Enid is the proud owner of a 45′ Ferris wheel, manufactured in 1948 and recently refurbished. It will belong to the Enid Kiwanis Club and has been installed near the train and carousel at Meadowlake Park north.
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The first official public ride took place on Thursday, May 28 and Enid Buzz was on the first ride to document the occasion. The first two riders to be strapped in were Harry and Tim Hromas of Waukomis (picture below). There was a great crowd on hand for opening night and a large number of children.
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The ride has 12 seats that can seat two adults or one adult and two children if needed. Children need to be 36" tall to ride with an adult and they must be 48" tall to ride alone. It takes two tickets to ride at a total cost of $2! The rides will be open Thursday-Sunday from 6-9 pm, Memorial Day thru Labor Day. There might be a few extended hours and days that will be announced on short notice.
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I must say that by the time the Ferris wheel is completely filled and emptied for each ride, you get to be up the in air for a good amount of time. The ride is smooth at four rotations per minute. The edgy part of the ride are the starts and stops when your seat begins to rock. For a split second you might think you are falling forward or backward.
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I really enjoyed my first ride and feel that just about everyone is going to love this ride. If you have a fear of heights you may not want to give it a try although it doesn't seem that high when you are up in the air. There is a slight wobble when you're at the top and they are loading and unloading but it's nothing that will scare you to death. Grab the kids and give it a try!
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This Ferris wheel was found, purchased and constructed with the help of the Champlin Foundation, City of Enid, Enid Kiwanis Club, Park Avenue Thrift, BancCentral, Security National Bank, the Cummins Foundation, Henson Construction, Tammy Wilson and Jerry Allen (and a host of others).
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Below is an unedited video of the first public ride...
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