Happy New Year 2024!

 Happy 2024! Where have the years gone? It feels like only yesterday we were in 2020 discussing when the park would re-open, and to even contemplate some of the anniversaries coming up in 2024 blows my mind. For those not familiar with this, every New Years Day for the last five years or so I have published a blog looking at the different attractions celebrating a 5 year anniversary in that coming season. The idea originated with CP Food Blog, so check them out if you have a chance. For 2024 what I am looking forward to most in this blog is how many existing rides will celebrate anniversaries! Red Baron, Worlds of Fun's oldest kiddie ride, turns 50, Zulu turns 45, and Fury of the Nile, the World's largest rapids ride when it opened in 1984, turns 40 years old! And many more!

So, without further ado.

Red Baron in Scandinavia in 1976

Red Baron again thought in 2001. 

1974 - 50th Anniversary

Red Baron and Forum Amphitheater

After opening on May 26th for the inaugural season in 1973, Worlds of Fun would have its first April opening day on April 13, 1974. The park would remain very much the same as it did in 1973, but with two additions. The first being an Allan Herschell/Chance Rides kiddie bi-plane ride to Scandinavia. Named Red Baron, it would be the first step towards creating the park's first children's area in Scandinavia, which would debut in 1977. In 1978, Red Baron moved to the new Aerodrome, where it stayed and is in the same spot today. The World would change around it with Aerodrome transitioning to Pandamonium, Berenstain Bear Country, and Planet Snoopy today. Because of its 50 years of history, multiple generations have experienced Red Baron!

The second attraction to debut in 1974 didn't premier until June 16, 1974, and that was the famous and vastly memorable Forum Amphitheater. Designed by Randall Duell and Associates, it would accommodate 4,100 spectators and host a multitude of live entertainment and concerts over the next 20+ years. The Forum would debut to the sounds of Harper Valley PTA and Red River Symphony but would host the top names of the time, including Paul Revere and the Raiders, Roy Clark, Chuck Berry, Bill Cosby, Ray Charles, Rick Nelson, and many more. We have an incomplete schedule online here: http://www.worldsoffun.org/1974/forum.html

Rick Nelson at the Forum Amphitheater in 1975. 

In 1999, the Forum had its name changed to Heart of America Theater and featured the popular Summer Spectacular laser light and pyrotechnics show from 1997 until 2002. It was also host to a short-lived re-boot of the concert series in 2008 and 2009 and finally, All Wheel Sports in 2014 and 2015. Today, the theater still stands, but it is no longer in use. 

1979 - 45th Anniversary 

Zulu, Le Carousel, Beetle Bumps, Wing Ding, Sunken Fountain

Zulu in 1979-1980

By 1979, the opening day had moved back to the first week of April, with 1979 seeing its opening day on April 7, 1979. 1979 itself would see several new attractions and expansions to the park. Still operating today (well in 2023) is the Huss Rides Enterprise model known at Worlds of Fun as Zulu. A popular ride model, the Enterprise, showed up at various parks across the country, but few are left today. From just a Worlds of Fun angle, Zulu is one of the park's oldest flat rides still in its original location with its original name. 

Also introduced in 1979 was Worlds of Fun's first carousel, Le Carousel, manufactured by Bradley and Kaye of Long Beach, CA (which would be acquired by Chance Rides in 1986). Le Carousel would be Europa's last addition for nearly 40 years and would be replaced by Europa's next ride addition, Falcon's Flight, in 2017. Today, Le Carousel continues on its life at Carolyn's Pumpkin Patch in Liberty, Mo. Beetle Bumps, a kid's ride manufactured by Royal Cascade, was introduced in the Orient and would operate until 2022, having been moved to Pandamonium/Kiddy Kingdom in 1998. 

The last ride addition for 1979 wasn't new; it would also prove to be the park's shortest-lived ride, Wing Ding. Wing Ding was an addition to the Aerodrome and would be a relocated ride from the recently defunct Fairyland Amusement Park. Manufactured by Eyerly Aircraft Company, it was an incredibly rare Fly-O-Plane ride. It would only operate for two seasons at Worlds of Fun and be removed after the 1980 season and replaced by Incred-O-Dome. 

The last attraction introduced in 1979 wasn't a ride at all but is well remembered, and that is the Americana Sunken Fountain. For many, it comes as a surprise that the Sunken Fountain wasn't original to the park, and it's true that the first six years of operation would feature a Sunken Garden instead. The 1979 fountain would be replaced by a new fountain in 2018.

1984 - 40th Anniversary

Fury of the Nile

Fury of the Nile opens on May 26, 1984

Driving Fury of the Nile in the 1980's

Turning 40 years old this year is Worlds of Fun's rapids ride, Fury of the Nile. Though the season opened on March 31st (the earliest opening date in the park's history), Fury of the Nile opened on May 26th, which would have been the park's 12th anniversary. Manufactured by Intamin AG of Switzerland and Burns and McDonnell of Kansas City, Nile was the largest rapids ride in the world when it opened. Containing 1,000,000 gallons of churning white water rapids over a 1,800-foot course, guests experienced its 4-5 minute experience aboard one of the ride's 23 fiberglass rafts. Statistics aside, Nile was incredibly popular when it first opened, and while the line was long, it moved fast, with an actual, all-time capacity of over 1,700 guests in one hour (As of 1985).

1989 - 35th Anniversary

Timber Wolf

Timber Wolf in 1998

Our first existing coaster to have an anniversary, Timber Wolf, turns 35 years old as of April 1, 2024, as it gave its first public rides on April 1, 1989. Much has been said about Timber Wolf over the last 35 years, but Timber Wolf is critical to the World of amusement parks for more reasons than the fact it was voted #1 in the World in 1991. Timber Wolf, along with a few other notable early 1990s wooden coasters, ushered in the age of the modern wooden coaster. Designed by Curtis Summers and built by Charlie Dinn it is also one of the few Dinn/Summers coasters still operating in a mostly intact (non-RMC'd) state. 

A similar view but in 2018

One of my favorite stories with Timber Wolf is how its design was determined. Like Orient Express, Worlds of Fun management traveled across the country for "field research," riding a variety of different coasters. Timber Wolf, like Orient Express, incorporated the best of the best, from the psychotic Harry Traver-inspired first half to the quasi Beast-like 560-degree helix, Timber Wolf, like its decade-earlier steel cousin, was an immediate hit.

1994 - 30th Anniversary

Sea Dragon

While Timber Wolf is one of the earlier rides I can specifically recall details of its opening, Sea Dragon was the first ride that opened at Worlds of Fun the first year I worked there as an ambassador. The 1994 season would begin only a day after the 1989 season on April 2, 1994. While there was nothing specifically revolutionary about Sea Dragon, a ride doesn't have to be record-breaking to be still fun. Sea Dragon has that in spades. Manufactured by Chance Rides of Wichita Ks. Sea Dragon was their standard model, manufactured in both a portable carnival model and the stationary model that Worlds of Fun employees. 

1999 - 25th Anniversary

Grand Prix

One of the very few rides I would respond to "good riddance." Grand Prix was the major attraction for what I call the "hangover" year of 1999, which followed the introduction of Mamba in 1998. Opening Day had by this time been moved to mid-April by new owners Cedar Fair, and in 1999 the park opened on April 17, 1999. Grand Prix was a pay-extra-go-cart attraction located where Steelhawk is today. While some people enjoyed this attraction, I could never get beyond the fact that it had "replaced" the Henrietta and the original main Americana gate. Grand Prix would be replaced by Steelhawk in 2014. 

2004 - 20th Anniversary

Spinning Dragons

Fifteen years separate Timber Wolf and Spinning Dragons, but it feels far longer than that, as while Timber Wolf reflected the twilight years of Hunt Midwest, Spinning Dragons was Cedar Fair's third coaster added to Worlds of Fun since it took over in 1995. It boggles my mind that Spinning Dragons is turning 20 years old; it feels like it was only yesterday. Manufactured by Gerstlauer of Germany, a direct descendant of Schwarzkopf industries, Spinning Dragons was, at the time, an attempt to repopulate the park with a family-style coaster. Unfairly and inaccurately seen as a "replacement" for Orient Express, it was always intended to be more of a replacement for the original Zambezi Zinger. A free spinning coaster, Spinning Dragons offers a unique experience where every ride can differ in experience and thrill level. It's one of only two coasters I've ridden that I was seriously concerned that I would get sick. (The other being Guardians of the Galaxy at Epcot). It was also the first coaster at Worlds of Fun I experienced on its opening day, which wasn't the 2004 season opening day of April 3rd. Spinning Dragons would open two weeks later, on April 17th. 

2009 - 15th Anniversary

Prowler

Yes, Prowler turns 15 years old in 2024, like Spinning Dragons being 20 years old, which seems crazy to me; for the 2009 season, Worlds of Fun had moved back (again) to mid-April opening with opening day on April 18th. But like Spinning Dragons, Prowler wouldn't open until May 1st. Also, like Spinning Dragons, I rode Prowler the day it opened (actually the day before, thanks to a Passholder preview event). 

As many will point out, with this being Prowler's 15th anniversary, there was a 14-year gap between Prowler and the following new coaster (Zambezi Zinger in 2023). It is the longest gap between any two new coasters in park history. A detail many overlook though, is that Prowler bookend what I call The Coaster Decade, in that it was the 5th coaster in a little over 10 years at Worlds of Fun. Prowler bookended a decade after Mamba, in much the same way that Timber Wolf bookended a decade after Orient Express. History once again rhymes as often happens.  15 years after it opened Prowler continues to be one of the best if not the best of all Great Coasters International coasters. 

2014 - 10th Anniversary

Steelhawk

Ten years ago, the local news stations were all playing stories about a "new" ride with a storied past, in 2024 that same ride celebrates its 10th anniversary with the park. The 2014 season would begin on April 12th, but Steelhawk wouldn't open until July 8th.  There was no official annouincement of Steelhawk's opening, meaning while there was no official media fan fare there was still a great deal of FAN fare as news spread like wildfire online and fans showed up at the park in droves, even though it was a weekday!

Steelhawk started out its life in 2012 at Knott's Berry Farm in California known as Windseeker, manufactured by Mondial. In 2013 after Windseeker experienced technical difficulties leaving riders stranded for 3 hours, it was decided to move the ride to a new location, leaving it at Worlds of Fun for the 2014 season. In 2024 it celebrates its 10th anniversary and I still feel lucky to have this great, towering ride at Worlds of Fun. 

2019 - 5th Anniversary

Five years ago was 2019 and while there were no major new attractions for the 2019 season to celebrate its worth mentioning due to its memorable nature. 2019 was the last "normal" season for 2-3 years, it was the last season for Winterfest, and I still feel that Worlds of Fun and the rest of the World is still racing to recapture the normality lost after 2019 ended. In April 2020, one of the darkest days of the entire COVID event, for what would have been the 40th anniversary of Orient Express I wrote:

"With everything going on in the World it's hard to see past today. However, I believe, I hope, tomorrow will come. Tomorrow, the sun will rise on a day when Worlds of Fun is once again open, and we will all see Mamba, Patriot, even the Worlds of Fun Railroad running once again."

I smile reading that today, recalling so much hope in a dark, uncertain world. Things are not back to normal, but let us remember where we have been, and realize how far we have come. Here is to an amazing 52nd season, and 51st year of Worlds of Fun!

40 Years Ago: Fury of the Nile is announced!

 

For about the past decade or so, I've written blogs celebrating what would have been the 40th anniversary of various Worlds of Fun attractions. For once as we approach the 2024 season we will focus on a 40th anniversary for an attraction that still exists: Fury of the Nile. Fury of the Nile would open on May 26, 1984, but would be announced to the public and amusement industry on November 14, 1983. 40 years ago today. Nile was the first major new announcement that I can personally recall when the ride opened and in which I rode early during its existence. It quickly became my favorite ride at the park and stayed so for many years, so much so my husband still jokingly calls me "water princess." 

Like many early Worlds of Fun attractions, Nile was fairly groundbreaking, but it wasn't the first of its kind. Thunder River at Six Flags AstroWorld opened in 1980 and was the first. Influenced by its General Manager, an avid white water rafter, they took the idea to Intamin Amusement Rides and designed what became an extremely prolific ride in the amusement industry.

Ten more rapid rides would open over the intervening years. Three years later, in 1983, Mid America Enterprises and Worlds of Fun General Manager Lee Derrough would announce a $3.5 million, 5-acre expansion project known as Fury of the Nile. Nile would be the longest Intamin Rapids Ride to date at 1,800 feet long, containing one million gallons of water, and is the first-ever rapids ride in the United States to feature a new loading technology, the turntable loading system. Before Nile, all rapids rides in the United States instead used a rather clunky conveyor belt system, like Thunder River at Six Flags St. Louis or the old Lost River of the Ozark at Silver Dollar City. The turntable offered a more elegant design yet also increased throughput by keeping the boats constantly moving. Today, a nearly identical loading system can be found on the largest rapid rides in the country at both Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World resorts. 

The four 250-horsepower pumps that power Nile. 

The Nile originally came with 23 circular rafts that were and still are free-floating and travel 7-10 mph around the 1,800-foot-long course. The actual depth of the ride might surprise some, as for most of its duration, it's only 2-3 feet deep. The deepest section of the ride is located under the ride's lift hill and is up to 25 feet deep, used for holding water while the ride is not operational. Initially, eight geysers, two churning lagoons, and waterfalls would leave guests completely soaked. The water is pushed along a concrete trough that varies between 16 to 40 feet wide and is powered by, per General Manager Lee Derrough, "four 250-horsepower engines, three of which will be used at a time".

Today, the ride is far tamer than it was in 1984. Still, its legacy lives on, and as many rapid rides are being demolished in favor of newer and flashier rides, I am thrilled Fury of the Nile continues to roar on. 

A History of Haunt: Part III Halloween Haunt

 Part II examined the growth of Halloweekends from a primaryly kids-centered minor end-of-the-season event to a more mature-audience-centered event around which the season revolved. Part III will explore the evolution, change, and hurdles the event experienced from 2012 to the present (2023). By 2012, the event included most of the major players that are recognizable even today; the park advertised nine extreme haunts, which included in 2012: Lore of the Vampire, Asylum Island, Bloodshed, Cornstalkers, London Terror, Fright Zone, Outlaw's Revenge, Zombie High, and Overlord's Awakening.

Over the next decade, the park would add one major new haunted house to the ranks and see a literal potpourri of different fright zones, shows, and smaller attractions come and go. 

Fright Lane 2013

2013 saw the first significant change with the addition of the Skeleton Key rooms. An added "pay extra" haunt attraction, the Skeleton Key rooms were "hidden" rooms within different houses that expanded on the macabre storyline and added a deeper, more personal connection with the storyline. For example, Lore of the Vampire offered a Skeleton Key experience where guests individually would be lowered into a coffin or, in another Key Room, have to find a hidden object in what amounted to a used litter box complete with a decaying "corpse." The Skeleton Key attraction would last for five seasons, with its last season being 2017.

Lore of the Vampire Skeleton Key Room 2013 (and yes that's me)

Inferno in 2013, photo by Dustijn Hollon

Though today in Blood on the Bayou (which is where this photo is taken), this "prop" is originally from the 2016 Skeleton Key rooms. 

2013 also saw the replacement of Master McCarthy's Dollhouse with Chamber of Horrors, a wax museum come alive with terrifying results. It would also see one brand new attraction, Inferno, a freakish, cirque-style, sideshow next to Patriot. Inferno would only last one season. 

Tivoli geared up for Ed Alonzo, photo from 2016

Many have been questioning recently what the peak year for Haunt was. Without question, Haunt is still a great event today, but it seemingly has never fully recovered since COVID-19 shut it down entirely in 2020. 2014 was the stand-out season as far as peak seasons for Haunt go. All cylinders were firing; it was the second to last full season of Asylum Island under that name and the last season for Magical House on Boo Hill. It would be the first season where Boneyard would have replaced Fright Zone, and the park was on its second season for Skeleton Key; last and probably most important, the park premiered a new spectacular show at Tivoli. Ed Alonzo's Psycho Circus was an elaborate illusionist and magic show combined with humor and was so incredibly entertaining it packed the Tivoli with nearly every show.  

Psycho Freaks in front of Tivoli

Psycho Freaks Bearded Lady

2015 was right on 2014's heels and carried on the popular Ed Alonzo show but also introduced a second, more family-friendly version during the daytime. Outside Tivoli, a new sideshow attraction premiered. It was named Psycho Freaks Sideshow and included characters that would feel right at home in a 19th century circus such as the bearded lady or siamese twins. Psycho Freaks would last for two seasons. 

Blood on the Bayou, new in 2015

Exterior of Blood on the Bayou in 2015

Entrance to Blood on the Bayou, photo taken 2022

One of the many details that can't be fully appreciated while experiencing Blood on the Bayou which is this painting which features a hot air balloon and sternwheeler. 

2015 also saw the last new haunted house to premier (to date) and the best themed of them all, Blood on the Bayou. Themed to the Louisiana Bayou, it catered to more of the macabre than pure guts and gore. The last expansion of 2015 was a change to the Overlord's Awakening Show to include the Wicked Witches of the East and West in an expansion known as Hexed,  which, like Bayou, still exists today.

Wicked Witch of the West, from Hexed. Photo by Josh Donnici.

Wicked Witch of the East, photo by John Donnici.

Eleven years after the last use of Boo! Blast, the children's Halloween attraction, would be given a new name, The Great Pumpkinfest, which is still used to this date (2023). The entire pantheon of scare-free attractions would be relocated from Europa to Planet Snoopy, including many attractions still there today, including a hay bale maze, costume contest, crafts, and Peanut characters. 

2016 would be a further continuation of the two prior seasons, with Ed Alonzo returning for a third season to Tivoli, in this case known as Ed Alonzo's Fun House. It would also see several new small changes instead of one big new attraction. CarnEvil, which had called Bicentennial Square home since 2007, would be moved to the Patriot area, and London Terror would be moved from Forum Road/Heart of America Blvd to the old Calamity Games Midway Games area at Bicentennial Square and renamed London Terror Square. The most significant change to Haunt in 2016 occurred halfway through the season; Asylum Island would be renamed and rethemed to  Urgent Scare after guests at Knott's Berry Farm (which had a similar haunt) expressed concerns over the representation of the mentally ill. 

Carnevil by Patriot

Carnival Clown bus (originally the Camp Bus) by Patriot.

The loss of Asylum Island, the largest, most popular Haunt, has yet to have its impact judged. What is certain is Asylum Island had one of the most significant impacts on creating the monster that is the Haunt season, so its removal would also have some impact on the overall experience of Haunt. The new quasi-Asylum Island, Urgent Scare, would be removed entirely after the 2017 season.

2017 was the last season for the Skeleton Key Rooms

2017 began the start of a subtle shift in the dynamics of Haunt. It introduced the No Boo necklace, which makes many questions about what type of event Worlds of Fun was trying to market, a mature event intended for adults or a family event? Another concern regarding 2017 is that Haunt almost felt like an afterthought as the park geared up for its first-ever Winterfest event. 

2016 was the last season for the Ed Alonzo show (he would move onto another Cedar Fair park), so for 2017, the park would introduce a new live entertainment offering at the new International Plaza stage, Skeleton Crew, a Halloween-themed dance, and stunt show which would last for three seasons until 2019. 2017 would also see one other subtle change, with London Terror Square renamed to its current moniker, Ripper Alley.

Bicentennial Square looking familiar to today, but taken in 2018.

Khaos in 2018 at Coco Palms Pavilion

2018 and 2019 would see further subtle changes in Haunt with no major new Haunt additions. Chamber of Horrors: Condemned would replace the original Chamber of Horrors in the Zambezi Zinger queue house due to a fire that caused damage to several scenes. A "new" haunt, Khaos would be the shortest lived (only two seasons) and replace Urgent Care/Asylum Island; for this first season, Khaos would re-use the same Coco Palms picnic pavilion at Oceans of Fun. 2018 would also be the last year for CarnEvil, though it would return, at least thematically, in 2022 for one season in Scandinavia.

Khaos in 2019 at Festhaus

2019, in retrospect, has an odd mystique: it would be the last "normal" season for about three years, though no one could have known it then. It was one of those moments where everyone wishes they could have known it was the last breath of normalcy for a long while. For that reason, the changes in 2019 seem like they were planned for the long term when they never would appear again in some cases. Such is the case with Khaos; this weird, psychotic haunted house always struggled with a minimal theme. It was an upside-down, post-apocalyptic world, which seems appropriate in hindsight. In 2019, Khaos would be relocated from its original location at Coco Palms Pavilion in Oceans of Fun to Festhaus Picnic Pavilion. 2019 would also be the last season for Boneyard in Africa, but it would also introduce a Haunt that many know today, Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater. Located on Forum Road/Heart of America theater, it would be the third Haunt to be located on that roadway between Mamba and Detonator, and like the other two, would struggle and be, like London Terror, moved to a new location when it would return in 2021.

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater in 2019 on Forum Road. 

Pumpkin Eater as seen from Forum and the line for Bloodshed. 

The 2020 season was planned to be the last season for Winterfest. Very few know what was planned for Haunt that year, but as everyone knows, neither festival happened; in fact, very little happened at Worlds of Fun in 2020. The season was incredibly short, running from June 22 until September 7. There is no other way to define that season in that it was simply "odd" or as it was called by a few: "Worlds of Fun lite" as about half the rides didn't even operate that season either.

Cryptics: Final Scarewell Tour in 2021 at International Plaza Stage. 

Witches Ball in 2021. 

If 2020 was Worlds of Fun lite, then 2021 was Haunt lite, with Haunt returning but lacking certain ingredients that many always assumed at this point would be there. Moulin Rouge was dark with no Haunted Homecoming for the first time in 18 years, and also for the first time in 16 years, there was no Haunt at Coco Palms pavilion or at the Feshaus, leaving the whole Haunt experience feeling like something was missing. Haunted Homecoming would be with the park in spirit, though in the way of a new show at International Plaza for Haunt, Cryptics: Final Scarewell Tour,  along with Witches Ball featuring the Wicked Witches of the East and West. A haunt that WOULD return in 2021 would be Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater that would be relocated to the old Dinosaur's Alive Trail and be far more successful in its new wooded location. 2021 would also be the last season for Chamber of Horrors, with the Zambezi Zinger queue station returning to its original, intended use.

2021 was the last year for Chamber of Horrors: Condemned. 

Entrance to Chamber of Horrors. 

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater entrance in 2021. 

Today there is a roller coaster here, back then it was the walkway for Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater (and before that Dinosaurs Alive)

In 2022, Haunt would return more in a recognizable form and, for the first time in three years, feature an entirely new Haunted scare zone/house, Malice in Wonderland, Europa's first-ever haunt. Unlike the 2012 Alice in Wonderland-themed kids area, this variation was two-faced. The Wonderland props would offer a scare-free trick-or-treat zone during the daytime and would serve as a creepy fright zone during the night. In addition to Malice in Wonderland, Fright Zone would return as a scare zone in Africa and, along with Outlaws, would bring the fright zone count back up to three, but only for this one season.

Malice in Wonderland at Night. 

Trick or Treat in Wonderland in the daytime. 

Present Day, 2023, 30 years after the inception of Boo! Bash Worlds of Fun changed things up again by making Haunt a separately ticketed event. No longer would the day slowly transition into a nighttime freak show. Worlds of Fun wasn't the first to make their haunted event a separately ticked event from the regular day pass, not by a long shot. The practice of having separate events dates back to Knott's Berry Farm, which has hosted "Knott's Scary Farm" for fifty years! More changes would come to the event, too; Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater would be slightly relocated to account for the new Zambezi Zinger taking up its old haunting grounds. CarnEvil would return at least in spirit in the form of a new show near Tivoli, Last Laff, which offered a new twist and slice to the typical circus sideshow. A third show, at International Plaza stage, Conjure the Night featured once again the Witches of the East and West from Hexed. 

Conjure the Night

Last Laff

Last Laff

Looking back at over 30 years of Halloween attractions at Worlds of Fun, it has been amazing to witness its growth. Starting from a two-week, kid-centric event back in 1992, it grew exponentially with nearly every single season to an event unrecognizable to its original roots, proving that not all change is bad and can, in many ways, create new traditions and memories. For many, a Worlds of Fun without Haunt is unimaginable, much like for many older fans, a Worlds of Fun without Zambezi Zinger or Orient Express was. History is an ever-evolving story, and the important, memorable pieces are determined by those who live it. By becoming time-honored, Haunt has earned its place in the pantheon of Worlds of Fun classics and traditions, and it will hopefully be around for many years to come.