Storytown USA ----------- A Retrospective

Postcard Set

sc83x — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:32:21 +0000

Postcard set

sc83x — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 23:05:07 +0000

Pennant

sc83x — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 04:12:30 +0000

This is the pennant I have had stored in my memory for the last 30+ years. Finally! If I hadn’t sabotaged my PayPal account, I would buy this in a heartbeat.

CLICK FOR FULL SIZE

Storytown USA – 1966

sc83x — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 15:46:22 +0000

SOURCE: Storytown USA – 1966

Danny the Dragon at Freedomland

sc83x — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 04:18:19 +0000

I found this really great photo of Danny when he was still operating at Freedomland. It’s a very classy photo and presents Danny as more than just a ride.

DANNY THE DRAGON AT FREEDOMLAND

SOURCE: Hystoracle

I want your memories.

sc83x — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 13:46:55 +0000

I absolutely love reading what people have to say about their time working or visiting Storytown USA. Reading about the memories of others jogs my own memories and also makes me feel less alone in those memories.

The Facebook page is a great way of communicating, because let’s be honest, everyone is after the quick fix. Nobody really uses forums or e-mail anymore. It’s all social networking, unfortunately. Well, I would like to get past the Facebook page commenting system and hear about your memories at a greater length and with more detail.

If you have anything you want to share or say about Storytown, please do. Anything goes, good or bad. The bigger the better but small is fine too. All will be posted here on the site, and if I receive enough submissions, each person’s memories/story will be on their own page. At least one photo would be nice to accompany your memory/story because photos make everything more personal.

Use this form for convenience. Or alternatively, use the Facebook page messaging system, or e-mail (thebeforegirl@gmail.com). If you have a website/photo site/profile and want it linked just let me know.

[contact-form]

Rides pages

sc83x — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 00:47:49 +0000

A quick word. I am giving each ride a page so have patience as I update the rides list. As of right now, only a handful of rides will be visible on the site. So if you’re a new visitor, check back within the week for the complete list.

Also, if you have any information on any of these rides that isn’t listed, or if the information I have is incorrect, please let me know. I do not have access to all the maps or books needed to gather every bit of accurate information. Your help is always welcomed and much appreciated.

Arabian Nights Flying Carpet Ride

sc83x — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 16:13:34 +0000

The sky ride was added to Storytown in 1964. Now supposedly, the sky ride came from Palisades Park. However, the sky ride which originally operated at Palisades Park cannot be seen in any photos of Storytown USA. In fact, the only time I have seen the Palisades Park sky ride at Storytown USA is in the junk yard at The Great Escape.

The Skyride was purchased by Charlie Woods, former owner of The Great Escape (formerly Storytown, USA) in Lake George, NY. The ride was dismantled by O.D. Hopkins Associates, Inc., Contoocook, NH and shipped to Lake George where it was put in storage for over 25 years. I’m not sure where it is today.
(Source: Jerry Pendleton; former President & Owner of O.D. Hopkins Associates, Inc.)

original sky ride cabs in the Great Escape junk yard

So my question is, did the original sky ride from Palisades Park ever operate at Storytown USA or was it just kept in storage? Also, where did the sky ride that has been operating at Storytown/Great Escape all these years come from? If anyone has any answers to this mystery, please educate the rest of us.

From what I’ve been researching, the sky ride purchased from Palisades Park did not end up at Gaslight Village. Charley Wood often switched rides between Storytown and Gaslight Village. If anything turns up about this, I will update this page.

SOURCE: palisadespark.com

Chipper’s Magical Mystery Ride

sc83x — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 05:26:27 +0000

Chipper’s Magical Mystery ride was an indoor scrambler, part of Storytown USA since (at least) the early seventies. It was one of the most popular rides up until it’s closure in the early 2000′s.

At some point, the bright cheerful yellow was painted a dark murky green. When the ride was closed down, the sign was removed and the inside gutted, but the dome remains to this day (as far as I know).

For whatever reason, Chipper’s scrambler was removed from it’s dome, repainted, re-themed, and given a new name. The Blizzard, the outdoor scrambler.

Someone on youtube posted a video combining both old and new footage from Storytown USA featuring the strobe lights and enchanting darkness of the indoor scrambler, Chipper’s Magical Mystery ride. Finally this popular ride can be revisited, if only in imagination.

SOURCE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D2OD3u0_l0
SOURCE: themeparkreview.com

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Fantasy Land rides from 1996

sc83x — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 23:55:52 +0000

SOURCE: http://www.youtube.com/user/jducharme

You can also see photos of the park on his website: www.karenandjay.com

Amazing video of riding Danny the Dragon. Although, I wish Mr. Ducharme had taken footage of the area surrounding the actual ride. Captured in what little footage he did take is some brief shots of the Thunder Bolt, the Carousel, and the Dumbo elephant ride.

Fantasy Land was one of the areas that kept The Great Escape grounded in it’s history. Once they removed everything to make room for the Boomerang, that was it. One of the worst mistakes ever made with the park.