MayTheGForceBeWithYou Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 It can be a pretty sketchy place, but some of the rides are quite fun. I've had some nonstop spinning on the Tilt-a-Whirl several times, and the airtime on the first hill on the front seat of Cyclone is OMFG amazing (several inches out of the seat). Loved the TR. PS, there WAS a Roll-o-Plane for a while. It sat where Zoom is now. I remember making the mistake of riding it with a friend...sore necks for three days afterward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Farmer Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 (edited) Pizza? Edited July 11, 2012 by Ed Farmer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalCoasters Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Last time I went to Lakeside was three or four years ago...it's sad that the park has gone down in quality a bit since then. If I recall correctly...isn't Zoom the newest attraction at the park? That ride has a special place in my heart as it was ,y first drop tower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
printersdevil78 Posted July 11, 2012 Share Posted July 11, 2012 Wow, that park has the best signs and structures ever! Too bad it was lacking in other ways. Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted July 12, 2012 Author Share Posted July 12, 2012 Pizza? Most likely. PS: Do they sell beer and if they do, is it not Coors? Oh, THAT would've been nice. No, it seems you have to go to Elitch for any kind of beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffDenver Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I just went yesterday. The park is a lot better this year...they hired a landscaper and there are flowers and plants all over the place. It is a lot cleaner (was pretty clean last year too). The Train around the lake is down for the season, but the coaster is working and they added new bodies for the Go Kart ride (Sports Cars). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted July 16, 2012 Author Share Posted July 16, 2012 ^Welcome to TPR! That's unfortunate about the train, which sounds like it's a signature ride of sorts. I'd been hoping they'd be able to get that taken care of quickly. Glad someone is looking after the park, though. The cleanliness issues I noticed were more along the lines of typical outdoor grime allowed to accumulate for way too long, rather than something outrageous like littered drink containers and such everywhere (a la Indiana Beach and the defunct Fun Forest). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 I'm assuming PTSA is actually Parent Teacher Student Association, but Pizza would be hilarious! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattnz Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Nice TR Laura. I absolutely adore all those retro signs and unusual rides. I have also always wanted to go on a Miler Wild Mouse however horrendous they seem to be! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 ^I rode it again the other day and it was actually quite a bit gentler! No idea why, as I didn't try too hard to brace. bumpercars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 In early June, I decided to take a road trip to celebrate something near and dear to my heart. I'm sure none of you can guess what that might be, but you'll find out soon enough. Now THAT'S my kind of town! If you like big and impressive tools, you'll feel right at home here. What's this? A carousel museum? What a surprise! I MUST stop. See? It's carousel-shaped! So you know it's legit. Walking in, you come across a horse who's won like awards and stuff. I'm not sure if it was really the best, though...I mean, it IS wearing kneepads... You also see many other things commonly found in carousel museums throughout the world. Like, I guess there are some saddles in this picture. I'm sure this fine young woman would be happy to blow your horn. Do you think the REAL Winston Churchill embroidered his signature on this? I didn't even know he could embroider! Unfortunately, there was a problem. The museum staff told us that the historic Herschell-Spillman carousel horses had recently been taken from the museum. And since it doesn't seem like it's "really" a carousel museum, I guess I came all the way over here for nothing?! I wanted to console myself with some free snacks, but they seemed a bit dry for my taste. Free Facts. "See, the museum DOES have carvings of wooden horses on display! Now you can't demand a refund! Ha!" After only a few minutes in this place, I found myself sorely needing to take advantage of this. I know the vast majority of you have never seen beaver before. Well, today is your lucky day. Before the museum was built, the horses were stored in the local bank. But one fateful night, bank president Mr. Flower was struck blind by a malevolent light source. An armed intruder forced his way in and made off with the horses, in a chilling parallel to recent events (thankfully, that time all the horses were recovered). She may be playing the victim, but this don't let her good looks fool you. She was a willing accomplice. After all, as you can see, she has no qualms taking the lives of poor little innocent...um, what exactly are those? What's this? Thankfully, staff informed me that some horses still remained at the museum. As the intrusion happened just after midnight, some of the horses were still in their magical state of living, breathing reality and were able to fight back. This brave young fellow led the charge, ensuring several others would remain under the safe and secure auspices of the museum. The museum is gradually and lovingly restoring each horse one by one. This is quite the beautiful steed. I only wish I could see him again after I leave here. There was a pew set out so I could pray for the souls of the missing ponies. NO MR. BEAR! DO NOT EAT ANY MORE OF THE CAROUSEL HORSES! THEY ARE NOT MADE OF MARSHMALLOWS AND PIXY STIX!!! For all you lunch box collectors. You know who you are. Hey, even I used to carry around a metal lunch box! Anything produced by the Kroffffts is COMPLETELY innocent, G-rated and child-appropriate! That same day, I also went to Orlando. I had a great time at SeaWorld! I also went to WDW. It was tough doing all 4 parks in only a few hours! I'm very grateful this is something I know absolutely NOTHING about. Because trains are a TOTALLY cool thing to make a lunch box for. Except not really, people. Here's an old Herschell-Spillman story board from the merry-go-round. ...Maybe if the actual doors had been alarmed instead of the freakin' chariot, all the horses would still be here? Just a thought. Anyway, here it is. The most exciting part of any carousel. ...I have no words. You can launch a rocket with your Erector Set. Do you think Woody Woodpecker has an Erector Set? Just randomly curious. I have one of these dollhouses myself, without the attached creepy doll. Because it's totally appropriate to let small children play with a Ouija board. (Yes, I know that's not really a Ouija board.) Back in the old days, when they said "Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!" they really meant it! This is what happened to those poor educators who failed to respect that. Yup. There is definitely only ONE of these rules I haven't broken (as of today). Bet you can't guess which one! ACE sponsored an Arrow exhibit for your viewing pleasure, err, pain. Here's a Western-themed restraint from a park that's probably still running the coaster without it (don't tell anyone). Here's an exhibit that's illegal in 31 states (like most Arrows should be). Don't worry, I checked and it wasn't loaded. NO ONE CARES Hey kids, take note: here's why you don't chew tobacco. I know this gentleman looks about 60, but he's actually only 33! And that's your PSA for the day. Woody! I didn't know you had that kind of relationship with Buzz. Let's pay a visit to Grandma's kitchen. Grandma was a hottie in her day! Of course, it's a very impressive kitchen. I mean, what kind of homemaker do you think my grandma was? Excuse me, do you have Prince Albert in a can? Well, maybe you should think about letting him out. I don't think he likes it in there. No, I just make it LOOK easy. Come on, I know people didn't care about stuff like that in the old days! Right? I had never seen anything like this before. It was very interesting. I'm still not sure what that round black thing is supposed to be, though. So some people in the museum were playing Pistol Packin' Mama and SINGING ALONG. It was, um, really fun to listen to! Do you think a cute boy will ask me to the dance? I sure hope so! What a dreamboat. <3 I hope he is the one to ask me to the dance. One young man was upset because he couldn't afford to be in this group photo (a very common problem, as we all know too well). Decades later, when he was in his 90s, he disclosed the name of every subject in the photo. I guess he had a photographic memory. We're in something of a bluebird capital here, folks. I know many of you might not know what a bluebird is and may have never seen one before. To help you learn more about this fascinating creature, here's an educational poster. How sadly appropriate that I would find this, since we just lost our grand Parker carousel here in Portland. There was a hat in the bathroom, so of course, I tried it on. I just can't resist a hat! Let's take a moment to say goodbye to the remaining horses. And pause to reflect on those who are gone. But I wasn't done with this town just yet... Want to know whether I eventually solved the mystery of the missing horses? Stay tuned! Have a guess as to where they may have ended up? Post your ideas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 I know the vast majority of you have never seen beaver before. Well, today is your lucky day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XYZ Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 This is a rather interesting trip report. I found myself entertained by this "mystery". Anyways, the culprit was Prince Desmond who had the horses as the test riders on teh Big Dipper. Also, was this all a Carousel Museum? It seems like half the stuff in there are random antiques. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisco Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Maybe there was never any horses there in the first place! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.J. Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Yeah, this totally looks like an "old interesting things featuring retro lunchboxes" museum. Thanks for sharing though! Best terrible puns ever. I'd bet that the horses would be going to another museum (they're Herschell horses, maybe they're taking a vacation to New York), or maybe they're going to a fair or a rodeo or something to be put on display for a little bit. Fun game! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Are you sure this isn't the "Nearly Everything but a Carousel Museum"? My sister was gaga over Bobby Sherman, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Looks like the small town version of a Ripley's Believe it or Not! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 I know the vast majority of you have never seen beaver before. Well, today is your lucky day. WIN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 [T]he culprit was Prince Desmond who had the horses as the test riders on teh Big Dipper. Maybe there was never any horses there in the first place! Hmm, very interesting guess! I can confirm that the museum is not in its final, completed state. They hope to one day place (of all things) a carousel in (of all places) the carousel-shaped part of the building, and add on space for other exhibits, presumably including some of the ones there now. I'd bet that the horses would be going to another museum (they're Herschell horses, maybe they're taking a vacation to New York), or maybe they're going to a fair or a rodeo or something to be put on display for a little bit. Fun game! I like the way you think. But why? Well, maybe it's only because I think anyone could use a vacation to New York. Maybe. Thanks for the awesome comments and guesses, all! Keep 'em coming! Remember, I will be posting an update on this merry-go-round mystery...wouldn't you love to be the person who solved it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 I bet all the horses went out for some HAY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted August 30, 2012 Author Share Posted August 30, 2012 Welcome to the final installment of "A Carousel Caper," or the mystery of the disappearing Herschell horses! As shown on the previous page, I've been encouraging guesses as to the fate of the missing horses. Yes, I will be declaring a winner in this report. Yes, there just might be a Pointless Internet Prize involved (no cash value). Enjoy! Let's recap, shall we? We started off at the Alder Creek Pioneer Association Carousel Museum. If you haven't been following along, you probably think this is a carousel museum. LOL but it's really not though. There were carousel horses...with a strange and unfortunate emphasis on "were." There were also empty spaces where carousel horses should've been perched. The horses that were still around looked nice, though it was a real shame they weren't part of a working carousel as they deserve to be. However, it almost seemed as if every time I blinked or turned around, there were more horses missing! Hey, wait a minute. Yes...I'll admit it. My photo editing skills are THAT good. Hold up. Stop the presses. Throw in an obligatory "whoa." WHAT IS THIS. I knew it all along. It's a conspiracy! But for what cause? Was it the economy? The decline of American culture? Or was somebody's heart simply three sizes too small? Stay tuned next...nah, I wouldn't want to witness the first known example of carousel horses jumping over a shark. Though I might pitch that to SyFy... FOLLOW THAT TRAILER! And I don't mean your mom's house. Now fast forward a couple hours... Let's head someplace that might make a little more sense than that "carousel" museum. This looks klassie... Hey! It's the world-famous 101-year-old Alder Creek Pioneer Picnic & Rodeo! It's at scenic Cleveland Park, the park so nice they welcome you twice. So yeah, now you know where it is and stuff. No horses allowed at the rodeo, guys. I guess it's politically incorrect nowadays...but I WANTED HORSES! Don't they know what I've been searching for all day? There was a healthy selection of fair fare available at the event. Um, "healthy" as in...oh, you get it. There was also some kind of midway game. I guess if you pop it, you win a prize. Or at least, that's how I understood it. Now, if only there were a ride or two. Holographic Michael Jackson was on hand to teach a whole new generation how to moonwalk. What is that building? Oh, right, bathroom. Duh. For the second time..."whoa." WHAT IS THIS. (Yes, yes, people, I know...pickup truck. Got it. But thanks.) Wait, is there a CAROUSEL here? I feel faint! Why don't people ever tell me these things? I could've just gone here first and not the 9,001 other places. HEY. Those horses look mighty familiar. I'm feeling myself getting turned...um, I'm feeling a lightbulb turning on in my head. Nerd shot. You know, for all you carousel nerds out there. In other words, "for me." Isn't Tonawanda the name of a character from Napoleon Dynamite? And what do we do on carousels? (If we are a law-abiding and socially well-adjusted citizen, that is.) Well, I'm pretty sure we ride them. A kind gentleman listened to my story. About wanting to go to the carousel museum. About the missing horses. About searching all over creation for the missing horses. NO, not that story, silly. Just about traveling almost 4 hours to make it here for the carousel. Sympathetic, he thought he could see about running the ride for me even though it hadn't yet completed the required 10,000 hours of operation after assembly. So I got on. (And later, I got off. Can't stay on forever, you know.) Look at that NERD. Like the Earth, a carousel is round, not flat. Unlike the Earth, no one ever thought carousels were flat. If the horse is a'rockin', don't mistake that for anything but normal operation. Notice the lack of poles? These horses rock like rocking horses instead of moving straight up and down or trying to murder you. If you think that last part was a non sequitur, you have never ridden the Rye Derby Racer. Awww. This must be the Looooove Horse. Um, whatever that means. I rode the carousel three times. I even rode the chariot once. I just wish I had someone sitting next to me to make it properly romantic. I guess I should've ridden the Looooove Horse for getting l--I mean, for good luck. Seriously, most adorable thing EVER. I'm talking about the carousel, obviously. This picture sums up the carousel. I know it will be an endless source of fascination for many of you. After my three rides, it was time for din dins. A gravy buffet was had by all. As we wrap up this report, let's look at what the carousel museum dreams of at night: well...a carousel, of course. As of now, the merry-go-round operates one weekend a year at the picnic and rodeo. On the way home, I visited Stonehenge, to give you a clue of just how far I traveled to see the carousel. Stonehenge is, naturally, a war memorial. However, I've been told that, at times, the mood here has been far from somber--in fact, quite festive--if you get what I'm saying. There are some beautiful views from between the great stone henges (whatever, I don't know what they're really called). I've always really liked this tree, and it's fun to climb. Remember how I said I'd announce a winner to the guessing game? Of course, this is all in good fun. We're all winners here. I bet all the horses went out for some HAY I love you for that. Well, and also for other reasons. But you're still a LOSER. I'd bet that the horses would be going to another museum (they're Herschell horses, maybe they're taking a vacation to New York), or maybe they're going to a fair or a rodeo or something to be put on display for a little bit. Fun game! A.J., you mentioned a rodeo, so I'm going to say you win. Here, have an imaginary cookie (not intended for human consumption). Congrats and stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 I love you for that. Well, and also for other reasons. But you're still a LOSER. A.J., you mentioned a rodeo, so I'm going to say you win. Here, have an imaginary cookie (not intended for human consumption). That's awesome and all but can I just have the cookie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cal1br3tto Posted August 30, 2012 Author Share Posted August 30, 2012 ^Actually, I have something even better for you. I know it's only a consolation prize, but hopefully you'll get some use out of it anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLUSHIE Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 That is the weirdest carousel I've ever seen. I know some exist without the poles like the racing type, but I've never seen one like this with the giant wheels under it and flooring made of 'fences.' Also I had no clue there was a Stonehenge replica, and I get that it's a memorial but I still don't understand why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 ^Actually, I have something even better for you. I know it's only a consolation prize, but hopefully you'll get some use out of it anyway. SWEET!!! A FROSTY. Keep your cookie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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