Round and round and upside down, then stop!

Dan Ruths and his daughter, Kylie, 8, are all smiles after taking a turn or two on the Fireball. (Lebanon Voice/Harrison Thorp photo)

ROCHESTER - The Fireball amusement ride at the Rochester Fair propels riders 50-60 mph round and round on a 100-foot high loop, but that's not what gets the blood rush.

"It's definitely exciting," said Sam Hayes after stepping of his first ride on the Fireball. "It's different, I didn't expect it to stop and go backwards."

That's right. After going round and round a few loops an experienced operator slows down the ride so that it almost comes to a complete stop at its apex, creating a crescendo of oohs and aahs from high in the sky.

Then it reverses and does a few loops the other way for good measure.

The ride is in its second year at the fair, and one of its most exciting.

Fireball riders are strapped in good and tight, but the ride is not enclosed, for maximum thrills.

A little too exciting for Amie Ruths of Rochester, who stood watching her husband, Dan, and 8-year-old daughter, Kylie, climb the sky while she stayed on solid ground.

"I don't think I'd like being upside down," she said with a grin. "Plus it's really high."

Amie Ruths said her husband was happy to accompany his daughter, whom Amie Ruths called "fearless."

"She wanted to go, and I wanted to go, too," said Dan Ruths afterward.

And what did Kylie Ruths like most about the ride?

"Being upside down," she said.

The Rochester Fair continues through next Sunday.