Logger’s Run Raid

[segerken]

I was an operator during the 2nd shift on the Santa Clara Logger’s Run part of of the summers of ‘78, ‘79, and ‘’80. During the summer of ‘’79 our ride was raided by the park security.

There is a stream under the queue just before the queue went down the stairs into the station. While people wait in line they sometimes threw change into the stream. The money is suppose to go to employee relations to help fund the employee parties. But, that is not where it actually went. After the park closed each night we would scoop up and pocket the change as we were picking up the trash on the banks of the stream. We are not talking big money. We are talking maybe $1.00 on a very good night.

Well, one day we got a new lead. On her first night as lead one of the mechanics came into the station about an hour before the park closed and told her to leave the money in the stream. Well, we decided to hell with that. We knew he told her that so that he could get the money after we were gone and we were not going to let him get it. So, we continued taking the money out of the stream.

A few days later our lead got a call from our supervisor. He was our lead the previous year and he knew we were taking the change. He told our lead that he had heard on the radio that security was going to stake out our ride at closing that night to catch us in the act. So we all agreed that we would wouldn’t take the money that night. After the park closed we started our normal procedure to shut down the ride. One of the guys took a garbage bag and went to the stream and started picking up the trash that had accumulated that day around the station. Security saw him with the bag and came running down the exit. I think there were three of them. One of them called the guy with the garbage bag to come back into the station with the garbage bag. I think they thought he was using the garbage bag to collect the large sum (remember it was maybe $1.00 on a very good day) of change from the stream. the other two just ran circles around the station. They look in the bag and guess what, they only found trash. Our lead called our supervisor and he came by. Security eventually left without any evidence that we were taking the change.

After things settled down, we decided that the change wasn’t worth it. We did keep an eye on the stream and every few days the change did disappear. We couldn’t prove it, but we were sure that after we left for the night and when the mechanic was in the area he was getting the money.

[JW65]

Interesting story! What about all the coins thrown into the reflecting pond in front of the Columbia carousel? I remember seeing coins in the Gurnee reflecting pond. It might've been more difficult to be discrete about taking money from that "body of water"!

[SFGAmLover]

I'm not sure what was done in the Marriott days, but the last time that I was at SFGAm, there was a sign in the pond that stated that the $$ will be sent to a charity or something of the sort.

Occasionally there's a 'mother lode' of change (and not just pennies!) in the two little 'scenes' in the Giant Drop queue.

[Demondude102110]

Occasionally there's a 'mother lode' of change (and not just pennies!) in the two little 'scenes' in the Giant Drop queue.

Wow! I'll have to look for the money next time I go!

[SFGAmLover]

...Of course, you can't get to the change because the scenes are behind wire. Sometimes when I go, there's a lot of $$, sometimes barely any. I wonder who decides when/where the money goes...

[RLAiello]

Cool story! Almost like reading a novel.

I do know that there is a specific account number for money collected inside pools and waterways at SFGAm (from my years at Cash Control.) Counting that change is always a fun time (NOT), because of all the slugs and other crap that gets into the money that's thrown in those things.

They had a name for the account... I want to say Slush Fund or something, but it did, indeed, go to charitable causes and not to the park.