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I do remember that as well. Just as a reference, here is a picture showing the Eagle Queue area. Everything on the right side of the Tent is queue. If the whole tent is full, the wait for the ride is somewhere between 75 and 90 minutes. There have been times in the last few years that the park has n...

This page gives you a good overall shot of Whizzer, before all the trees grew in at the Gurnee Park. http://www.greatamericaparks.com/sg/rides/hometown/whizzer/whizzer007.jpg As you can see, there is one train at the top of the lift hill, one on the course (going up the 4th hill), one on the transfe...

I agree that it is cool to be able to go to Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom and ride Tidal Wave again. I have been down there a few times to do that, and it brings back so many memories. Here is another set of pictures. These were taken Paul Drabek, who is a good friend of mine, and was able to attend th...

For the Gurnee Park, I pulled out my 1980 Park map to get the following. By the way, the map cost me 47 CENTS, and its one of those big fold out ones. Carousel Plaza Shops Gateway Gifts Plaza Gifts The Happy Hatter Souvenirs Camera Shop (camera rental & film sales) Hometown Square Shops Opera Ho...

I worked at the Gurnee park for the 1988 thru 1993 seasons. I started when I was 15. In 1991, I transfered to the Rides Department, where I worked on the GREAT AMERICA Scenic Railway, Triple Play, and Hometown Fun Machine. I did that for the next 3 seasons (1991 thru 1993). How did I do it? Well, fo...

Southern Cross was removed at the end of the 1982 Season. The loading / unloading station in Orleans Place was on the site where White Water Rampage (now Roaring Rapids) now sits. I believe the towers for the ride remained for a few years after that point. As for Delta Flyer/Eagles Fligt, they are o...

Here is a current picture of the Gurnee Sign. This was taken during a construction tour of the new Hurrican Harbor Water Park on May 21, 2005. I was up on one of the slide towers which was really close to the sign. http://CPE-65-29-35-94.wi.res.rr.com:2711/jcpics/brian/MGAParksPhotos/SFGAmSign.jpg F...

It is true that both are "drive you own cars" but what made them different is the kinds of cars that you drove, and the area in which you drove them in. In Traffique Jam, the cars held up to 4 people (two in the front, and two in the back), and they looked more like a Model T then the cars...

Here is the list as I remember it from the Gurnee Park The Triple Play Bottoms Up (removed after 1983 season) Orleans Orbit (moved in 1984 to Bottoms Up location and is now called Orbit) Industrial Revolution (gone, sat next to Demon) Hay Bayler (Removed at the end of the 2000 season, along with Sky...

"The Last Buffalo" was the movie, but I thought that was shown after Six Flags took over. I'll have to check tonight when I get home from work and see. I'm missing a few years of guidebooks / maps from the Gurnee park, but I know I have the one from the year "The Last Buffalo" pl...

I wish there was a DVD of 1976-1984 footage from Marriott's Great America parks and the 1976-1984 Marriott's Great America TV commercials (almost all of them). Back in 1999 the gurnee park held an "Alumni Day" for all past employee's of the park. During the picnic lunch in the picnic grov...

I'm not sure if they did that in the Marriott days, but when I worked at the park (1988-1993) they did have a lot of foreign exchange students employed at the park. They lived in dorms at local college in the area. One of them was in Kenosha, (UW Parkside I believe), and the other was in Lake Forest...

August 31 - September 3 - COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL Great America ends its seven day season with four days of real country music...featuring THE OAK RIDGE BOYS. August 31 - September 1 and BARBARA MANDRELL September 2 and 3. I remember that event! My mom was (and still is) a big country music fan. The...

Steve is correct. Today, both places are still there but with different names. The area around "A La Burger" is now the Mardi Gras section of the park, and the name was changed to Bayou Grill. They still do sell burgers, but now with a New Orleans flare to them. Burgers on the Run also has...