Was a great place back in the day. Worked here on the rides (Sky Diver & Wild Cat) and games when I was in high school, that's how I bought my first car. Shame it's gone now. :(
The last time I was at Idora Park, I walked the midway with Boots Bell of WHOT on HOT day, talking about music. Played in one of the bands. I've lived all over the US, since then. Miss that place. It was a place like, no other. Lucky to have lived it, when it was all good. :) Thanks for sharing.
There are a few traditional, real amusement parks left. Knoebel's Amusement Resort (Elysbugh, PA.), Lakeside Park (Denver), Conneaut Lake (PA. barely hangin on), Idlewild Park (PA.), Waldameer Park (PA.), Kennywood (Pittsburgh), Lake Winnepesaukah (Tenn.), Beech Bend (KY.), Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (CA.), Playland (Vancouver), Arnold's Park (Iowa), Camden Park (WV), a few I've certainly missed. All wonderful & meaningful like Idora. Go visit them for an incredible, awesome time!
At 2:30 is a photo of Mr. Twister (defunct) of the original Elitch Garden's Amusement Park, Denver, Colorado. This top-ranked wooden wonder almost ended up not too far from Idora Park, for in the 80s, Dick Knoebel of Knoebel's Amusement Resort, Elysbug, PA. researched moving it from Denver to Knoebel's when Elitch's closed forever. Knoebel's had already moved a wood coaster but Mr. Twister was too big for the land they had available, so Knoeble's built a woodie similar to Mr. Twister (Twister).
WOW ! The Whacky Shack & The Lost River...Remember the big elephant with its floppy ears ? The sign going into the wild cat tunnel " Danger dont stand up" ! I
I worked there for 3 summers. First year in concessions for Pat. Then was old enough to be a "Ride Operator". I thought that was so cool. I ran the Bumber cars one year and was a break guy the second year. I went around giving all the other operators breaks and got to run most of the rides. I remember testing the Wildcat before the park opened by sitting on the back of the seat with my feet on the seat cushion and floating a few inches off the seat. Signed... lucky to be alive ;-)
@daviddaich I find it hard to believe that you sat on the seat back of the Wildcat with your feet on the cushion/seat. You must have been holding on somehow, for Wildcat had extreme lateral & negative forces, and during it's life in the early 80s was considered to be one of the top 10 roller coasters in the world. Often ranked #1 by coaster enthusiasts like myself. To this day, having rode most of America's wood coasters from 82 to present, I rank it among the top 5 wood coasters I've ridden.
@ProChoiceJesus Find whatever you like. I wasn't the first and I wasn't the last. We didn't go through through the whole loop that way, just some of the hills. I would never have tried it if I hadn't seen other employees do it before me. I suspect one or two of them will show up here eventually and say the same thing. But in any case, thanks for taking a great, nostalgic thread and introducing your brand of negativity Mr. roller coaster expert.
@daviddaich Let me re-phrase. Because Wildcat was such an incredible, violent, wonderful ride, I am amazed that you did such a thing as ride on the seat back. Wow! Was it fun? Did you do it through the partial tunnel during the Wildcat's final turn? That turn was my favorite part of the ride. It seems that it could have be-headed you. Did you hold on somehow while on the seatback? This is my hobby, so I know of several deaths resultant of such acts, so I stand amazed that you & others did this.
@ProChoiceJesus A simple "sorry for insinuating that you're lying without knowing the facts" would have sufficed. There was a series of humps in a straight line. We would push up off the seat going down the first one and sit on the back of the seat through the series. You would float a couple inches off the seat in the negative G part. I can't recall if there were 2 or 3 of these. We would slide back in the seat going up the last hill in the line. Never said it was smart, but I was 17.
@daviddaich Sorry for implying that you were lying. I rode Wildcat 30 to 40 times one day in the summer of 1982. From 82 to present, having ridden most of America's wood coasters, and all of those which are considered the best in the world, Wildcat stands firmly among the most thrilling and greatest of that time period. Idora & Wildcat were truly a tragic loss to America. Idora was a real treasure. There's still a few left. I make it a habit to visit as many as possible yearly. List below.
Just like so many other parks...... The fun things and simple life treasures, gone.... never to return..... unless you are Cedar Point or Disney Land/World...
The song is" When you think of me" by Ryan Huston. What a Great song! It's sad that this Great Park, and Parks like Chipawa lake Park, and Euclid Beach, Geauga Lake. had to leave us. Conneaut Lake park is trying to stay afloat, Please just go and spend a day and a little bit of money to help them from fading away!
i never got to go to idora but thinking about it and seeing makes me feel bad because so many peoples memorys were burned down in the fire. i wish that i could of had the chance to make memories there with my friends, its two minutes from my house too bad theres nothing this cool around youngstown ohio anymore.... :(
ive lived in youngstown ohio my whole life, i was born in 91 so the park was definatly gone, but my parents have always told me stories about it. i wish that youngstown was back to the way it was 25 years ago... a good place you could actually hang out in safely.
its a shame my gen miss out im 30 so the park was long gone win i was a teen in the 90 but id go there and always wish it was still open its sad to know this shit drug jobless town was once one of the best citys in the country that's something il never know
The WILDCAT was Ohio's BEST coaster operating until it burned! It was even better than the Cedar Point rides and dare I say it, the BEAST!! I still miss it! We used to be able to hit 4 parks and 14 roller coasters in one day! Kennywood, West View, Cascade, Conneaut and Idora!!
i have wonderful memories of idora. when i was young my cousin from n.j. would meet me at a relatives. i also was from out of state. we would fish at millcreek park at the spill way . then later hide out fishing rods in the woods and sneak into idora. i mostly remember the fun house. and its the 1st time i saw and ate a corn dog in my life. fond memories. thank you.
...I can remember going there as a young kid for the polka dances. It's laughable for the non polka people, but the hall was filled with at least 300-400 people to listen & dance to the polka musicians.
I never went to Idora Park, and well I was born after it burned down, but I have connections that tie me to it in a way, and I actually have a soundtrack to a Musical about Idora Park. It is a bit silly, but if anyone wants to check it out I'll think about making a video with some of the songs, just send me a message and tell me the kind of things you remember about Idora Park and I'll see if there is a song about it.
I remember school picnics and especially Crucible Steel United Steel Workers union picnic. Rode the Wildcat 27 times in one day. Oh the memories. The lion that would suck the garbage out of your hand. Those were the days of youth.
Loved the video. I remember Idora from the late sixties to mid-seventies. Mill Creek had a guided tour around the perimeter last weekend 10/18/2009. Amazing history there and it's like nothing ever happened. The land should be given to park to be made into a memorial or something to remember it by. People in charge should wake up and honor this great piece of land.
Thank you for this video. I love it and have sent it to many Y-towners. I loved Idora! I wish I could take my little guys there! we used to go with Wean United and thought it was the greatest thing ever. Loved that Wild Cat. Nothing compares.
@jfsz08 love mill creek park too.... nothin like it is now .......been gone for many years ........but never forget the times we had on the back rabbit !!!!!
I was born in Youngstown but only lived there until I was 4 - to this day my mom tells me all about Idora Park and how great it was. I love french fries with vinegar on them because of her getting them at Idora Park. :)
BTW - I would really like to know who the song is by - I love it!
Thank you for posting this tribute to one of the greatest things Youngstown had to offer. We had so much fun at this park as kids and it will always hold a special place in our hearts. It's sad that the city didn't do anything to preserve this bit of history.
The place seemed so huge as a kid. When we went back in there (via a hole in the fence) it didnt seem so big. This is before the current idiot owners let the place totally go to hell.
It was neat to walk the Wildcat tracks, go in the penny arcade, and see the old midway.
WOW. lots of memories, My grandparents worked there. My grandfather worked the bumper cars and we rode for free always. My parents met there and worked there also. There were many company picnicks there and concerts in the ball room. I really miss it.
......and I worked in Kiddie Land '62 & '63 ... many memories ..... ..... and my parents met at the roller skating rink in 1946.....
my dad later worked as a "lineman" for the Youngstown Transit Company and moonlighted putting those "Idora Park" arrow signs on power poles all over Youngstown and surrounding cities..
he would get "comp" ride books of tickets .. and he later got "Gabe" to give me a job working in Kiddie Land ...
Terrific video. I usually start to get real nostalgic around the holidays, thinking about people and places that aren't around anymore. May sound silly, but it's how I'm wired. Idora is always one of the places I miss the most. When I go home for Christmas I usually make a stop at the old site. It usually ends up depressing the hell out of me while I'm there, but I guess I just like trying to revisit a fun place from my childhood. Most of my old favorite places are torn down back home now.
Jackson Milton '66 here and the memories really came flooding back... it was truly a wonderful place to go and so glad I have that to remember... thank you for putting this together.. the end with how it is now is so very sad.. I did go there one day a couple of years ago, just to see.. I feel the ghosts of the park are still there.. it was an eerie feeling, but a good one.. great video.. my hope is that it is brought back, won't be the same, but close *S*
Was a great place back in the day. Worked here on the rides (Sky Diver & Wild Cat) and games when I was in high school, that's how I bought my first car. Shame it's gone now. :(
Retvet1996 3 weeks ago
The last time I was at Idora Park, I walked the midway with Boots Bell of WHOT on HOT day, talking about music. Played in one of the bands. I've lived all over the US, since then. Miss that place. It was a place like, no other. Lucky to have lived it, when it was all good. :) Thanks for sharing.
ohwhynotsing 2 months ago
There are a few traditional, real amusement parks left. Knoebel's Amusement Resort (Elysbugh, PA.), Lakeside Park (Denver), Conneaut Lake (PA. barely hangin on), Idlewild Park (PA.), Waldameer Park (PA.), Kennywood (Pittsburgh), Lake Winnepesaukah (Tenn.), Beech Bend (KY.), Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (CA.), Playland (Vancouver), Arnold's Park (Iowa), Camden Park (WV), a few I've certainly missed. All wonderful & meaningful like Idora. Go visit them for an incredible, awesome time!
ProChoiceJesus 5 months ago
At 2:30 is a photo of Mr. Twister (defunct) of the original Elitch Garden's Amusement Park, Denver, Colorado. This top-ranked wooden wonder almost ended up not too far from Idora Park, for in the 80s, Dick Knoebel of Knoebel's Amusement Resort, Elysbug, PA. researched moving it from Denver to Knoebel's when Elitch's closed forever. Knoebel's had already moved a wood coaster but Mr. Twister was too big for the land they had available, so Knoeble's built a woodie similar to Mr. Twister (Twister).
ProChoiceJesus 5 months ago
WOW ! The Whacky Shack & The Lost River...Remember the big elephant with its floppy ears ? The sign going into the wild cat tunnel " Danger dont stand up" ! I
Miss Idora park.
derek7521 6 months ago
Im post this on my twitter and facebook page..I was born in 76..But I still have lil memories of the Park!!!!!Thanx
Intensity7MadMan 7 months ago
I worked there for 3 summers. First year in concessions for Pat. Then was old enough to be a "Ride Operator". I thought that was so cool. I ran the Bumber cars one year and was a break guy the second year. I went around giving all the other operators breaks and got to run most of the rides. I remember testing the Wildcat before the park opened by sitting on the back of the seat with my feet on the seat cushion and floating a few inches off the seat. Signed... lucky to be alive ;-)
daviddaich 9 months ago
@daviddaich I find it hard to believe that you sat on the seat back of the Wildcat with your feet on the cushion/seat. You must have been holding on somehow, for Wildcat had extreme lateral & negative forces, and during it's life in the early 80s was considered to be one of the top 10 roller coasters in the world. Often ranked #1 by coaster enthusiasts like myself. To this day, having rode most of America's wood coasters from 82 to present, I rank it among the top 5 wood coasters I've ridden.
ProChoiceJesus 5 months ago
@ProChoiceJesus Find whatever you like. I wasn't the first and I wasn't the last. We didn't go through through the whole loop that way, just some of the hills. I would never have tried it if I hadn't seen other employees do it before me. I suspect one or two of them will show up here eventually and say the same thing. But in any case, thanks for taking a great, nostalgic thread and introducing your brand of negativity Mr. roller coaster expert.
daviddaich 5 months ago
@daviddaich Let me re-phrase. Because Wildcat was such an incredible, violent, wonderful ride, I am amazed that you did such a thing as ride on the seat back. Wow! Was it fun? Did you do it through the partial tunnel during the Wildcat's final turn? That turn was my favorite part of the ride. It seems that it could have be-headed you. Did you hold on somehow while on the seatback? This is my hobby, so I know of several deaths resultant of such acts, so I stand amazed that you & others did this.
ProChoiceJesus 5 months ago
@ProChoiceJesus A simple "sorry for insinuating that you're lying without knowing the facts" would have sufficed. There was a series of humps in a straight line. We would push up off the seat going down the first one and sit on the back of the seat through the series. You would float a couple inches off the seat in the negative G part. I can't recall if there were 2 or 3 of these. We would slide back in the seat going up the last hill in the line. Never said it was smart, but I was 17.
daviddaich 5 months ago
@daviddaich Sorry for implying that you were lying. I rode Wildcat 30 to 40 times one day in the summer of 1982. From 82 to present, having ridden most of America's wood coasters, and all of those which are considered the best in the world, Wildcat stands firmly among the most thrilling and greatest of that time period. Idora & Wildcat were truly a tragic loss to America. Idora was a real treasure. There's still a few left. I make it a habit to visit as many as possible yearly. List below.
ProChoiceJesus 5 months ago
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Wonderful video. You did a fantastic job on this I spent a lot of time at Idora in the late 60s and had so much fun there. Great memories
canfielddave 9 months ago
Wonderful video. You did a fantastic job on this I spent a lot of time at Idora in the late 60s and had so much fun there. Great memories
canfielddave 9 months ago
I like the last picture of the steps. Hundreds of years from now archeologists will wonder what they were used for. Nothing, just a place to sit.
Janko1492 1 year ago 3
Just like so many other parks...... The fun things and simple life treasures, gone.... never to return..... unless you are Cedar Point or Disney Land/World...
WahdaMae 1 year ago
The song is" When you think of me" by Ryan Huston. What a Great song! It's sad that this Great Park, and Parks like Chipawa lake Park, and Euclid Beach, Geauga Lake. had to leave us. Conneaut Lake park is trying to stay afloat, Please just go and spend a day and a little bit of money to help them from fading away!
jrbud8fan 1 year ago
@steelbuc39 It does sound like Dashboard but can't figure out which tune.
abigllama 1 year ago
Anyone know what the song is? It's listed at Madonna, but obviously not. Thanks!
abigllama 1 year ago
@abigllama sounds like Dashboard Confessional
steelbuc39 1 year ago
used to be my playground in the early 60's
van huffle tube used to pay for the employees to spend a day here with their families
beckiso 1 year ago
i never got to go to idora but thinking about it and seeing makes me feel bad because so many peoples memorys were burned down in the fire. i wish that i could of had the chance to make memories there with my friends, its two minutes from my house too bad theres nothing this cool around youngstown ohio anymore.... :(
katieo1222 1 year ago
ive lived in youngstown ohio my whole life, i was born in 91 so the park was definatly gone, but my parents have always told me stories about it. i wish that youngstown was back to the way it was 25 years ago... a good place you could actually hang out in safely.
katieo1222 1 year ago
its a shame my gen miss out im 30 so the park was long gone win i was a teen in the 90 but id go there and always wish it was still open its sad to know this shit drug jobless town was once one of the best citys in the country that's something il never know
simplejackgo 1 year ago
The WILDCAT was Ohio's BEST coaster operating until it burned! It was even better than the Cedar Point rides and dare I say it, the BEAST!! I still miss it! We used to be able to hit 4 parks and 14 roller coasters in one day! Kennywood, West View, Cascade, Conneaut and Idora!!
fncz 2 years ago
i have wonderful memories of idora. when i was young my cousin from n.j. would meet me at a relatives. i also was from out of state. we would fish at millcreek park at the spill way . then later hide out fishing rods in the woods and sneak into idora. i mostly remember the fun house. and its the 1st time i saw and ate a corn dog in my life. fond memories. thank you.
drohegda 2 years ago
...I can remember going there as a young kid for the polka dances. It's laughable for the non polka people, but the hall was filled with at least 300-400 people to listen & dance to the polka musicians.
tribeisone 2 years ago
@tribeisone the youngstown area was one of the biggest polka places in the country.
drohegda 2 years ago
I never went to Idora Park, and well I was born after it burned down, but I have connections that tie me to it in a way, and I actually have a soundtrack to a Musical about Idora Park. It is a bit silly, but if anyone wants to check it out I'll think about making a video with some of the songs, just send me a message and tell me the kind of things you remember about Idora Park and I'll see if there is a song about it.
SakuraHirot87 2 years ago
I remember school picnics and especially Crucible Steel United Steel Workers union picnic. Rode the Wildcat 27 times in one day. Oh the memories. The lion that would suck the garbage out of your hand. Those were the days of youth.
48 now!
sainovid 2 years ago
Loved the video. I remember Idora from the late sixties to mid-seventies. Mill Creek had a guided tour around the perimeter last weekend 10/18/2009. Amazing history there and it's like nothing ever happened. The land should be given to park to be made into a memorial or something to remember it by. People in charge should wake up and honor this great piece of land.
JoeD60 2 years ago
Thank you for this video. I love it and have sent it to many Y-towners. I loved Idora! I wish I could take my little guys there! we used to go with Wean United and thought it was the greatest thing ever. Loved that Wild Cat. Nothing compares.
ccmaryann 2 years ago
They had the best fries, I am 41 and Midland would have our school picnic there. Great park!
jfsz08 2 years ago 3
@jfsz08 love mill creek park too.... nothin like it is now .......been gone for many years ........but never forget the times we had on the back rabbit !!!!!
ArmPittsss16 5 months ago
This is absolutely awesome. Who'da thought. Idora on Utube.
What I remember more than the rides is the beer garden - plenty of Renner's Golden Amber as I recall
arturony 2 years ago
Lines were long for that special garden and a fun time for all! Ahhhhhhhh I remember it well !
Lellis819 2 years ago
I was born in Youngstown but only lived there until I was 4 - to this day my mom tells me all about Idora Park and how great it was. I love french fries with vinegar on them because of her getting them at Idora Park. :)
BTW - I would really like to know who the song is by - I love it!
mspeegle 2 years ago
Did this place burn down somehow??
bigfuzzballs 2 years ago
sure did........do more search on idora here and some of the video is on about it.
JoeD60 2 years ago
Thank you for posting this tribute to one of the greatest things Youngstown had to offer. We had so much fun at this park as kids and it will always hold a special place in our hearts. It's sad that the city didn't do anything to preserve this bit of history.
nsengineering1 2 years ago 2
great park
carbonanthony97 2 years ago
That pool was originally salt water via a very rare salt water spring. I was way too young to ever have used it tho!
MikeStammer 2 years ago
The place seemed so huge as a kid. When we went back in there (via a hole in the fence) it didnt seem so big. This is before the current idiot owners let the place totally go to hell.
It was neat to walk the Wildcat tracks, go in the penny arcade, and see the old midway.
MikeStammer 2 years ago
They only had 32 rides? WOW...I can remember spending the whole day there and thinking it was huge! Love the memories! Thanks for sharing:)
LavandaDolce 2 years ago 2
WOW. lots of memories, My grandparents worked there. My grandfather worked the bumper cars and we rode for free always. My parents met there and worked there also. There were many company picnicks there and concerts in the ball room. I really miss it.
MsDeniseLC 2 years ago
This is wonderful. Thank you. I have a video and some photos of Idora, but some of these pics are new to me. It's so good to see the park again.
mkcdy1 2 years ago
WOW! it used to look like that im born n raised in youngstown thats a shame just prooves u cant have anything in tha hood
bigkanos 2 years ago
amen to that. its sad
VvMeTaLvV 2 years ago
@bigkanos It was not the hood at the time the park was open that area was all white
makaveli956 1 year ago
The decline of the steel mills was the end of the park.
blabblab1212 2 years ago
I see..thanks for that I am 5k miles away.
dergrossen 2 years ago
Comment removed
silverstreak52 3 years ago
Nice Job,, I was Fitch class of '65 ..
......and I worked in Kiddie Land '62 & '63 ... many memories ..... ..... and my parents met at the roller skating rink in 1946.....
my dad later worked as a "lineman" for the Youngstown Transit Company and moonlighted putting those "Idora Park" arrow signs on power poles all over Youngstown and surrounding cities..
he would get "comp" ride books of tickets .. and he later got "Gabe" to give me a job working in Kiddie Land ...
thanks .....
silverstreak52 3 years ago
Terrific video. I usually start to get real nostalgic around the holidays, thinking about people and places that aren't around anymore. May sound silly, but it's how I'm wired. Idora is always one of the places I miss the most. When I go home for Christmas I usually make a stop at the old site. It usually ends up depressing the hell out of me while I'm there, but I guess I just like trying to revisit a fun place from my childhood. Most of my old favorite places are torn down back home now.
ytownteddy 3 years ago
Jackson Milton '66 here and the memories really came flooding back... it was truly a wonderful place to go and so glad I have that to remember... thank you for putting this together.. the end with how it is now is so very sad.. I did go there one day a couple of years ago, just to see.. I feel the ghosts of the park are still there.. it was an eerie feeling, but a good one.. great video.. my hope is that it is brought back, won't be the same, but close *S*
Sipple06 3 years ago
Very nice, brings back memories of how alive Youngstown used to be...had alot of high school fun there. Thanks for the memories.
sweatypalms77 3 years ago
east palestine high school
gpmasch 3 years ago
thanks for the memories
gpmasch 3 years ago
Great video. Thank you for posting it.
couchpotatotheatre 3 years ago
Don't leave out us Warren Western Reserve High school people! :) Very touching tribute thanks for posting.
reneindc 3 years ago