hillflyer

My First Save the Coaster Committee Meeting. It was in October of ’81 at Carol Lindemulder’s home on the corner of Pringle and Neale Street in the midtown area of San Diego. You know how when you’re talking to someone on the phone and you imagine what the room they’re in looks like? Based on my previous encounter with coaster savers I was pleased to find out Carol’s house was not a darken room with only the glow of a television and a dark couch with cats. It was instead a beautiful bright and airy house with paintings and art pieces. Carol took me on a tour of her southwestern style adobe home showing me a spacious studio she made for herself on the second floor, plus all her paintings. She had a playful black shepherd named Patsy. As more people arrived for the meeting, to me it didn’t seem like these older people were real coaster fans. That confused me and it took me a while to realize that everyone else there was more historically preservation minded and had saved and restored other San Diego landmarks like the famous Villa Montezuma. Others were friends of Carroll or had worked with her before. This time they were saving a roller coaster. There was a total of about 8 or 10 of us circled in the room. This must have been the second or third meeting I was attending for Carol brought everyone up to date on her research of the coaster. It was much like her presentation before the PF&R board weeks before. She presented an 8x10 black and white photo of the park taken in 1938. She talked about how the roof of the station house originally had a Victorian gable-style roof instead of the current 50’s modern billboard with the flanking fins. A matter up for discussion was whether or not this would be a good photo to use as the logo. Another topic was how to raise money and how to promote the cause. We talked about selling Save the Coaster T-shirts. The front would be a silk-screened pencil drawing of the coaster using the art of renowned artist of historical landmarks, Robert Miles Parker. Parker was also the founder of the Save our Heritage Organization. I forgot what I heard exactly that made my ears prick-up – I think it was something about the Giant Dipper being restored back to its original condition, up until it is operable. To get clarification on what I thought I heard, I whispered the woman next to me if the Dipper was going to actually be able to operate. Without taking her eyes off Carol, she casually nodded yes. That’s when they had me for good. I brought up the movie of the animated ride of the coaster I did in 1979. They were anxious to watch it so I was asked to bring it next time. I’m not sure if that’s the same night I was nominated and voted to be on the board of directors. Meeting adjourned. I was ecstatic. All I could talk about after that night was the Belmont Coaster and how I’m in a group that was going to get it running again. I got a lot of speculative feedback from coworkers at the restaurant, but they weren’t doing anything about it - and I was, so I always felt I had the upper hand. When I had a valet parking shift there, my station was where I could barely see the Giant Dipper a mile down the boardwalk. Here are the keys to your Dipper – er – I meant Beamer sir! Carol Lindemulder's former home. Successful historical preservation effort of the Villa Montezuma lead by Carol and SOHO. The Giant Dipper. In color, you'd see the colors red, green, and yellow. The Giant Dipper neon sign is another story you'll hear about soon. Years before Save the Coaster Committee, renowned local artist Robert Miles Parker penned this drawing. Later it was printed on Tshirts. From my station at the restaurant, I could see the coaster down the boardwalk about 1 mile away

While the set was being fine-tuned, I could hear the actors horsing around while they were getting ready to film. I heard something about Clarence Gilyard’s (Sundown) towel either being playfully pulled off or if it dropped. I heard one of the actors excitedly exclaim, “It’s purple! Oh my God, it’s PURPLE” along with some good natured laughing. Then Tom walked in. He sat on my right on the same bench as I but on the other end. He carried with him a huge ghetto blaster and was smoking a cigar. He was pondering deeply. From the blaster played Simon and Garfunkel’s live version of “Sounds of Silence” which I happen to love. Without even looking at him I mentioned that I liked that song too. In my peripheral vision I saw him roll his head on the wall towards me. I froze and felt the coldest shiver up my back as his icy stare pierced my stupid head. In about 5 minutes David told me I had to go. I guess I was so star-struck I didn’t realize that Tom was emoting for the depressing scene right after Anthony Edwards (Goose) was killed. But how was I to know? Close to wrapping up for the day, I did get to meet Tom Cruise briefly, right at the door into our office. I shook his hand and said, “Hi, I’m Tim Cole”. I said I was guarding our Save the Coaster office, so he would know I had some purpose for being there. He was very cordial. My best friend at the time, Bruce Wilkins, kidded me for weeks as he told everyone that I “tried to impress Tom with my involvement in the coaster.” His 1990 movie Days of Thunder, he plays race car driver Cole Trickle whose recruiter’s name is Tim Deland played by Randy Quaid. Towards the end of the movie, when Tom is being brought out to his car for the important race, he sees his recruiter in the crowd. They exchange acknowledgments, with Tom saying “Tim” and Randy saying “Cole.” My name is Tim Cole in case you missed it. I never let my friend forget it. That had nothing to do with anything coaster but it’s a fun story to tell. If this following story is not true, may the state lawmakers make roller coasters illegal in California. Pushing this up to an R-rating, at some time during that day, I was walking along the row of dressing trailers that were set up between the coaster and the plunge near our office. Suddenly this nude figure appears in the doorway of one of the dressing rooms as the actor leans out as if he was expecting someone else. It was Rick Rossovich!! He didn’t make any attempt to backup into his trailer as I strolled on by. O…M..G…is he BLESSED! I think it was the biggest one I’ve ever seen in my innocent 24 year old years and not so innocent older years. Rick is the one that does that pose during the volleyball scene. Later he would costar alongside Anthony Edwards in E.R. Rick Rossovich

In the morning, I acted as host, showing the actors and crew where to go. By the time the catering truck blew its horn, everyone knew how to get where they were. So I shared some lunch. The part that boggles my mind, is I was keeping an eye out for Tom Cruise, who chose to eat in his trailer I guess. But I did sit across the table from Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, and Rick Rossovich – and some others. I had seen Val in Top Secret the previous summer in the movie theatre where I worked. I saw that movie over and over again. Sitting across from him in person, I did not put Val Kilmer’s teen idol look in connection with his newer military look. It wasn’t until Top Gun hit the big screen that I went, “Oh, THAT’S who that IS!” Anthony Edwards looked familiar to me, but I never did see the Revenge of the Nerds, and who wouldn’t rather keep an eye out for Tom Cruise anyway? Girls were coming up as close as they could asking, “Where’s Tom?” to which some of the actors replied, “We’re actors too, didn’t you see…and they mentioned some movies. Into the lock/er room to continue filming. The Plunge Manager, David Hargrove, let me come in onto the set. The lock/ers in the old plunge is probably 4x larger than how they show it. The movie company brought in prop lock/ers, and placed two rows in the center of the larger room. In the area surrounding the lock/ers, was LOADED with mountains of equipment. There was a fan blowing a fine white powder to simulate steam. Attached on the walls behind the lock/ers, were the classic long 1925 10’ long oak benches where I had a seat. Props needed some stuffers for the bulletin board prominently displayed near the showers. There were several such things available in our office. They took some copied pages from my Save the Coaster scrap book and posted them up on the board!! Sorry about the lock/er - it won't let me type it the right way. #4 was a coaster-shaped fold-out donation request brochure Match the numbers!!

(Continued from previous page...) There was a near-fatal accident on the set first day, first HOUR of shooting leaving a camera man with severe head trauma. That plus the fact I didn’t get along with that breed of movie techs, I decided to totally abandon the idea of working in movies although I did stick through the production. The Save the Coaster Committee received information that the movie Top Gun was going to shoot inside an actual room with metal storage cabinets inside the old Plunge building. To get there, everyone used a private entrance. That happened to be through the Save the Coaster Committee’s room we used as a storage/office space. I had the key so I had to show up at an ungodly hour to open it. The arrow depicts where the entrance to our construction office is - the same entrance Top Gun crew entered the set. Those are the trucks and dressing trailers all lined up.

On page 4, seventh panel down I had asked a True or False question. TRUE OR FALSE: In the 1986 movie "Top Gun" you can actually see printed Save the Coaster Committee material tacked on a bulletin board that Tom Cruise stands and stares at in a scene that takes place in the shower room. The answer is: TRUE!! It was July of 1985. Being that telecommunications was my first Major, I was interning behind the scenes for a really sucky movie called “Sour Grapes” or “Happy Hour” – the latter being the release title. Richard Little (Comedian), Jamie Farr (Mash), Tawny Kitaen (Bachelor Party & Whitesnake videos), Eddie Deezen (Grease), and Richard Gilliland (pre-Designing Women) starred in it. It was produced by Four Square productions, the same people who put San Diego on the Rotten Tomatoes list years previous with “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.”

Yours truly, Poking my head out from the spool. Sometime in 1982 or 3. At this point, I think all we've accomplished is a newer fence and cleanup of the area, including removal of enough sand to fill a standard swimming pool. It was early days. I think I was up there with Sam and Acer Gary Benner, who took this shot before moving to San Diego

Thanks everyone for all the wonderful responses. I'm overwhelmed, really. So much so, I was saving this gem until towards the end - but it's not like we all don't know how it turned out. By the summer of 1990, I was employed by the (then) San Diego Seaside company. The Save the Coaster Committee was successful in its mission to keep the coaster from the wrecking ball. On 9/1/89, Seaside took over the serious restoration of the Dipper. You can imagine my feeling of anticipation as I was filling 5 two-hour tapes in the midst of fresh cut wood, drills, paint...and lots of sweat. LOTS. I managed to overlook all those construction guys - it was the coaster I was hot for. Enjoy~ 1) Music Video Giant Dipper Restoration Filmed summer of 1990 Music: Working On It Artist: Chris Rea Writer(s): Christopher Anton Rea, Kevin Stephen Welch Copyright: Magnet Music Ltd., Kevin Welch Music, Warner-tamerlane Publishing Corp. Edited Spring of 1992 using the post primitive methods you can't imagine. 4:21 length 2) The day the trains first left the station. I'll save the story of what happened between 6:07 and 7:35 for the end. That's the fun part. Crowds were beginning to collect when word got out that we were going to try and run the thing. Former president of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk turned General Manager of the Seaside Company, Ed Hutton, thought he should make something clear to spectators of what they might see. 3) The new Giant Dipper loses her virginity for the "'first" time. In the 90 minutes after the train was sent out, about 1000 more spectaotors all showed up from the immediate area. You can hear them cheering it on. Note the people in the station house running from side to side.

TRUE OR FALSE: In the 1986 movie "Top Gun" you can actually see printed Save the Coaster Committee material tacked on a bulletin board that Tom Cruise stands and stares at in a scene that takes place in the shower room.

Thanks Robb for moving this to the main page and thank you everyone for your positive responses. Mission Beach just celebrated one hundred years of its declaration, so I was waxing sentimental and dug out my old files. There is LOTS more juicy stuff to come, I promise. Thanks again.

Pictorial History of Mission Beach Amusement Center. PT 1. The ocean and the sand are one of San Diego’s staples. What started as nothing but a sandbar was established as Mission Beach in 1914. Ten years later, construction started on what would become the Mission Beach Amusement Center. It was built by sugar magnate John. D. Spreckels for the purpose of attracting prospective land buyers for around the area. Mission Beach Amusement Center opened to a throng of thousands on May 29th, 1925. The main attractions included a bathhouse and a dance casino, both boasting to having the latest and greatest amenities. The bathhouse, or, the Plunge, is the indoor Olympic-sized swimming pool that still serves swimmers today. There was also a roller rink hall, a carousel, and a small thrills and spills area. During the week of May 18th, 1925, a vacant lot next to the roller rink was cleared and prepared for the construction of a $50,000 roller coaster. While it’s likely the coaster’s debut was supposed to coincide with the Memorial Day weekend opening of the Amusement Center, the permit to start construction wasn’t issued until the first week in June. The team responsible for building the new roller coaster was Frank Prior and Fred Church. http://manchesterhistory.net/bellevue/church.html In 1918, Thomas Prior passed away and Frank took over the presidency. They built several roller coasters all up and down the west coast, but it is Fred Church who patented many of the design features that contributed significantly to the roller coaster boom of the 1920’s. The Mission Beach Coaster Company was formed to operate the ride and manage the business with George Barney as president. The erection of preassembled supports for the Giant Dipper (a common name for Prior and Church coasters) began immediately after the issuance of the building permit on June 8th, 1925. The two nine-car trains were manufactured in Prior and Church’s Venice plant. It took a construction team of 75 men one week to bring the roller coaster into take shape. The labor force was doubled at the start of the second week so that the deadline of July 4th could be met. NOTE: The red marks indicate a possible VIP - I'd be guessing if one of them might be Barney and maybe Prior. The blue mark is definitely Fred Church.

The Day That Changed My Life The Public Facilities and Recreation Board voted on a continuance of the matter, scheduled on the docket for October 7th, 1981. I forgot why I didn’t make a bee-line towards Carol when the meeting was over. I was probably more interested in press coverage out in the hallway. I was asked by a radio reporter about why the beach park meant so much for me to go through the trouble of designing and presenting my idea. Caught unprepared, whatever I said, I remember he lost interest right away. The night prior to the October meeting, I once again climbed up the Giant Dipper’s lift hill and raised about 4 or 5 flags made from my Mom’s old curtains. With red and black magic marker, I wrote clever sayings that could barely be read on these tiny curtains 70’ up in the air. “We love our old Rollie”, “One Mission Beach, one coaster, please…” are a couple I remember. I’ll post pictures later if I can find them. (I FOUND THEM -SEE BELOW) I was not prepared for how the last meeting ended with all three proposals being rejected so I wasn’t sure what to expect at this one. The topic of Mission Beach Roller Coaster came up about an hour into the program. Carol Lindemulder once again took center stage. "The Save the Coaster Committee Inc. will be formed for the exclusive purpose of restoring the Giant Dipper roller coaster back to its original condition. Added will be a roller coaster museum focusing primarily on the history of the Giant Dipper while touching on the history of seaside roller coasters and their general role in the development of surrounding beach communities. Admission and donations collected in the museum would help with maintenance costs of the restored coaster." A board of directors was coming together and important-sounding contacts had been made. I was all ears throughout the entire 10 minutes of her presentation and hung on every single word. Impressed that there was a group of known names in both the political and historical aspects of the proposed project, the PF&R board voted to allow Carol 90 more days to establish a true committee. Obtaining ownership of the roller coaster, insurance, non-profit status, completing a fund-raising and rehabilitation schedule, and having the integrity of the structure analyzed were amongst the many tasks to be completed within that time. Obtaining ownership of the coaster?? What's this??? At the end of that meeting I raced up to Carol and hastily introduced myself, and asked what can I do to help? She invited me to a board meeting sometime that month and gave me her card for Call Carol Interiors. My life changed on that day. The first building completed was the Roller Rink. It opened its doors to the public at 2pm March 7th, 1925 - nearly three months before the rest of the center. Constructed by contractors and builders Trepte and Son of San Diego, the tile and stucco structure was 90’x150’ with a Spanish influence in design and a skating surface of carefully selected maple. After serving 40 years as a roller rink, it became a bumper car pavilion (1966) The midway barren. After moving the bumper cars to another location in the park, the roller rink became a "Spoof Safari". Electric cars took passengers through a haunted house type of attraction. The building was boarded up in 1977 right after the park closed. (1984) It was a home for the world's population of pigeons. I took this that weekend before it was torn down in March of 1987. My painted version of my idea for a Belmont Fun Center presented before the Public Facilities and Recreation Board in 8/81 The night before the 8/5/81 meeting, I hung up flags made from Mom's old curtains, after she used them to make a dress..lol

The coaster was back at square one but that did little to shake my belief that somehow it could still be salvaged. I left the forum feeling pretty good that day. Not only was I proud of myself for having the courage to hold it all together before city officials, but I heard an unexpected proposal for the Earthquake. After my presentation, a woman had gone up before the council and identified herself as Carol Lindemulder, former President of the Save Our Heritage Organization, (S.O.H.O). The group is synonymous with historic preservation in San Diego. She pointed out before the board that in case all three proposals are rejected, there could still be a chance to save the roller coaster. She stated a few facts about what made the coaster unique. This is when I learned that the “Earthquake” once had another name, “Giant Dipper.” And who are Prior and Church? A “bobs” type of coaster? What’s that? An out and back versus a twister? Talk about excited! Carol added that she received a letter from coaster owner Bill Evans quoting, “I’m willing to donate the roller coaster to a non-profit group for the purpose of its restoration.” All Evans asked for in return was to obtain a professional’s estimate of the coaster’s value so he could use it for a tax advantage. S.O.H.O. advised Carol that a separate committee would have to be formed for the exclusive purpose of restoring the ride. Founder and first President of the Save the Coaster Committee Carol Lindemulder (left) Her successor, Judy Swink, on the right. 1982 photo by Tim Cole

During public input, I , with 20 year-old legs as quivery as my voice, made my two-minute presentation. As I looked at the faces of the board members, I noticed I had more of everyone’s attention than did the previous presenters and they were all smiling – they were more amused than taking me seriously I’m sure. I had all my artwork displayed towards the council, and I remember Bill Evans coming up and around to look at the front of it. I had done nothing like that before, but I was glad I did and it was a good experience watching a real council session. Mission Beach councilman, Mike Gotch, after advising the council that just because there was no money until 1983 for park improvements doesn’t mean they should be in a hurry and have someone do it for them. He read a memo aloud that he authored to his colleagues, “No matter how well intentioned when conceived, the combined commercial/parkland must be stopped now. First and foremost, Mission Beach is public parkland, a rare oceanfront jewel with historical significance.” The council made public apologies to the presenters after they rejected the idea putting of any commercial development on the property at all. Mike Gotch (1948 - 2008) Popular councilman whose district included his beloved roller coaster.

But I had this other vision in my head for a while and I thought it was a good time to draw it out and at least show it to somebody. My idea was using the space as a Family Fun Center type amusement park with a miniature golf course around and inside the Earthquake. Built up on the lower track paths would run go-karts that would use the station house for loading and unloading passengers. In the center of the north turn around I thought would be a fun place to have an activity jungle gym with rooms and tunnels inside the structure and two slides – one that goes down the first drop and a smaller one on the adjacent hill. I was only trying to introduce a concept I thought was being overlooked. I presented large painted versions of my design (below are the first drafts) before the Public Facilities and Recreation board on August 5, 1981. I knew nothing about city politics and was surprised at how casual everyone was in their behavior. It was a long meeting with the topic of redeveloping Belmont Park not starting until well over an hour later. My memory is a little fuzzy but I guess all three proposals were displayed and explained by the developer. My idea was using the space as a Family Fun Center type amusement park with a miniature golf course around and inside the Earthquake. Build up on the lower track paths would run go-karts that would use the station house for loading and unloading passengers. In the center of the north turn around I thought would be a fun place to have an activity jungle gym with rooms and tunnels inside the structure and two slides – one that goes down the first drop and a smaller one on the adjacent hill. Note: These drawings were done the exact same time the first mention of what is now called AIDS started making the news.

In July of 1981, I finally got word that the San Diego Public Park and Recreation board would decide which one of three commercial development proposals it would consider to build on the Belmont Park property. One of them was Evans’ previously unveiled “Coaster Village.” Another coaster-saving proposal was time-share condos by longtime Mission Beach resident Norman Starr. The third proposal came from Bryant Morris who envisioned keeping only one section of the Earthquake roller coaster to be used as a gateway to his waterpark. There was a little controversy over turning public land over to a developer at the time, so there was a good chance the board would reject all three proposals. One of several proposals that would be considered for developing the vacated amusement park.

Personal Crazy Moment #1 I had driven down to the coaster the day after both fires – I think I took some photos. I was disappointed but I did not let that damper my dream that Coaster Village would still see the light of day. Almost two weeks after the second fire, and the same day that President Ronald Reagan was shot, I began a new job at a nice steak and seafood restaurant only one mile north of the coaster. It was more than 17 miles from home but I got to drive past the coaster to and from work. I worked nights, and occasionally before or after working, I would park near the coaster and let myself dream. One night after work, I decided I was going to climb up to the top of the ride and take the one remaining light bulb from the coaster’s chase lights as a souvenir. It was located just over the lift hill on the side of the track that had no catwalk. I had climbed up to the top a few times in the daylight, but never at night. Let me tell you it is a whole other experience. It was after 1am, it was dark, a little foggy, and the only noise was the distant surf and a street sweeper below. My legs were becoming more and more wobbly the higher I got, but I managed to make it to the spot. I tied myself off using one of those orange extension cords as a rope. I stepped over the tracks (to the side that had no catwalk and only the track to stand on) and reached up under the handrail…I could touch that bulb but it was screwed in too tightly for me to chance breaking it so I retreated down, glad only that I was back on the ground safe. Top photo is the new Save the Coaster Donor board, posted in front of the second burned area. The bottom is a good contrast shot, the first burned section up against the curve the Save the Coaster Committee painted in 1984. The coaster is really creepy at night. The arrow shows where the light bulb is. We eventually got it down, whoever got to keep it broke it eventually. Beach side restaurant where I worked one mile north of the coaster, 17 miles from home.

Its troubled history is what makes it all the more amazing it stood neglected as long as it did. Since the thirties, the park and the roller coaster were always under threat everytime old leases expired which was about once or twice per decade. This coaster sat waisting beachside property for fourteen years, survived three fires, three orders of condemnation, two bankruptcies and the park's ultimate closure. It was caught up in a heated controversy when the surrounding area was developed into an unwanted commerical enterprise which was built AROUND it instead of in place of it. Amazing Indeed

Arson investigators were quick to start interviewing those that were at the scene. By 2pm the next day, police made their arrest. A 22-year old drifter from Canada was booked into county jail under suspicion of setting the fire and committing several local burglaries. He had spent his evenings in the living quarters set up in the various rooms and tunnels under the coaster. The other inhabitants found him to be troublesome and evicted him - as revenge, he set the fire.

As if to squeeze lemon juice onto freshly burned skin, less than one month later, on March 18th, the roller coaster became victim to another evening fire. This one started in another storage room under the grease-soaked wood near the sprocket that turns the chain. The damage was double the size of the first fire. The second fire destroyed the entrance to the start tunnel, an attached store room, three more coaster cars, and some critical support posts. If you look close at the tunnel entrance, you can see the caboose.

BRING YOUR MARSHMALLOWS! There were interests that saw the roller coaster as being in the way of progress. Its vulnerability to vandalism became clear on the evening of February 27th, 1981 when someone set it on fire. When firefighters arrived at 9:50pm, they witnessed one of the coaster’s storage rooms engulfed in flames. The braking mechanism and the final tunnel were also scorched. News of the coaster’s fire and its timing was curious news to Mike Gotch, city councilman for the Mission Beach district at that time. As a supporter of the roller coaster, he publicly said that while the fire was unfortunate, it was not severe enough to warrant the razing of the ride. The first fire destroyed the hairpin part of the lower tunnel, the attached store room, the upper brake tunnel, and three coaster cars.

San Diego City leaders were also willing to grant Evans time to develop his plan. Revamping the park was not in the city's budget until 1983 so they felt there was time to explore any option that kept the roller coaster. While the thought of having a commercial enterprise develop the area seemed appealing, they were hesitant to stick with only one idea. Rather than allow coaster-owner Evans exclusive rights to redevelop the former Belmont Park, other entrepreneurs and developers were asked to present more ideas and concepts. Those proposals for commercial development of the property were to be drafted with the understanding that the Plunge be included, and while it was preferred that the roller coaster be incorporated into the plan, it was not required. Seven initial responses made it to the city, and not all of them included keeping the roller coaster. January 1983 - If you look close, you can see the original signatures of Church and Prior. It was in far better condition until city workers removed the roof off the coaster's transformer room. I'm really disappointed a bigger effort was not made to preserve this.

I immediately called Bill Evans’ office at the Bahia Hotel across the street from the ride. I wanted more details and expressed my wanting to be involved in this idea somehow. I spoke to his secretary Melanie who invited me to the hotel where I had a wonderful conversation with her. She told me some of the ideas they had in mind for the Village including people riding the coaster train up to the top where there would be a restaurant. I clearly remember thinking, “How the hell are they going to do that?” But I also thought if they could save the coaster, they can do anything. My eyes were glued to the art boards that showed color drafts of the proposed plaza with a roller coaster loosely sketched in the back ground. I was really excited and for the first time felt very VIP-like when she asked if I wanted to go to the presentation of the plan at his Bahia hotel the next night. HELL YEAH! It was more of a loose social reception-type gathering with invited guests, I’m sure there was a brief presentation of Evans’ idea, but I don’t remember it. From that day for more than a year, it was a waiting game for me. All I knew was that Evans was getting all preparations in order to get approval for his Village and that would take a long time. I was going to College and started taking theatre classes in the spring of 1980. College kept me occupied enough so I placed the coaster on the top shelf until I heard news. The Bahia Hotel and its proximity to the roller coaster (arrow)

TURN OF EVENTS In the April 2nd edition of the San Diego Union, I learned that what I heard the day before was no joke. At the meeting where the California Coastal Commission was expecting to hear a standard objection to razing the coaster before approving Evan’s demolition permit, instead were brought forth an intriguing proposal. Evans pitched his idea for a “Coaster Village”. He envisioned a restored, yet dormant, roller coaster serving as a sculpture weaved through a village of boutiques, ice cream parlors, restaurants, and sporting-good rental stores. Based on the then-brand new Seaport Village retail/tourist center on downtown San Diego’s waterfront, the Mission Beach version would also include jogging paths, basketball and volleyball courts, and the original Plunge. The roller coaster would remain as a monument to the development of the area as well as serve as an example of the simple technology used back in the early days of roller coaster construction. It might even have a merry-go-round. The Coaster Village main draft.

For the rest of the summer of ’79 I visited the property a half a dozen times, mostly to get clarity on issues I was having in the early stages of drafting plans for the Earthquake model. Even though I was trespassing, not once was I ever questioned or busted by authorities. Maybe it was because I had become closer and more familiar with the roller coaster, for when I saw a headline in an August ’79 edition of the San Diego Union that read: Panel Approves Demolition of Roller Coaster, my heart sank. The one ray of hope I held on to was the article’s mention of some beach locals who wanted to restore the ride. “I just might have to look into that,” I thought. I saw a local news story on TV where a couple of two very young clowns climbed atop the 70’ tall ride with balloons and banners trying to attract attention for the cause of preserving the coaster. The news also showed grounded police officers coaxing them off the scaffolds and then citing them once they were down. What was supposed to be a press conference about a handful of beach locals fighting to preserve the coaster, turned into a story of heartless police taking two clowns into custody. I forgot exactly when I met Eddie Forrey, the leader of that press conference. He was an 86-year old self-proclaimed beach poet who lived across the street from Belmont Park. I knew nothing of a petition drive he started to save the coaster in 1978. He showed up at every city council meeting that had to do with the topic of demolishing the coaster and would rally for its preservation. He would show up at the meetings with his troupe in tow, defending the coaster’s right to exist by holding up signs and reading poems such as: “What callous people would vote to destroy The last monument to thrill and joy? The echo of screaming laughter of children we’ll no longer hear The end for the coaster, I feel, is near.” I remember being a little skeptical after I learned his group was made up of a few clowns, vagrants, hippies, bikers, and some tag-alongs, none of whom had any strong community influence. Regardless, I could already see myself immersed in such a restoration project. I wanted so much to believe that it could happen. The roller coaster already had two strikes against it - two pro demolition, each vote from the San Diego Regional Coastal Commission and the San Diego City Council. The next and final hearing was to be before the California Coastal Commission. This is where Evans would get the final granting of the permit at a hearing scheduled March of 1980. It was April 1st, 1980 when I thought someone was joking with me about the sudden turn of events that took place at that meeting. I felt like a pet of mine died when I saw this in the San Diego Union. Pamela Sue Whitner (1959 - 2004) a.k.a. Flutterby Baby the Clown. One of the two clowns who was arrested after having climbed on top of the coaster. Pamela entertained kids at many Save the Coaster Commitee fundraisers.

During the early part of 1979, the demise of the abandoned Earthquake roller coaster looked more certain with every passing news report. Around this time, I learned that the owner of the roller coaster was Hotelier Bill Evans, operator of Belmont Park since 1969. His abandoned roller coaster was sitting on city property and beach residents were actively working on having it removed. Belmont Park was the favorite playground for his two teens and he didn’t want to pay for the demolition if only for sentiment. Questions over who should have to pay for the demolition delayed the process. In the interest of keeping the bulldozers away, San Diego City Architect Consultant, Anthony Ciani, succeeded in having the Mission Beach Earthquake placed on the National Register of Historic Places in October of 1978. That designation happily hampered Evans' attempts to get a demolition permit as ordered because now there were extra legal hurdles to jump over. In frustration, the city went ahead and stapled “Intent to Demolish” notices to the coaster’s surrounding wood fence. They were going to simply rip down the coaster and charge it to Evans. Threatened with the possibility of losing federal funds by tearing down a recognized landmark, that motion was not passed by the San Diego City Council. I was taking a film class my senior year and my final project was a stop-motion ride on the Earthquake. My classmate, Howard Washburn, and I negotiated our way around the entire track, inches by inches, manually clicking the shutter on my new super 8mm movie camera. It took three afternoons. To this day, I think the resulting animation is impressive considering the circumstances. I got an A on the film and it was shown in part, on the local news! Barren Belmont Park in 1979. The old roller rink aka bumpercars aka Spoof Safari is in the foreground with the "Earthquake" roller coaster behind. Hard to believe the Earthquake would stand like this for 11 more years.