A New Attraction At The Carnival Midway

By VERNON ROBISON

Moapa Valley Progress

There is a newcomer to the Clark County Fair this year. And it is sure to quickly become a favorite to the teenage crowd as well as intense thrill-seeking fair attendees of all ages.
Brown Amusements, the owner/operator of the fair’s carnival midway for the past five years, will be featuring its brand new ride attraction: Freak Out.
Fresh from the factory of world-class thrill-ride manufacturing company KMG out of Holland, Freak Out promises to provide a whole new level of adrenaline-pumping action.

The ride is the very latest Pendulum-style ride. It can accommodate sixteen riders at a time in four facing gondolas. Riders are seated in small chairs with their legs dangling below them in thin air. This gives them a heightened sense of movement as they spin and swing through the air.

A center pole, powered by computer-controlled electric motors, swings back and forth to a swing angle of 120 degrees and a height of 66 feet in the air, reaching a vertical acceleration of up to 2g. Meanwhile the gondolas are free to spin around on their own axis.
The ride is brand new to Brown Amusements. In fact, the Clark County Fair will be only the third location where it has been in operation for the company.

Last week, the ride was featured at the Yuma County Fair in Arizona and was a big hit, according to Brown Amusements owner Danny Brown.
“It did exactly what we wanted it to do,” Brown said. “The kids loved it and it was a huge attraction. We have waited a long time and paid quite a bit to finally get it; so we have been looking forward to it for a while. It delivered exactly what it was supposed to.”
Freak Out cost about $800,000 and took about a year and a half to get after it was ordered, Brown said.

In addition, there are two other new rides, both on a smaller scale, to be featured at this year’s carnival midway. The first, called Groovy Bus, is a kids’ ride. It features old style VW-type vans that go around on a track. Brown said it has been popular for the younger children set. Also featured is a new airplane ride for a slightly older crowd.
The popular Gravitron ride will also be making a return to this year’s fair, Brown said. The spinning ride was absent from the fair last year while it was in the shop receiving a full maintenance overhaul.

All of the old favorites will make a reappearance as well. According to Brown, the top three most frequented rides at the midway include the merry-go-round, the ferris wheel and the Tilt-A-Whirl.
“Those three probably have the broadest appeal across the carnival-goers,” he said.
Brown said that he and his team look forward to coming to Clark County Fair each year. They will be taking down the equipment at the end of the Yuma County Fair on Sunday evening. Then they transport it to Logandale travelling on Monday and beginning the set up process on Monday evening. By Tuesday evening the carnival should be all set up and ready to go for the Fair to start on Wednesday’s opening day.
“We are always excited to come to the Clark County Fair,” he said. “It is a well-run event and the crew there do a great job for us every year.”