Fair CEO Gary Slater called the Giant Slide a fair institution ... They plunk down their $2.50, grab a gunny sack and trudge up the long flight of stairs. The rules are simple: "Keep legs straight.

Climbing 102 steps for the ceremony, the wedding party then went down the 175-foot long slide in their wedding finery. The reception was at the fair’s Pizza Palace between Carnes Ave. and Nelson St.

The slide was built by Fred Pitroff, who constructed 40 similar slides around the country, many of them operating at state fairs. It is about 40 feet high and 130 feet long. It had been through ...