Latest news with #ChrisScheetz
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Edmonton man's 54-hour ferris wheel ride raises $70,000 for Alberta Dreams
Former Edmonton radio host Chris Scheetz stepped onto the ferris wheel at KDays with the hope of raising funds for chronically-ill children while simultaneously attempting to obtain the world record for the longest time spent on a ferris wheel. Scheetz concluded the Wheel of Dreams fundraiser after 54 hours on the KDays ferris wheel to raise at least $54,000 for Alberta Dreams, a charity that fulfills dreams of children with severe chronic or life-threatening medical conditions. The three-day fundraiser, which ran from Monday to Wednesday, raised $70,886 for Alberta Dreams, said a Friday news release. 'Explore Edmonton is proud that KDays served as the home for the Wheel of Alberta Dreams Challenge. Congratulations to the entire Alberta Dreams team, especially Chris Scheetz, on the success of the fundraiser,' said Arlindo Gomes, vice-president of business development and venues management at Explore Edmonton. Alberta Dreams executive director Reuel Thomas thanked Albertans in the release for helping their team surpass the initial goal. 'It is a resounding statement that children and their families are loved and supported by their fellow Albertans, and this support will provide hope, joy and inspiration that dreams do come true,' Thomas said. 'None of this would have been possible without the incredible support from the entire team at Explore Edmonton, who adopted our mission and worked tirelessly to make every aspect of the project a success.' Donations are being accepted until the end of KDays next Sunday. Details can be found at Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post, and 13 other Canadian news Edmonton Journal|The Edmonton Sun
Edmonton Journal
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Edmonton man's 54-hour ferris wheel ride raises $70,000 for Alberta Dreams
Article content Former Edmonton radio host Chris Scheetz stepped onto the ferris wheel at KDays with the hope of raising funds for chronically-ill children while simultaneously attempting to obtain the world record for the longest time spent on a ferris wheel. Article content Scheetz concluded the Wheel of Dreams fundraiser after 54 hours on the KDays ferris wheel to raise at least $54,000 for Alberta Dreams, a charity that fulfills dreams of children with severe chronic or life-threatening medical conditions. Article content Article content Article content Article content 'Explore Edmonton is proud that KDays served as the home for the Wheel of Alberta Dreams Challenge. Congratulations to the entire Alberta Dreams team, especially Chris Scheetz, on the success of the fundraiser,' said Arlindo Gomes, vice-president of business development and venues management at Explore Edmonton. Article content Alberta Dreams executive director Reuel Thomas thanked Albertans in the release for helping their team surpass the initial goal. Article content 'It is a resounding statement that children and their families are loved and supported by their fellow Albertans, and this support will provide hope, joy and inspiration that dreams do come true,' Thomas said. Article content 'None of this would have been possible without the incredible support from the entire team at Explore Edmonton, who adopted our mission and worked tirelessly to make every aspect of the project a success.' Article content
CTV News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
World-record attempt comes full circle as man completes 54-hour ferris wheel ride
The ferris wheel at KDays in Edmonton on July 23, 2025. (Galen McDougall/CTV News Edmonton) Chris Scheetz stepped off the KDays ferris wheel after 54 consecutive hours – riding with the hope of a new world record and raising money for sick kids in Alberta. 'I'll get a little emotional because that's what I do,' Scheetz told the crowd of supporters after getting back to solid ground. His attempt at the longest ferris wheel ride began on Monday and his efforts came full circle just before the supper hour on Wednesday at the Edmonton exhibition. With only a five minute bathroom break every hour and nights spent just hanging on the wheel when the fair grounds were closed, the goal was to raise $54,000 for Alberta Dreams. The charitable organization grants wishes for kids diagnosed with serious, chronic or life-threatening illnesses. 'So spoiler alert, we might have made our goal,' he teased, before revealing the numbers on a big cheque which totaled $70,866 raised from the carnival ride campaign. Alberta Dreams said the money would be enough to make 70 dreams come true. Chris Scheetz raises money for Alberta Dreams Chris Scheetz raised more than $70,000 for Alberta Dreams, which is a charitable organization that grants wishes to sick kids in the province. There was a cheque presentation after his world record attempt at the longest ferris wheel ride on July 23, 2025. (Galen McDougall/CTV News Edmonton) Besides some sleepless nights suspended in the air on the ferris wheel, Scheetz said he also pulled his hamstring going round and round on the ride. It's bumps he said he will gladly take for charity. 'I'm blessed to have a healthy little granddaughter here and that's just a reminder that you want to give back to those that aren't so lucky,' Scheetz told CTV News Edmonton live on the 5 p.m. news. Chris Scheetz steps off the ferris wheel ride at KDays Chris Scheetz steps off the ferris wheel at KDays in Edmonton after 54 consecutive hours on the ride. (Galen McDougall/CTV News Edmonton) According to Scheetz, 320 communities have gotten wishes granted from Alberta Dreams over the past 39 years and the requests are growing with the publicity of his world-record attempt. 'We're getting so many more requests, so now we need more money to meet the need for these dreams and to make these things happen for these well-deserving children.' The current world record for longest ferris wheel ride is 53 consecutive hours. Donations for Alberta Dreams can still be made on their website. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa and Galen McDougall
CTV News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Thrill of the carnival ride comes down to physics: Calgary professor
Chris Scheetz speaks during an interview while on board the ferris wheel at KDays in Edmonton in an image taken from video on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Sousa Gregg Korek knows a thing or two about roller-coasters. As vice-president of client services for North American Midway Entertainment, he has been part of bringing rides and attractions to one of Edmonton's signature summer events for nearly five decades. Korek said his company has brought back a lot of fan favourites for KDays, the decades-old exhibition that draws thousands yearly to Alberta's capital for rides, games, food and live music. There are familiar coasters, such as the Star Dancer and Crazy Mouse. For those who want something wet and wild, there's the Niagara Falls Flume. Others, such as the Polar Express, are geared towards fast-paced thrill-seekers. The best rides are the fast ones and the ones that go upside down and backwards, Korek said. 'When you're coming down the very first hill on that Crazy Mouse roller-coaster, you're alive,' he said Tuesday. 'The Wave Swinger, that's always been my favourite. It always reminds me of ... those dreams that you have where you're flying.' That feeling of hurtling through the air at breakneck speeds is all about physics and your brain fooling you, says a Calgary physics professor. Dr. Phil Langill, an associate professor in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Calgary, is an avid thrill-seeker and has closely studied midway rides. Langill said it all comes down to gravitational force, or G-force, which measures the acceleration or deceleration relative to the Earth's gravitational pull. When you get on a ride, he said, it's designed in such a way that the seat you're in makes you feel heavy or light. That translates to a feeling of being smashed into your seat and feeling heavier, or of weightlessness, as if you're going to fall out, he said. 'The rides try to play with your psychological being,' Langill said. While many chase the thrill of the ride, carnival classics like the ferris wheel continue to be enjoyed by people like Chris Scheetz, who is on a quest to ride it for 54 hours straight to raise $54,000 for chronically ill children. A self-proclaimed lover of rides, Scheetz said he's done a bunch of 'wild and wacky' stunts dating back to his time as a radio host, such as when he drove a Zamboni from Calgary to Edmonton. When his family found out his plan to break the 53-hour record ferris wheel ride, 'they went, 'Oh, no. Not again,'' he said. Aside from five-minute bathroom breaks every hour, he hasn't stepped off the wheel, even sleeping on it at night. Scheetz said he's had no trouble passing the time, between rides with sponsors, celebrities and media interviews. He's also had children on as part of the Alberta Dreams charity. His ride is expected to end late Wednesday afternoon. KDays runs through Sunday. With files from Bill Graveland in Calgary This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025. Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press
CTV News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘It was like sleeping on the edge of a really rocky cliff': 24 hours on the ferris wheel
Chris Scheetz on the ferris wheel at KDays on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. (Dave Mitchell/CTV News Edmonton)
