Videos Show Brave Fairgoers Rushing To Stop 'Magic Carpet' Carnival Ride Packed With Riders From Toppling Over

Jul 12, 2021 by apost team

Lots of people love to ride rides at the fairgrounds, and many are even amusement park enthusiasts, but those who avoid amusement park rides have a reason to back them up after one almost went terribly wrong. Events took an unexpected turn when one 'magic carpet' ride in Traverse City, Michigan, came loose from its base. On July 8, 2021, riders of the 'magic carpet' at the Cherry Festival avoided a catastrophe. As the pendulum ride loosened from its base, other fairgoers scrambled to keep the ride from toppling over. As the ride went up and down, it looked as though the front became unhooked and was going to fall over backward. The base of the ride was rocking unsteadily when others at the festival noticed the faulty amusement ride. Thankfully, other fairgoers quickly rushed to hang on the ride's gate in an attempt to use their collective body weight to keep the ride from falling over. To everyone's relief, their efforts worked, and the Cherry Festival avoided what could have been a Thursday night full of anything but fun.

Injury could have occurred had the ride gone out of control, but thanks to the fast-acting bystanders, the ride avoided any type of collapse, nor were any passengers on the 'magic carpet' injured. 

The annual Cherry Festival in Michigan wasn't held in 2020 and was postponed until July 2021. However, after a year of hiatus, the festival, unfortunately, met obstacles when it came to the faulty ride.

Read on to learn more about the Cherry Festival, as well as the catastrophe that was avoided on Thursday, July 8, 2021. 

The annual Cherry Festival in Michigan was held in May of 1925 and was known back then as the 'Blessing of the Blossoms' as an homage to the beautiful blossoms of the cherry trees. After the name was changed to the National Cherry Festival, officials also changed the dates it was held to July. 

The Cherry Festival in 2021 had some scary surprises for attendees. According to CNN, one of the carnival rides came loose from its base and almost toppled over before other fairgoers banned together to use their body weight to counterbalance the ride. 

According to Insider, head of Arnold's Amusement, Joey Even, said:

"We're not sure exactly what happened. The ride came off the blocking. It was a scary situation and we're very fortunate… all of the patrons as well as the operator and the other customers that were around the ride are all safe."

Even was the one who leased the 'magic carpet' ride to the Cherry Festival. According to MailOnline, the festival's director Kat Paye said the ride was no longer in use:

"Inspections of the rides happen daily and written reports are filled out and completed on each ride every morning prior to operation. I am grateful for the quick response of staff and community members and very thankful that there were no injuries."

The ride has been sent back to the manufacturer in Ohio in order to investigate what caused the ride to come off of its blocking. 

Several videos of the incident were captured on TikTok, as bystanders were amazed at both the faultiness of the ride, but also the comradery of the fellow fairgoers. 

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What do you think of this scary situation? We're happy no one was hurt! Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this on to others!