Last weekend, I arrived at my side gig a little early, so I thought I'd walk around and see some of the things I don't have time to see once I clock in. Near what was sometimes called "Gaslight Gardens," there are a couple of walls where photographs showing the amusement park during the past 100+ years of its existence are displayed.
I also spotted a large poster that listed the year certain attractions opened at the park.
And, for many of those years, I knew exactly what attractions were added, and when. Lagoon was such a large part of my life.
For example, earlier this year an incident occurred on the Sky Ride, a "ski lift" type ride that allows patrons to go from what was then one end of the park to the other. Reports said the ride had been incident-free for fifty years. I instantly knew that was wrong, because I knew the ride wasn't installed in 1971, but later. The poster confirmed what I already knew.
Back in the 1970s and eighties the park usually put in a ride or two new attractions every year. As kids we couldn't wait to see what new things awaited us. I remember when they put in the Jet Star 2--it was so cool. I mean, it almost went upside down. Seeing what new attractions were at the park became an annual event...maybe not for every kid, but it was for me.
I loved reading the dates and names of the rides. It brought back so many memories. Many of the "new" rides have come and gone, and I suppose in another fifty years, many of the existing rides they have now will also be retired. It's the way of things. I'm glad Lagoon put up the poster. It'll be interesting to see if they put up another one years from now, If so, perhaps a grown man will stop and think about how exited he was for "The Spider" or "Wicked" or "Samurai" or "Cannibal" to open.
I hope so...it's a good feeling.
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