Storytown USA 1968

Just about every year my parents would take us to Storytown U.S.A., it was always fun to go there. Some history on the park provided by wikipedia: The Great Escape was opened in 1954 as Storytown USA, a Mother Goose themed amusement park by businessman Charles Wood who bought the land with his wife for $75,000.[3] In 1957, realizing that the park was geared only toward small children, the park opened its Ghosttown area, the first of many themed areas opened in the park's history. In 1983, the park officially changed its name from Storytown USA to The Great Escape. For publicity, the park placed bumper stickers on every car in the parking lot. This practice stopped a few years later due to complaints. In 1984, the Great Escape opened the Steamin' Demon, the first of its eventual seven roller coasters. The showpiece attraction at The Great Escape is the Comet. Re-opened at The Great Escape in 1994, this roller coaster already had a 41-year history as The Comet at Crystal Beach (an amusement park near Niagara Falls, Ontario). It was saved shortly after the park closed down forever after the 1988 season. Charley Wood, the owner of Great Escape Fun Park and Fantasy Island in Grand Island, New York successfully bid for The Comet and it sat in storage for a few years in Fantasy Island before making its way to the park in Queensbury, NY and reopening in 1993. Roller coaster enthusiasts recognize it as one of the best wooden roller coasters in North America. In addition to typical amusement park rides the Great Escape offers a variety of unique shows, most notable of which is a high dive show featuring a team of divers scaling an 80-foot (24 m) tower and plunging into a ten foot deep pool. Other milestones include: 1954 — Charles Wood opens Storytown USA. 1957 — Ghosttown section of the park is opened [4]. 1960 — Jungleland section of the park is opened [5]. 1967 — Alice in Wonderland walk through adventure is opened [6]. 1982 — addition of about eight adult spinning rides. 1983 — Name change from Storytown USA to Great Escape Fun Park along with the addition of Steamin' Demon looping rollercoaster and a few other adult rides. 1986 — Opening of Raging River, a river-rapids water ride. 1994 — A used wooden track and steel frame rollercoaster called the Comet was brought from Crystal Beach, Ontario and reassembled at Great Escape and opened, giving the park three rollercoasters. 1995 — Great Escape opens its waterpark Splashwater Kingdom. 1996 — Acquisition by Premier Parks, which later bought and changed its name to Six Flags. 1997 — Addition of Boomerang Coast-to-Coaster(a very much duplicated ride), a forward and backward looping coaster. Was and currently is still the tallest rollercoaster at the park. 1998 — Addition of Alpine Bobsled, an alpine themed bobsled type rollercoaster (Previously located at Six Flags Great America from 1990 to 1995 as Rolling Thunder and Six Flags Great Adventure as Sarejevo Bobsleds from 1984-1988). 1999 — Addition of Nightmare at Crack Axle Canyon, a combination rollercoaster and dark ride featuring four-person cars, but only operated with two people. (Indoor Schwarzkopf Jet Star rollercoaster). 2003 — Addition of Canyon Blaster (Family rollercoaster by Arrow Dynamics from defunct Opryland USA). 2004 — The Great Escape's 50th Anniversary. 2005 — Debut of Looney Tunes National Park: a Looney Tunes themed children's area which included eight new children's rides (including Road Runner Express, the park's seventh rollercoaster) and a re-themed restaurant as well as a cartoon walk-through. Replaces the old Jungleland area. Accompanying Looney Tunes National Park are the Looney Tunes characters. The Flash Pass system is introduced. 2007 — The Tornado opens in the Splashwater Kingdom. 2008 — Wiggles World Children's Theme Area and The Mega Wedgie, a Proslide Bowl. At the Great Escape Lodge, The Trapper's restaurant is converted to a Johnny Rockets, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 2009 — Sasquatch. A S&S Power Inc. Combo Tower. Relocated from Six Flags New Orleans. This ride is located at the previous site of the Rainbow. Martha's Dandee Creme sold back to original owners.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• storytown
• usa
• 1968
• family
• fun
• summer
• upstate
• queensbury
• new
• york
• motel
• kids
• animals
• rides
• shows
• amusement
• park
• brother
• mother
• father
• great
• escape
• six
• flags

[OCMemories]

cool