Central Alabama Fair’s Ferris Wheel Has A ‘Thrilling’ Past

By Josh Bergeron

The Central Alabama Fair has a touch of celebrity this year. The fair’s Ferris wheel formerly belonged to Michael Jackson.Carleton

Archway Amusements purchased the fair attraction in 2008. Since the company purchased the Ferris wheel, the fair attraction has been touring around the country.

The 65-foot tall structure formerly occupied a portion of Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County, Calif., but many of the ranch’s amusements were scattered during a liquidation sale. Archway Amusements scored the 5,000-light Ferris wheel during the sale.

Initially, fairgoers flocked to catch a glimpse of the Ferris wheel, said Theresa Noerper, of Archway Amusements, but now some of the excitement has died down.

“When we got it at first, we wanted to promote it and had Michael Jackson lookalike contests, but now some of that is going away because we have had it for a while,” Noerper said.

Lewis Turner, of Mobile, said the added celebrity factor is cool, but no much more than a novelty factor.

“I guess I’m just not much of a Ferris-wheel person,” Turner said. “You just kind of sit and ride in a circle. Maybe I’ll give it a shot because it used to belong to Michael Jackson.”

There is no reference to Jackson or Neverland Ranch on the wheel, but a metal stamp shows the fair attraction was made by the Eli Bridge Co., of Jackson Ill.

The Ferris wheel isn’t totally original. Noerper said the company repainted the wheel’s supporting arms green, but the molding around the seats is still the specific, pinot noir red, color that Jackson asked for.

Jackson reportedly purchased the Ferris wheel for $125,000 in 1990.

Source: selmatimesjournal / MJ-Upbeat.com

Article: http://www.selmatimesjournal.com/2013/10/04/a-ferris-wheel-fable/#ixzz2grOUKBUG

Thank you to Josh Bergeron