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HOMER, Ill. (WCIA) — After 11 years, one Champaign County man has finally hit a milestone he’ll never forget.
Last week, 62-year-old Derk Garmon hit a record of riding the “Silver Dollar City Outlaw Run roller coaster” 10,000 times. Garmon is from Homer but makes monthly trips to the amusement park in Branson Missouri.
He said he keeps the count in his phone. His goal is to hit 1,000 rides each year. One Homer community member said that after hearing stories of Garmon’s dedication, he’s surprised it didn’t happen sooner.
“If you looked at him, you would never think he’d be into roller coasters. But, I’ve heard of him traveling and sleeping in his van just to go to all different places to ride these things. So, to hear he rode 10,000, I’m actually surprised he hadn’t rode that sooner,” community member Darren Happ said.
Garmon says this doesn’t mean he’ll stop here; he plans to keep riding well past 10,000.