Fun for Adventurers Who Play Dangerously

Thrill seekers will get a chance to sample bungee jumping, ballooning, kayaking and climbing without leaving Orange County on Saturday and Sunday at the California Adventures Expo in Irvine.

In addition to giving visitors a chance to participate in adventure sports, the expo will offer demonstrations of others: llama packing, dog sledding, sky diving, sailing, skiing, archery, hang gliding and backpacking.

Entertainment includes fencing and jousting by “knights” from the Medieval Times dinner theater in Buena Park; performances by the Ghost Town Gunfighters and Western Melodrama Troupe, and demonstrations by the Legends of Volleyball and BMX stunt cycling teams.

A 20-story crane will be used for bungee jumping, in what organizers say is the first fully sanctioned bungee jumping offered in the county. Participants will pay $69 for a chance to tie elastic cords to their ankles and experience the “ultimate thrill of their life,” said Peter Gelfand of Quantum Leap, the company offering the jump.

Bungee jumping has exploded in popularity over the last year. According to figures from a national trade group, about 40,000 people had bungee-jumped in the United States by June, 1991; by the end of this year, the figure will have grown to more than 1 million.

Also at the expo, a three-acre children’s area will include exhibits from the Orange County Marine Institute and the Orange County Zoological Society, as well as other exhibits and activities.

The expo is produced by the California Office of Tourism in conjunction with several statewide groups. Other groups and businesses will offer informational displays and product demonstrations.

What: California Adventures Expo.

When: Saturday, May 16, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, May 17, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Where: Lion Country Safari Center, 8800 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine.

Whereabouts: Take the Irvine Center Drive exit from the San Diego Freeway and go south.

Wherewithal: Admission is $5 general; $3 seniors and children ages 6 to 12; children 5 and under free. Individual attractions may involve a separate charge.

Where to Call: (714) 550-4636, category 7300.