More Story Book Forest Postcards

Here's the second half of our trip through Story Book Forest with vintage postcards. It's a pretty expansive attraction, taking about a half-hour to fully walk through. I also don't have a postcard from every display.

Once part of the castle that was at the end of the previous post, the Sword in the Stone (Excalibur) was replaced by an updated version in 2016.

I spotted the old sign while snooping around a "backstage" area.

The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe display didn't use to have any fiberglass figures on it, as the postcard below shows.

Playing the role of the "old woman" seems like a pretty good retirement job to me. Read a book in the shade until some kids come up!

Little Red Riding Hood's house has remained basically unchanged over the years.

Here's the scene today, with the elves of the forest in the foreground.

Just for fun, here's what you'll see inside!

The garden of Mary, Mary Quite Contrary used real flowers for a short time, but they weren't able to survive in the shade.

Still, I think there might be a better option than evenly-spaced cutouts!

The elves of the forest, including this one painting a flower, are some of the oldest figures in Story Book Forest.

The elf's flowers were removed a few years ago, so now he's just gesturing.

Hickory Dickory Dock is one of the best scenes.

The clock hands spin, the pendulum swings back and forth, and the door in the clockface opens to reveal a mouse.

Humpty Dumpty is everyone's favorite! ;-) Note the speaker. One of my favorite things about Story Book Forest is the crackly old sound effects.

 The image on this postcard was taken from the parking lot and shows the building that used to be the exit to Story Book Forest.

Here's the other side of the building. I guess it's just used for storage now. Or maybe it's a private residence.

This Jack-in-the-Box is my favorite (okay, I have a few favorites). I have a poster for the "Great Old Amusement Parks" documentary in my room that features a huge picture of its smiling face. I see it every day... sadly this display was removed in 2015.

I hope you've enjoyed this look back at the history of Story Book Forest!

Vintage Story Book Forest Postcards

I have a collection of postcards from Story Book Forest in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, and I thought it would be fun to compare them with modern photos. A time capsule to the past, this attraction has survived to the present day. Opened in 1956, it originally was a stand-alone walkthrough but was operated by the same family who owned the adjacent Idlewild amusement park. Merged with Idlewild in 1983, Story Book Forest continues today as a classic example of a roadside storybook park.

Story Book Forest remains largely the same as when it opened. Once commonplace, storybook parks which opened in the 1950s and 60s were all built around simple displays in a forested setting.

I love the entrance to Story Book Forest. The original artwork was maintained for years, but it was sadly replaced with an ugly re-skin a few years ago.

You see Mother Goose once you enter the book before entering the peaceful woods. The park tries to keep up with painting the buildings, but you'll see that some displays are showing their age after 65 years.

The Little Red Schoolhouse is the first building you see. Inside are desks, a chalkboard, and a figure with a "dunce" cap.

Here's the exterior of the schoolhouse today!

The Crooked Man's House is one of Story Book Forest's most memorable displays.

The floor inside is level, but the furniture is all crooked.

You can see the Crooked Man standing outside the house in the postcard, but now he's resting in the back.

The Jolly Old Miller's house was a snack bar for years, but now it just serves as decoration.

These little footbridges aren't as detailed as they used to be, but the flowers were recently painted back on. It's the thought that counts!

The Frog Prince is gone now, so RIP giant mushroom.

The focal point of Story Book Forest is a lagoon with a windmill on an island.

There used to be fountains in the lake, and as you can see, they're very missed!

I don't know what happened to the Three Men in a Tub.

The Good Ship Lollipop whistles "Sailing, Sailing..." it'll stick with you forever!

I think the once-picturesque lagoon is becoming a swamp!

The Three Bears' House has been upgraded since this postcard. I didn't even know that this small house existed previously.

This structure was originally a restroom building themed to Hansel and Gretel. Now, it's Gepetto's Workshop.

Lastly is this view of Story Book Forest's long-lost castle. During an expansion of the adjacent highway, it had to be removed.

We're only halfway through. Look for part two next month!

Conneaut Lake Park - Requiem

I did a post almost exactly a year ago about Conneaut Lake Park. I must have jinxed it, as one unsuccessful season later, the park has become a shell of its former self. I saw the park's demise coming for months, but still, the loss hurts immensely. Conneaut had seemingly been on the upswing before 2020, but a year-long closure hurt the park to the point it needed to be sold in whole for it to survive. The person who bought has failed to recognize its potential as a historic amusement park, and with the exception of a few rides, everything that made Conneaut Lake special has been removed. Here are some photos of my family's visits from 2013-2019 in remembrance of the amusement park that has finally run out of its nine lives. 

This is the entrance. Free admission, free parking... ride all day, $10

I did a lights-on tour of the Devil's Den darkride in 2018. This 1968-built ride still stands at the park, its future uncertain.

The beloved Tumble Bug is missed by me more than anything else. At least Kennywood still has its Turtle.

During our first few visits, there were perhaps less than 100 people in the park. That was a very bad thing. The park avoided a sheriff's sale by declaring bankruptcy in 2014 and was finally beginning to turn a profit again (though some inside reports say otherwise). However, important bankruptcy payments and all positive momentum were halted in 2020.

My longtime Blogger avatar was me in the back seat of the Blue Streak.

Sadly, this unique, 1938-built coaster has now been demolished.

After surviving an auction in the 1990s, fires that destroyed major buildings in 2008 and 2013, and complete closures in 2007 and 2008, the park couldn't survive a ruthless Philadelphia developer who said he was going to "save" the park and instead tore most of it down. I wrote this in 2019: 

The quiet of this wooded amusement park feels strangely serene, with the peculiar silence only interrupted by the roar of a roller coaster in the distance and the music of a carousel organ. Just beyond this scene is one of the largest lakes in Pennsylvania. If you look beyond these things, however, you get closer to the story of Conneaut Lake Park. Tree roots are fighting to escape from the aged pavement of the midway, and more than a few of the buildings look desperately in need of a coat of paint. In the end, thoughts of visitors to this scene can range from regret to nostalgia, but with a little time, you will realize that there is still lots of fun to be had – even at such an aged amusement park.                 

 

That's it. Welcome to 2022.

Maybe I'll put up a happier post next Sunday.

Kennywood Memories

Kennywood is my home park, and I visited once a month with the season pass I won this year. Since I recently visited the park's Holiday Lights event for the first time in six years, I thought it would be a good opportunity to also post a few pictures from my other visits this summer.

Kennywood's 1930 Auto Race is always fun, even if it does run a bit slow. Two of the best things about the ride are the animated neon sign and the hedges running all the way along its wooden track.

The cars were changed in the 1950s to be more streamlined.

Another 1930 addition was the art deco refreshment stand below, known as the "Lucky."

Turn around and you'll see Noah's Ark, all decked out for Christmas in this picture. The glowing light red on the left is the entrance to the Ark through a whale's mouth.

Kennywood is no stranger to eccentricity... where else can you find a mushroom water fountain?

I try to avoid the fence where the Bayern Kurve used to be as much as possible. :-( I'm excited for the return of the Kangaroo next year, but I'm guessing this was planned to make the loss of the other three rides hurt less. The Kangaroo always seemed like one of Kennywood's untouchable rides, but I can't think of another theme park corporation reversing its decision to remove a 60-year-old ride, so the Kangaroo's comeback is still a great success.

Kennywood was only open until 8:00 most days this summer, so Holiday Lights gives the park's neon a chance in the spotlight.

My favorite roller coaster at Kennywood is the dual-track Racer, built in 1927. These pictures were taken in the summer. The circle above the exit and the railing along the track are lit with flashing "chaser" lights. 

The Racer's long turnarounds gave me the opportunity to snap a few photos from the other train.

It's hard to explain it here, but the Racer is intertwined so that its track is one long loop, meaning you only cover half of the single continuous track with every ride. This puts each train on the opposite side relative to where it started when it returns to the station, always confusing first-timers.

I'm really excited that Kennywood is painting all three of its wooden coasters for next year. 

The Thunderbolt in particular desperately needed a coat of white paint. Here's a picture I took last summer of its wonderful 1958 trains. 

The Pagoda refreshment stand was constructed in 1987. It was a different era in Kennywood management, when the park was talking direct inspiration from Tivoli Gardens. On the left is the Parkside Cafe, one of the two original buildings that opened with the park in 1899.

I can never leave Kennywood without riding the carousel. For Christmas, they change the orange and green Halloween colors to red, green, and white.

In my opinion, the best seat on any carousel is on the inside row, right next to the band organ. And if there's no band organ, there's no point. ;-)

Until next year, Kennywood. It's going to be a wild ride!