BUTTE — The Silver Bow County Fair is returning to the Butte Civic Center, featuring rodeo, 4-H, live music — and the return of a famous daredevil performing his last death-defying stunt here in the Mining City.
“I like all the people up there, I love it up in Butte. It’s almost like my second home,” daredevil Spanky Spangler told MTN News in a phone interview from his home in Phoenix.
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Spangler is returning to his second home where he’s done many stunts during the Evel Knievel Days events. Now, at 76 years old, he plans to do a free fall for his last stunt.
“Just going to do what I’m comfortable with. It’s going to be eight to nine stories, something like that,” said Spangler.
Spangler made his first fall in Butte in 2002 when he jumped — while on fire — from the Finlen Hotel. It was a memorable and spectacular stunt.
“When I look out, I seen people as far as the eye could see, up and down both ways. It was unbelievable,” he said.
Spangler also made jumps in his car, including a fiery crash.
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“I came in a little bit short, I bounced off the bottom of my ramp and hit the dirt mound, tipped over. We set the car on fire coming off the ramp,” said Spangler.
The fair will also feature a performance by Little Texas on Saturday, Aug. 3 inside the Civic Center. Organizers are glad Spanky chose Butte for his last stunt.
“Spanky, a big fan of Evel Knievel, so it all just works. It’s lucky he’s going to do the last one here. He’s a 76-year-old guy jumping off a—it’s awesome. He’s a bad dude,” said County Fair President Josh O’Neill.
He’s expected to jump at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
