For the first time in a long time, Inland Empire Shows and Royal West Amusements were not the ones providing the thrill rides for fun-seekers at the Northwest Montana Fair.

The fair took a different route this year, selecting Paradise Amusements of Caldwell, Idaho, and North Star Amusements of Casper, Wyo., to bring the adrenaline-inducing rides.

But the real barometer of a carnival’s success is not the bright lights or good weather: It’s whether the kids like it.

The North Star/Paradise combination seems to hit all the right points.

Maddie Cawley, an excitable 12-year-old, said this year’s rides were a big step up from the past.

“I think they’re more funner,” she said. “They are more brand new. I was getting used to the same rides year after year.”

Of course there is a Tilt-a-Whirl and a Ferris wheel, but some of the new, flashier rides like the Typhoon — a trebuchet-like ride that fires riders up in seats around a central pivot point — drew rave reviews.

“In the front you always get that tight, tingling feeling,” Cawley said. “It goes around and around and around. I love it.”

Another popular attraction was the Gravitron, a spinning centrifugal force ride that seals riders in a Space Mountain-like atmosphere before letting it rip.

“It kind of makes it seem like there is no gravity,” said 10-year-old Lakeside resident Tommy Williams.

His sister, 8-year old Makenzie, thought this year’s rides were better than ever, but friend T.J. Hayek was a bit tougher to please.

“It’s actually about the same,” he said, comparing this year’s carnival and last year’s. “But the Typhoon was fast. It was freaky.”

Freakiness aside, even the sweltering heat of a weekday afternoon couldn’t keep droves of kids, teens and parents away. Even little ones had their fill.

Brandon and Farrah Laroque, 6 and 4 years old, respectively, said the spinning strawberries (a gentle Tilt-a-Whirl) were their favorite.

“I liked how fast they were,” Brandon said.

Bridger Miller, 10, said he has always loved the Zipper.

Kylie and Brandon Peterson, 9 and 12, of Spokane, said they hadn’t been on a ride yet they didn’t like.

Whoever came to the Northwest Montana Fair, whether kids getting a first experience or old pros reliving the glory years, the rides provided thrills and classic Americana flair.

That and the “tingly” feeling you get behind your belly button.