Hutchinson ? Step right up folks, for the thrill of a lifetime.

The Kansas State Fair is offering more than Ferris wheel rides and funnel cakes to one lucky couple this year.

Called “Marriage on the Midway,” the fair, a Hutchinson radio station and North American Midway Entertainment will donate a free marriage ceremony, including everything from the dress, rings, a wedding cake, three hours of free carnival rides to food.

“It’ll be a first-class wedding that you can have at the fair,” said Lori Mulch, assistant fair manager. “And so far, it has all been positive.”

Midway Entertainment has already put on weddings this year at the Illinois State Fair and the Indiana State Fair. It plans to offer a total of 12 weddings this year, said Charlotte Allison, vice president of marketing for the company.

The couples who participate have a romantic connection to the fair, she said.

“For some, it’s a first kiss,” she said. “We had an older couple who won where the gentlemen had got down on one knee in front of the Ferris wheel 25 years ago.”

The ceremony is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Sept. 17.

Couples had until Thursday to enter a 150-word essay on why they should be married on the midway, along with a recent photo, Mulch said. Ten finalists will be picked, then the public will choose the winner.

The winning couple will be notified around the first day of the fair, which runs from Sept. 9 through the 18. That will give them about a week to finalize their plans before getting married by a justice of the peace in front of 100 friends and family.