
Yeesss! The SDC Galactica was back!
MoonRaker, its so awful but so amazing! I wish someone would make an updated model!

Bah, still after all these years... I've still not ridden Belle's Wacky Worm
(they have a 'No Adult' rule.. that only seems to be in play when I try and ride)

So we moved on to the Zyklon, only cycling a single car at a time for some awful reason!

We took 2 rides.. but due to the odd cycling process taking place today, didn't wanna waste more time in line....

Plus, I'd rather ride Magnum! Yaayyy! Monidal Shake! :D :D :D

This awful looking Swinger ride was new for both of us too, I'd never seen it before.

Don't know what its deal was... but it looked kinda Chance built?
It was pretty meh.. but hey, new for me rides?

There was also a Chance built Yo-Yo with a unique paint job.

And an old school Ring-of-Fire
(with the lap bar train!)

Crazy Mouse was down for the first part of the afternoon.. but we saw it running later in the day and made our way back over to ride it.

Woo, pretty ok spin mouse!
We also rode both dark rides at the fair, placed next to each other.

Random Dark Ride #1

Random Dark Ride #2

And before making our way back to Orlando... We took a spin on the Hurricane.
(one of the oldest rides I remember marathoning as a kid)

Oh, and there was a Zipper!... But it was skipped, since Jeff was still on probation.

Woo, the 2015 Florida Strawberry Festival, good times.
I really need to get myself back down to Miami Dade's fair... but until than I'll keep this as the second best fair in Florida (after State) Its always got such great rides and while this year it seemed the midway was lacking 2 or 3 things we've seen here in the past. Its still a pretty fantastic fair and I always look forward to its return.

Twitter Stuffs?
Pig Race! - Photo
Ride Video (via Vine) - Video

Woo, Amusement Related blog posts!

The Lovely KMG High Swing

Yup, I got to ride the semi-temperamental KMG High Swing, Sky Swing, 200 foot tall portable Swing Tower at the 2013 Florida Strawberry Festival. It was fun.... 

here's way toooo many photos of it.

 

Sky Swing.... Swing Tower!

Oooh.... I'm excited!

At the top of the nearly 200 foot tower.

Ah... Sky Swing.... towering over the rest of the midway.

I guess it's... The New Tourist Attraction. 

Yeah, I wasn't kidding when I said it towered over the midway!

Ha, the ARM Vertigo swing tower looks soooo tiny from up here!

(The Yellow tower on the right)

Its very smooth and quite.

But there were speakers mounted on the lift unit.... they didn't seem to play any audio so I'm not sure what they were for...

(also, check out the naughty bits)

 Weeeeeee

Long way down.

Sky Swing! yaayyyyy

 Top of the fair!

Ah, sunset... Almost time for some night rides :D

Sweet

The ride is very classy looking at night.... 

but I kinda wished it had some colors on it.

yaayyy night rides! Swinging high over Plant City.

Pretty...

Ah, after some six rides on it... I'm a fan of the ride... And I hope it sticks around (it is/was up for sale)... and had a pretty rough first season here in the States... Hoping 2013 goes better for it and that Sky Attractions, Inc. hangs on to it. I'd hate to loose such a massive/impressive ride. The only really negative thing I can say about the ride is the seats/lapbar arnt very forgiving. I saw more than a few people get "walk of shamed" off it.. And even I had a harder time getting the lapbar to lock.. But only in SOME seats, not all?  Not sure what was up with that.

(AND JEFF RIPPED HIS PANTS OPEN ON IT!)

..............

Oh hey, its me.