GREATAMERICAparks.com

I worked at the Santa Clara park the sommers of 1976-1980. The only employee naming contest that I could remember was for a new area that was to built behing the Turn Of The Century. Someone won a cash prize and the area was never built.

Yeah, but this is the only picture I know of, but I thought it used to be the Mardi Gras Emporium... So were they both originally apartments for the Marriotts? I worked at the SC MGA from 1976-1980. Once I was able to go up there. I'm not sure which year, but probably was either 1976 or 1977. It wa...

In today’s San Jose Mercury news there is an article that says that Magic Mountain is for sale and that it is a good possibility that it will be sole to developers.

If it didn't have a spike then how would the ride have operated? Doesn't the back spike provide all the potential energy? There is no potential energy from the back spike. The train is propelled forward by the droping of the wieght in the tower under the front spike. The back spike was just a piece...

Here are my memories, which aren't good, of the Orbit. 1) Always got sick, though not enough to barf, when I rode it. 2) More dried barf on it then any other ride that I had to clean during the half summer in the 70's when I was on the ride cleanup crew in Santa Clara. Though, it is sad to see an or...

Santa Clara's Amerigoround carousel has surfaced. As you remember it was removed when Drop Zone was put in. The following was posted on an email group that I belong to: > Hi all. I got two plesant surprises in reading the current Carousel > News and Trader. > > 1) I am always pleasantly surprised .....

I'm surprised nobody has commented on the article in the Business section of the SJ Mercury News that CBS, owner of Paramount, is selling off the theme pare busoness. See http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercuryn ... 725167.htm

I remember the "I Survived the Title Wave" buttons. I also remember the "I Survived the Title Wave" bumper stickers that they gave people coming off the ride the first few weeks the park was open. Kids would peel off the back and stick them up all over the park.

jonrev wrote:I dont see a difference

If you look carefully towards the top of the loops from the Santa Clara picture there triangle pieces of sheet metal.

They probably did it to make it stand out. People tend to notice things that aren't normal. For example, how many times after driving around a curve do you remember what speed the sign say that you should take the curve. If it was a "normal" sign (i.e. 10, 15, 20, or 25 MPH) you probably w...

Originally they didn't have the cat walk and made evacuating people when the train got stuck on the wrong side of the loop. Why would it get stuck on the other side of the loop? When the operator pressed the button the fired the catapult the ride would check the status of a series of relays. If a re...

xxlatinogueroxx wrote:So when Great America opened in 1976, i didnt have Warner Bros. characters? I thought Bugs Bunny has always been the mascot.

Santa Clara went to Hana-Barbera characters after Paramount bought the park.

Some buttons ... I worked as the Shipping and Receiving Clerk in the SC Merchandise Wharehouse when the Demon buttons were sold. In those position I got to see what the park paid for things and what hey sold them for. Those Demon buttons had the worse mark up of any thing that I saw. The park paid ...

Loggers run is a great ride. The last time I was a PGA was when Stealth was still there. This visit was also the first time in over 10 years. Also, I was a ride operator on this ride in the late 70's. Personally, when I rode it the last time I was there, I was very disapointent with the current ver...

COuld it also have been that they had decayed enough (i.e. pieces starting to fall off) that they were no longer safe?