May 31--Despite severe weather and a power outage stalling Navy Pier's new Ferris wheel several times over the weekend, the ride so far has boasted the highest number of Memorial Day weekend riders in four years, officials said.
More than 21,500 people rode the new Centennial Wheel from its Friday opening through Sunday night, Navy Pier spokesman Jon Kaplan said in an email. Monday's ridership was not immediately available.
The ride had to be suspended four times over the weekend due to severe weather, Kaplan said. It was halted with no passengers three times Friday afternoon and evening because of torrential rain and strong winds, and again for about two hours on Saturday night when lightning struck in the area.
The wheel also was stopped for about 20 minutes Friday evening during a power outage. About 100 people were riding on it at the time.
The new ride is a bigger wheel that accommodates 420 riders, 180 more than the previous one. It was named for Navy Pier's 100th anniversary and is modeled after the original Ferris wheel, which operated at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
