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Dark Ride Paradise - Wild Bill's Nostalgia Center


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November 24th, 2011 - Dark Ride primer

November 27th, 2011 - An exclusive tour of Wild Bill's Nostaglia Center

December 2nd, 2011 - New photos of walkthrough construction

December 15th, 2011 - new construction photos

December 13th, 2011 - Dismantling of Dante's Inferno at Williams Grove

December 31st, 2011 - another visit to Wild Bill's

January 22, 2012 - testing of the Pretzel cars occurs

January 31th, 2012 - info on the rotating Pretzel cars from Beech Bend

Feabruary 16th-24th, 2012 - Additional construction photos: building the floor of the Haunted House.

April 26th, 2012 - Opportunity to help the doumentary filmmaker capturing the project

May 23rd, 2012 - Another visit to Wild Bill's

August 29th, 2012 - Larry is forced into manual labor at Wild Bill's

October 2nd, 2012 - further updates

October 28th, 2012 - Latest visit to Wild Bill's

January 6th, 2013 - Visit to Wild Bill's

June 15th, 2013 - Latest update on the status of the Funhouse

August 17th, 2013 - Latest update

April 21st, 2014 visit to Wild Bill's: Pretzel ride building construction

July 7th, 2014 - Dark ride construction

September 28th, 2014 - Progress on the pretzel dark ride "Laff in the Dark"

April 8th, 2015 - Laff in the Dark update

 

 

Imagine a place where old dark rides don't go to die, but are reborn, refurbished and resurrected for future generations. I know a lot of enthusiasts dream of bigger, faster and more complex. While I love progress, I have really come to love dark rides and walk throughs. The older and cheesier the better. There are still some excellent dark rides left in the US, but they are diminishing. Great haunted houses still exist at Knoebel's, Trimper's and Rehoboth Beach to name a few, but quite a few dark rides have been lost in the past 5 years from Myrtle Beach to Geneva-on-the-Lake to Williams Grove. Kudos to Camden Park, if you didn't realize, they recently refurbished their Haunted House.

 

Walk throughs are even more rare in the sue happy U.S.A., but I have to give props to Trimper's for still maintaining two old school ones with Pirate's Cove still one of my favorites and who can forget Noah's Ark at Kennywood. Indiana Beach and Jenkinson's Pier also still keep the faith alive.

 

What if this trend did not have to continue?

 

While in college I had this fascination with the funhouse at Coney Island's Steeplechase Park, the one with the "wheel" at the end. I never rode it but talked to many of my friend's parents to learn more about the attraction. Eventually, I was able to experience the wheel at Southport Pleasurelend in 2006. I have also walked through some of Scandanavia's best funhouses or as they are commonly called in Europe cakewalks. Stupid US lawyers.

 

Where am I going with this diatribe?

 

So, while many on TPR dream of Leviathan, Sky Rush, Wild Eagle, X Flight, Mythos or the latest coaster flavor of the day. I dream of nostalgia. I dream of a place why I can wander from dark ride to dark ride and celebrate simple props and tricks to create thrills. I can't pinpoint where this dream occurs.

 

Is it Coney Island? Have I became mesmerized by the endless loop of movies from old Coney Island that are shown in the Coney Island Museum?

 

Have I watched too many grainy black and white YouTube movies? I'm not so sure, my dreams are in color. I'm walking through a funky place filled with nostaglia and dark rides?

 

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

 

To be continued.

Edited by robbalvey
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I know exactly what Larrygator is talking about. Go to Lakemont Park and ride Leap The Dips. Try out a classic dark ride. Ride a carousel and you will understand what is missing from the new rides being built today. Rides today are awesome and very in your face, but older rides were built for fun. We have amusement parks because we like to have fun. I discovered a suspended coaster recently in China that had a track design that recalled early suspended coasters and while it was not an in your face thrill, it was a lot of fun. Some rides like the PTC Crazy Daisy, boat chutes, Whip and others are cool beyond belief. Lost Kennywood was an example of how parks could add an area based on the thrills of yesteryear. Most of Kennywood is very traditional, so the theme of the Lost Kennywood area wasn't too far from the rest of the park. I love visiting parks that feel like a throwback to more simple time. Stricker's Grove is one place where the whole park feels like time stopped decades ago.

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I'm a fan of the old-school dark rides and walk throughs, as well--we need more of them in the States. For example, I usually spend a day at Virginia Beach with some friends each summer, and I always make a case for visiting Nightmare Mansion, an old walk through on Atlantic Avenue (the main drag by the oceanfront). But I can never talk them into going because they're afraid it will be too costly and lame.

 

But apparently there's more than just the walk through. There's four separate "haunted" attractions there, including some sort of pirate-themed dark ride (you can experience them all for 24 bucks): Nightmares on the Beach.

 

The next time I'm at the Beach, I'm gonna check this out.

Edited by cfc
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I remember going to Geneva-on-the-Lake when I was just a little tyke. I was excited for the Flying Scooters, but I was too short to ride. I took one look at the Pretzel (or whatever they called that dark ride in its later years) and immediately freaked out. There was no way I was going to be dragged on that. I did enjoy watching the little cars bang through the doors, though. That's probably what I love most about old dark rides- those doors. You can never be certain as to what lurks behind them. I really wish I had gone on that ride now, even though I probably would have barely remembered any of it at this point.

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^ The ride you are thinking about is "Fright Zone" at Erieview park. It was a relocated ride (minus the second floor) from West View Park in PA. It was a classic Bill Tracy ride and was bought by CLP and will probably never be put up given their history these days.

 

Here is a short article with some pictures:

 

http://www.laffinthedark.com/articles/erieview/erieview.htm

 

Here is a ride through that is not great quality:

 

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This is a must read site for all classic dark ride lovers.

 

http://billtracy.net/

 

I may have linked this before in another thread awhile back. However, I thought it would be a nice read to bring up again.

 

I personally like looking at the topics in the "Professional" link. You may find the blueprints of your favorite defunct dark ride from Tracy.

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Totally loving this thread. Perhaps a "National Dark Ride Museum/Refuge" is an impossible dream, but I'd gladly donate land/money/pick-up trucks if I had anything to offer. How does something like that get started?

 

My copy of Doug Higley's "Scary Dark Rides" is just about ready to fall apart from over-reading: http://www.lulu.com/product/hardcover/scary-dark-rides/792254

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Totally loving this thread. Perhaps a "National Dark Ride Museum/Refuge" is an impossible dream, but I'd gladly donate land/money/pick-up trucks if I had anything to offer. How does something like that get started?

 

Unfortunately, besides land, money and pick-up trucks you probably need a time machine. You would need to go back in time and use that money and the pick-ups to save those long gone rides.

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When I was in Winnepeg back in '05, I had went to the national Museum there, and it's exactly like a haunted walk through. I was dizzy when I came out, but it was amazing. After Kennywood that year and Disney a few years afterwards, I am now fully enamoured with dark rides.

 

If you liked Kennywood in 2005 for Dark Rides, you should have seen it around 1995 or prior. You would have loved it.

 

Old Mill did not have the Garfield crap. (ADDED: Plus the old mill had the pass by and outdoor scenes which where very nice).

Noah's Ark still had the Whale entrance and was not half remodeled inside to give only half a story line.

Le Cachot was still there.

Gold Rusher was still there (even though it was loading from the top for around ten years at this point. I still preferred the bottom loading if they could have gotten the cars to work the lift properly. Just had so much more at the entrance and a few more internal scenes like this.

 

I have heard Ghost Ship was amazing and was prior to this time. It was also prior to me and I never got to experience it first hand. From the blueprints, it does look cool.

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DeEfteling still has a ton of darkrides and is even adding more.

 

De Vliegende Hollander combines a darkride with a watercoaster...

 

Yes, I like Efteling's dark rides, but I really love the older examples like ghost trains and Bill Tracy creations. Those with great props, tricks and the sound of your car hit the doors to the next room.

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^^Europe does seem to have a ton of very cool dark rides that I'm dying to check out. ^ But I agree that the "old-school" Pretzel-style classics with bang-doors, and honky-tonk "flash" out front, and all that are just unbeatable. Coney Island used to have a bunch, even back in the '80s, and it KILLS me that there are almost none there now. I miss Dante's Inferno at Astroland so much.

 

^^^I'm also heartbroken that I never got to ride Kennywood's Le Cachot.

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Imagine a place where old dark rides don't go to die, but are reborn, refurbished and resurrected for future generations.

 

I recently got an e-mail from someone who tells me he and his business partner are working on just such a project. I need to do a little more research into this and I'll get back to you all once I can confirm some fact.

 

I think I know how Beemer Boy felt during his quest to find the Kick Boodie ride.

Edited by larrygator
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^ It's not Kat Jones and Kiwi is it?

 

Just kidding, I would have a nice list for this person if they where recreating old dark rides...

 

 

No, this is actually quite serious. This business partnership has already purchsed old dark rides that are in their possession, owns the land where they are being rebuilt and most importantly has the backing of local municipalities. More to come.

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Imagine a place where old dark rides don't go to die, but are reborn, refurbished and resurrected for future generations.

 

I recently got an e-mail from someone who tells me he and his business partner are working on just such a project. I need to do a little more research into this and I'll get back to you all once I can confirm some fact.

 

I think I know how Beemer Boy felt during his quest to find the Kick Boodie ride.

 

Very intriguing.

 

My favorite rides as a kid were always the dark rides. I wish more existed in the US.

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I recently got an e-mail from someone who tells me he and his business partner are working on just such a project. I need to do a little more research into this and I'll get back to you all once I can confirm some fact.

 

I think I know how Beemer Boy felt during his quest to find the Kick Boodie ride.

This is awesome, Larry! It's definitely a rush when things start falling into place for you.

 

I had this similar dream once, for Disney rides though. "Yesterland" would be incredible. Here's hoping you can make it all happen!

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I recently got an e-mail from someone who tells me he and his business partner are working on just such a project. I need to do a little more research into this and I'll get back to you all once I can confirm some fact.

 

That is pretty damned exciting. At this time, is there some hint about where they might be looking to build this... whatever it is they're conceiving?

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No, this is actually quite serious. This business partnership has already purchsed old dark rides that are in their possession, owns the land where they are being rebuilt and most importantly has the backing of local municipalities. More to come.

 

 

Larry, this sounds like a fanboy's dream, but something that could definitely work if placed in the right location (Florida) and had enough variety in rides. I'm forever a skeptic and figure this has as much a chance opening as the big dipper being saved, but I'd like to believe!

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