Mystery Amusements

Just between you and me and my collection of Post-Impressionist masterpieces, I like looking at old photos of amusement parks and carnivals/fairs. It's true! I first admitted it on "Geraldo" back in 1989. Yes, I threw a chair at somebody.

Here's an undated slide featuring a death-defying high dive act. As if that wasn't enough, the daredevil is in flames! Pretty exciting. That tank of water doesn't look very deep, but if he does it juuust right, he'll be OK. Except that there are also hundreds of piranhas in the tank. As the sign in the lower right tells us, we're watching the U.S.A. High Diving Team. They won the Gold Medal in Montreal in 1976, a memorable upset. I have no idea where this thrilling show took place, but maybe the lighthouse out on that jetty will give one of you a clue. 

This next one was scanned from a clipped color negative, and it was a pain to scan. But I'm no hero! When I held it up to the light, it was obvious that this was an amusement park or fair of some kind. Now that it is scanned (yes, I agree, it doesn't look that great) I'm guessing that the photo might be from the 1990s (or later?) - those guys to the right would not look out of place if  they walked past me today. Because the rides are sort of "standard fare" for an event like this, there is not much to go on as far as determining the location.

And lastly, here's a September, 1971 photo of some kids on a little merry-go-round. Those horses have seen some stuff, look at those eyes! The haunted eyes of the damned. The kids don't care, however... right after they got off this ride, they went and got some beers and then they beat up a kid who didn't go to their school.