The Neighborhood Files

GALLERY: Patch’s Hands On Guide to Orland Days Part I

We tested rides and food to point you in the right direction when you come out this weekend.

By Ben Feldheim, Nabeha Zegar, and Felicitas Cortez
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June 2, 2011

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1001 Nights (3 tickets), winner of the “Stomach-Drop” and “View” awards

BF: We begin our journey with the 1001 Nights, a horizontal platform with seats that stays level as it rotates a full 360-degree circle, pinning your sides with G-Force. Great dropping rush without sickness. That’s because it only spins in one direction. More on that tomorrow. NZ: Good starting off point, stomach dropping and fun, not to mention the fabulous view of the entire fairgrounds you get from the top while you hover. This one has my vote for stomach drop and view, along with the Ferris wheel, which has great views as well. FC: Stadium seating with 360-degree pendulum action. This ride gave a great view of Orland Park (Lake Sedgewick and the Palos Urgent Care Center, from the 153rd Street Metra Lot—not bad) especially when the carnival attendant decided to give the ride a longer pause at the 180-degree mark.

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BF: We begin our journey with the 1001 Nights, a horizontal platform with seats that stays level as it rotates a full 360-degree circle, pinning your sides with G-Force. Great dropping rush without sickness. That’s because it only spins in one direction. More on that tomorrow.
NZ: Good starting off point, stomach dropping and fun, not to mention the fabulous view of the entire fairgrounds you get from the top while you hover. This one has my vote for stomach drop and view, along with the Ferris wheel, which has great views as well.
FC: Stadium seating with 360-degree pendulum action. This ride gave a great view of Orland Park (Lake Sedgewick and the Palos Urgent Care Center, from the 153rd Street Metra Lot—not bad) especially when the carnival attendant decided to give the ride a longer pause at the 180-degree mark.

Credit Ben Feldheim

Eager riders who later screamed for their lives line up before jumping onto 1001 Nights.

Credit Ben Feldheim

The view from the very top of 1001 Nights, overlooking Centennial Park. Yes I hung on to the camera. That's part of being pro. Just part.

Credit Ben Feldheim

Credit Ben Feldheim

BF: We next strapped into the roller coaster harnesses after heeding a slightly ominous warning from the operator, who said, “anything in your pockets will fall out.” It starts out as a simple flat circle that goes vertical, but then the whole machine starts spinning. And that’s not all. Your pod unhinges and starts spinning on its own. Three different types of spin at the same time, and a lot of sudden G’s. Grip tightly for this ride.
NZ: I wasn't quite expecting the wild range of motion that this ride provided. I guess I should have heeded the sign posted at the ride entrance that read, "Guests should expect rapidly changing forces". This one had me holding on for dear life and scared to open my eyes to see what terrifying view was next. The only thing more frightening than the ride at the time was my riding partner's shrill scream begging the operator to stop the ride. This one has my vote for most post-dizziness. I recommend this one for a rush!
FC: Definitely a white knuckle ride. You’re flipped and flopped, all the while rotating 360 degrees at maximum speed. At certain points during the ride, especially as the wheel was turning towards the ground, I thought I was going to fly out of my seat. While I pride myself for being a carnival ride champion, this ride had me begging to be let out early. Worth every ticket.

Credit Ben Feldheim

It looks pretty harmless, doesn't it? Don't be fooled. The Power Surge will rock you one.

Credit Ben Feldheim

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Bob tries to guess your editor's age. Let's see how he does, and if I win that Taylor Lautner thing.

Credit Ben Feldheim http://o1.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/PATCH/resize/273x203/http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/patch/650fc0d2c6887feb8d2398982721320c

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Credit Ben Feldheim http://o4.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/PATCH/resize/273x203/http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/patch/8096c8efb67be4653c95c1194c142d67 http://o2.aolcdn.com/hss/storage/patch/397ec1457cbde1347f009139885de2cf

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In our continuing attempt to serve, we at Orland Park Patch made the ultimate sacrifice. We rode the stomach-dropping rides and sampled the cholesterol-elevating food to offer you, dear readers, a bit of insight before heading out to the 153^rd Street Metra Station this weekend.

This is the first in our two-part guide to some (but not all) of the attractions) at Orland Park Lions’ Club’s 2011 Orland Days. New Orland Park Patch contributors Nabeha Zegar and Felicitas Cortez offered their takes on the food and features.

Come back tomorrow for Part II of our mayhem.

Orland Days Info:

When: Wednesday, June 1st, through Sunday, June 5th

Where: Centennial Park Metra Station Parking Lot at 10401 W. 153rd St.

For a full schedule of performers, check the attached .pdf document, and for more information about Orland Days, visit orlandparklionsclub.com

Related Topics: Awesome, Carnival, Orland Days, and Orland Park Lions Club

What do you plan to do at Orland Days? Tell us in the comments.

Thanks. We'll email you the next time we update this story.

Todd Probasco

9:06 am on Thursday, June 2, 2011

The entertainment in the beer tent will be great stop on out and enjoy!
Todd Probasco
Orland Park Lions Club