Canobie Lake Park

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Canobie Lake Park
Previous logo of Canobie Lake Park
Location Salem, New Hampshire, United States Flag of the United States
Address 85 North Policy Street
Phone numbers (603) 893-3506
Website http://www.canobie.com
Opened 1902
Rides 47 total
  • 3 roller coasters
  • 2 water rides
Slogan Just For Fun

Canobie Lake Park is an amusement park located in Salem, New Hampshire. Coordinates: 42°47′42″N 71°15′01″W / 42.795, -71.25028

Contents

Description

Canobie Lake Park opened on August 23, 1902, as a trolley park for the Massachusetts Northeast Street Railway Company.1 The amusement park has opened every summer since then. In the park's early years, it was known for its flower gardens, promenades and gentle attractions. From the 1930s to the early 1950s, Canobie Lake Park’s Dancehall Theater became known as an entertainment destination hosting names such as Guy Lombardo, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, and later, Sonny & Cher and Aerosmith.2 Today, owned by 3 different families, the park features over 50 rides, including roller coasters, a log flume (the "Timber Splash Water Coaster"), a hand-painted antique carousel, a steam train, a Ferris wheel, the "Starblaster", "Dodgems", "DaVinci's Dream", over a dozen kiddie rides, a variety of foods, prize games, three arcades, live entertainment, fireworks, and more.

The Yankee Cannonball, a 1930s era wooden roller coaster, is one of the park's best known rides. The park also has a looping, steel roller coaster named "Canobie Corkscrew", designed by Arrow Dynamics. It was formerly located at Old Chicago, where it was called the "Chicago Loop".3 There is also a kiddie coaster, called "The Dragon".

The park also features one of the few "dark rides" located in New England, titled "Mine of Lost Souls". Passengers board a mine train and are transported into the depths of a dark mine, which begins to collapse. Another popular flat ride at Canobie is the "Psychodrome", a 12-car Sizzler ride located in a dome, with special effects lighting and music.

Located towards the back of the park, along the lake, is a classic Chute-the-Chutes ride titled "The Boston Tea Party". It is themed after the actual Boston Tea Party, a protest by American colonists in 1773. Riders board a large boat and are transported up a lift hill. They turn around and plunge down a tunnel into the water below, creating a massive wave.

Another ride that can be found in the back portion of the park is a classic Rotor ride named "Turkish Twist". Here, the riders stand with their backs to the wall of a cylindrical drum (with no ceiling, so that others can watch from above). The entire drum begins spinning, and the riders are pushed against the wall by the strong centrifugal force. The floor then drops out from beneath them, while they remain stuck to the wall. In 2001, the park opened "Ocean Trip", which has been replaced (although it still is the same style ride) by "Boston Harbor Patrol" (to fit the "Boston Tea Party" theme). 2002 was the park's 100th season. In that year, the park opened an S&S Power Double Shot ride named "Starblaster".4 In 2003 the park opened "DaVinci's Dream", a Chair-O-Planes-type ride. "Wipeout", a tropical surf theme ride, replaced "Kosmo Jets" (an SDC Telecombat ride). It opened for the last three days of the 2004 season, and was officially opened in 2005. Also in 2005, the park opened a new water park called "Castaway Island". The park also added a ride called "Skater". "Skater" took up some of the removed "Rockin' Rider" site, but has since been moved to the old location of the "Paratroopers" ride (which will be sold and has been removed from the park). In 2007, Canobie Lake opened a HUSS Frisbee named "Xtreme Frisbee" at the original "Rockin' Rider" site.

Rides at Canobie Lake Park

Black diamond rides

Name MFG Year Added Notes
Starblaster S&S Power
2002
Replaced the "Moon Orbiter"
Canobie Corkscrew Arrow Dynamics
1987
The park's only steel coaster and the only coaster with loops
Wipeout Chance Morgan
2005
Replaced the "Kosmojets"
Pirata S.D.C.
1986
Psychodrome Eli Bridge Company
19895
An indoor Scrambler ride with music and various visual effects
Turkish Twist S.D.C.citation needed
1981
Xtreme Frisbee HUSS
2007

Blue square rides

Name MFG Year Added Notes
DaVinci's Dream Wood Design bvcitation needed
2003
Yankee Cannonball Philadelphia Toboggan Company
1933
Skater Zamperla
2005
Boston Tea Party O.D. Hopkins Associates, Inc.
19986
Policy Pond O.D. Hopkins Associates, Inc.
1983
Timber Splash WhiteWater West Industries
1994
Giant Sky Wheel Preston Barbiericitation needed
1981
Crazy Cups Philadelphia Toboggan Company
1958
Mine of Lost Souls Sally Corporation
1992
Dodgems
1930's
Twist & Shout Sellner Manufacturing
Rowdy Roosters Chambers
1948citation needed
Caterpillar Harry Traver
1963
Originally purchased from Palisades Amusement Parkcitation needed
Dragon Coaster Zamperla
1991
Over the Rainbow Zamperla
20017

Green circle rides

Name MFG Year Added Notes
Canobie 500 Arrow Dynamics
1977
Antique Carousel Looff
1902
Blue Heron Lake Cruise
2005
Boston Harbor Patrol
2008
Antique Cars Arrow Dynamics
Sky Ride O.D. Hopkins & Universal Design
1986citation needed
Jungle Bounce S&S Power
2003
Flower Power William Mangels
1995
Kiddie Whip
Alpine Swing Sartori Rides International
2003
Kiddie version of Da Vinci's Dream
Mini Dinos Zamperla
Junior Sports Cars Arrow Dynamicscitation needed
1958
Sea/Land Rescue Allen Herschell & Zamperla
19895
Tiki-Maze S.D.C.citation needed Formerly known as "Crystal Orbiter", a reference to the fact that the entire building is on a motor-driven rotating platform. The mechanism has been broken for many years and there are no plans to repair it. The rotation controls can be seen in the control booth just to the left of the maze entrance.
Kiddie Canoes Venture Manufacturing
Mini-Skooter Zamperla Kiddie version of the Dodgems
Vertigo Theatre Semans Buildings & National Cinemas
1987citation needed
Canobie Express Crown Steam engine, propane-fired. The number on the side of the steam engine, "1902", is the year the park opened.1
Kiddieland multiple
1954
A small area with rides for children only

Other rides and attractions

  • Castaway Island (added in 20058)
  • Rock Wall
  • Fireworks
  • Games and Arcades
  • Shows at the Country Stage, Midway Stage and Dancehall Theater
  • Music by the Canobie Ramblers at the Log Flume Gazebo
  • "Canobie Critters", with names Patches, Molly, Bruno, and Dapper.
  • Spooky World will appear at Canobie Lake Park from October 3, 2008 until November 1, 2008. This will be the first year for Spooky World to be at Canobie Lake. 9

Retired attractions

Name MFG Year Added Year Retired Notes
Ocean Trip SBF
20017
2008
Replaced with Boston Harbor Patrol
Bowling Alley After purchasing the park in the 1960s, the owners burned all the pins from the bowling alley to keep warm during their first winter.1
Calypso Mack
1988
Replaced with the "Moon Orbitor"
The Canobie Brass N/A
1979
1982
A brass band that played three shows daily on the stage directly across from the entrance to the Yankee Cannonball. Members of the band were students from the University of Lowell College of Music, Berklee College of Music and Boston University. Instrumentation fluctuated somewhat, but the typical ensemble was alto sax/clarinet, tenor sax/flute, trumpet, trombone, electric piano, electric bass and drums.
Canobie Queen A paddle wheel riverboat that took a 30 minute ride around Canobie Lake
Fascination Replaced with the "Jackpot Casino"
Figure 8 roller coaster
House of Seven Gables
1938
Walk-through haunted house
Jr. Roller Coaster
Kosmojets SDC Telecombat, originally purchased from Palisades Amusement Park.citation needed Replaced with "Wipeout"
Matterhorn SDC
2006
Replaced with a concession stand built to look like a giant hotdog
Moon Orbitor
19895
2002
Replaced with the "Star Blaster"
Paratroopers
2006
Originally purchased from Palisades Amusement Park.citation needed Replaced with "Skater".
Petting Zoo N/A
Rockin' Ride
2004
Replaced with "Xtreme Frisbee"
Round Up
1980
2007
Replaced with "Zero Gravity" (Round Up)
Skating Rink Currently used for storage
The Swamp Pretzel
1954
Mid 80s
Replaced with a building containing midway games
Swimming Pool
2007
Removed to make room for a newer and larger main entrance
USA Missile SBNO as of mid-1990s. The USA Missile is one of a small number of "space simulator" rides built early in the Space Age to a design by John Taggart and Sam Daugherty.10 Passengers sit facing the nose of the rocket, which is then inclined. A movie is shown on a screen at the front as a crude simulation of space flight.

This ride was originally built for Palisades Park in 1958 by Todd Shipyard in California. It was then known as the "Ansco Rocket Ship".11 Once it had been moved to Canobie, it was painted white with an American flag motif and renamed to "USA Missile".12 Some time later, it was repainted again to mimic the markings used on such launch vehicles as the Saturn rockets.13 Similar rides include Coney Island's Astroland Star Flyer.

The Whip

Gallery

References

  1. ^ a b c Seed, Douglas, & Khalife, Katherine (1996). Salem, NH. Volume II - Trolleys, Canobie Lake, and Rockingham Park, Images Of America. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-0438-5.
  2. ^ Canobie Lake Park
  3. ^ "Salem's Canobie Lake Park Has Given 80 Years of Fun", New Hampshire Sunday News (Manchester, NH), June 17, 1990, Colleen Cowette
  4. ^ s&swebwide2
  5. ^ a b c "CANOBIE SPECIAL", Boston Globe, April 16, 1989.
  6. ^ "For your amusement - Region's theme parks have a host of new rides to thrill and chill you", Boston Herald, July 5, 1998, Karyn Miller-Medzon
  7. ^ a b "More sure signs of spring: Canobie Lake Park opens", New Hampshire Sunday News (Manchester, NH), April 29, 2001
  8. ^ "Canobie's new Castaway Island water complex opens", Manchester Union Leader, May 26, 2005
  9. ^ canobie.com
  10. ^ "Coney Island Space Age Icon - will it be destroyed?". Coney Island History Project. Retrieved on 2009-01-04.
  11. ^ "Palisades Amusement Park - Rides and Attractions". Palisades Amusement Park Historical Society. Retrieved on 2009-01-04.
  12. ^ "CanobieFan - Decomissioned Rides". CanobieFan. Retrieved on 2009-01-04.
  13. ^ "USA Missile (Canobie Lake Park)". ThrillNetwork LLC. Retrieved on 2009-01-04.

See also

External links

Wikipedia content modification information:

  • This page was last modified on 4 January 2009, at 17:59.

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