ON THE MIDWAY: CARNIVAL RIDES BRING THRILL TO YOUNG

The midway of a carnival is like life itself. There are rides that are as full of ups and downs as your first date. There are rides that make you feel like you are at your in-laws' family reunion. And there are rides that make you feel like you did after your brothers spun you around on the lid of a garbage can right after dinner.

The midway at the SEMO District Fair is all that and more.

The midway is laid out in a pattern that seems to lead thrill seekers into deeper realms of excitement as they travel through it. At the gate is an old standby, the carousel. Tinkling and tinning, the carousel still draws one of the largest crowds of children and their parents.

Passed that, there are children's rides such as the Train Station, a large multi-colored train that runs around a tiny track, and Treasure Island, which is a series of boats revolving around the center island. Oddly enough, there is no water under the boats in Treasure Island.

Further into the midway there is a beginner's roller coaster called the Dragon Wagon. It goes over a slightly elevated track that has some mild humps and bumps, and it goes fast enough to give the kids a thrill.

The older kids, though, are finding their thrills on rides like the Himalaya, which is cars joined closely together that whirl around a disco ball in the center of the ride. The biggest thrill about the Himalaya is its speed. And it must be doing something right because it had the longest line and produced the loudest screams on the midway.

"It was all right," one boy said, identifying himself only as Brian. "It was a good ride, but definitely not because of the music."

Brian and his friends did agree that the mother of all rides was sure to be something they called "The Rocket."

The Rocket turned out to be the Gravitron. Basically an enclosed centrifuge that spins around at about 65 mph. That was the ride that was getting the second most curious glances. The attraction that captured that prize was the Bungy Jump.

Suspended from a crane, 85 feet in the air, is a small metal box and two teen-age boys -- one of whom has a bungy cord secured around his waist. Jeff Terry, 16, of Bloomfield is the boy preparing to jump.

Immediately the side ropes around the inflated bag that acts both as a target and a last-ditch safety measure are lined with curious onlookers. They squint into the sky and mutter to themselves, "No way."

Terry takes a step out and looks like he's ready to go, but his hands refuse to release the cage and he steps back in. After conferring with the worker assisting him, Terry puts one hand to his nose like he's preparing to step into the deep end of a pool and launches himself into space.

It's not graceful when the cord tightens and slows his fall, but it does look fun.

"It was all right," Terry said once he had regained the security of the ground. "I was looking a little bit that first time. I just asked him how to do it, then I just did it."

Terry said he'd go again.

After Terry had landed, the crowds that had gathered turned just as quickly and went off to less daring pursuits. Gary Ross, owner of Bungy Jump, said the fun of his attraction is spread through word of mouth.

"Just talk to a couple people and they'll make you feel good about it," Ross said. "And then you try it."

The Bungy Jump is near the very back of the midway. Turning back toward the front you'll see another of the more adventurous attractions, the Ring of Fire.

The ring just sends the rider around in a loop. Of course, it pauses at the top to let the rider appreciate life upside down. Many of the rides on the SEMO District Fair's midway show you many angles to life.

It's up to the rider which of the many paths are best to choose.