So Nik Wallenda didn't fall 200 feet into the Allegheny River from the high wire he walked above it Friday evening? Phew, that's a relief.

Like most Pittsburghers, I was in fear something might happen that would interfere with the following night's fireworks. If some all-day search for him by scuba divers in the Allegheny was necessary Saturday, thus preventing barges from being positioned properly to shoot off fireworks, it could have been devastating.

We might have been left with a quiet, contemplative, Fourth of July to do nothing but think about all we have to be thankful for, to live in a land of freedom and liberties and relative prosperity.

Yuck.

With all the success on the public stage Pittsburgh has been getting lately -- the G-20 summit, Penguins championship, resuming a place ahead of Toledo again in population -- it's no wonder Mr. Wallenda wanted to perform here. He presumably knows we're also a movie-making mecca and might have imagined himself becoming the star of some sequel to the Oscar-winning documentary, "Man on Wire."

There's no indication that will happen, but he probably ended up in a few cell phone images, for whatever that's worth.

Mr. Wallenda, however, may merely have been laying the foundation for daredevils to come. They could have some kind of stunt-making association that sends one member out as an advance scout to test the receptivity of the local population to death-defying feats, and then the rest follow.

So, assuming Mr. Wallenda gives a favorable report -- as in not too many people were cheering for him to fall -- we might expect to see the following breathtaking exploits here soon:

Lynella Watson of Melbourne, Australia, attempts to become the first person entering the Squirrel Hill Tunnel inbound to maintain a speed of 55 mph coming down the Parkway East.

She says she is accustomed to traveling in vehicles in excess of 200 mph to set land speed records, but nothing has ever seemed as challenging as navigating in and around Pittsburghers' slow-moving tunnel traffic. A Guinness Book of World Records judge will be on hand along with PennDOT officials to make sure she complies with all "Stay in lane entering tunnel" signage.

Hans Kriedorf of Germany takes the spotlight at the Post-Gazette Pavilion by trying to set a new speed record for finding his car after a concert, amid the many unmarked rows of vehicles parked across random fields, hillsides and natural terrain.

Famous for his braggadocio, he claims beforehand that he will find his car in less than 20 minutes and succeed in exiting the parking lot in just 20 minutes more. His confidence is shattered momentarily when informed he will not be permitted to place any object on his vehicle's radio antenna to help identify it, but then insists that will simply make his feat all the more impressive.

Las Vegas magician/illusionist Evil le Steevil garners attention by visiting Gateway Center to put on a nightly newscast that he promises will contain no video shots of fires or car accidents. When reporters ask him how this can be done, he replies that a professional such as himself cannot give away his tricks.

"Your eyes see only what your mind tells you they see, and they will see no crumpled wreckage snarling traffic on I-279 southbound while I am performing," he says, devilishly.

Record-setting eater Tenashi Kifume of Japan announces he will be in the Strip District to consume the world's biggest-ever salad with french fries on it. He says the feat is all the more appealing to him, certain to gather widespread recognition, because it is such an unusual combination.

He believes his name will stay in record books longer for this than for any of his other achievements, except possibly the three pygmies he consumed in 16 minutes, 28 seconds in Thailand.