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Ferris wheel from Chicago begins operating in Missouri

Chicago’s iconic ferris wheel is coming to Missouri (Photo courtesy Missourinet)
Chicago’s iconic ferris wheel is coming to Missouri (Photo courtesy Missourinet)

BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — A 150-foot tall Ferris wheel from Chicago’s Navy Pier has started operating in the Missouri tourist destination of Branson.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that about 200 people turned out Thursday morning for its grand opening. The wheel includes 40 gondolas that hold up to 6 passengers apiece.

It came down in September after 20 years in Chicago and was replaced with a 196-foot Ferris wheel.

The disassembled structure 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 at The Track Family Fun Parks. The project cost about $4 million.

Branson Mayor Karen Best said she thought she would “run off the road” when she learned Branson was getting the relocated Ferris wheel.

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