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NEWS: Scandia Amusement Park in Ontario closing


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Scandia Family Fun Park will close next week with an uncertain future... The closure is being justified for renovations that will last at least three weeks, but the owners are acknowledging that the park could be bought out or that it may not reopen.

 

https://www.dailybulletin.com/2019/01/30/scandia-family-fun-park-in-ontario-closing-for-renovations/

 

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Scandia Family Fun Park – celebrating “27 years of screams” off the 15 Freeway in Ontario, as a sign outside says – is closing for remodeling next week.

 

According to Scott Larson, president of Scandia Recreation Centers, the park will be closed for at least three weeks beginning Monday, Feb. 4, to allow for upgrades to the arcade.

 

It’s the slowest time of the year for the park, so shutting down now makes the most economic sense, Larson said Thursday, Jan. 31. The Ontario arcade was nearly empty of machines Thursday afternoon and some of those that remained were turned off.

 

But it’s possible that the park won’t reopen at all, Larson said. He said there’s a “serious” buyer interested in the property.

 

“Nothing’s really serious until there’s money,” however, Larson said. “There’s always been someone who’s wanted to buy Scandia since we opened.”

 

The current potential buyer, though, is the most serious one yet, he said.

 

The two remaining Scandia parks, in Victorville and Sacramento, have already been renovated and neither would be included in a potential sale, according to Ty Larson, the CEO of Scandia Miniature Golf. (There are multiple Scandia corporations, each covering different aspects of their amusement parks.)

 

“We had one in Vegas that was for sale, but it was in escrow seven times before it sold,” Ty Larson said. “I’ve learned to not get too excited before money changes hands.”

 

The Larson family should have clarity about the Ontario park’s future after the middle of next week, Scott Larson said.

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The Scandia Family Fun Center in Ontario on Jan. 31, 2019. (Photo by Beau Yarbrough, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/Southern California News Group.)

Edited by jedimaster1227
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I'm so glad I stopped in back in December. Screamer was an excellent little coaster. However, this doesn't shock me since the place was an absolute ghost town with a skeleton crew rotating ride to ride.

 

I just hope Screamer continues to run. It's such a unique coaster with some terrifying airtime. Maybe it could go to one of the other two Scandia parks?

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I'm glad I made a pit stop to this park and rode Scandia Screamer after a day at Raging Waters a couple of years back. Scandia Screamer was crazy fun in the back row at night. I suspected this park would be closing soon enough though when I heard last fall that Scandia Screamer was listed for sale. It was pretty dead when I visited on a summer weeknight.

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I visited last Friday, Feb 1st, to get some photos of the park in case it closed. These could be the last ones.

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Exterior

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Arcade

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Several games have been removed.

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Mini golf

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Mini golf

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Mini golf and carousel in the distance

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Mini golf

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Mini golf

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Batting cages

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Go carts

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Bumper boats

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Coaster time

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Ride park

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Ride park

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Coaster time

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Ride park

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Coaster time

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^ Wow, very cool. I always remembered seeing that mini golf course,

with all the "buildings" sticking up and all. But sadly, in all the visits

I made around there, I never went in and played a round.

 

Great look at all of it, thanks!

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I visited Friday as well. Due to weather, pretty sure it was going to be the Screamers last day if indeed Scandia dose not re-open.

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Note the warning about the back seat. This ride has CRAZY airtime in the back.

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Getting daytime off ride photos while the ride was running was quite difficult as the park was DEAD during the day and the ride required a full train to run.

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This hill right here is where the airtime in the back of the train becomes ejector seat and extremely violent.

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Crazy violent airtime in the back rows.

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242647244_ScreamerRules.thumb.jpg.b54d3c7c46a0779def4718f57274c786.jpg

 

"Only passengers 19 years and under may ride in the back 2 cars. An exception is allowed for those who specifically request the back seat (these individuals MUST be warned that the ride can be rough)."

 

I wasn't warned the ride was rough when I seated in the back. And I'm clearly not under age 19.

 

All kidding aside (since I'm 99% sure they meant 19 and over), is the 19 year recommendation higher than what Mt. Olympus's Cyclops used to be? I thought the Screamer had wicked airtime in the front row as well, so it was pretty wild in any seat.

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[attachment=0]Screamer Rules.jpg[/attachment]

 

"Only passengers 19 years and under may ride in the back 2 cars. An exception is allowed for those who specifically request the back seat (these individuals MUST be warned that the ride can be rough)."

 

I wasn't warned the ride was rough when I seated in the back. And I'm clearly not under age 19.

 

All kidding aside (since I'm 99% sure they meant 19 and over), is the 19 year recommendation higher than what Mt. Olympus's Cyclops used to be? I thought the Screamer had wicked airtime in the front row as well, so it was pretty wild in any seat.

 

It didn't stop me from riding in the back either nor was it enforced...bogus rule.

 

It looks like there is an "Under Review" Developmental Plan with the City of Ontario to turn Scandia into a 178,462 SF industrial building.

Sad

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Scandia Amusement Park in Ontario is officially closed and will not reopen as an amusement park... Some of the park's rides will move to the other Scandia properties while others are up for sale.

 

https://www.dailybulletin.com/2019/02/08/scandia-fun-park-in-ontario-sold-will-not-reopen-as-an-amusement-park/

 

After 27 years, Scandia Family Fun Park in Ontario has shut its doors for good. “The buyer closed escrow, so the park has been sold,” Scott Larson, president of Scandia Recreation Centers, said Friday, Feb. 8.

 

The 7.9-acre park officially closed for renovations earlier this week, but now will not reopen.

 

Larson said it’s been a joy providing a smaller amusement park for Inland Empire families. “It’s been fun making memories with them for almost three decades,” he said. “Really, what made the decision was lawsuit abuse — or fake lawsuits — well, it’s quite a burden. You have to measure that with the risk. Ultimately, we had an offer that was a very good offer, so we made that decision.”

 

According to San Bernardino County’s online civil court database, the park has been hit with small claims or personal injury suits every few years. All of the suits filed in the past 10 years appear to have been settled, vacated or otherwise dismissed.

 

Larson would not disclose the buyer and said he wasn’t sure what was going to happen with the property, adjacent to the southbound 15 Freeway near the Jurupa Street off-ramp. “I do know it won’t continue as an amusement park,” he said.

 

Scandia’s other two parks, in Victorville and Sacramento, will remain open. In fact, the Victorville park will get an upgrade as a result of the sale in Ontario. Arcade games from Ontario will move to Victorville, along with some of the rides.

 

Larson said it’s been a joy providing a smaller amusement park for Inland Empire families. “It’s been fun making memories with them for almost three decades,” he said. “Really, what made the decision was lawsuit abuse — or fake lawsuits — well, it’s quite a burden. You have to measure that with the risk. Ultimately, we had an offer that was a very good offer, so we made that decision.”

 

According to San Bernardino County’s online civil court database, the park has been hit with small claims or personal injury suits every few years. All of the suits filed in the past 10 years appear to have been settled, vacated or otherwise dismissed.

 

Larson would not disclose the buyer and said he wasn’t sure what was going to happen with the property, adjacent to the southbound 15 Freeway near the Jurupa Street off-ramp. “I do know it won’t continue as an amusement park,” he said.

 

Scandia’s other two parks, in Victorville and Sacramento, will remain open. In fact, the Victorville park will get an upgrade as a result of the sale in Ontario. Arcade games from Ontario will move to Victorville, along with some of the rides.

 

Not all of the rides from the Ontario park will make it up the Cajon Pass, though. On Friday afternoon, 11 of the park’s rides were for sale at Rides4U.com, a website that sells amusement park equipment. Prices range from $15,000 for the Rio Grande Train kiddie ride to $950,000 for Scandia’s Big Coaster roller coaster.

 

According to a former employee, the park’s golf course has been given away in pieces to former employees. The Ontario park employed more than 2,500 people over the years, according to Larson.

 

“We’ve had school groups, church groups, company picnics,” he said. “We really have had a wonderful time, and that’s what I’d like to focus on.”

Edited by jedimaster1227
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It looks like there is an "Under Review" Developmental Plan with the City of Ontario to turn Scandia into a 178,462 SF industrial building.

 

Don't it always seem to go

That you don't know what you've got

'Till it's gone

They paved paradise

And put up a parking lot

 

--Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi

 

 

Alice

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Hopefully the Screamer will end up somewhere soon. It really is a fun little compact, despite how aggressive the airtime is. In the image above that points out the most violent moment (I think there are a couple of violent moments), you can see the pain coming. It's as if the track's parabola is off — like an extra dip in the drop itself. Anyhow, it's not a real surprise that the park's closing up. It certainly not a surprise that the place will be turned into a warehouse as that's really all that's in that area to begin with.

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Oh that's cool that they're moving the rides to the Victorville property. That's only an hour away and not hard to get to for a lot of families.

 

I have the feeling that Scandia knew about this for a couple of months. The rides were originally listed up for sale on Nov. 2, 2018, and doesn't appear that anything has sold yet. Since the drop tower, Tilt-a-whirl, and carousel have not been offered for sale, I am guessing that is all that they were planning to keep those few attractions.

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Current advertisement

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Original advertisement from November 2, 2018

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I have the feeling that Scandia knew about this for a couple of months. The rides were originally listed up for sale on Nov. 2, 2018, and doesn't appear that anything has sold yet.

Yeah, Screamscape actually posted about it a couple of months ago too. That's how I first heard about it at least. I drive past there now and again for work and haven't seen any of the rides running for a while. Then again, even when the place was open, there aren't many riders. Last time I visited, there was a single ride op who walked with us to each ride we wanted to get on and powered it up for us.

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Oh that's cool that they're moving the rides to the Victorville property. That's only an hour away and not hard to get to for a lot of families.

 

I have the feeling that Scandia knew about this for a couple of months. The rides were originally listed up for sale on Nov. 2, 2018, and doesn't appear that anything has sold yet. Since the drop tower, Tilt-a-whirl, and carousel have not been offered for sale, I am guessing that is all that they were planning to keep those few attractions.

Ah, gotcha. Well, anybody looking for a coaster at under a million....

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