Free rides on PNE roller-coaster's 50th birthday

Vancouver's famous wooden roller-coaster turns 50 on Tuesday, so the operatorsoffered free rides from 6 a.m.to 10 a.m. PT.

The wooden roller-coaster opened on the grounds of the Pacific National Exhibition in 1958 with a maximum drop height of 20 metres anda top speed of up to 75 km/h.

"Every year we ride half a million people on it," Playland spokeswoman Laura Ballancetold CBC Radio Tuesday morning. "It's our most popular ride. We've ridden over 25 million people."

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivanwas scheduled tomake a special presentation to PNE president and CEO Michael McDaniel, designating the Playland wooden roller-coaster as a site of special significance to the city after the last ride at 10 a.m. PT.

The roller-coaster is operated by Playland, which runs Canada's oldest amusement park on the grounds of the PNE in EastVancouver on East Hastings near Highway 1.