It’s not a bird, it’s not a plane, it’s the Georgia Mountain Lift that is flying high above the fairgrounds at JimR.MillerPark, at the Superior Plumbing North Georgia State Fair.
“This lift take’s the idea of rides on the midway to a whole new level,” said Fair Manager Tod Miller. “We are really excited to add this ride and we know it will appeal to all ages. We even incorporated it in to our theme for this year- Legends, Lions and Lifts.”
The lift spans more than 2,000 feet from the Kennesaw Mountain Terminal at the north end of the fairgrounds to the Chattahoochee River Terminal at the south end nestled under the enormous oak tree set next to the WildCat Rollercoaster.
The longest lift in the southeastern part of the country, the Georgia Mountain Lift uses 17 towers and is powered by two Staffa high-torque 10-cylinder motors. Each motor has enough power to run the lift in its own rite and the ride boasts two depression towers to adjust the height of the chair level to properly set up for passenger loading and unloading.
The 130 brightly-colored chairs come in 10 different colors and are the only chairs in the world using brushed stainless steel seat hangers. The two bull wheels that turn the cables carrying the cars are a massive 12 feet in diameter and had to be delivered to the fairgrounds by special oversized load trucks and trailers.
“It is really neat to see it finally in place here in Marietta,” said Jimmy Drew, owner of the famous James H. Drew Exposition Company that owns the lift and has supplied rides for the fair for the past 35 years. “It will become a staple of this great fair and will be here for a long time,” said Drew. “We wouldn’t want this anywhere else.”
The North Georgia State Fair and Drew Expositions once again raise the bar when it comes to the fair experience by continuing to add new and exciting components to one of the largest fairs in the southeast. The WildCat Roller Coaster was installed in 2011, it is one of the two largest permanent rollercoasters in any fairgrounds in the country.
The 81st Annual Superior Plumbing North Georgia State Fair begins Sept. 19, and runs through Sept. 29. The 11-day fair features six free concerts with paid admission that include country music stars Loretta Lynn, Lee Brice, Colt Ford, Jerrod Niemann and Lauren Alaina and Christian artists Philliips, Craig and Dean. For more information, call 770.423.1330, or 770.528.8989 after September 2. Or visit www.NorthGeorgiaStateFair.com, or email tod.miller@northgeorgiastatefair.com.
From the September 2013 issue of The Bright Side, Cobb County Georgia’s Newspaper covering Smyrna, Vinings, Mableton and Austell, GA.
