The Mighty Thomas Carnival – A Place to Learn, Gather, and Create Fond Memories

The lit up Mighty Thomas Carnival sign entryway Photo credit Emily Edmonds It’s Summer 2024 and the carnival has arrived here in Great Falls, MT! They were in town July 26th – August 3rd and brought with them live talent, rides, and their all-too familiar and beloved carnival food. Entrance fees were $9 for adults (18-59yrs), $6 for seniors (60+), and $6 for youth (6-17yrs) with children 5yrs and under being free. Hours for the fair were noon to 11pm on weekdays, noon to midnight on weekends, and 5pm to midnight the first day they were opened. There was advertised free parking at the NorthWest Bypass entrance with limited spots available. Many cars lined up on the side of the road and parked in the Sam’s Club parking lot. Attendees walked across to enter the fair. Attendance of this year’s carnival fluctuated throughout the week. There was debate online if this year’s carnival was worth going to. Some were saying there were hardly any animals, others were saying it’s too expensive, and some complained how there were hardly any rides. Pre-sale Carnival Wristbands were for sale for $27 a piece for unlimited rides each day noon to 5pm OR 6pm to Midnight. If you purchased a wristband at 4pm it would expire at 5pm. They may not even tell you. It happened to a local mother, and she took her frustration to share online. Her kids had access to rides for only 1hr. I don’t blame her for being upset. Yes, maybe the fair was a bit expensive depending on what you wanted to spend your money on and enjoy. So, what else was there to do? There were frequent and timely updates on carnival events were found on the Montana ExpoPark Facebook page. Their daily itinerary showed that our local fair is much more than shopping, food, live music, and rides. Locals of all ages had the opportunity to milk a goat, participate in weaving and wool demonstrations, view a pony show, watch live horse racing, visit garden exhibits, build Legos, and much more. Some of our local’s favorite thing to do is walk through the barns, pet and see the animals, and support our local 4-H children selling ice cream. I did that very thing. It was my first time attending the Montana State Fair. Personally, I thought that there were plenty of animals to enjoy. I was surprised to hear that there used to be many more animals that would attend the fair. I spoke with Bob & Deb Tomaskie, who brought their mules to the barn from Helena, MT. They told me that this barn used to have every stall filled. In fact, they’ve debated on coming back throughout the years because they’re the only ones that come anymore. The reason why they still come is because they LOVE the reactions of children and locals being amazed when the walk inside the barn doors. I even heard one small, adorable child shout out, “Wow, they’re so big!” She petted their mules and adored them so much. Petting a Tomaskie’s Mule Photo credit Emily Edmonds Despite the reduction in animals or amount of food available I still found their smoked turkey legs, fried ice cream, and acai bowls quite satisfactory. I say the fair is the place to go to spend time with family, re-unite with old friends, and create new memories. It’s worth every penny to enter the fairgrounds and let your local vendors know that you’re grateful they’re there.