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The Expo Wheel ride a no-go at Westerner Days

Red Deerians take in Westerner Days all week long
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A view of the Midway food and shopping at Westerner Days. Michelle Falk/Red Deer Express

Sunburned shoulders, face-painted kids, the smell of mini-donuts and the sound of screams from the Midway rides—Westerner Days is in full swing.

The sweltering heat didn’t keep people off the rides, about 40 rides provided by North American Midway Entertainment have been going non-stop this week.

Some enthusiasts may have noticed that the anticipated new addition, the Expo Wheel, which was set to debut at Westerner Days, never arrived.

According to Scooter Korek, VP of client services with North American Midway Entertainment, the Expo Wheel manufacturer first pushed their delivery date from the beginning to the end of June. When the end of June rolled around the ride was still not ready.

Korek said they were very disappointed not to get the new Expo Wheel in time to debut it at Westerner Days, as planned.

Manufacturing delays are not altogether uncommon in the ride industry, he said. Purchasing new rides is a big undertaking.

“It’s not as if there are just Ferris Wheels sitting on a shelf ready to go that we can just pick up,” Korek said.

He emphasized that if the manufacturer does not feel the ride is ready to release, that Midway Entertainment is fine to wait until they are satisfied with the quality of their product.

“They’ve gotta get it right before they send it out—if the ride manufacturer doesn’t feel comfortable sending it out yet, then we don’t want it,” Korek said. He added that customer safety is paramount.

Since the delivery date was pushed to the end of June, North American Midway Entertainment has not been updated on when the Expo Wheel will be completed.