Hailing from Chicago, the Branson Ferris Wheel is now open
The Branson Ferris Wheel had its grand opening Thursday morning.
About 200 guests and dignitaries, a children’s choir made up of students from multiple Taney County school districts, two Blues Brothers impersonators, a former Chicago Cubs center fielder and a gaggle of media members were among the attendees at The Track Family Fun Park on Highway 76.
From 1995 until October 2015, the Ferris wheel was located at Chicago’s Navy Pier, where about 17 million people rode it, said Craig Wescott, CEO of The Track.
The disassembled wheel moved to Branson in early 2016. This spring, a team of engineers from the Netherlands joined local contractors to install the wheel on its new site. The project cost about $4 million.
“This is a symbol,” said Jeff Seifried, president of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce. “This is the No. 1 positive news story across the country in the history of Branson.”
Branson Mayor Karen Best said she will always remember the moment when Wescott called her to share the news that Branson would be the city to get the relocated Chicago Ferris wheel. Best was in her car.
“I thought I’d run off the road,” she said.
In an official proclamation, she and the Branson board of aldermen declared Thursday, June 23, 2016 The Branson Ferris Wheel Day.
The attraction will add “a new culture and flavor to what’s going on in Branson,” said Kirk Elmquist, tournament director for Legends of Golf at Big Cedar Lodge, who served as emcee.
“This is not your grandmother and grandpa’s Branson,” Elmquist said.
"We're thrilled to have this new product," said Leah Chandler, an attendee who serves as chief marketing officer with the Branson/Lakes Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Chandler, like many of the speakers at the 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony, said she expected the wheel would help Branson connect with new audiences.
After the ribbon-cutting, guests including the children’s choir took the first rides on the wheel, which offers 150-foot views over the core of Branson’s Highway 76 “strip” and the forested hillsides nearby.
The wheel includes 40 gondolas that hold up to 6 passengers apiece, allowing for 240 passengers total on the 7.5-minute ride, according to a statement from the Branson chamber.
By night, the wheel lights up with 144,000 multicolored LEDs that can be programmed to display various light shows, replacing the incandescent bulbs that lit up Chicago.
It costs $12 for adults and $8 for children to ride. Ages three and younger are free.
Rules for riders prohibit selfie sticks, canes, chewing gum, chewing tobacco, and riding by pregnant women or those with a fear of heights or claustrophobia, among other stipulations.
Want to Go?
Branson Ferris Wheel
The Track Family Fun Park
3345 W. Highway 76, 417-334-1612
bransontracks.com