There’s animals. There’s exhibits. There’s food. But nothing screams Rice County Fair louder than the rides that can be seen from miles away.

Classics like the Ferris Wheel and carousel are perennial favorites. But with several rides to choose from, every fair-goer has his or her own preferred attraction.

Chelsea Novak, a first attendant at the fair, said on Saturday that the slide was her favorite so far. She and two other members of the fair royalty whooshed down the slippery slopes still wearing their cowboy hats and sashes.

“It just goes fast, and it’s just fun to go down on the wave,” she said.

Novak had also tried out the Zipper, a ride that left her so dizzy she fell off when she exited. Brennan and Menolly Pier, Minneapolis 5- and 9-year-olds, respectively, also enjoyed fast rides, particularly the spinning dragons.

Menolly liked that she could spin the dragon herself, going as fast or as slow as she liked. Brennan mainly enjoyed how the fast-moving dragons made him crash into his sister. Both pantomimed the chaotic ride as they talked about it.

“I was falling down when it was spinning,” Brennan said.

Charlotte Carr was one of those brave enough to take a ride on the Super Big Shot. The machine carries riders to an ominous height and then lets them fall. Still, the Kenyon 8-year-old said it was her favorite ride. 

“It’s so fun, and when you drop, it’s really scary,” she said. 

— Staff writer James Warden may be reached at 333-3127.