Marriot's Great America(s)- Opening Season Rides?
Mark Rosenzweig
Steven Wilson, I was trying to compile a general list of opening
season rides at each park (SFGAm and PGA) and then which rides were
added in the following seasons, under Marriot ownership.
First off, as of the 2002 season, the following are the rides that
BOTH parks still operate that date from, or near the park's opening.
-Logger's Run- Arrow Development Log Flume
-Fiddler's Fling (called Centrifuge at PGA)- Schwarzkopf Calypso
-Columbia- Duell/Chance Double Level Carousel
-Orbit- Schwarzkopf Enterprise (not in original location at SFGAm)
-Great America Raceway- Arrow Development Car Ride
-Turn of the Century/Demon- Arrow Development Multi Element
-Triple Play- Huss Troika
I am in confusion as to when each park added their Sky Trek Tower,
Pictorium (Imax Theatre), and other various flat rides.
There are some oddities to consider here (for example)...
*While both parks have Zierer Wave Swingers, SFGAm's has operated at
the park since opening season (in three different locations), while
PGA's is a transplant from Carowinds.
*Several of the flat rides installed in one park were never installed
in the other. Some flats were merely *similar* but not identical
models of a ride within a given genre (i.e. SFGAm's "Lobster- now
called East River Crawler" is a Schwarzkopf Polyp, while the now
defunct "Lobster" of PGA was an Eyerly Monster.) Both of these rides
operate/ed in the same location in Yankee Harbor.
It should also be noted that while PGA takes a lot of flack for the
stripping of the old Marriot theming, that SFGAm has made some less
than favorable decisions over the past couple of years as well. The
rides at SFGAm and PGA that continue to operate from near or at
opening season include (that the other park no longer has)...
SFGAm
-Yankee Clipper- Arrow Hydroflume
-Hometown Fun Machine- Eli Bridge Scrambler
-Great America Scenic Railway
-Ricochet- Huss Swing Around (in second location)
-Whizzer- Scharzkopf Speedracer
-Ameri-Go-Round- Antique Dentzel Carousel (PGA's was a PTC- #45)
PGA
-Eagle's Flight/Delta Flyer- Von Roll Skyride
-Name?- Schwarzkopf Bayern Kurve
-Tidal Wave- Schwarzkopf Counter Weight Shuttle Loop
Am I missing a few? I'm sure I am.
So I guess what I am looking for is a year by year new ride addition
list for both parks (including opening season rides). Anyone bursting
with Great America knowlege? Thanks!
-Mark
Paul Drabek
>Am I missing a few? I'm sure I am.
>
>So I guess what I am looking for is a year by year new ride addition
>list for both parks (including opening season rides). Anyone bursting
>with Great America knowlege? Thanks!
>
>-Mark
Mark at SFGAM there was a car ride over by where the rapids ride is
now. Also there was a kiddy coaster somewhere in Orleans Place and a
regular ferris wheel over where Iron Wolf is now.
Have Fun!
Paul Drabek
Negative G
Coaster and Park Photos
WWW.Negative-G.net
Raven...@negative-g.net
Read Paul's Journal: http://www.livejournal.com/~raven_rider/
Appearing Next:
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PPP 2002
Holiday World Weekly in 2002
SFStL Sometime in September and October
PKI November 2
Indianapolis Zoo In December
Dollywood Or Silver Dollar City In December
"The beatings will continue until morale improves"
Proud Poster On Rec,Roller-Coaster Since September 27, 1996
Locoboy
> Mark at SFGAM there was a car ride over by where the rapids ride is
> now. Also there was a kiddy coaster somewhere in Orleans Place and a
> regular ferris wheel over where Iron Wolf is now.
That kiddie coaster would be the Gulf Coaster, my first roller coaster ride
when I was three years old. (I only rode the California version.) You can
read up on it at this URL:
http://pws.prserv.net/steven/ace/ncd.html
Here are the direct URLs.
Low resolution:
http://www.mocedades.com/temp/ncd6.pdf
High resolution:
http://www.mocedades.com/temp/ncd6hr.pdf
For some reason, I always had to save the above files first and them open
them using Acrobat Reader. They didn't automatically launch Acrobat Reader
when I clicked on the links on the main page.
Locoboy
Here are some changes that you forgot to mention Mark:
The name of the Arrow Development car ride is the Barney Oldfield Speedway
and the version in California was *drastically* changed to make way for
the Grizzly's addition in 1986. (I believe that was the opening year for
that coaster. It has been a while and I'm only going by my memory.)
Incidentally, the original route of the Barney Oldfield Raceway was a LOT
better than the current version because it had nice overpasses and
tunnels. I can't remember if that was the original name of the car ride
or not...I think it was though because I remember asking my father who
Barney Oldfield was when I was a kid.
Don't both parks still have their bumper cars today, called the Rue Le
Dodge? Incidentally, I recently rode the Rue Le Dodge at PGA for the
first time in a long time and they were running great, just like they did
when I was a kid and went to the park a lot in the late 1970s and early
1980s.
The name of the Bayern Kurve at PGA was originally the Yukon Yahoo when it
was located in Yukon Territory. It was then disassembled and put into
storage when (I believe) Kid Kingdom was built, which was later renamed
Fort Fun, and then renamed KidzVille which is the name that section has
today. Several years ago, Paramount brought the old Yukon Yahoo out of
storage and reassembled it in its present location in front of the Demon
(where the Trabant and later the Scrambler were located before) and
renamed it Berserker. It still has that name today.
Locoboy
> Here are some changes that you forgot to mention Mark:
>
> The name of the Arrow Development car ride is the Barney Oldfield Speedway
> and the version in California was *drastically* changed to make way for
> the Grizzly's addition in 1986. (I believe that was the opening year for
> that coaster. It has been a while and I'm only going by my memory.)
> Incidentally, the original route of the Barney Oldfield Raceway was a LOT
> better than the current version because it had nice overpasses and
> tunnels. I can't remember if that was the original name of the car ride
> or not...I think it was though because I remember asking my father who
> Barney Oldfield was when I was a kid.
>
> Don't both parks still have their bumper cars today, called the Rue Le
> Dodge? Incidentally, I recently rode the Rue Le Dodge at PGA for the
> first time in a long time and they were running great, just like they did
> when I was a kid and went to the park a lot in the late 1970s and early
> 1980s.
>
> The name of the Bayern Kurve at PGA was originally the Yukon Yahoo when it
> was located in Yukon Territory. It was then disassembled and put into
> storage when (I believe) Kid Kingdom was built, which was later renamed
> Fort Fun, and then renamed KidzVille which is the name that section has
> today. Several years ago, Paramount brought the old Yukon Yahoo out of
> storage and reassembled it in its present location in front of the Demon
> (where the Trabant and later the Scrambler were located before) and
> renamed it Berserker. It still has that name today.
I forgot to ask one question. Mark, weren't the Columbia Carousels made by
Intamin, not Chance? I thought that I read that somewhere.
AirtimeJunkie
>better than the current version because it had nice overpasses and
>tunnels.
I'll second that!
> I can't remember if that was the original name of the car ride
>or not..
I think you're right, Elliott.
>
>Don't both parks still have their bumper cars today, called the Rue Le
>Dodge?
Yes.
Kevin
Brian A. Plencner
wrote:
>So I guess what I am looking for is a year by year new ride addition
>list for both parks (including opening season rides). Anyone bursting
>with Great America knowlege? Thanks!
>
>-Mark
Well Mark, here's such a list for SFGAm. Unfortunally, I don't have
exact dates on everything, but I do believe that the years are
correct.
SFGAm Timeline of major ride/attraction additions
May 29 1976-Opening Day. Rides of note that were in place at SFGAm
during the opening season that you or others did not mention (at least
the ones that I can think of)
1) Bottoms Up. It was located where the Orbit is now. I'm not
sure who made it, but it looked and ran like the carny version called
"Roullette".
2) Traffic Jam. Antique Car ride located where Roaring Rapids (aka
White Water Rampage) would be. Paul mentioned this ride, and I added
it so you would get the name.
3) Industrial Revolution. This was over in Co Fair next the lift
hill of Turn of The Century. I guess is was like a moden day Hymalaya
ride, but without the building in the middle. It was white in color,
had white trains with red seats.
4) The ferris wheel that Paul mentioned. I unfortunally don't know
the name, but it was not where Iron Wolf now sits. It actually was
right next to the red barn-like building which now houses the Funnel
Cake Foundry. When the Ferris Wheel was there, that was one end of
the Cable Car system, called Eagles Flight/Delta Flyer. Its
interesting to note that in later years the American Eagle would be
built just to the west and south of that end of the ride. Problem is,
if you look at that area today, there does not appear to be that much
room between the Fairgrounds RR station and the Funnel Cake place.
This is becauase before Iron Wolf, and before Z-Force this is where
the Swings sat, and the RR Station was positioned a little farther to
the north. When Z-Force went in, they moved the station south to make
room for the ride.
5) There was also a seriers of Kiddy Attractions that were located
over in Co. Fair. They would have been located directly opposit the
enterance to the Eagle, between it and the smaller Carousel.
6) Speaking of the Eagle area, back in 1976 that tent was there, but
it had something different inside. For 1 or 2 years it was the home
to a Circus. After that, it was then used for live performance's and
concerts. Then, in 1980 the seats were removed, and became the queue
house for the American Eagle, which opened in 1981.
7) I'm surprised someone else did not mention this one. Sky Whirl.
There was an identical version built at PGA, and was a very unique
ride. It was a triple-arm Ferris Wheel, where 2 of the arms were
always in the air running, and the third was on the ground loading and
unloading riders. Sadly, it was removed near the end of the 2000
season to make way for Deja Vu. As far as I know, the ride itself was
scrapped, but the cabins are still on park property near the employee
parking lot.
Moving on to 1977, the following rides were added.
Southern Cross(sky-ride)(removed 1980)
Hay Bayler(removed 1999)
Sky Trek Tower
Fort Fun (Childrens play area)
Interesting note about Southern Cross. It was slightly higher then
the version that went between Co. Fair and Orleans Place (Eagles
Flight/Delta Flyer), but Southern Cross was a "round trip" ride. The
end that you got on was located over in the area where Roaring Rapids
now is, and went across the park and came down just to the norhtwest
of the Stunt Show area. In fact, that area of the park (Southwest
Territory) was orginially in the Marriott plans (that's why they built
Southern Cross). So, when you got out to that area, you stayed in the
cabin, and the ride attendances swung it around on and sent it back to
Orleans Place. The ride, which closed in 1980 or 1981, was removed for
a number of reasons. First, Marriott never did built the Southwest
area that they had planned. Second, do to the high winds in the area
the ride would go down for high wind, sometimes trapping riders. At
the time, there was a lack of hook-and-ladder trucks high enough to
rescue rides if needed.
Moving on, there really is not much else to say about the additions.
So, I'll just go ahead and list them.
May 13, 1978-Tidal Wave(removed end of 1991 season)
1979-Pictorium
1980-Demon (rethemed Turn of The Century)
May 23, 1981-American Eagle
1982-Picnic Grove (Area for groups and company outings to have a
catered meal, for an additional fee)
1983-The Edge (removed 1986)
1984-White Water Rampage (Renamed Roaring Rapids 1988)
July 10, 1985-Z-force (Removed end of 1987 season)
1986-Splash Water Falls
1987-Power Dive(removed at beginning of 2002 season)
June 3, 1988-Shock Wave
April 29, 1989-Rolling Thunder(removed end of 1994 season)
April 28, 1990-Iron Wolf
1991-Condor
May 9, 1992-Batman The Ride
1993-Batman Stunt Show
1994-Space shuttle America (re-themed in 1999 as Escape From Dino
Island. Returned as Space Shuttle America in 2002)
April 28, 1995-Viper
May 29, 1996-South West Territory 3 new flat rides(tea-cups, swinging
ship, and a version of a falling star themed to
a wagon)
1997-Giant Drop
April 25, 1998-Camp Cartoon Network & Looney Toon National Park(again,
one new childrens area, and the retheming of Bugs Bunny Land)
May 1, 1999-Raging Bull, B&M Speed Coaster
2000-25th Season, new parade floats
May 18, 2001-Vertical Velocity (V2)
October 6, 2001-Deja Vu
Somewhere between 1977 and 1998 Fort Fun was expanded and renamed Bugs
Bunny Land. I'm not sure what year that happend though.
--Brian
*****************************
* Brian Plencner *
* ACE Member *
* Home Park: SFGAm *
* E-Mail: sau...@attbi.com *
*****************************
Mike Parker
another post seems to cover pretty well everythign that was added later on.
1. Columbia Carousel (I believe it was Arrow, may have been Intamin though)
2. Tripple Play
3. Willards Whizzer (Schwarzkopf later Renamed to just Whizzer)
4. Grand Music Hall (Pictorium came later)
5. Zamperla red Baron and 2 Hamptons in Hometown Square kiddie area.
6. Bottom's Up (Chance Trabant where Orbit is now)
7. Hilltopper, was out in front of Demon, may have been rethemed to Hay Baler,
from the map it looks like a Himilaya type ride)
8. Sky Whirl (Removed) (Intamin)
9. Turn of the Century (Arrow Development Corkscrew Modifyed and Rethemed in
1980 to Demon)
10. Barny Oldfield Speedway (Arrow Dev. was Shortened for Splashwater Falls and
renamed sometime along the way)
11. Ameri-Go Round
12. Circus in What is now American Eagle's Tent
13. 2 kiddie rides in front of that (both removed)
14. Delta Flyer Sky Ride (Removed
15. Fiddlers Fling (Schwarzkopf Calypso)
16. Whirligig (Zierrer Wave Swinger, Where Iron Wolf is Now)
17. Wilderness Theater near that
18. Loggers Run (Arrow Development Flume)
19. Saskatchewan Scrambler (Eli Bridge Scrambler where the Kiddie area is now,
across from the Snow Shoe Saloon, eventually moved next to whizzer to become
Hometown Fun Machine)
20. Yukon YAhoo (Schwarzkopf Bayern Kurve, in what is now the very heart of the
kida area, along the way it was moved to in front of Demon and renamed/rethemed
Industreal Revolution, then moved again to where Condor is now and Renamed
Delta Flyer)
21. Yankee Clipper (Arrow Development Flume)
22. The Spinakker (a Standard Round Up Ride that was replaced by Tidal Wave the
next year. It was odd being right next to Cajun Cliffhangerm, being basically
the same ride)
23. The Lobster (Schwarzkopf Monster, renamed East River Crawler when Batman
Was Built)
24.Buzzy Bee (was next to Capt. Morgans((Antionos Pasta and Pizza)) looks like
a kiddie/family ride)
25. CAjun Cliffhanger (Used Chance Rotor from the Defunct Riverview Park, now
itself defunct)
26. Gulf Coaster (Herschell Kiddie I believe, right where the enterance is to
Roaring Rapids is today)
27. Orleans Orbit (Schwarzkopf Enterprise, moved to Hometown square)
28. Traffique Jam (Another Car ride, was removed for Roaring Rapids((still
inside the railroad loop)), I hear the cars now reside at Knoebels)
28. Delta Flyer Station North
29. Rue Le Dodge (Bumber CArs)
30. Great America Railroad
And those 30 rides were 1976 Great America. Home this helps, I'd assume PGA
was similar but differnt manufacturers here and there)
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Finally, one day it was discovered that through an error in our accounting
department, we had inadvertently missed three payment's on our roller
coaster..And then we knew the answer..Our ride had been REPOSSESSED!
Locoboy
> 26. Gulf Coaster (Herschell Kiddie I believe, right where the enterance is to
> Roaring Rapids is today)
The Gulf Coaster at the Marriott's Great America in California was a standard
production model Little Dipper coaster from Bradkey & Kaye.
Gr8LABoy
>the
>kida area, along the way it was moved to in front of Demon and
>renamed/rethemed
>Industreal Revolution, then moved again to where Condor is now and Renamed
I believe that Industrial Revolution and the Yukon Yahoos were two different
rides. I remember as a kid the Yahoo was one of my favorite rides..and I
distinctly remember going on Industrial Rev. and cutting up my leg something
fierce and having to go to first aid. My dad told me that we can go on the
Yahoos when I felt "all better" :) This was like 1979 or 80.
Jeff Coloma
memories of all the rides that have passed with time. I remember as a kid
riding Souther Cross with my grandma and my mom. At least the Whizzer isn't
going anywhere, but alas SkyWhirl has gone for just a mediocre shuttle
coaster that has a bad habit of not really working. AAGHHHHH... so many
wonderful memories of nostalgia, and the somewhat harsh realities of
present.
I'm a bit amazed no one has posted the nice little trolly system that ran
from Orleans Place to Hometown Square. Sorry... can't remember the names,
haven't been up at the park in awhile. Remember going on that thing and just
lazily riding around with my dad at the end of the day as a child. You can
still see the tracks it used to run on still embeded in the pavement. I
can't recall if it opened with Marriot's grand opening or was added later. I
do remember they stopped operating it around ten or so years ago, I guess it
was too much liability for the park.
Locoboy
PGA in California kept their streetcar system until a few years ago. The tracks
have been paved over and the two streetcars are in storage back in the
boneyard. When I last looked at them up close a few months ago, they were both
in pretty good shape. At least to my eyes they looked pretty good.
DxHbk311
removed in 86. Why did this ride have such a short life span? The PGA edge
lasted along time until its removal when Drop Zone was added
Evil One
was
removed in 86>>
The Six Flags Great America one killed someone...
todesco
Also, in the same thread, there was a 2nd sky ride going round-trip only
to what is now Southwest Territory (the 180 degree turn around point).
I think the station is now the funnel cake place.
Brian A. Plencner
That is what I remember as well. Industrial Revolution sat next to
Turn of The Century's Lift hill. Yukon Yahoo was over in Yukon
Territory, and then when they expanded the kiddy area in the mid 80's,
and they moved it over to Orleans Place, where Condor now sits. The
one thing I loved about Yukon Yahoo was the "barn" that you went
through at the top of the circle, with the sign that said "Watch Yer
Head, Low Beam!"
Brian A. Plencner
<jeffc...@NOSPAMATALLameritech.net> wrote:
>I'm a bit amazed no one has posted the nice little trolly system that ran
>from Orleans Place to Hometown Square. Sorry... can't remember the names,
>haven't been up at the park in awhile. Remember going on that thing and just
>lazily riding around with my dad at the end of the day as a child. You can
>still see the tracks it used to run on still embeded in the pavement. I
>can't recall if it opened with Marriot's grand opening or was added later. I
>do remember they stopped operating it around ten or so years ago, I guess it
>was too much liability for the park.
SFGAm's still has their trolly system, and the tracks are still in the
gound. In fact, they use them every night during the summer for the
nighttime parade. They have parade floats that run on the trolley
tracks (themed to each section of the park). It did have a cool name,
like the Orleans Place and Hometown Street Tolley system.
In fact, if you have kids like I do, there is a chance that you can
still ride in them! During the summer months, the escorts who bring
around the Looney Toons Characters have "tickets" to ride the
Trolley's during the nightly parade. I've been lucky enought to have
done this 2 times now, and its a lot of fun. The Trolley's are in
great shape yet.
My guess is that they quit normal operation at SFGAm do to the crowds.
People would never get out of the way, and the Trolley's had a hard
time getting by.
I have a park map from 1985 and they were still in use then. Not sure
exactly what year they quit running them.
Brian A. Plencner
NO! That is not true at all.
There was an accident on the edge that did cause the ride to be
removed, but NO ONE WAS KILLED.
What had happend is that the park stopped the ride to add another car
to the system. There was a car sitting at the top of the ride,
waiting to go down. Unfortunally, something went wrong, and that car
fell all 60 feet to the ground, passing by every safety system.
The date was May 22, 1984. Three 8th grade boys from LaSalle IL were
on the ride at the time. They were hospitalized for five days with
relatively minor injuries.
Brian A. Plencner
Plencner) wrote:
>On 07 Sep 2002 04:40:01 GMT, gr8l...@aol.com (Gr8LABoy) wrote:
>
>>>0. Yukon YAhoo (Schwarzkopf Bayern Kurve, in what is now the very heart of
>>>the
>>>kida area, along the way it was moved to in front of Demon and
>>>renamed/rethemed
>>>Industreal Revolution, then moved again to where Condor is now and Renamed
>>
>>I believe that Industrial Revolution and the Yukon Yahoos were two different
>>rides. I remember as a kid the Yahoo was one of my favorite rides..and I
>>distinctly remember going on Industrial Rev. and cutting up my leg something
>>fierce and having to go to first aid. My dad told me that we can go on the
>>Yahoos when I felt "all better" :) This was like 1979 or 80.
>
>That is what I remember as well. Industrial Revolution sat next to
>Turn of The Century's Lift hill. Yukon Yahoo was over in Yukon
>Territory, and then when they expanded the kiddy area in the mid 80's,
>and they moved it over to Orleans Place, where Condor now sits. The
>one thing I loved about Yukon Yahoo was the "barn" that you went
>through at the top of the circle, with the sign that said "Watch Yer
>Head, Low Beam!"
>
>--Brian
I just wanted to add that I have a park map from 1983 (actually, I
have everyone between 1981 and the present!) and it has both
Industrial Revolution and Yukon Yahoo on it. So, they are two
different rides. 1983 would also be the last year that the Orbit
would be called Orleans Orbit, and the last year Bottom's up would be
at the park. 1984 was when White Water Rampage would open, causing
them to move the Orbit to Hometown Square.
Also, in 1984 the Delta Flyer/Eagle's Flight Cable Car system was
still in place.
Brian A. Plencner
>NO! However a car of riders was hurt.
>
>Also, in the same thread, there was a 2nd sky ride going round-trip only
>to what is now Southwest Territory (the 180 degree turn around point).
>I think the station is now the funnel cake place.
Actually, you are right about Southern Cross going to what is now
Southwest Territory. But the station is no longer their. It would be
located somewhere in the ride area for Roaring Rapids in Orleans
Place.
The Funnle Cake Place is where Eagles Flight/Delta Flyer came down.
The other end of that set is where Condor is now.
Brian A. Plencner
wrote:
I also wanted to post this. This little article appeard on the SF
webpage back on 2000, when the park turned 25. As part of the
celebration, the park came up with a list of 25 things that most of
the general public may not have known. Most of us "coaster" people
probably know every one of these, but I figured it would help those
that did not know, or have forgotten.
So, without any more delay, here is a list of 25 little-known facts
about the Midwest’s largest theme park, complied by the folks at SFGAm
back in 2000.
===============================================================
GREAT AMERICA THROUGH THE BACK DOOR...
June 1, 2000
25 little-known facts about the Midwest’s largest theme park
For millions of visitors, the memory is as fresh as yesterday: of
holding back adrenaline and anticipation as they jittered and bounded
through Great America’s ornate wrought-iron gates to face the
magnificent Columbia Carousel, all 10 stories reflected in a serene,
glassy pond. The park has spent 25 years creating fun and fantasy for
more than 60 million visitors from all corners of the world.
Much of the Park’s success can be attributed to the genius of the
park’s designer, Hollywood set designer Randall Duell, who created a
park that was logical from an operational standpoint as well as
"seamless", making its operation invisible to visitors. Over the
years, rides, attractions and owners have come and gone, leaving
behind a rich legacy that is little-known to the general public. Join
us on a historical walking-tour to learn what has put the "great" in
Great America for 25 seasons.
1. Great America was an ambitious entertainment project planned and
developed by the Marriott Corporation in the early 1970s. After
extensive demographic and land-use studies, Gurnee, Illinois, was
chosen as the ideal location for a major theme park. Gurnee's
proximity to the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas was ideal,
plus it was an easy day's drive from other Midwestern locations.
2. More than 700 construction workers and craftsmen worked over a
24-month period to build the park. Exactly 715 days after the
groundbreaking ceremonies (June 14, 1974), Marriott’s Great America
held its grand opening on May 29, 1976. On that day, all the park’s
employees gathered around the front gate reflection pond for a "family
portrait."
******************************************************************************************
Note: That "Family Portrait" can be found on Steve Wilson's page,
located here: http://www.geocities.com/ezeiza/mga.html
************************************************************
3. Hollywood set designer and architect Randall Duell paid great
attention to detail in his design of the Great America Park. He
imported ironwork from Mexico to replicate New Orleans’ ornate
wrought iron for Orleans Place. His designs for Yukon Territory
mandated the planting of mature pine trees for an authentic Canadian
feel. And, to recreate the serenity of an eastern seaboard village, he
placed a working lighthouse near the flume rides.
4. Great America was purposely laid out in a giant circle and,
unbeknownst to Guests, has a 2,000-foot central service drive running
through the center of the park. Since vehicle traffic is prohibited
inside the park, the service drive is critical to the park’s
operation, giving delivery vehicles backdoor access to the major shops
and restaurants throughout the park. The service drive also gives
employees easy access to their work areas in the park, as well as to
the employee cafeteria.
5. Approximately $3 million was spent on landscaping prior to the
park’s opening, which included 21,000 trees and 43,000 shrubs that
have matured into sizable shade trees and lovely gardens. Each year,
the park’s landscapers annually add more than 500,000 flowers
and plants that are grown in the park’s own on-site greenhouses.
6. The Great America Park in Gurnee, Illinois, had a sister park in
Santa Clara, California. This identical twin park opened a month
earlier, and sported the same park layout and certain notable
landmarks, like the double-decker Columbia Carousel. Although Marriott
Corporation sold its two theme parks to different companies in the
1980s, they maintain an eerie similarity, despite the addition of new
rides and attractions by their owners.
7. The Park employs 3,000 seasonal workers annually, providing
thousands of young people with their first jobs and making Six Flags
Great America the largest employer of seasonal workers at one location
in the State of Illinois. Three shifts work around the clock in a
variety of positions... from the obvious - ride operators, merchandise
and foodservice workers, park sweepers, performers, mechanics, and
ticket takers... to the not-so-obvious - theatre technicians,
seamstresses, accountants, computer technicians, landscapers and
employee trainers.
8. The handsome double-decker Columbia Carousel has become Great
America’s most notable icon. It is the largest (10 stories tall) and
costliest carousel ever built, and includes original oil paintings,
reproductions of sculpture used in movie sets, and careful
reproductions of old-time carousel horses. The giant carousel features
more than 100 animals -- on the lower level, pigs, cats, lions,
tigers, deer, dragons, giraffes, sea horses, camels, rabbits and an
ostrich, and all horses on the upper level. More than 1,000 lights
outline the carousel, and floodlights illuminate its copper roof and
spire at night. Reflected in a placid 180,000-gallon reflection pond,
the Columbia is an awesome spectacle.
9. Perceptions and expectations have changed substantially since
Opening Day, when it boasted three roller coasters. The white-knuckle
thriller then was the Turn of the Century, a ride that, today, would
barely turn heads. In its 25 seasons, Great America has known 14
roller coasters, four of which have been removed, leaving the park
with 10 world-class roller coasters that include steel mega-coasters,
classic "woodies," and a kiddie coaster.
10. Great America has a reputation for setting standards and breaking
records in the theme park industry by introducing rides that were the
tallest, fastest or first of their kind:
? 1978: Tidal Wave, tallest roller coaster in the world at 142 feet
? 1981: American Eagle, world’s tallest and fastest wooden roller
coaster
? 1988: ShockWave, tallest, fastest roller coaster in the world, at
170 feet and 65 mph, as well as the world’s first coaster with seven
loops.
? 1990: Iron Wolf, world’s tallest stand-up roller coaster
? 1992: Batman The Ride, world’s first inverted outside-looping
roller coaster
? 1999: Raging Bull, world’s first hyper-twister roller coaster
11. Today, Great America is home to two unique rides that cannot be
found anywhere else in the world: the three-armed Ferris wheel Sky
Whirl, and Whizzer, the last remaining Schwarzkopf speed racer roller
coaster in existence.
12. The American Eagle roller coaster was all the buzz when it opened
in 1981 as the world’s tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster.
Positioned where it’s hard to miss along Interstate 94, contains a
staggering 1.36 million board-feet of lumber, 130,000 bolts, 15 tons
of nails and 9,000 gallons of white paint. Its popular double-track
"racing coaster" design consists of a total of 9,300 feet of track.
13. In 1976, the dolphins Nemo and Neptune were the pride of Great
America’s "Enchanted Island Revue." They performed daily in a
specially constructed aquatic environment in Wilderness Theatre. When
animal shows became old hat, high-dive shows took their place.
Today, Wilderness Theatre is used primarily for special events and
concerts. The pool is hidden beneath the stage.
14. Today, IMAX theatres have become almost commonplace in
metropolitan areas, but in 1979 Great America was one of the first to
introduce this groundbreaking theatre technology. The Pictorium
features special cameras, projectors, a 70 foot by 96 foot screen, a
film size ten times larger than the standard 35mm format and a
six-channel, fourteen-speaker stereo sound system.
15. When it comes to running a theme park major entertainment center,
it truly "takes a village." Great America employs dozens of skilled
craftsmen and tradespeople that take care of the rides and property.
These include fiberglassers, mill workers, plumbers, electricians,
mechanics, carpenters, sign painters, landscapers, seamstresses and
upholsterers.
16. Great America has its own water pumping station for the dual
purpose of irrigation and fire protection. This station pumps from two
lakes with approximately 10 million gallons of water capacity.
17. The tallest structure at Great America is Sky Trek Tower, a
200-ton observation tower that was shipped to the U.S. in nine pieces
from Europe. From its base to the top of its flagpole, the tower
reaches 330 feet. The rotating, circular cabin rises to the height of
285 feet, from which Lake Michigan and downtown Chicago can be viewed
on a clear day.
18. In its early years of operation, Great America hosted "The Circus
Fantastic" in its Grandstand Pavilion. The show featured aerialists,
tightrope walkers, juggler, clowns and an elephant... which caused
quite a stir when it escaped and walked down Washington Street,
which borders the park. Today, the Grandstand Pavilion white circus
tent is the entrance and shade structure for the American Eagle queue
line.
19. In 1991, the Park took a brave step into autumn and extended it
operating schedule to the end of October with its immensely popular
Fright Fest. Each year, the installation of "Tiny," a 40-foot
inflatable spider, on the American Eagle roller coaster heralds the
coming of this popular Halloween event. In 1995, Tiny was
"spider-napped" by some local youths who didn’t know what to do with
him when they got him home. Their mother turned them in to the police,
and Tiny returned to his perch along Interstate 94.
20. In 1982, the Park added a private picnic grove, complete with its
own kitchens and catering staff. Today, the Park hosts hundreds of
picnics each year, ranging in size from 100 to 10,000 people, hosting
more than 100,000 people each summer.
21. Six Flags Great America’s Iron Wolf roller coaster played a
featured role in the Warner Bros. movie "Richie Rich," starring
Macaulay Culkin. Richie Rich, the richest boy in the world,
had a roller coaster in his back yard. With lots of rented trees to
disguise the park’s backstage areas, Iron Wolf fit the bill!
22. The need for additional capacity inside the park prompted the
development of 11 acres of unused land in 1996. The Southwest
Territory expansion was the largest single expansion in the park’s
history, including numerous rides, a games gallery and arcade,
sit-down restaurant and an impressive Southwestern style mission.
Ironically, it sits on the very piece of land set aside as "The Great
Southwest" in the Marriott Corporation’s original plans for the
property.
23. Located just outside the Park’s front gate, the Pet Pourri kennel
has hosted thousands of animals while their human friends enjoy the
roller coasters. Dogs and cats are the typical visitors, but the
kennel has also taken care of goats, cows, birds, ferrets, snakes and
other exotic pets.
24. People lose the strangest things on rides. In addition to the
expected baseball caps, glasses, wallets, and car keys, Six Flags
security officers have been asked to fetch hearing aids, dentures and
even an artificial leg!
25. In 1997 alone, our Guests consumed over 131 tons of chicken,
454,820 personal sized pizzas, 116,152 pounds of hamburger, 103,480
pounds of hot dogs and 113,410 gallons of soda!
===============================================================
Dave Sandborg
the lists of rides posted here, I wouldn't have remembered things like
Bottom's Up or even the Buzzy Bee.
In article <20020906235826...@mb-mr.aol.com>, Mike Parker
<fpark...@aol.communist> wrote:
> I have a 1976 map here, and I can give a full listing of the 1976 rides,
> another post seems to cover pretty well everythign that was added later on.
Any chance you could scan this map and have it put on the Web
somewhere? I would love to see it. I'd also be interested in a
similar list of not only rides, but restaurants and shops. As I
recall, they had some pretty elaborate shops back in the early days,
such as one selling handmade glass items in Yankee Harbor.
--
Dave Sandborg
Remove Spam-away to respond via e-mail.
Locoboy
> The
> one thing I loved about Yukon Yahoo was the "barn" that you went
> through at the top of the circle, with the sign that said "Watch Yer
> Head, Low Beam!"
I love that too! The Yukon Yahoo in California went through a structure that
kind of looked like a sawmill. When the ride was relocated to its present
location and renamed Beserker, a new structure/tunnel was made! It's just as
much fun as it was during the Marriott's days.
Locoboy
> Any chance you could scan this map and have it put on the Web
> somewhere? I would love to see it. I'd also be interested in a
> similar list of not only rides, but restaurants and shops. As I
> recall, they had some pretty elaborate shops back in the early days,
> such as one selling handmade glass items in Yankee Harbor.
I would be VERY interested in seeing that map too! Since I have never been to
the Great America park in Illinois, I would be very curious about the differences
between it and the Marriott's Great America that I knew as a kid.
Estopone
Estopone
Paul Drabek
<NOSPAMlo...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>I would be VERY interested in seeing that map too! Since I have never been to
>the Great America park in Illinois, I would be very curious about the differences
>between it and the Marriott's Great America that I knew as a kid.
I thought they were both the same opening season?
Have Fun!
Pail "I miss the Mariott's before Great America" Drabek
Negative G
Coaster and Park Photos
WWW.Negative-G.net
Raven...@negative-g.net
Read Paul's Journal: http://www.negative-g.net/paul/blog/blogger.html
Mike Parker
It's a poster Sized map, so it will be hard, but I have a flatbed scanner and
I'll see what I can do. No Promises :)
Raether
swinging boat ride located in Yankee Harbor where the enterance to the
Picnic Grove is now, Was removed in 83 for the Rapids Ride.
C
"Brian A. Plencner" <sau...@attbi.com> wrote in message
news:3d7a0705...@netnews.attbi.com...
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Starwarswax
which is now ice mountain