VIRTUAL REALITY TOUR PLANS RIVERFEST STOP

Large crowds due during Riverfest weekend, June 9 and 10, have enabled KBSI to lure the first-ever Fox Sports Virtual Reality tour here.

"The tour only goes to 34 cities in the country this year and there are over 180 Fox affiliates, so we needed to have something to show it would be worthwhile to bring it here," KBSI spokesman Brian Uptain said. "When they heard how many people would be downtown, they decided to include us in the tour."

However, Uptain said the Virtual Reality tour is not affiliated with Riverfest 1995.

The Virtual Reality tour, which will be located at the Boatmen's Bank parking lot on Main and Broadway, unfolds from a customized, 50-foot Mack truck that breaks down into a makeshift theater. There will be 3-minute gyroscope rides offered for free inside the air-conditioned structure.

Two virtual reality gyroscope rides will simulate the experience of hitting the slopes with extreme skier Glen Plake or soaring through Monument Valley with stunt plane pilot Sean Tucker.

The tour will also have a 70-seat 3-D movie that lasts seven minutes. The film features some of the top surfers, snow boarders and rock climbers in the world.

In addition, those participating in the Virtual Reality tour will be able to play one of the interactive sports videos, like John Madden's NFL 1995, or take in one of the features found on the truck's nine-monitor video wall.

Guests will also be able to make free 1-800-Collect phone calls anywhere in the United States. The phone calls will last two minutes per person.

"We're expecting long lines for the gyroscope rides, so there will be free exclusive passes that can be won in local contests," Uptain said. K103 will hold a call-in contest beginning May 29. Rhodes 101 Stops has begun a registration contest.