February 7th, 2011 Off Season Tour

For years I always waited in anticipation for the beginning of season pass processing... why? It was one of the few times to catch a glimpse of the park battened up for the winter, to find out what it really looked like when very few were around. Well for the past few years we have had to opportunity to visit for an official tour of the park during the cold off season, and boy did this visit classify as a COLD one! Of course I didn't actually get the chance to venture out in the cold (might have been a good thing), Jeff did though. Special thanks to Brandon Stanley for escorting us through the snow as you will soon see.

It has seemed in the past that standard operating procedure has been to park cars and trains near the park entrance. So the first stop is this...

Mamba cars travelling in errr... fashion. Black plastic and electrical tape! Whoever said there was 101 uses for electrical tape was right! Make that 102 uses.


A Patriot train just hanging around.


Patriot au naturel. (without its nifty wheel covers)


So explain why Boomerang's train gets some nice plastic weather coverings, but Patriot doesn't?


Look folks its more SNOW! Now the interesting thing here you can only see if you look closely. This used to be picnic grounds and it will be again. You can see the trees piled in the middle of the photo that show that underneath all that white stuff the ground has been cleared.


Looking the other way, you can also see the cleared area where Festaus once stood, and the carousel will call home in just a few months.


We interrupt this inside the park trip report with a voyage to the parking lots! Now my guess is that this is recent activity as the wood is not buried under 12 inches of snow. It is our opinion that this is the carousel platform support structure. The platform floor is AWOL in this photo.


And now for something completely different! Yes I know its still a lot of snow, but that's the point. There is nothing in the photo left from Camp Snoopy except for the Playhouse. To the right would have been Woodstock's Airmail and the Kite Eating Tree.

Following Brandon's great blog post a few weeks ago, (this is of course assuming nothing has changed, which we know NEVER happens at Worlds of Fun *grin* )From Peanuts Playhouse running clockwise will be the Peanuts 500, (whip ride), the Flying ACE Balloon Ride (Samba Tower), and Snoopy's Rocket Express (aerial tram ride).


Here is where Sally's Dance Studio once stood. Peanut's Road Rally will go here. Up the hill, where the yellow schoolhouse is (detonator is directly to the left), is where Snoopy Bounce used to be. Whirlybird Teacups will be in this general area.


Changing tracks once more we take a look at what used to be Launchpad, and in 2011 will be the new WOF Family Care Center.

Taking a look inside, the building is getting several drastic changes on the interior as you can see. A major doorway is being enclosed. To provide a sense of direction, if you could see out, you would be looking directly at the Detonator launchpad.


Another look at the interior, it really shows the extent of the work going on inside. The pile of dirt is from the installation of new plumbing.


Another look, this time we are looking at the "front" door leading out to the main Americana section of the park. You can see how the entire interior is being divided up into smaller more private rooms which I am sure will be very much appreciated by parents with very small children.


Yes folks it REALLY is winter. No people, lots of snow, and ... Deer, lots of deer.

Wait a minute the deer are around during the normal operating season too....


Over in the Oceans of Fun parking lot, as we have previously seen Lucy's Tugboat (Rockin' Tug) has appeared.

A look at the track and tug car.


A little bit different view to finish us off.