‘Zipper’ zapped after half a century

You may have noticed an iconic ride missing from the Calgary Stampede’s midway this year — the Zipper. After 50 years of sloshing people around a two-person cage, the Zipper has been retired.

The ride had 12 free-flipping, two-person cars attached to a long, oblong frame that rotated like a ferris wheel. People inside the metal cages were able to flip over and over depending on how they moved their body weight, making the ride both exciting and nerve-racking.

“It’s really been a popular ride from the minute it opened to the minute it closed, and it’s just plain worn out — that’s it,” said Gregg (Scooter) Korek, VP of client relations at North American Midway Entertainment. “It’s a little bit of a sad story, but nothing lasts forever.”

“At North American Midway, safety is paramount to everything that we do. That is our No. 1 priority,” said Korek. “Once we start feeling uncomfortable with something, well, then we have to do something about that. This was time to send the Zipper riding off into the sunset.”

The ride’s manufacturer, which designed the popular attraction half a century ago, is no longer in business and parts were becoming hard to find, said Korek.

While wildly popular, the Zipper had amassed several lawsuits after a number of serious safety incidents. In 1977, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a public warning for the Zipper after four people died and two were injured after doors flew open during the ride.

Similarly, in 2005, an 11-year-old boy in Toronto tumbled out of the metal cage and, in 2016, a Winnipeg boy was left dangling from the car after a ride operator started the Zipper before his door was secure.

Regardless, the midway is losing one of its most well-known amusements.

Korek said he can’t discuss what’s in store for 2018, but promises to keep bringing new and exciting rides to the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.