Mystery Amusement Parks
I have some random photos of unknown fairs and/or amusement parks for you today, starting with this 1960s photo of what seems to be a parking lot fair; we can just see a sign indicating a mall where you can "shop in COMFORT". Those palm trees look very SoCal to me, but it could be Florida, or even Hawaii. There's a Trabant ride, manufactured by Chance Rides. Often seen at fairs and traveling carnivals, their design consists of a giant wheel which tilts at a steep angle, fluctuates in a wavelike manner, and spins at various speeds. There is a motor underneath the ride that makes both of these rides raise up and down.
A little bit to the right, we can just see a corner of a classic Shakey's Pizza Parlor sign.
Like this one! One website said that these original neon signs with the lantern on top are very rare today.
Next is this photo from August, 1971. I'm guessing that this is a county or state fair, it definitely seems to be placed on what appears to be the local Fairgrounds. There's a Paratrooper ride in the lower right, and what I think is an "Astro Wheel" in the distance. I have no idea what that spiral thing is to the left. It's too bad that the focus is a bit soft (the picture was presumably taken from a Ferris Wheel), some details are not discernible, though I am intrigued by the sign for "Dante's Inferno".
And finally, from June, 1961 comes another photo from what must have been a temporary fair - we're in the midst of baseball fields. From our Ferris Wheel vantage point, we're looking down upon a Tilt-a-Whirl, a very small miniature train, and classic Chair-O-Plane swings.
It's day 3 of my trip, I could be anywhere between Utah and California at this point!
8 comments:
I always look forward to your "Mystery Amusement Parks" postings. I usually (read, always) don't know where the park is, but I do enjoy seeing traditional carnival rides.
I have fond memories of riding the Trabant. It must have been 1965 or '66, at our county fair. The Beatles' "Ticket To Ride" was blasting loudly from a speaker attached to the ride. Now, every time I see a Trabant, I hear that song in my head, and it bring back all those pleasant, fun memories.
Shakey's Pizza is, I think, a mostly west coast thing, at least at the time of the Trabant photo. That, plus the palm trees that you pointed out, leads me to believe the Trabant pic is somewhere in SoCal.
Major, that "spiral thing" is a Toboggan ride (also by Chance, I think). A roller coaster, of sorts. The individual cars go up the center of the 'rocket', then go round 'n' round down the spiral, concluding with a few 'bunny hops' over some humps, then back to the station.
There's also a Roll-o-Plane close to the camera (the white, bullet-shaped thing). The ride cycle started out upright, like you see it here. But partway, it rotated horizontally for a while, then back to vertical. Not sure if all models of this ride did that.
I believe the "Astro Wheel" is actually a "Sky Diver". Maybe it was known by both names?
I always thought the Tilt-A-Wheel was a marvel of engineering with all those various parts tilting, rotating, and spinning on different axes. Wow, that really IS a small miniature train! I think it was meant for gerbils.
Fun post, Major. Thanks.
Hey look, kids! The side panels are falling off of the Trabant platform! That's okay, let's go on it anyway!
The Shakey's about 3 miles away from me still has a sign that looks like that! However, the neon has been removed.
I believe that giant wheel in the third pic is actually a Chance "Skydiver" ride. I would like to know what those spiral track rides are called. I bet Ken or Andrew knows! I had always wanted to go on one and finally had a chance at the L.A. County Fair. It wasn't as exciting as I thought it might be!
Thanks for the trip to the fair, Major!
Ooops, I didn't see JB's comment prior to "publishing" mine....it wasn't there while I was typing out mine! Thank you JB, for naming the Toboggan ride. That name comes back to me now!
Tokyo!, "The side panels are falling off of the Trabant platform!" Ha! I didn't even notice that. What fun! Adds an additional element of risk.
And I agree with you about the Toboggan. Watching it, I never got too excited by it. I don't even remember if I ever rode it.
Wherever the first carnival was, it appears to have been a bit chilly. Lots of sweaters and coats. It this is Southern California, that means the temps may have dipped into the frigid ‘70s.
Shakey’s brings back so many fun memories - watching them spin pies through a glass window, the Three Stooges and Little Rascals on the big screen, the first video games I ever saw (Pong and the B & W version of Tank), pitchers of root beer on the table, a behind the scenes tour we took with a pre-or-grade school class. Oh, and delicious pizza! Last are at one in Redlands 30 years ago. Different vibe but the pizzas were just as good.
That miniature train is actually a series of hand-cranked individual cars similar to this: https://www.rmirailworks.com/kids_hand_crank_car.asp. I have seen one somewhere but can’t remember where.
Thanks, Major! Hope you are having a great time!
Love these images! The last one looks like it's probably a permanent park judging by the handcar ride. It could be anywhere though! You can tell it's an older Tilt-A-Whirl if the "bonnets" on the cars are mesh instead of solid metal. I've always wanted to ride a Toboggan, but they're basically non-existent now. I've seen one abandoned in a parking lot, but that's it. There's also a portable Zyklon/Galaxi coaster in the upper right of the second picture. Thanks, Major!
Check out Trabant on the interwebs: apparently a car made in the former Eastern Germany out of waste....quite literally. Definitely a "no frills" vehicle, but cost a years worth of wages with a TEN YEAR waiting list. I was in Germany when the wall came down...it was quite the eye opening experience for everyone. Back to "Carnies"....I used to go to Shakeys in LA for the "Shakeys Bunch a Lunch" with two friends who introduced me to it: possible of my cadre of people around me, they were definitely the wealthiest: It was $5 each for basically a gigantic full lunch meal. No wonder the rich stay rich: but I DO remember it being REALLY good, and a "good time was had by all". I will say I enjoyed this way more than a fancy-pants meal at The Ivy, and also: not very strangely, there were probably just as many "people of note" at both restaurants. I suppose the paparazzi don't think to hang out in front of Shakeys. As a kid I PINED to go to these parking lot carnivals. Never did we once. We went to a petting zoo in a parking lot, and that's about all I remember: with a camel ride included, which was kind of fun....or maybe it was an elephant...hmmmm....All these rickety rides make me nervous just looking at them. No wonder my parents said "no"....if I were a parent, I'd probably give it a big "no" as well. They were much more glamorous at night with all the neon and twinkling lights: it was like the circus was in town. Hope you are enjoying Utah and the heat major! Utah is a beautiful state: I hope you are getting to see it!
Sad update on Shakey’s is that one of the most iconic ones in LA, on Santa Monica blvd. was scrapped to make way for Tesla burgers.
MS
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