THIS IS GONNA BE FUN!

Rick Sebak: THIS IS GONNA BE FUN.

IT'S GONNA BE WOODEN ROLLER COASTERS AND BEAUTIFUL HAND-CARVED CAROUSELS.

IT'S GONNA BE VINTAGE MECHANICAL CONTRAPTIONS AND A BUNCH OF RIDES THEY DON'T MAKE ANYMORE.

IT'S GONNA BE A LOT OF THE REASONS WHY YOU COME TO AN OLD AMUSEMENT PARK.

PEOPLE LIKE THRILLS, THEY LIKE EXCITEMENT.

YOU ALSO COME FOR ESCAPISM, AND THAT'S WHAT RIDES PROVIDE.

YOU GET THAT OLD FEELING... I CAN'T GET IN THEM RIDES.

...EVEN THOUGH YOU KNOW IT'S SAFE, IT COULD BREAK ANY MOMENT.

I GET... Sebak: WE'RE GOING TO CELEBRATE SOME TRADITIONAL AMUSEMENT PARKS, SMALLER THAN MOST THEME PARKS, OLDER THAN DISNEYLAND.

WE'RE GOING TO WHIP AROUND THE COUNTRY, STOPPING AT PLACES LIKE PLAYLAND IN RYE, NEW YORK, AND THE OAKS IN PORTLAND, OREGON.

FROM LAKE WINNEPESAUKAH IN GEORGIA TO LAKE COMPOUNCE IN CONNECTICUT TO LAKESIDE IN COLORADO.

WE'RE GOING TO RIDE RIDES, TALK TO PEOPLE, AND HOP ON ANY WOODEN COASTER NO MATTER HOW ROUGH.

IT'S JUST YOU AND GRAVITY AND WHEELS AND WOOD.

Man: IT'S A ROLLER COASTER.

YOU GONNA PAY $4 FOR SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA TICKLE YA?

Sebak: ON A HOT, SUMMER DAY, THERE MAY BE NO BETTER PLACE ON EARTH THAN IN ONE OF THESE GREAT, OLD AMUSEMENT PARKS.

AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE THOSE BIG, BIG, BIG PARKS, COME HERE.

[ LAUGHS ] "GREAT OLD AMUSEMENT PARKS" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY... AND BY ANNUAL FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM... Sebak: YOU KNOW, IN 1919, THERE WERE ALMOST 2,000 AMUSEMENT PARKS IN AMERICA.

TODAY, THERE ARE ONLY ABOUT 600.

MANY OF THE PARKS THAT ARE GONE ARE FONDLY REMEMBERED, BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO DWELL ON THEM.

WE'RE GOING TO PLACES THAT HAVE DEVELOPED THE KIND OF AMAZING CHARM THAT COMES ONLY WITH CAREFUL AGING.

WE'RE GOING TO START IN A BEAUTIFUL, OLD PARK FILLED WITH TREES, A PARK CALLED IDLEWILD IN LIGONIER, PENNSYLVANIA.

Man: A LOT OF AMUSEMENT PARKS ARE VERY HIGH-ENERGY TYPES OF PARKS, PACKING THE MIDWAY WITH RIDES AND GAMES AND ATTRACTIONS.

HERE, YOU KIND OF WALK DOWN IN HERE AND KIND OF GO, "AHHH."

Sebak: JIM FUTRELL AND HIS FAMILY OFTEN COME OUT HERE TO IDLEWILD TO ENJOY THE "AHHH" AND THE FAMILY-FRIENDLY RIDES LIKE THE OLD MINIATURE TRAIN.

JIM IS A HISTORIAN WITH THE NATIONAL AMUSEMENT PARK HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, AND HE KNOWS THAT IDLEWILD ACTUALLY BEGAN AS A RAILROAD PARK, WHICH MEANS IT WAS ESTABLISHED BY A REAL FULL-SIZED RAILROAD COMPANY.

SUCH COMPANIES ATTRACTED MORE RIDERS TO THEIR SERVICE BY PROVIDING AN AMUSING NEARBY DESTINATION.

WELL, IDLEWILD WAS OPENED IN 1878.

IT'S THE THIRD-OLDEST OPERATING AMUSEMENT PARK IN THE UNITED STATES.

Sebak: OF COURSE, THERE WAS A MERRY-GO-ROUND, FIRST A STEAM-DRIVEN ONE, THEN IN THE EARLY 1930s, THIS STILL-TRUSTY CAROUSEL FROM THE PHILADELPHIA TOBOGGAN COMPANY ARRIVED.

THE PHILADELPHIA TOBOGGAN COMPANY FOLKS HAVE BUILT MANY RIDES OVER THE YEARS, AND IN THE WINTER OF 1937, THEY WERE HERE AGAIN TO DESIGN A ROLLER COASTER FOR ALL AGES DUBBED "THE ROLLO COASTER."

Futrell: SO THEY FOUND THE HILLSIDE AS, I GUESS, A WAY TO SAVE ON CONSTRUCTION COSTS, AND REALLY BUILT A UNIQUE RIDE CALLED AN OUT-AND-BACK RIDE WHERE YOU GO OUT TO ONE POINT AND COME BACK.

Sebak: THE ROLLO COASTER IS PRETTY TAME.

THE BIGGEST PLUNGE IS ONLY 27 FEET, BUT THE TRACK IS SURROUNDED BY TREES, AND THE SWOOP TURN AT THE FAR END MAY SURPRISE FOLKS WHO CONSIDER THIS NOTHING MORE THAN A KIDDIE COASTER.

IDLEWILD ALSO HAS SOME GREAT, OLD RIDES THAT YOU DON'T FIND EVERYWHERE.

Futrell: CATERPILLAR IS ONE OF THE CLASSIC RIDES THEY HAVE HERE.

IT WAS A PRETTY COMMON RIDE FROM THE '20s UNTIL THE '50s.

Sebak: AND IT JUST GOES 'ROUND AND 'ROUND, BUT AN OLD CANVAS CANOPY COMES OVER AND THE RIDE CHANGES -- LIGHT LEAKS THROUGH.

WIND RUSHES PAST YOU.

YOU BECOME A WIGGLY WORM.

THEN, AFTER A FEW MOMENTS OF METAMORPHOSIS, YOU'RE A HUMAN BEING AGAIN.

Woman: SAY "GOODBYE, NEIGHBORS!"

All: BYE, NEIGHBORS!

Sebak: IF YOU'RE IN THE MOOD FOR MAKE-BELIEVE, YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK OUT A UNIQUE ATTRACTION HERE -- A TROLLEY RIDE THROUGH MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD, COMPLETE WITH FULL-SIZE VERSIONS OF ALL HIS FAMILIAR TV PUPPETS.

King Friday: I, KING FRIDAY THE XIII, WELCOME YOU TO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.

Sebak: MISTER ROGERS, WHO CAME TO THIS PARK AS A BOY, HELPED DESIGN THIS RIDE IN THE LATE 1980s.

IT FITS IN WELL WITH IDLEWILD'S OTHER OLDER KIDDIE RIDES, TOO.

Futrell: WITH THE POST-WAR BABY BOOM, A LOT OF KIDDIE ATTRACTIONS OPENED AROUND THE COUNTRY.

THEN THERE WERE ALSO A LOT OF STORYBOOK PARKS THAT OPENED.

THERE ARE VERY FEW OF THEM LEFT NOW, STORY BOOK FOREST PROBABLY BEING THE BEST PRESERVED OF THEM ALL.

Sebak: STORY BOOK FOREST IS ANOTHER UNUSUAL PART OF IDLEWILD.

IT'S A WALK-THROUGH PART OF THE PARK WITH NO RIDES, JUST WOODS FILLED WITH CHARACTERS AND SIGHTS FROM NURSERY RHYMES AND FAIRY TALES.

OUR GUIDE WAS ED OSTROSKI, WHO HAS BEEN AN ARTIST AND A PAINTER HERE FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS.

THIS IS GRANDMA'S HOUSE WHERE RED RIDING HOOD CAME TO VISIT.

Sebak: YOU CAN ALSO STOP BY SNOW WHITE'S, VISIT HUMPTY DUMPTY, AND WALK THROUGH THE CROOKED, LITTLE HOUSE OF THE CROOKED, LITTLE MAN.

Ostroski: FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THE OLD CARPENTERS THAT WORKED ON IT SAID YOU NEVER HAD TO USE A LEVEL OR TAKE A MEASUREMENT.

THEY JUST MADE IT UP AS THEY WENT ALONG.

Sebak: PEOPLE GET A KICK OUT OF BRINGING KIDS TO A PLACE THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE SAME AS WHEN IT OPENED IN 1954.

Ostroski: PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY, "IT'S MUCH SMALLER THAN I REMEMBER," AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT SURPRISES THEM, ESPECIALLY THE KEYHOLE THAT THEY WALK THROUGH OVER HERE.

YOU SEE A LOT OF ADULTS TRY TO SQUEEZE THROUGH, BUT THEY JUST DON'T FIT ANYMORE.

WE HAD A REAL COMMITMENT TO KEEPING IT THE SAME.

WE NEVER SKIMPED ON IT.

WE NEVER CUT BACK.

WE'VE ALWAYS WANTED IT TO LOOK JUST AS IT DID FROM THAT OPENING SEASON.

Sebak: THE TRICK IS TO PRESERVE SOME OLD STUFF FOR SOME FOLKS AND ADD NEW STUFF FOR OTHERS.

PEOPLE COME TO PARKS FOR LOTS OF DIFFERENT REASONS.

MY SCHOOL HAD A FIELD TRIP FOR WHOEVER WAS GOOD AND DIDN'T GET SUSPENDED.

WE CAME WITH OUR CHURCH.

YOU NEVER GOT SUSPENDED?

NOT THIS YEAR.

WE JUST GOT OUT OF SCHOOL.

YESTERDAY WAS OUR LAST DAY.

AND IT'S A GOOD PLACE TO BE IF YOU ARE WELL EQUIPPED LIKE US THREE YOUNG LADIES.

I'M JUST HERE, CHILLIN', LETTIN' THESE PEOPLE KNOW WHERE I'M COMING FROM.

WE LIKE MAKING SPECTACLES OF OURSELVES!

Sebak: WELL, ALL THOSE KIDS WERE SPENDING THE DAY AT CEDAR POINT IN SANDUSKY, OHIO.

THIS PARK TRACES ITS HISTORY AS A BEACH RESORT BACK TO 1870, SO IT HAS A CLAIM ON BEING THE SECOND-OLDEST PARK IN AMERICA.

Man: WE LIKE TO THINK WE'RE AN AMUSEMENT PARK WHOSE THEME IS THRILL RIDES.

Sebak: AND THEY'VE GOT LOTS OF THRILL RIDES HERE.

JOHN HILDEBRANDT, WHO'S A CEDAR POINT VICE PRESIDENT, SAYS THE PARK IS UNUSUAL FOR ITS 13 COASTERS, ITS HUGE SIZE, AND ITS ODD LOCATION ON A PENINSULA THAT JUTS INTO LAKE ERIE.

I THINK WE'RE THE ONLY OLD-TIME PARK THAT MADE THE TRANSITION INTO BIG-TIME SUPERPARK.

Man: AN AMUSEMENT PARK, ESPECIALLY TRADITIONAL AMUSEMENT PARKS, THERE'S NO LONG-TERM PLAN FOR THEM.

THEY JUST GREW.

Sebak: TIM O'BRIEN, AN EDITOR FOR AMUSEMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE, HAS WRITTEN ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CAREFULLY DESIGNED THEME PARKS AND SOMEWHAT RANDOM OLDER PLACES.

O'Brien: YOU'VE GOT A ROLLER COASTER HERE, YOU'VE GOT A MERRY-GO-ROUND HERE, YOU MIGHT BUILD A RESTAURANT RIGHT THERE.

THEY PUT THINGS WHERE THEY'VE GOT ROOM.

Sebak: AND THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHAT THEY'VE DONE HERE AT CEDAR POINT.

THEIR SPACE IS LIMITED, BUT THEY'VE FOUND ROOM FOR AN EVER-INCREASING NUMBER OF RIDES, ESPECIALLY ALL SORTS OF COASTERS.

O'Brien: ROLLER COASTERS ARE WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT.

ROLLER COASTERS ARE THE HEARTBEAT OF ANY AMUSEMENT PARK.

WELL, THE ROLLER COASTERS -- A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE TO GET SCARED AND HAVE A GOOD TIME.

BECAUSE IT'S FUN!

AND IT'S SCARY.

Girl: I LIKE THE HILLS.

THEY'RE INTENSE.

THEY MAKE US SCREAM.

IT'S KIND OF LIKE CHEATIN' DEATH.

THE WIND -- YOUR HAIR BLOWING IN THE WIND.

O'Brien: EVERY TIME YOU RIDE A STEEL ROLLER COASTER, YOU BASICALLY GET THE SAME RIDE.

Young man: STEEL COASTERS ARE A LOT SMOOTHER.

YOU GET A LOT MORE G-FORCES OUT OF IT.

THE MONSTER IS THE BEST RIDE AT CEDAR POINT.

MAGNUM!

THE MAGNUM.

Man: IT'S A GREAT, GREAT RIDE.

IT'S BIG, IT'S TALL.

IT'S FAST.

IT'S SCARY.

HUGE DROPS.

[ LAUGHS ] THAT RIDE RIGHT THERE.

THE BEST RIDE HERE.

EXCUSE ME, THIS IS OUR SHOW.

ON A WOOD COASTER... YOU'LL BE SHAKING AROUND.

Young man: I LIKE THE WOODEN ROLLER COASTERS.

THEY'RE COOL.

...DEPENDING ON THE TIME OF DAY... THE MEAN STREAK IS FUN.

O'Brien: ...DEPENDING ON WHETHER THE SUN'S OUT.

IT'S A HEADBANGER ROLLER COASTER.

O'Brien: YOU GET THIS LIVING, BREATHING ASPECT OF THE WOOD.

Young man: THERE'S HILLS, AND THERE'S THIS ONE PART WHEN YOU GO -- LOOK AT ME WITH MY ARMS AROUND ALL THESE GIRLS!

Sebak: WELL, THE SOCIAL AND ROMANTIC ASPECTS OF GOING TO A PARK HAVE ALWAYS BEEN IMPORTANT.

IN THE 19th CENTURY, PEOPLE AROUND NEW YORK CITY STARTED TO GO TO CONEY ISLAND IN BROOKLYN.

IT WAS A WAY TO ESCAPE THE CITY, HAVE SOME FUN, AND UNDOUBTEDLY TO MEET NEW PEOPLE.

AND THERE WERE ALL SORTS OF RIDES.

WHILE CONEY ISLAND WASN'T AN ACTUAL PARK, IT WAS THE SITE OF THREE OF THE BEST EARLY PARKS -- STEEPLECHASE, LUNA, AND DREAMLAND.

THEIR GOLDEN AGE WAS FROM ABOUT 1904 UNTIL 1911.

NONE OF THEM HAS SURVIVED, BUT THEIR POPULARITY, COUPLED WITH EARLY ROLLER COASTERS THAT WERE BUILT HERE, LED TO CONEY ISLAND'S FAME AS THE CENTER OF THE AMUSEMENT PARK UNIVERSE.

YOU CAN STILL FIND LOTS OF EXCITEMENT HERE ON CONEY ISLAND.

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF SMALLER, NOT-QUITE-SO-HISTORIC AMUSEMENT PARKS HERE.

TAKE ASTROLAND FOR EXAMPLE -- FILLED WITH A VARIETY OF NEW AND OLD RIDES, INCLUDING THE LANDMARK ROLLER COASTER KNOWN AS THE CYCLONE.

Man: I LOVE THIS RIDE.

I CAME ALL THE WAY FROM CHICAGO TO RIDE IT.

LOVELY.

WE MUST DO IT AGAIN.

I HAD FUN.

DO IT TWO TIMES!

BRILLIANT!

BRILLIANT!

Sebak: IT IS BRILLIANT -- AND A SURVIVOR.

CONDEMNED IN 1969, IT WAS ON THE VERGE OF BEING TORN DOWN, BUT ASTROLAND STEPPED IN, LEASED THE DECREPIT, OLD STRUCTURE, FIXED IT UP, AND MADE IT RUN BETTER THAN EVER.

YEAH, I GET THE SENSATION.

SO, SO GOOD.

THIS IS WHAT SHE WANTED TO DO -- COME TO CONEY ISLAND AND RIDE THE CYCLONE.

Sebak: SINCE ITS REBIRTH BACK IN THE MID-'70s, JERRY MENDITTO HAS WORKED ON THE CYCLONE.

HE'S NOT EXACTLY WHAT YOU'D CONSIDER A TYPICAL CYCLONE ENTHUSIAST.

Menditto: I RODE IT TWICE IN MY LIFE, AND I'LL PROBABLY NEVER RIDE IT AGAIN.

THAT FIRST DROP, YOU LEAVE YOUR INSIDES UP ON TOP, AND IT TAKES A DAY AND A HALF FOR THEM TO CATCH UP WITH YOU.

SUPERB.

YEAH.

Menditto: IT'S THE SPEED, THE EXCITEMENT.

IT'S THE GRANDDADDY OF THEM ALL.

Sebak: IT WAS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED BY VERNON KEENAN BAKER FOR THE ROSENTHAL BROTHERS BACK IN 1927.

IN THE '20s, PEOPLE STOOD IN LINE THREE TO FIVE HOURS TO GO FASTER THAN EVER BEFORE IN THEIR LIVES.

ONE MORE TIME!

ONE MORE TIME!

ONE MORE TIME!

Man: YOU KNOW THE BACK IS THE WORST?

OH, YES.

OH, YES.

WE LOVE THE BACK.

Sebak: ON THE CYCLONE, THERE'S NO QUESTION -- THE ROUGHEST RIDE IS IN THE LAST SEAT.

YOU TAKE A BEATIN' BACK THERE.

THE KIDS LOVE IT, THOUGH.

WE TRY TO TELL 'EM TO GET UP FRONT, IN THE MIDDLE, FOR THE KIDS.

THEY WANT THE BACK.

Sebak: THE RIDE STARTS INNOCENTLY ENOUGH, BUT IT GETS ROUGH AND FAST.

LOTS OF COASTER CONNOISSEURS WILL TELL YOU THAT THIS IS THE ONE THAT ALL OTHER COASTERS ARE JUDGED AGAINST.

IT DOES REQUIRE SOME MAINTENANCE.

Menditto: FIRST OF ALL, IT'S AN OLD ROLLER COASTER.

YOU'RE BY THE SEASHORE.

THERE'S A LOT OF WEAR AND TEAR.

YOU GOT TO BE ON TOP OF IT.

EVERY DAY IT'S INSPECTED, TOP AND BOTTOM.

IT'S PRIMITIVE, BUT IT'S THE BEST.

[ SCREAMING ] AAHHH!

ALL THESE TRAINS ARE THE ORIGINAL ONES.

THEY'RE 71 YEARS OLD.

EACH CAR IS 4,000 POUNDS, SO THAT'S 3 CARS, THAT'S 12,000 POUNDS, PLUS THE WEIGHT OF THE PEOPLE.

AND GRAVITY.

YOU'RE MOVIN'.

[ CHEERING ] Sebak: THE CYCLONE IS ONE OF THE BEST PIECES OF OLD CONEY ISLAND STILL AROUND, BUT IT'S JUST A SHORT WALK TO ANOTHER LANDMARK RIDE KNOWN AS THE WONDER WHEEL.

BUILT IN 1920, IT'S STILL THE MAIN ATTRACTION AT DENO'S WONDER WHEEL PARK.

DENNIS VOURDERIS AND HIS FAMILY OWN AND RUN THIS PARK THAT WAS NAMED FOR HIS FATHER.

DENO'S WONDER WHEEL PARK IS 25 RIDES BIG.

WE HAVE THE OLD CAROUSEL TO THE NEW HIGH-TECH, HIGH-FLYER, UPSIDE-DOWN THRILLING MACHINES.

Sebak: YEAH, BUT IT'S STILL THE WONDER WHEEL THAT GETS ALL THE ATTENTION.

AND ITS POSITION ON CONEY ISLAND MADE IT ONE OF THE FIRST SITES IN AMERICA FOR MANY NEWCOMERS ARRIVING HERE AFTER 1920.

THERE WAS RUMOR THAT IMMIGRANTS BEFORE COMING INTO NEW YORK SAW THE WONDER WHEEL BEFORE THEY SAW THE STATUE OF LIBERTY, AND I BELIEVE IT'S TRUE BECAUSE MY DAD SAW IT AND FELL IN LOVE WITH IT.

BACK IN THOSE DAYS, CONEY ISLAND WAS THE PLACE TO BE.

I MEAN, IT WAS THE RIVIERA.

IT WAS THE DISNEY WORLD OF THE 1920s AND '30s.

Sebak: AND THERE'S SOMETHING ROMANTIC ABOUT SUCH AN OLD RIDE.

Vourderis: HAVE I EVER TAKEN A DATE UP HERE?

UH, NO COMMENT.

[ LAUGHS ] IT'S ALWAYS A POPULAR SPOT TO GET ENGAGED AND TO PROPOSE.

THE OPERATOR GETS PLENTY OF TIPS FOR STOPPING THE CAR AT THE TOP.

Sebak: THERE ARE EIGHT STATIONARY CARS ON THE OUTER WHEEL AND 16 INNER SWINGERS THAT ROCK 'N' ROLL ON TRACKS THAT ARE LIKE TWISTED SPOKES IN THE STEEL STRUCTURE.

A LITTLE ROCKY.

UH-OH.

OH, OH, OH, OH, OH!

HOPEFULLY WE WON'T GO ANY HIGHER.

I DON'T WANT IT TO.

Sebak: IN THE VERY EARLY 20th CENTURY, CONEY ISLAND'S INFLUENCE WAS ASTOUNDING, EVEN OUT WEST WHERE YOU CAN STILL CHECK OUT THE LAST OF THE GREAT PACIFIC OCEANFRONT PARKS -- SANTA CRUZ BEACH BOARDWALK.

IT'S LONG, NARROW, AND RUNS PARALLEL TO THE BEACH.

Woman: THE FACT THAT IT'S A FREE PARK AND THERE'S A LOT OF EXIT/ENTRANCE PLACES MEANS THAT PEOPLE COME AND GO ALL DAY LONG.

AND YOU'LL NOTICE THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WALKING AROUND THE PARK WHO HAVE BATHING SUITS ON -- NOW THEY MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE GONE IN THAT COLD WATER, BUT THEY'RE CERTAINLY HERE TO ENJOY THE BEACH AS WELL AS THE PARK.

Sebak: ANN PARKER IS THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR SANTA CRUZ BEACH BOARDWALK, AND SHE CAN TELL YOU A LOT ABOUT THE PARK AND ITS HISTORY.

Parker: IF YOU LOOK AT THE OLD PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE PARK -- YOU KNOW, FROM THE EARLY 1900s -- IT'S NOT THAT DIFFERENT.

YOU STILL HAVE THE LIGHTS, AND, YOU KNOW, THE SPARKLING, AND THESE, THE COLONNADES, REALLY SHOW.

Sebak: THE PARK OPENED IN 1904, A "CONEY ISLAND OF THE WEST."

IN 1908, THE PARK'S FIRST RIDE WAS A PRIMITIVE, MILE-LONG COASTER CALLED THE L.A.

THOMPSON SCENIC RAILWAY.

THEN, IN 1911, CHARLES LOOFF DELIVERED A NEW HAND-CARVED CAROUSEL, AND IT'S STILL HERE, THE OLDEST RIDE IN THE PARK.

PEOPLE LINE UP FOR IT -- EVEN GROWN MEN -- BECAUSE IT'S ONE OF THE FEW MERRY-GO-ROUNDS LEFT IN AMERICA THAT STILL HAS RINGS THAT YOU GRAB AS YOU RIDE BY.

Parker: THE GOAL IS TO THROW IT INTO THE CLOWN'S MOUTH.

SOMETIMES YOU'LL GET GROUPS OF TEENAGE BOYS ON THE RIDE.

YOU THINK THEY'RE TOO HIP TO BE ON A MERRY-GO-ROUND.

THEY'RE TOUGHING IT OUT TO SEE WHO'S GOING TO GET TO MAKE THE CLOWN'S EYES LIGHT UP AND THE BELL RING.

Sebak: ALL THE RINGS THAT ARE THROWN EVENTUALLY END UP IN A ROOM BELOW THE RIDE.

Parker: HERE WE ARE UNDERNEATH THE MERRY-GO-ROUND.

WE REALLY ARE UNDER THE BOARDWALK.

WE USE IT FOR A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT THE MERRY-GO-ROUND, AS YOU CAN SEE, HAS A SUSPENDED PLATFORM.

Sebak: ALL MERRY-GO-ROUNDS ARE SUSPENDED FROM THEIR CENTER POSTS AND NEED ROOM UNDERNEATH FOR THE POLES OF THE UP-AND-DOWN HORSES.

THE RING MACHINE, CUSTOM-MADE IN THE 1940s, HAS A BARRELFUL OF RINGS.

THEY GET CAUGHT ON A CONVEYOR THAT TAKES THEM UP THROUGH A HOLE IN THE CEILING.

Parker: IF YOU OPEN THE LID TO THE BARREL, YOU SEE THOUSANDS OF THESE STAINLESS-STEEL RINGS.

WE ACTUALLY LOSE ABOUT 80,000 A YEAR, MOSTLY TO PEOPLE WHO TAKE THEM AS SOUVENIRS.

BUT IT'S NOT BAD TO HAVE A SOUVENIR FROM A PARK LIKE THIS.

Sebak: AND A PARK LIKE THIS, OF COURSE, HAS A WOODEN COASTER -- THE GIANT DIPPER, BUILT IN 1924 BY ARTHUR LOOFF, THE SON OF THE CAROUSEL MAKER.

THIS COASTER IS METICULOUSLY CARED FOR.

PARK MECHANICS LIKE GEOFFREY BJORGAN INSPECT THE TRACKS EVERY TWO HOURS.

Bjorgan: WE'RE LOOKING FOR THINGS LIKE BROKEN TRACK BOLTS OR MISSING SCREWS, ANYPLACE WHERE THERE'S UNUSUAL WEAR IN THE TRACK ITSELF.

ALSO, THINGS LIKE AREAS WHERE... IT'S STARTING TO SHOW FATIGUE IN THE WOOD OR ANY SIGNS OF DECAY.

Sebak: GEOFF KNOWS HOW EVERYTHING SHOULD SOUND, TOO.

Bjorgan: BASICALLY, YOU HEAR THE COASTER GOING UP THE MAIN HILL, AND THAT CLICKETY-CLICK IS THE ANTI-ROLLBACKS, WHICH IS A DEVICE THAT PREVENTS THE COASTER FROM ACTUALLY GOING BACKWARDS IN THE EVENT OF A POWER LOSS.

WHEN IT COMES OVER THIS NEXT HILL, YOU'LL HEAR THE ANTI-ROLLBACK AGAIN.

[ CLICKING ] THAT'S ABOUT AS CLOSE AS YOU WANT TO GET.

THERE'S NO REAL SCHOOL OF COASTER DESIGN OR NO LIMITATIONS AS TO WHAT YOU CAN DO.

I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S GOING TO END, BUT IT'S NICE TO LOOK AT ONE LIKE THIS AND KNOW WHERE IT STARTED.

Sebak: THE ORIGINS OF ROLLER COASTERS AND AMUSEMENT PARKS ARE TIED TOGETHER, AND IF YOU'RE STUDYING EARLY PARKS, YOU HAVE TO GO TO BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, TO THE PARK CALLED LAKE COMPOUNCE.

IT CLAIMS TO BE THE OLDEST AMUSEMENT OR THEME PARK IN CONTINUAL OPERATION IN AMERICA.

TOM WAGES IS NOW THE PARK'S GENERAL MANAGER.

Wages: WE SAY WE ARE A THEME PARK, AND OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S A FINE LINE IN THE INDUSTRY BETWEEN WHAT'S A THEME PARK AND AN AMUSEMENT PARK.

BUT WE FEEL OUR THEME IS KIND OF UNUSUAL BECAUSE IT'S LAKE COMPOUNCE, AND IT HAS THIS KIND OF VICTORIAN FEEL TO THE PARK.

IT HAS CONTINUOUSLY OPERATED AS A PARK EVERY YEAR SINCE 1846.

Sebak: THE LAKE ITSELF IS WHAT FIRST GOT PEOPLE TO COME OUT HERE FOR PICNICS AND EVENTS DURING JAMES K. POLK'S ADMINISTRATION.

THE OLDEST THING STILL HERE IS THE CLASSY, OLD CASINO BUILDING WITH A RESTAURANT ON THE FIRST FLOOR, AND A COOL, OLD DANCE FLOOR UPSTAIRS, WHERE MANY OF THE GREAT BIG BANDS -- INCLUDING TOMMY DORSEY WITH FRANK SINATRA -- ONCE PLAYED.

THERE IS ALSO AN OLD COASTER HERE CALLED THE WILDCAT.

Wages: OH, IT'S A GREAT COASTER.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DOUBLE-OUT-AND-BACK COASTER.

IT WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT IN 1927.

Sebak: THE WILDCAT WAS DESIGNED BY HERBERT P. SCHMECK OF THE PHILADELPHIA TOBOGGAN COMPANY.

AND EVEN IN A DRIZZLE, THE RIDE IS FAST AND MEMORABLE.

LAKE COMPOUNCE MAY BE THE OLDEST SURVIVING PARK IN AMERICA, BUT IT'S HAD ITS UPS AND DOWNS, A FEW OFF-YEARS.

IN 1996, THE KENNYWOOD ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY TOOK OVER THE PARK.

FOR OVER A HUNDRED YEARS, THAT COMPANY HAS BEEN RUNNING THE PARK CALLED KENNYWOOD IN PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

KENNYWOOD IS A CLASSIC TROLLEY PARK, OPENED BY THE MONONGAHELA STREET RAILWAY COMPANY IN THE SUMMER OF 1899.

OVER THE YEARS, THE PARK HAS LEARNED ABOUT THE BEAUTY OF LOTS OF RIDES, THE MAGIC OF ROLLER COASTERS, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF ANNUAL SCHOOL PICNICS.

HARRY HENNINGER, WHO'S NOW PRESIDENT HERE, SAYS THERE WERE MANY YEARS THE PARK DIDN'T CHANGE MUCH.

Henninger: BUT THEN IN THE '70s, WHEN WE REALLY STARTED TO EXPAND AND DIVERSIFY, THERE WAS VERY MUCH AN EFFORT TO MAINTAIN OUR ORIGINS.

AND WE FOUND A WAY OF BLENDING THE NEW SPECTACULARS AND KEEPING THE CHARM OF THE OLD ONES, AND THAT'S WHAT GAVE KENNYWOOD ITS PERSONALITY.

Sebak: KENNYWOOD'S PERSONALITY DEPENDS ON A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF HISTORICAL SELF-AWARENESS, BUT THE PARK'S CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, CARL HUGHES, SAYS IT'S NOT A STAGNANT PLACE.

Hughes: WE THINK THAT THE PLACE CHANGES FOR THE BETTER ALL THE TIME.

FOR INSTANCE, WHEN WE BUILT LOST KENNYWOOD, THAT WAS THE BIGGEST ADDITION WE EVER BUILT IN THE HISTORY OF THE PARK.

Sebak: LOST KENNYWOOD OPENED IN 1995 IN WHAT WAS ONCE A PARKING LOT.

THIS 6-ACRE PROJECT IS A TRIBUTE TO OLD RIDES AND PARKS THAT AREN'T THERE ANYMORE.

CHARLES J. JACQUES JR., THE AUTHOR OF TWO BOOKS ON KENNYWOOD, SAYS THE PARK IS GOOD AT PRESERVING HISTORY, BUT EVEN BETTER AT RE-CREATING IT, SOMETIMES WITH OUTLANDISH ARCHITECTURE.

Jacques: IT'S GOTTA BE OUTLANDISH.

IT'S AN AMUSEMENT PARK.

IT'S COOL!

THEY DID A SHOOT THE CHUTE LIKE THE OLD SHOOT THE CHUTE!

I BEEN ON THIS SEVEN TIMES.

Jacques: YOU GET A LITTLE WETTER THAN ON THE OLD ONES.

Boy: IT'S LIKE A ROLLER COASTER, BUT WET.

Jacques: OLD RIDES ARE GREAT.

Sebak: ONE OF THE OLD RIDES THAT THE PARK PUT IN LOST KENNYWOOD IS THE ONE KNOWN AS THE WHIP, ORIGINALLY DESIGNED BY W.F.

MANGELS FROM CONEY ISLAND, NEW YORK, AND A POPULAR RIDE HERE SINCE THE TEENS.

IT'S A SIMPLE, FLAT CONTRAPTION WITH A COOL, WHIP-LIKE SENSATION AT EACH END OF THE CENTER PLATFORM.

Jacques: IT IS JUST A GREAT, GREAT RIDE.

YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE OF THE OLDEST, AND ANY RIDE THAT YOU CAN SORT OF THROW YOUR HANDS UP, IT'S A GREAT RIDE.

Sebak: RIGHT NEXT TO LOST KENNYWOOD, YOU CAN GET ON THE 1991 STEEL COASTER CALLED THE STEEL PHANTOM, OR YOU CAN ENJOY THE VIEW AND THE FREE FALL ON THE 1997 PITT FALL, BUT, YOU KNOW, KENNYWOOD MAY BE MOST FAMOUS FOR ITS INCREDIBLE COLLECTION OF OLD WOODEN COASTERS.

THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION KNOWN AS THE AMERICAN COASTER ENTHUSIASTS, OR ACE, OFTEN HOLDS MEETINGS HERE.

Man: THERE'S 5,700 OF US NATIONWIDE.

THERE'S 700 OF US HERE TODAY.

WE'RE JUST HAVIN' FUN.

WE'RE JUST BIG KIDS, THAT'S ALL.

Sebak: GARY BAKER IS THE NATIONAL EVENTS DIRECTOR OF ACE, AND BILL LINKENHEIMER ITS NATIONAL PRESIDENT.

WE LIKE ALL COASTERS.

WE PREFER WOODEN ONES BECAUSE THEY'RE USUALLY OLDER AND KENNYWOOD HAS THREE REALLY TERRIFIC WOODEN COASTERS.

THEY'RE STYLES OF COASTERS THAT AREN'T BUILT ANYMORE, AND EVERYBODY FORGETS ABOUT THEM BECAUSE THEY'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE WORLD'S FASTEST AND TALLEST.

Henninger: I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS ABOUT THE JACK RABBIT.

IT JUST SORT OF MAKES ME GIGGLE.

IT'S A RUSH TO RIDE.

Sebak: THE MOST LOVED COASTER HERE HAS TO BE THE THUNDERBOLT.

Linkenheimer: IT'S MY FAVORITE RIDE HERE AT KENNYWOOD.

USUALLY YOU START OUT BY GOING UP A LIFT HILL.

NOTICE THE THUNDERBOLT STARTS OFF BY GOING DOWN ONE OF YOUR BIGGEST HILLS.

USUALLY YOU FINISH BY GOING THROUGH A LITTLE HILL.

THE THUNDERBOLT FINISHES BY DOING ONE OF ITS BIGGEST HILLS.

AND IN BETWEEN'S A LOT OF OTHER FUN.

NOW WE COME TO THE PART THAT'S THE BEST FUN OF THE RIDE -- BILL GETS TO SQUISH ME HERE.

I'M GONNA CRUSH GARY.

BECAUSE MY HANDS ARE GONNA BE UP THE WHOLE TIME.

I'M NOT GONNA HANG ON, AND THERE'S NO SEAT DIVIDER.

GARY IS MY SEAT DIVIDER.

Sebak: KENNYWOOD TAKES CARE OF ITS OLD COASTERS.

IT'S ALSO GOT AN EXTRAORDINARY COLLECTION OF OLD RIDES, INCLUDING THE ONLY NOAH'S ARK FUN HOUSE LEFT IN AMERICA, AND THE ENTIRE PARK WAS NAMED A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK IN 1987.

ONLY ONE OTHER AMUSEMENT PARK IN AMERICA HAS BEEN GRANTED THAT HONOR -- PLAYLAND IN RYE, NEW YORK.

PLAYLAND IS ON LONG ISLAND SOUND, JUST NORTH OF NEW YORK CITY.

IT'S A BEAUTY OF A PARK WITH A CLASSY, OLD COASTER.

Man: THIS DRAGON COASTER'S BEEN HERE SINCE 1928.

GOING IN THE DRAGON'S MOUTH, IT'S GREAT.

IT'S AN OLD-FASHIONED WOODEN ROLLER COASTER.

COME ON, BUDDY.

RIGHT HERE.

RIGHT HERE.

Sebak: CHRIS SUARINO HAS LOVED THIS RIDE SINCE HE WAS A KID.

HE'S WORKED ON IT SINCE THE EARLY '90s.

Suarino: ONE THING ABOUT THESE TRACKS IS THAT THE MAINTENANCE GUYS DO KEEP THEM OILED, AND THAT WHEN WE HAVE TEMPERATURES THAT HIT ABOUT 85 TO 90 DEGREES HERE, THE TRACKS ARE JUICED, THE TRACKS ARE GOING, AND THE TRAINS ARE FLYING, SO... Man: IT'S UNIQUE IN AS MUCH AS YOU ACTUALLY GO THROUGH THE BODY OF A DRAGON, AND GET SHOT OUT OF THE DRAGON AT SOME 45 MILES AN HOUR, GO INTO A TURN, AND GO RIGHT DOWN INTO A DIP.

IT'S REALLY A GREAT THRILL RIDE.

Sebak: THAT'S JOE MONTALTO.

HE'S BEEN COMING TO PLAYLAND SINCE HE WAS A KID, TOO.

NOW HE'S THE DIRECTOR OF THE PARK.

WE ARE AN OLDER FACILITY, AND WE'VE PRESERVED THE CHARM AND THAT ART-DECO STYLE AND THE FAMILY ATMOSPHERE THAT IS PLAYLAND.

THIS IS, OF COURSE, THE ONLY GOVERNMENT-OWNED AMUSEMENT PARK IN AMERICA, AND WESTCHESTER COUNTY DECIDED THEY WOULD PLAN AND BUILD AN AMUSEMENT PARK BECAUSE THEY DECIDED THAT WAS A POSITIVE THING FOR THE CULTURAL EXPERIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE OF WESTCHESTER.

IN AN AGE WHEN BUDGETS ARE TIGHT, THEY'VE DECIDED THAT IT'S STILL A NECESSARY PART OF THE SOCIAL FABRIC OF WESTCHESTER TO HAVE THIS AMUSEMENT PARK PROVIDE ENJOYMENT TO FAMILIES, AND I THINK THAT COULDN'T BE A BETTER STATEMENT MADE BY GOVERNMENT.

Sebak: FAMILIES DO LOVE PLAYLAND.

IT HAS A GREAT KIDDIE-LAND SECTION, INCLUDING A KIDDIE COASTER THAT PARENTS CAN'T GO ON.

AAAHHHH!

AAAHHHH!

AS YOU GET OLDER, YOU CAN LOOK FORWARD TO OTHER OLD RIDES, LIKE THIS INNOCENT-LOOKING HORSE-RACE RIDE THAT'S SURPRISINGLY ROUGH.

IT'S FOR GROWN-UPS, WHO CAN BUY THEIR TICKETS FROM AJA McLEOD.

McLeod: IT'S CALLED THE DERBY RACER, AND IT JUST GOES REALLY FAST ON HORSES -- UP AND DOWN, UP AND DOWN.

IT GOES 18 MILES PER HOUR.

MOST PEOPLE, THEY'RE LOOKING FOR THE MERRY-GO-ROUND FOR THEIR CHILDREN.

McLeod: PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN HERE 30 YEARS AGO SAY, "YEAH, I HAVEN'T BEEN ON THIS RIDE SINCE I WAS A LITTLE KID," SO THEY COME ON.

CENTRIFUGAL FORCE IS TRYING TO PUSH YOU AWAY FROM THE RIDE.

IF YOU HAVE YOUR WEIGHT ON YOUR LEFT, YOU'RE GOING WITH THE RIDE.

IT'S LIKE STANDING ON THAT FOOT.

McLeod: IT GIVES YOU A REAL EFFECT.

Sebak: GARY RAIFORD IS THE RIDE SUPERVISOR ON THE DERBY RACER, AND HIS STAFF IS SKILLED AT GETTING ON AND OFF THE RIDE PLATFORM, EVEN WHEN IT'S GOING FULL TILT.

Raiford: WHEN I TRAIN THE KIDS, I TELL THEM IT'S MORE LIKE A DANCE MOVE.

THE WHOLE IDEA IS YOU'RE GOING AGAINST THE CENTRIFUGAL FORCE OF THE RIDE.

SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO STAND STRAIGHT UP, YOU'RE GOING TO FALL OFF IT.

SO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IS JUST LEAN BACK TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE RIDE, AND ONCE YOU DO THAT, YOU'LL HAVE NO PROBLEMS.

HERE AT PLAYLAND, IF YOU WALK AROUND, YOU'LL SEE THE SMILES ON PEOPLE'S FACES.

ON A REALLY GOOD DAY, THIS PLACE IS REALLY CROWDED, PEOPLE ARE HAVING A GOOD TIME, AND THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.

AHHH!

HELP ME!

I'M HAVING FUN!

Sebak: HAVING FUN IS WHAT YOU HOPE TO BE DOING AT ANY PARK.

AND JUST SOUTH OF PORTLAND, OREGON, ON THE WILLAMETTE RIVER, YOU'LL FIND A SUBLIMELY FUN OLD PLACE CALLED OAKS PARK OR JUST THE OAKS, FIRST OPENED IN 1905, BUILT BY THE OREGON WATER POWER AND NAVIGATION COMPANY.

Man: ORIGINALLY, IT WAS FAMOUS FOR THE OAK TREE.

ALWAYS SEEM TO HAVE A BREEZE HERE, AND IT'S A GREAT SETTING.

Sebak: BOB BOLLINGER INHERITED THIS PARK FROM HIS FATHER IN THE LATE 1940s.

AND IN THE MID-1980s, HE DONATED IT TO A NONPROFIT CORPORATION TO HELP ASSURE ITS CONTINUED OPERATION.

BOB STILL COMES TO THE PARK ALMOST EVERY DAY.

Bollinger: I WATCH THE PEOPLE AND SEE IF THEY HAVE A HAPPY FACE ON.

IF THEY'RE ENJOYING THEMSELVES, THEN THAT MAKES ME HAPPY.

Sebak: THIS PARK WAS ORIGINALLY A TROLLEY PARK, ALTHOUGH YOU COULD ALSO ARRIVE BY BOAT.

THE PICNIC GROVES UNDER THE OAK TREES HAVE LONG BEEN POPULAR FOR ALL KINDS OF SUMMER CELEBRATIONS.

VOLANNE STEVENS IS THE CATERING MANAGER HERE.

Stevens: WE GET SURPRISE PARTIES.

WE GET ANNIVERSARIES, CORPORATE VENUES.

WE HAVE A VERY NARROW WINDOW IN OREGON OF PICNIC TIME.

AND SO, IN THOSE FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS, WE REALLY ROCK 'N' ROLL.

Sebak: WELL, AFTER THE PICNIC, YOU CAN ALSO ROCK 'N' ROLL ONTO THE MIDWAY, WHERE THE PARK IS PROUD OF ITS ECLECTIC COLLECTION OF RIDES, SAYS ITS SENIOR MANAGER, MARY BETH COFFEY.

Coffey: WE HAVE A MIX OF RIDES, AND I'LL TELL YOU, WE WILL ALWAYS HAVE THAT BECAUSE THERE'S A CHARM IN THE OLD RIDES WHERE YOU'RE TOUCHING THE STEEL AND PULLING THE WHEEL.

THESE ARE 1950s RIDES.

THE THRILL LEVEL'S THE SAME.

Sebak: AND SOMETIMES THE THRILL LEVEL INCREASES, LIKE WHEN YOU FIND CHUNKY, OLD BUMPER CARS AT THE SKOOTER -- CLASSIC, ELECTRIC-POWERED ROAD RAGE.

Coffey: THE BUMPER CARS HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE DAY ONE.

THEY'RE THE MOST POPULAR RIDE.

Sebak: IF CASEY PEREZ IS WORKING THE RIDE, IT'S EVEN MORE FUN.

Perez: I GET THEM MOTIVATED, TOO.

I LIKE TO HYPE THEM UP AND GET THEM GOING, MAKE THEM THINK THEY'RE RACECAR DRIVERS OR SOMETHING OUTRAGEOUS.

[ ORGAN MUSIC PLAYS ] Sebak: WELL, MAYBE THE GREATEST THING IN THE PARK IS THE OAKS SKATING RINK -- THE OLDEST AND BIGGEST ROLLER RINK IN THE NORTHWEST.

UNLIKE THE PARK, THE RINK IS OPEN YEAR-ROUND.

AND IF YOU'RE LUCKY, YOU WILL FIND KEITH FORTUNE AT THE ORGAN CONSOLE.

Fortune: WURLITZER HAS THE SOUND THAT I LOVE THE MOST.

THERE ARE OTHER THEATER ORGANS, BUT IN MY EXPERIENCE, IT HAS, I THINK, THE BRIGHTEST AND THE LIVELIEST SOUND.

[ ORGAN MUSIC PLAYS ] Sebak: ALL THE PIPES THAT PRODUCE THE INCREDIBLE SOUND OF THE INSTRUMENT ARE LOCATED ON A PLATFORM THAT'S SUSPENDED OVER THE MIDDLE OF THE CAREFULLY MAINTAINED MAPLE FLOOR.

Fortune: I CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER PLACE TO PUT THE PIPES THAN RIGHT ABOVE THE SKATERS.

[ MUSIC CONTINUES ] THE DAY I STARTED PLAYING THIS ORGAN, I FELT A CONNECTION TO IT, AND IT GROWS STRONGER ALL THE TIME.

Man: GRAB THE WALL.

Sebak: THE OAKS HAS A RINK WITH A WOODEN FLOOR BUT NO WOODEN COASTER.

THIS BEAUTY WAS BUILT IN 1925 IN SAN DIEGO BY THE LEGENDARY PRIOR AND CHURCH COMPANY FOR A PARK CALLED BELMONT.

THE GIANT DIPPER WAS POPULAR FOR DECADES, BUT THE PARK CLOSED IN 1976.

DEVELOPERS DECIDED TO BUILD A NEW SHOPPING CENTER ON THE OLD PARK SITE.

Man: A LOT OF PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT THAT SPELLED DOOM FOR THE ROLLER COASTER.

BUT IRONICALLY, THE PEOPLE OF THE SHOPPING CENTER WANTED AN OPERATING ROLLER COASTER.

Sebak: SO THE COASTER SURVIVED, THANKS TO DEDICATED ENTHUSIASTS LIKE TIM COLE AND THEIR GRASS-ROOTS EFFORTS, ALONG WITH THE SAN DIEGO COASTER COMPANY, WHICH STILL MAINTAINS THE BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL GIANT DIPPER.

Cole: WE'VE HEARD IT CALLED "PEPTO-BISMOL PINK."

I LIKE TO CALL IT "COTTON CANDY AND PEPPERMINT."

Sebak: [ LAUGHS ] IN THE SUMMER OF 1998, THE PINK COASTER WAS PART OF A RADIO STATION'S MARATHON PROMOTIONAL STUNT.

WENDY CRAIN, THE COASTER'S GENERAL MANAGER, HELPED COORDINATE THINGS.

Crain: AH!

STAR 100.7 IS A LOCAL RADIO STATION DOWN HERE, AND THEY DECIDED THEY WANTED TO PUT 22 PEOPLE ON THE ROLLER COASTER, AND THE LAST ONE ON WOULD GET $50,000.

THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY.

WHOO!

WE THOUGHT, "GREAT.

FUN.

THIS WILL BE GREAT."

THOUGHT IT WOULD GO ON, FOR, YOU KNOW, A MONTH MAYBE.

THIS IS DAY 53.

I THINK THEY'RE ABSOLUTELY INSANE.

Sebak: FIVE CONTESTANTS ARE LEFT.

WEARING YELLOW T-SHIRTS, THEY'VE LIVED IN THEIR ASSIGNED SEATS FOR ALMOST TWO MONTHS.

AND YOU CAN TELL, IT HASN'T ALL BEEN FUN.

Woman #1: WELL, YOU GET ALL KINDS OF EMOTIONS GOING.

YOU DO GET TIRED.

YOU DO GET BORED.

WE'RE BORED OUT OF OUR MINDS.

IT'S A CONTEST OF BOREDOM.

[ Polish accent ] I HAVE GOOD TIME.

I'M MEETING LOTS OF PEOPLE.

JUST RIDE IT, YOU KNOW.

ENJOY THE RIDE.

DON'T THINK ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE.

THE FIRST WEEK, WE ALL WERE PRETTY BEAT UP.

WE HAD NECK ACHE, BACK ACHE.

WE DON'T KNOW WHY, BUT WE HAD ABOUT EIGHT CONTESTANTS DROP OUT BECAUSE THEY JUST HURLED, BASICALLY.

Woman #1: BUT YOU LEARN TO RIDE THE COASTER, TO HEAL YOURSELF.

Woman #2: THIS IS AN SPF 30.

IT'S THE ONLY THING TO PROTECT ME FROM THE SUN.

Sebak: ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE TO SLEEP IN THE COASTER TRAINS, THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO SLEEP DURING THE DAY.

THEY CAN'T READ, AND NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES ARE PERMITTED.

THERE'S MANY RULES.

FIRST OF ALL, WE GET THREE 10-MINUTE BREAKS AND TWO HALF-HOUR BREAKS A DAY.

Sebak: THIS COASTER CERTAINLY GIVES THEM NO BREAK.

Woman #1: THE COASTER'S NOT THE HARD THING.

IT'S EVERYTHING ELSE THAT GOES ALONG WITH IT.

THE HARDEST PART ABOUT THIS IS TAKING AWAY YOUR FREEDOM AND EVERYTHING YOU'VE EVER KNOWN AND LOVED.

Man with accent: EVERYONE TOLD YOU WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO, TOLD YOU WHERE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO GO TO BATHROOM, WHERE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO RIDE ROLLER COASTER.

Woman #1: YOU BECOME GRATEFUL FOR THE LITTLE THINGS IN LIFE.

I BASICALLY MISS MY LIFE.

Woman #1: IT'S A VERY HUMBLING EXPERIENCE.

Sebak: WELL, TO PUT UP WITH ALL THE MISERY, YOU HAVE TO HAVE PLANS FOR THE $50,000.

Woman #1: I'M GOING TO START A SMALL BUSINESS.

I'M A SINGLE MOM OF THREE KIDS.

MY MOM, SHE HAVE GLASSES FOR A LONG TIME.

AND NOW, THEY'RE DONG EYE SURGERY.

A BETTER FUTURE.

I'VE GOT A 10-MONTH-OLD DAUGHTER NAMED HAILEY AND MY WIFE AND... I JUST GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE, IN ABOUT $45,000 WORTH OF DEBT.

I THINK I'M GONNA BUY A ROLLER COASTER.

I SUPPORTING LEUKEMIA FOUNDATION, SO I WANT TO DO A LITTLE BIT GOOD FOR KIDS.

AND I'D LIKE TO OPEN UP A LITTLE CHICAGO-STYLE HOT DOG AND ITALIAN BEEF STAND.

AND FOR MYSELF, I BUY A HARLEY DAVIDSON.

Sebak: WHAT'S REALLY COOL IS THAT AFTER SOME 14,000 LAPS AT THIS POINT, STILL THEY EACH THINK THEY'RE GOING TO WIN.

Man with accent: I NO THINK.

I KNOW.

Man: AS LONG AS IT TAKES.

I GOT NO STRINGS ATTACHED.

PARENTS DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT.

Woman #1: I BELIEVE WE'RE ALL GONNA WIN.

WE'RE ALL WINNERS.

WE'VE ALREADY WON.

Sebak: WELL, IN A WAY, SHE WAS RIGHT.

AFTER ANOTHER 17 DAYS, A TOTAL OF 18,151 LAPS ON THE GIANT DIPPER, THE RADIO STATION DECIDED TO CALL IT QUITS, AS IT ALWAYS SAID IT MIGHT, ON LABOR DAY.

EACH OF OUR FIVE FRIENDS RECEIVED $12,500 AND A TRIP TO HAWAII FOR TWO.

IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT THEIR DREAMS LIVE ON, JUST NOT ON THE COASTER ANYMORE.

[ SCREAMING ] BUT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE USE COASTERS FOR LOTS OF DIFFERENT REASONS.

IN ROSSVILLE, GEORGIA, JUST OUTSIDE CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, THERE'S A GREAT, OLD COASTER CALLED THE CANNON BALL.

JOHNNY MULLINAX HELPS MAINTAIN THE RIDE AND SEES IT AS SORT OF A FAMILY TRADITION.

Mullinax: MY GRANDFATHER DID A LOT OF -- LOT OF CARPENTRY WORK, AND MY FATHER WAS A MECHANIC.

AND SEE, I DO BOTH HERE ON THE ROLLER COASTER.

Sebak: WHAT'S UNUSUAL HERE IS THAT THIS COASTER IS ALSO A SORT OF HISTORICAL REMINDER OF THE CIVIL WAR.

Mullinax: THE CANNON BALL, I THINK, DEPICTS THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH BECAUSE THE CARS ARE BLUE AND GRAY.

Sebak: IN 1967, THIS PARK HIRED JOHN ALLEN OF THE PHILADELPHIA TOBOGGAN COMPANY TO DESIGN A SIMPLE AND AIRY OUT-AND-BACK COASTER.

YOU CAN QUICKLY LEARN TO LOVE IT, ALTHOUGH ONE OF THE PARK'S VICE PRESIDENTS, ADRIENNE WHITE RHODES, IS NOT A REGULAR ON THIS RIDE.

I'VE ONLY RIDDEN IT ONCE.

I RODE IT MY FIRST AND LAST TIME COMBINED.

Sebak: ADRIENNE'S GRANDPARENTS FOUNDED THIS PARK IN 1925.

IT'S OFFICIAL NAME IS LAKE WINNEPESAUKAH, BUT LOTS OF PEOPLE CALL IT LAKE WINNIE.

White Rhodes: WE HAVE TRIED TO BUILD ATTRACTIONS AROUND THE LAKE.

THAT WAS MY GRANDFATHER'S INTENTION.

Sebak: WHILE THE FAMILY HAS ALWAYS OWNED THE PARK, OTHERS OFTEN MANAGED IT, UNTIL 1998, WHEN TOOTSIE HARLESS, ALONG WITH HER SISTER ADRIENNE AND ADRIENNE'S DAUGHTER, TALLEY RHODES, STEPPED IN AGAIN TO OVERSEE LAKE WINNIE AND ALL ITS RIDES, INCLUDING THIS SECONDHAND MERRY-GO-ROUND THAT'S ACTUALLY OLDER THAN THE PARK ITSELF.

White Rhodes: THAT CAROUSEL IS A 1916 PHILADELPHIA TOBOGGAN COMPANY MODEL, VERY RARE, HAND-CARVED BY ITALIAN CARVERS.

EACH HORSE IS DIFFERENT, AND THEY'RE JUST MAGNIFICENT.

THE OLDEST RIDE IN THE PARK IS THE BOAT CHUTE.

MY GRANDFATHER BUILT THAT IN 1927.

AND IT IS PROBABLY THE MOST POPULAR RIDE IN THE PARK.

IT'S THE RIDE THAT EVERYONE REMEMBERS.

EVERYONE REMEMBERS GETTING THEIR FIRST KISS IN THE BOAT CHUTE AND THE THRILL OF RIDING THAT RIDE.

IT LOOKS OLD AND PRIMITIVE WHEN YOU WALK UP TO IT.

IT'S ONE OF THE FEW RIDES THAT YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO UNTIL YOU COMPLETE IT.

Rhodes: YOU DO EXIT THE TUNNEL AND START UP A LONG 28-FOOT RAMP TO THE TOP OF A HILL.

AFTER THAT, YOU'RE CATAPULTED DOWN INTO A BIG SPLASH OF WATER.

Harless: IT'S A REPEATER.

EVERYBODY LIKES IT.

Rhodes: IF ANYONE HAS A MEMORY OF LAKE WINNEPESAUKAH, MOST PROBABLY, THEY HAVE A MEMORY OF THE BOAT CHUTE.

Sebak: MEMORIES CAN BE SPARKED BY SEEING OLD RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS, EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT IN THE SAME PARK WHERE YOU LEARNED TO LOVE THEM.

WHALOM PARK IS IN LUNENBURG IN CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS.

JOHN AND BETH BOWEN, ALONG WITH OTHERS IN THEIR FAMILY, HAVE OWNED AND CARED FOR THIS PARK SINCE THE 1930s.

I SAY IT'S AN OLD-FASHIONED PICNIC PARK.

John: PARK GOT STARTED, ACTUALLY, AS A RIDE PARK IN 1893.

BEFORE THEN, IT WAS LIKE A PICNIC AREA.

BUT THE LOCAL TROLLEY COMPANY, THE FITCHBURG AND LEOMINSTER STREET RAILWAY COMPANY, PUT IN THE RIDES AS A WAY TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO RIDE THE TROLLEYS ON WEEKENDS AND TO USE THEIR EXCESS ELECTRIC POWER.

Sebak: NOW WHALOM PARK HAS A POWERFUL AND QUIRKY COLLECTION OF OLDER RIDES, MANY OF WHICH THEY BOUGHT WHEN OTHER PARKS GREW TIRED OF THEM OR CLOSED DOWN.

John: WELL, THE RIDE IS AN -- CALLED A LOOPER.

IT'S MADE BY THE ALLEN HERSHOLT COMPANY.

AND IT WAS -- THE IDEA OF THE RIDE IS THAT YOU SORT OF PUMP AND RELAX, PUMP AND RELAX, TO SEE IF YOU CAN GET IT GOING AROUND.

ONCE IT GOES AROUND, IT GOES AROUND VERY QUICKLY.

SOMETIMES IT'S CALLED THE HAMSTER CAGE.

Sebak: AT WHALOM, THERE ARE ALSO WONDERFUL SURPRISES INSIDE SOME OF THE OLD PARK BUILDINGS.

John: WELL, THIS USED TO BE THE FUN HOUSE.

NOW IT'S CALLED THE MONSTER MOTEL.

THIS IS THE BARREL.

THE BARREL O' FUN.

THE BARREL OF LAUGHS.

ONE OF THE NICE THINGS IS, WHEN YOU GET IN, YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING YOU WANT.

YOU CAN TRY TO DO CARTWHEELS, WHICH I'M NOT GONNA TRY TO DO.

YOU GOT IT!

YOU GOT IT!

YOU GOT IT!

WHOA!

Sebak: A STILL OPERATING BARREL IS UNUSUAL, BUT EVEN COMMON RIDES CAN HOLD UNEXPECTED TREASURES IF YOU LOOK HARD ENOUGH, OR IF YOU KNOW A CAROUSEL RESTORER LIKE SUSAN GERMAIN.

SHE SAYS THIS LOOFF CAROUSEL IS NOT A STANDARD MODEL BUT RATHER WHAT SHE CALLS A MIXED MACHINE.

Germain: THIS ONE HAS FIGURES THAT WERE TAKEN OFF AND REPLACED AND CHANGED.

AND SO, YOU HAVE SOME FIGURES FROM THE LATE 1800s, LIKE 1880, 1890, ALL THE WAY UP INTO THE 1910-1915 TIME PERIOD.

AMERICAN CAROUSELS TURN COUNTERCLOCKWISE BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE ARE RIGHT-HANDED, AND YOU WANTED TO REACH FOR THE BRASS RING THAT WAY.

EUROPEAN CAROUSELS GO THE OTHER DIRECTION BECAUSE IT'S MORE PROPER FOR EQUESTRIANS TO MOUNT FROM THAT SIDE OF THE HORSE.

Sebak: WELL, THERE ARE MORE THAN HORSES HERE, EVEN A COUPLE OF BIZARRE DRAGONS.

THEY HAVE YELLOW EYES RATHER THAN BROWN EYES LIKE MOST OF THE HORSES.

AND THERE'S TWO OF THEM.

THEY HAVE THE BAT-WING SADDLES, AND THE LITTLE CURL ON THEIR TAIL, AND THEY'RE VERY FEROCIOUS LOOKING.

THEY ACTUALLY DISCONTINUED MAKING THE DRAGONS BECAUSE THEY WERE SCARING KIDS, SO IT MAKES THEM MORE RARE THAN HORSES.

Sebak: WELL, LIKE THIS RARE MIXED MACHINE, THE WHOLE PARK HERE HAS A SORT OF PATCHWORK CHARM.

John: THIS IS THE CLASSIC CORNER OF THE PARK.

WE HAVE THE ROLLO-JET, WHICH IS FROM PALLISADES PARK IN NEW JERSEY, AND BEHIND IT -- ACTUALLY OUR CROWN JEWEL -- THE PHILADELPHIA TOBOGGAN AMERICAN FLYER -- FLYER COMET ROLLER COASTER, DESIGNED IN 1938 BY JOHN ALLEN.

IT REPLACES THE FORMER ROLLER COASTER THAT WAS BLOWN DOWN IN A HURRICANE.

IT'S THE MOST POPULAR RIDE IN THE PARK.

Sebak: IT'S POPULAR BECAUSE IT'S A GREAT, OLD COASTER.

THE FLYER COMET OPENED TO THE PUBLIC IN 1940, AND IT'S STILL MANUALLY RELEASED AND BRAKED.

IT'S GOT A FIGURE-8 TRACK HALF A MILE LONG, WITH THE STEEPEST DROP OF 50 FEET AND A TOP SPEED OF 40 MILES AN HOUR.

BUT WHO CARES ABOUT UNIMPRESSIVE STATISTICS WHEN IT'S SO MUCH FUN?!

THE PARK SPIFFED UP THE OLD COASTER IN THE MID-'90s BY ADDING A TUNNEL KNOWN AS THE BLACK HOLE OVER SOME CAMEL-HUMP DIPS NEAR THE END OF THE RIDE.

John: WE'RE NOT A DESTINATION PARK LIKE THE BIG THEMERS, WHERE SOMEONE WILL COME AND SPEND A COUPLE DAYS.

WE'RE A PARK WHERE PEOPLE COME FOR THE DAY, FOR AN AFTERNOON, FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS.

AND SO WE MAY SEE SOMEONE THREE OR FOUR TIMES DURING THE SUMMER, AND WE'RE PRICED THAT WAY.

Sebak: WELL, SOME PARKS AREN'T QUITE SUCH A HODGEPODGE.

THIS SMALL PARK IN SOUTHERN INDIANA IS OFTEN CALLED THE BIRTHPLACE OF THEME PARKS BECAUSE THE RIDES HERE HAD A COMMON THEME EVEN BEFORE DISNEY MADE THAT IDEA POPULAR.

Man: HOLIDAY WORLD IS IN SANTA CLAUS, INDIANA, WHICH IS ABOUT MIDWAY BETWEEN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, AND EVANSVILLE, INDIANA.

Sebak: WHEN IT STARTED, IT WAS CALLED SANTA CLAUS LAND, AND OBVIOUSLY EVERYTHING HERE THEN HAD A CHRISTMAS THEME.

BILL KOCH AND HIS WIFE, PAT, REMEMBER THE EARLY DAYS, RIGHT AFTER THE END OF WORLD WAR II.

Bill Sr.

: JUST A TRAIN RIDE AND SHOPS.

AND THAT'S WHAT IT WAS WHEN WE OPENED ON AUGUST 3rd OF 1946.

Pat: SANTA CLAUS WAS A BIG ATTRACTION.

Bill Sr.

: SANTA CLAUS WAS A BIG ATTRACTION.

Pat: AND MY FATHER WAS SANTA CLAUS FOR 50 YEARS HERE.

AND I WENT AWAY TO PURSUE A CAREER IN NURSING.

I BECAME A NUN FOR 10 YEARS.

AND WHEN I CAME BACK BECAUSE MY FATHER WAS ILL, MY MOTHER AND FATHER SENT HIM TO MEET ME AT THE TRAIN STATION.

Sebak: THE KOCH FAMILY HAS OWNED AND RUN THIS PARK SINCE IT OPENED.

THE THIRD GENERATION IS NOW IN CHARGE -- BILL JR.

IS THE PRESIDENT, HIS SISTER, NATALIE, TAKES CARE OF PERSONNEL AND TRAINING, AND THEIR BROTHER, PHILIP, MANAGES THE COMPANY'S CHAMPIONSHIP GOLF COURSE.

THEY ALL KNOW HOW THE PARK IS ORGANIZED.

HOLIDAY WORLD CONSISTS OF THREE DIFFERENT AREAS -- IT'S THE ORIGINAL SECTION OF THE PARK, WHICH USED TO BE SANTA CLAUS LAND, NOW IT'S THE CHRISTMAS SECTION OF THE PARK.

Santa: THE TRADITION HAS ALWAYS BEEN THAT SANTA CLAUS IS HERE.

EVERY SUMMER.

AND WE CARRY ON THAT TRADITION.

Natalie: AND THEN WE ALSO ADDED TWO OTHER SECTIONS -- THE 4th OF JULY SECTION AND THE HALLOWEEN SECTION.

Sebak: THE THREE THEMED AREAS AND A CONNECTED WATER PARK ARE ARRANGED ON BEAUTIFULLY WOODED HILLS.

THE PARK HAS A QUIRKY KIDDIE LAND CALLED RUDOLPH'S REINDEER RANCH, BUT THERE ARE PLENTY OF RIDES AND VARIOUS OTHER ATTRACTIONS FOR ADULTS AS WELL.

Santa: MY FAVORITE RIDE, OF COURSE, IS THE RAVEN.

BECAUSE THAT'S JUST LIKE RIDING THAT SLEIGH ON CHRISTMAS EVE.

Bill Jr.

: FOR A SMALLER PARK, WE ARE EXTRAORDINARILY PROUD OF THE RAVEN.

Philip: DESPITE THE FACT THAT I AM A SKY DIVER AND REALLY ENJOY THAT SPORT, THE RAVEN IS A GREAT THRILL TO ME YET AT THIS POINT.

Bill Jr.

: IT'S WONDERFUL TO BUILD A RIDE LIKE THAT.

YOU KIND OF RIDE IT IN YOUR MIND ALL WINTER LONG AS YOU SEE THE BENTS GOING UP, THE STRUCTURE TAKING SHAPE.

WE FUDGED WITH THE TRACK BACK AND FORTH, MADE SMALL CHANGES IN THE ROUTING OF THE RIDE, SO WE HAD TO CUT DOWN AS FEW TREES AS WE COULD.

AS A RESULT, WE'VE GOT TREES GROWING UP NEXT TO THE TRACK.

AND WHEN WE FIRST FIRED IT UP AND TOOK THE FIRST RIDE ON IT, WE ALL CAME BACK INTO THE STATION AND EVERYBODY JUST SAID, "WOW."

Sebak: THAT WAS IN 1995.

AND FOR A PARK THAT WENT 49 YEARS WITHOUT A COASTER, HOLIDAY WORLD SEEMS HAPPY TO HAVE ONE OF THE BEST NEW COASTERS IN THE WORLD.

THE PARK ALSO HAS QUIRKY VINTAGE RIDES.

Bill Sr.

: THE OLDEST RIDE IS STILL THE SAME RIDE IT WAS WHEN WE PUT IT IN HERE.

WE BUILT IT OURSELVES.

IT'S CALLED THE MOTHER GOOSE LAND TRAIN.

Philip: I KNOW WHEN I WAS A KID, I RODE THAT RIDE A LOT, AND I LOVED GETTING INTO THE ENCLOSED SECTION, WHERE JUST THE KIDS RIDE, WHERE THE VERY TINY SEATS ARE.

I HAVE -- I HAVE NO CHANCE OF EVER FITTING IN THERE EVER AGAIN.

Sebak: OH, MINIATURE TRAINS ARE BELOVED PARTS OF MANY OLD PARKS.

CONSIDER, FOR INSTANCE, OUT IN DENVER, COLORADO, WHERE YOU CAN OFTEN SEE PUFFS OF STEAM ALONG THE SHORES OF LAKE RHODA.

THE PARK HERE IS CALLED LAKESIDE.

IT STILL USES TWO SMALL-GAUGE STEAM ENGINES THAT REQUIRE A LOT OF MAINTENANCE.

ADAM STRUCK HELPS KEEP THEM GOING.

Struck: OIL IT UP.

YOU GOT TO CLOSE THE OIL CAPS, KEEP ALL THE HOLES OILED.

IT MAKES IT SLIDE FASTER, MAKES IT RUN BETTER.

Sebak: THE MAN IN CHARGE OF THESE CHUGGING ANTIQUES IS ED MARTIN.

Martin: THEY WERE BUILT ABOUT 1898 FOR THE 1904 WORLD'S FAIR.

AND THEY'VE BEEN IN THIS PARK NOW FOR 90 YEARS.

THEY'RE MY GIRLS.

Sebak: THEIR MECHANISMS ARE SIMPLE BUT RED-HOT BEAUTIFUL.

Martin: THE MOST IMPORTANT PART ON THIS WHOLE SCENE -- ALL THE MECHANISMS -- IS THAT LITTLE VALVE GOING OFF RIGHT NOW.

THAT'S THE POP-OFF VALVE, AND IF THAT DON'T GO OFF, IT'LL KEEP BUILDING PRESSURE UNTIL IT EXPLODES.

Sebak: EVEN THOUGH THE TRAIN IS NOT FULL SIZE, IT DOES A GREAT JOB OF CREATING CONSIDERABLE RAILROAD ROMANCE.

ED AND ADAM TAKE TURNS AS ENGINEER.

Martin: THE BEST PART I LIKE IS OVER THERE BY THE COLLEGE.

RIGHT BEFORE YOU HIT THE UPGRADE, YOU REALLY POUR IT ON SO YOU CAN MAKE THAT UPGRADE.

THAT IS THE MOST THRILLING THING.

Struck: RIGHT WHEN YOU HIT THE TUNNEL, THERE'S A DOWNHILL, SO YOU CAN MOVE.

I'M TALKING HAUL!

GO!

[ WHISTLE BLOWING ] Sebak: THESE GUYS MAY LOVE THE POWER OF THEIR LITTLE ENGINES, BUT A MINIATURE RAILROAD IS RUMBLY AND RELAXING -- A NO-THRILL RIDE.

Martin: WE HAVE HAD LADIES COME ON THE TRAIN WHO WERE -- OH, 80, 90 YEARS OLD -- THAT THEY REMEMBER RIDING IT WHEN THEY WERE LITTLE GIRLS.

AND THAT'S WHAT THRILLS ME TO DEATH.

Sebak: THE TRAINS WERE HERE WHEN LAKESIDE OPENED ON MEMORIAL DAY IN 1908.

THE PARK'S CURRENT GENERAL MANAGER, RHODA KRASNER, GREW UP IN THE PARK.

HER FATHER, BEN, BOUGHT IT IN 1935.

IT'S A SMALL PARK WITH LOTS OF OLD RIDES, INCLUDING A VINTAGE WILD MOUSE THAT RHODA'S FATHER RENAMED THE WILD CHIPMUNK.

PROBABLY THE ONLY WILD CHIPMUNK RIDE IN CAPTIVITY.

Sebak: LAKESIDE ALSO HAS AN EXCELLENT WOODEN COASTER WITH A CLASSIC NAME -- THE CYCLONE -- BEAUTIFUL TRAINS, AND AN ART-DECO LOADING STATION, COMPLETE WITH COOL, LITTLE COASTER ART.

Krasner: NO MATTER HOW BUSY A DAY OR HOW ACTIVE OR HOW TIRED ONE MAY BE, TAKE A ROLLER COASTER RIDE, AND THAT REALLY CERTAINLY DOES AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT.

THE WHOLE WORLD SEEMS BETTER AFTER THAT.

Sebak: AND THE WHOLE PARK CAN SEEM DIFFERENT, TOO, ESPECIALLY ONCE THE SUN GOES DOWN.

Krasner: WE ARE A NIGHTTIME PARK.

THIS IS WHEN WE COME ALIVE.

AND I THINK WE SPARKLE.

Sebak: PEOPLE COME HERE JUST TO SEE THE CLASSIC LIGHTING DESIGNS THAT DECORATE SO MANY OF THE RIDES.

Krasner: ON THE WEEKDAY EVENINGS, PEOPLE CAN COME HOME FROM WORK AND COME IN FOR A NOMINAL FEE, RIDE THE ROLLER COASTER, RIDE THE TRAIN, HAVE AN ICE CREAM, AND WILL HAVE DONE SOMETHING WITH THEIR SUMMER EVENING.

Sebak: LAKESIDE IS AN INCREDIBLE REMINDER OF THE EARLY DAYS OF THE 20th CENTURY WHEN AMUSEMENT PARKS WERE OFTEN SOME OF THE FIRST PLACES TO USE ELECTRICITY.

LIGHTS AT NIGHT WERE AMAZING, AND IN PLACES LIKE THIS, THEY STILL ARE.

ON LAKESIDE'S TOWER, YOU MAY READ THE MYSTERIOUS WORD "REDIT" OR "RED-IT."

RHODA SAYS PEOPLE ASK ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME.

Krasner: WE'VE FINALLY DETERMINED, WITH THE HELP OF A LATIN PROFESSOR, THAT IT IS A LATIN WORD -- "TO RETURN" OR "COME BACK AGAIN."

Sebak: AND, OF COURSE, THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF ANY PARK -- TO BE SO MEMORABLE, SO THRILLING AND EXHILARATING, SO BEAUTIFUL THAT YOU HAVE TO COME BACK.

AND MAYBE WHEN YOU DO, YOU'LL STAY TO EAT.

AT LAKEMONT PARK IN ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA, YOU CAN BUY FOOD THERE, BUT LOTS OF FOLKS STILL DO WHAT AMERICANS HAVE BEEN DOING SINCE THE 19th CENTURY -- THEY BRING A PICNIC.

Woman: WE BROUGHT HOT SAUSAGE, HOT DOGS, CHICKEN.

Man: EVERY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, WE'VE GOT THE FAMILY REUNIONS.

WE'RE HAVING A BIRTHDAY PARTY.

I HAVE SEVEN BROTHERS AND EIGHT SISTERS?

AND THE PEOPLE THAT HAVEN'T SEEN EACH OTHER FOR YEARS, AND HUGGING AND KISSING.

AND ALSO KIND OF A RETIREMENT PARTY.

MY SISTER MADE THESE.

PEACH.

MY MOTHER IS 88 YEARS OLD.

Woman: APPLE PIE.

PEACH PIE.

EVERY YEAR WE HAVE A BIG FAMILY REUNION.

EVERY YEAR OUR FAMILY GETS BIGGER.

I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY GRANDCHILDREN.

I LOST COUNT.

SOMEBODY BOUGHT THIS.

Man: HI, I'M RUSS.

THIS IS ROD.

WE ARE RUSS AND ROD OF RUSS AND ROD'S WORLD FAMOUS MEATBALLS.

NOT ONLY KNOWN THROUGH ALTOONA, BUT THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

EVEN OUT IN MANOR, OHIO.

DELICIOUS.

Sebak: BUT PEOPLE AREN'T HERE JUST TO EAT.

THEY'RE HERE TO RIDE, TOO.

AND SINCE 1894, LAKEMONT HAS GATHERED AN INTERESTING MIX OF AMUSEMENT RIDES.

Girl #1: SOMETIMES I LIKE MERRY-GO-ROUNDS.

I LIKE ROLLER COASTERS.

Sebak: THERE IS A WOODEN COASTER HERE CALLED THE SKYLINER, BUT LAKEMONT'S GENERAL MANAGER, BARRY KUMPF, KNOWS THAT COASTER LOVERS HAVE COME HERE FOR YEARS TO SEE LAKEMONT'S OTHER COASTER.

Kumpf: LEAP THE DIPS IS THE WORLD'S OLDEST ROLLER COASTER.

IT WAS BUILT IN 1902 BY THE E. JOY MORRIS COMPANY.

Sebak: IT WASN'T THE FIRST, JUST THE OLDEST STILL STANDING, AND BACK IN '85, THINGS LOOKED BLEAK.

Kumpf: HAD WE HAD THE MONEY THREE, FIVE YEARS AGO, TO BULLDOZE IT OVER, WE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE.

Sebak: BUT PEOPLE WERE CONCERNED, INCLUDING THE AMERICAN COASTER ENTHUSIASTS AND LOTS OF LOCAL BUSINESSPEOPLE.

AND THEY RAISED MONEY SO BY THE MID-90s, A FURNITURE CARPENTER NAMED ASHLEY RISHEL COULD START A COMPLETE RESTORATION.

Rishel: THERE'S NOT A CENTIMETER ON THIS UNIT WE DID NOT TOUCH.

IT'S NOT TOO OFTEN YOU GET TO SAY THAT YOU WORKED ON SOMETHING "THE OLDEST IN THE WORLD."

THE BARE WOOD IS NOT ACTUALLY BARE.

THAT IS NORTHEASTERN WHITE OAK, OKAY?

THAT HAS MOTOR OIL ON IT, SATURATED WITH MOTOR OIL.

THAT'S TO GIVE IT LONGEVITY AND PLIABILITY.

THAT'S WHY I APPROACHED THIS AS A PIECE OF FURNITURE, BECAUSE OF THE WAY IT HAS TO MOVE -- EXPAND AND CONTRACT, AND DO ALL THAT SORT OF THING.

IT'S JUST A BIG PIECE OF FURNITURE TO ME.

Sebak: WELL, THE BIG, OLD PIECE OF FURNITURE HAD A STAR-SPANGLED RE-OPENING ON MEMORIAL DAY IN 1999, WHEN PEOPLE GOT A CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE ANEW THIS SIDE-FRICTION, FIGURE-8 COASTER.

Woman: THIS WAS A BIGGIE.

WHEN I WAS A KID, THIS WAS THE BIGGIE.

Sebak: THE TOP SPEED IS ABOUT 10 MILES PER HOUR.

THE BIG, COMFY CARS HAVE NO LAP BARS OR SAFETY BELTS.

THE FIRST DIP IS BARELY THERE.

Rishel: EVERYTHING'S NICE AND SMOOTH AND GRADUAL, THEN WE START YOUR DIPS.

WE HAVE A 9-FOOT VERTICAL DROP.

IT'S A REAL HUMDINGER.

IT WAS OKAY.

IT WAS SLOW, BUT... Man: WELL, IT'S NOT NEAR AS... AND THE DIPS DON'T GO DOWN LIKE THE NEW ONES DO, BUT IT'S NICE.

I ALWAYS SAY, "BIGGER DOESN'T MEAN BETTER."

Girl: IT WAS A NEAT EXPERIENCE, LIKE WHAT OUR GRANDPARENTS HAD TO RIDE.

HERE WE GO!

YOU JERK BACK AND FORTH A LOT.

Girl: THAT'S THE OLDEST ONE IN THE WORLD, AND WE RODE IT.

WOO-HOO.

THIS IS FUN!

Man: THINK BACK TO THE OLD DAYS AND EVERYTHING ELSE OUT HERE.

Man: HE WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS AT FIRST, DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF IT, BUT AS WE WERE RIDING BUNNY HOPS COMING BACK INTO THE STATION, HE WAS LAUGHING UP A STORM, HAD HIS ARMS UP IN THE AIR.

Girl: IT'S REALLY NEAT THAT IT'S ONE OF THE OLDEST COASTERS, AND IT'S IN OUR TOWN.

I'M ESTIMATING, AND GOD WILLING, THAT THIS LASTS ANOTHER 100, 150 YEARS.

[ LAUGHING ] Sebak: WE WANT ALL THESE PLACES TO LAST AT LEAST 150 YEARS.

THESE GREAT, OLD AMUSEMENT PARKS GIVE YOU A PLACE TO GO WHEN THE DAY GETS TOO HOT, WHEN YOU NEED TO ESCAPE, WHEN YOU KNOW THAT A RIDE OR TWO WILL CHANGE YOUR POINT OF VIEW.

THEY'RE SILLY PLACES, PARTS OF THEM ARE OLD AND OUT OF DATE, BUT THEY'RE VALUABLE AS GATHERING SPOTS WHERE THE WHOLE POINT IS HAVING FUN.

THE BRIGHT COLORS, THE WHIRLING MACHINES, THE OTHER CRAZY PEOPLE -- ALL LET YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT PART OF THE ORDINARY, TROUBLED WORLD.

YOU'RE IN SOME WONDERFUL PLACE WHERE EVERYONE CAN BE CAREFREE AS A KID.

AAAHHHH!

AAAHHHH!

IT'S STILL JUST AN AMUSEMENT PARK.

LET'S NOT TAKE OURSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY.

Boy: I THINK IT'S THE FEELING OF DEATH.

Girl: I THINK A TICKLE IN YOUR BELLY.

YOU CAN MEET GUYS.

John Bowen: WE ADDED A TUNNEL.

SMOOTH RIDE.

Man: THEY'RE MEATBALLS WITH YELLOW CHEESE.

I'M GOING TO DO SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR THEM.

OOH!

Girl: WE'VE MET PLENTY OF GUYS HERE.

Boy: IF YOU HOLD UP THE MITTEN FROM MICHIGAN, WE'RE ABOUT RIGHT THERE.

SEVEN DIFFERENT GUYS SO FAR.

I HAVEN'T TOLD ANYBODY WHAT IT'S GONNA BE YET.

Girl: I GOT THIS BEAR FROM HIM, AND I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HIM.

John Bowen: WE CALL IT THE BLACK HOLE.

IT'LL BE A SURPRISE IN 2002.

OH!

"ROD AND RUSS'S WORLD FAMOUS MEAT--" I DIDN'T EVEN SEE THAT SIGN.

BUT YOU CAN'T SEE WHERE THE BOTTOM IS.

Young woman: THEY FORGOT TO PUT THE FROZEN BANANAS OUT TODAY.

Rishel: THEY'LL HAVE SOMETHING ELSE THAT THEY CAN CELEBRATE.

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com "GREAT OLD AMUSEMENT PARKS" WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY... AND BY ANNUAL FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM... TO ORDER "GREAT OLD AMUSEMENT PARKS" ON VIDEOCASSETTE, OR ANY OTHER PROGRAM FROM RICK SEBAK'S "GREAT AMERICAN AMUSEMENTS" VIDEO PACK, CALL PBS HOME VIDEO AT 1-800-PLAY-PBS.