Hot new ride may not take off at fair

ANDREW GLAZER

FAIRGROUNDS -- Fair-goers may not be able to feel the rush of being

hoisted 100 feet in the air, dropped in a freefall and swung back and

forth, fair officials said.

The Sky Diver ride, scheduled to make its world debut today, has

become tangled in a patent dispute.

Canada-based Thrilltime Entertainment, owner of the Colorado company

that manufactures a ride called the Sky Coaster, is in the process of

determining whether the rides are too similar, said Sherrill Cyr, a

company official.

“On both rides, you get in a harness, you’re hoisted up to the top of

a platform and then released in the air,” said Tony Fiori, a spokesman

for Ray Cammack Shows, the Arizona-based carnival company in charge of

amusements at the fair.

“This (the Sky Diver) is our version. They believe there’s a patent

conflict. We don’t. But we can’t do anything until it’s all cleared up.”

Fiori said he hoped lawyers from each company would have things

straightened out by Monday.

Neither attorney could be reached by press time. However, fair

spokesperson Ruby Lau said it is likely the ride will never launch during

the two-week duration of the fair.

“The fair abides by the proper set of rules,” Lau said. “We’re still

looking at the legality and hoping.”