« The Dramatic Chipmunk is an Other? | Main | NetFlix Depot in Erie? »
Bring Back the Mill Run
Remember when we used to go to Waldameer when we were kids for school picnics and the like? Remember how gigantic it was and how the distance from the Wacky Shack to the Paratrooper seemed like 100 miles?
Now, as I walk my own sons around the park, it feels so tiny. To get from the bumper cars to the skyride takes a minute. Funny. I am also finding now that I'm over 30, I can't do the spinny rides. Evan and I rode the merry-go-round and I got it off and thought I was going to die. Self, avoid the Scrambler.
I miss the old stuff that was there when we were kids. Even stuff that I thought was lame like the Mill Run - I think that type of ride would suit my old-ass self. Remember the bumper boats? There's a baby roller coaster now in that pool now. Didn't you need an extra ticket (even with your ride-a-rama) to do the bumper boats?
Where the semi-trucks ride is, there used to a water pond there as well, and my memory's foggy, but wasn't there some sort of remote control boats or something there you could do?
I remember where the Wipeout is now, was a ride that basically just went around in a circle with a big ramp. The Whip or The Bump - I can't remember the name.
Other then the Ravine Flyer I, what else used to be at Waldameer that's no longer there?
Posted by Mike at July 17, 2007 9:12 PM | Add to del.icio.usi used to ride that hand-driven train ride all the time. the one where you had to pedal with your hands? i used to annoy the crap out of my mom by just jumping back in line for that thing.
Posted by: ron at July 18, 2007 8:24 AMGosh, the only other thing I can think of that's not there anymore is that giant ball pit by the midway. I swear I'd forget where I put my shoes in those circular tubes every time and spend more time searching for them than I spend in the pit. I can't do the spinny rides anymore - but I found this out when I threw up on the merry go round at the zoo, lol.
Posted by: Kitten at July 18, 2007 8:37 AM"The Whip or The Bump - I can't remember the name."
The Flying Coaster...I think.
Posted by: Emma at July 18, 2007 8:59 AMI think Emma got it -- The Flying Coaster. I think one of the last rides of that type is at Kennywood. It was always a favorite of mine.
I LOVED the Mill Run ride! The best part was when you went down that little hill -- to a little kid, that was quite a thrill. I even have photos of my dad and I riding it together when I was a kid at one of his GE picnics there. Good memories..
Posted by: Mandi at July 18, 2007 9:13 AMHow about some of the old arcade games that they had. Like pushing buttons that made a clown dance or a gypsy that told fortunes or two bull horns that you presses together to determine your strength or a very old crane game that kinda looked like a Bucyrus Erie crane can you remember these.
Posted by: Gary Ames at July 18, 2007 11:55 AMThere was a ride called the bump. all it did was go in a circle, then climb a bump. I can still imagine the shiny metal track it rode on.
Posted by: c-rolla at July 18, 2007 12:06 PMthere was definitly a pond in the middle (by the karaoke stage) where they had remote control boats. funny. karaoke at an AMUSEMENT park. how un-amusing.
it was always a good time to put the first time visitor on the outside of the "bump" car. when you went over the bump you could really crush them. now don't act like you're to good to crush a little kid on te bump at waldameer.
Posted by: eric sandberg at July 18, 2007 4:10 PMI remember the Mill Chutes and the Flying Scooters; others have different names for them but I think we're talking the same thing. My brother and I used to play the arcade baseball game and shoot the .22's in the gallery just next door. Skittles was in that area also. Dodgems was my favorite.
Posted by: Joe at July 18, 2007 4:18 PMI loved the Bump. Putting the first timer on the outside of the car was always a good trick. I wish it was still there--that thing they have there now stinks.
I remember there being a Moon Bounce when I was little--I think it was over near the Pirate's Cove. Speaking of which, I totally freaked Evan out by making him go in there. He's still talking about it.
The ball pit in the middle was fun too, I'm sorry they got rid of that. And I miss the Mill Run too--though I love the "Thunder River", there was just something about bumping your boat on the concrete walls of the Mill Run. I'm not sorry they got rid of the Bumper Boats, because I could never steer those damn things.
And ron--they still have those hand-driven trains. We'll be at Waldameer again this Sunday if you want to race. :)
Posted by: jenny at July 18, 2007 9:42 PMRemember all the water sloshing around on the inside of those Mill Run boats??? Your feet would be soaked! And how DDDEEEEPPPP you thought the water in the canal was? It couldn't have been more than a couple feet deep at the most!!! Do you remember the original merry-go-round? The one that was supposed to be one of the oldest in the country? They ended up selling the horses to collectors for big bucks? I could never imagine who in their right mind would ever want to ride in the swan seats or sit on that stupid tiger with the open mouth... it just sat there!!! BORING! Now that would be about all the excitement I could stand for one day! The Dodgems were always my favorite and still are!
Posted by: Cuz'n Linda at July 18, 2007 11:20 PMI haven't been to Waldameer in nearly 15 years.. I was feeling nostalgic after reading the article and the great comments and found a little video clip of waldameer on the net.. Made me want to go ride the bumper cars.. Anyway.. the video I found is here.
http://xoinks.com/mov/view_video.php?viewkey=85fec7fd7a7d3c01761b
