The Allan Herschell Company produced the Looper in the 1940's. A decedent of earlier models the Herschell-Spillman Leaping Lena and the Lindy Loop, the portable Looper was an interactive ride before the interactive concept became popular. Also known as the Squirrel Cage or the Hamster Wheel, the Looper had individual round cages connected by sweeps to a center post. The entire ride turned counter-clockwise. The cages were slightly suspended above a stationary platform and seated two people facing each other with the cage axis in between them. A thick belt went across the rider's laps and locked into a metal contraption on the outer rim of the cage. Riders manipulated a pedal on the floor of the cage to get it to "loop" 360 degrees around so each rider was, at some point, upside down. Holding the pedal completely down allowed riders to continuously loop around. Releasing, then reapplying the pedal slowed the cage down.  The Looper came with a variety of lighting packages from the basic to the park package.

Crystal Beach installed the Looper brand new from the Herschell factory near the end of the 1940's. It was placed in the center of the midway between the Arcade and the Giant Coaster and came with a full light package including art deco rounding boards and a bright vertical back-lit sign. It was an instant success, despite the fact that many riders were unable to get the cages to flip all the way around.  The Looper continued to be successful at the park for the next few decades. When the Herschell Company sold out to Chance Manufacturing in 1970, Chance revitalized the Looper into a more compact version called the Rok-N-Roll. The platform was higher and the rounding boards were eliminated. Lights attached to curved supports sprang up from the center of the ride and decorative fencing with circles set into the framework rounded out the ride. The cages were more enclosed and the pedal was removed so the looping was controlled by the operator.

As Crystal Beach's Looper aged, it became more and more difficult for parts to be found. Chance had phased out the Looper parts and the Rok-N-Roll parts simply didn't fit. Crystal Beach officials decided to remove the Looper following the 1977 season citing safety as the reason. Most of the ride was stored on the pier, (the portion under the observation deck was boarded up and many older rides found their way there). When the Garrison Road entrance was redone a few seasons later, two of the cages were bolted onto pillars for decoration. Eventually they were removed and scrapped along with the rest of the ride.

The Looper is one of those rare rides that are still fun to ride if you can find them. An operating Looper can be found at Knoebels in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. The trailer-mount version was completely restored by park mechanics and sports bright colors and an amazing light package. It is worth the trip just to ride a bit of history and to remember the Looper at Crystal Beach.

I have been collecting Crystal Beach postcards since long before the park closed. The park didn't carry postcards for a while and to find one from the 1960's or 1970's is a rarity. I scour all sorts of places looking for cards, online auction sites, postcard shows, antique shops. The first time I found a postcard with posed people on it, I was surprised. At that time I didn't know these types of postcards existed. What caught my eye about the card were the words "Crystal Beach, Canada" imprinted on the sail of a boat on the backdrop. I paid 35 cents for the card. At the time, I was appalled that someone would sell their relatives. Now I'm glad people do sell their relatives because since that first studio photo card, I have collected dozens.

In these particular cards, nearly all the subjects are posed around or on one of two styles of benches made of tree branches. The backdrops vary between the sailboat, the Americana and the Canadiana. Sometimes there are twisty grapevine branches or a log in the photo as well. The backdrops appear to be fabric. On some cards the backdrop has moved downward or is wrinkled and the top of it can be seen. The clothes the people are wearing are casual for them, but formal for modern times. I love the high button shoes, the big bows in girls' hair, the funny hats men wore. For a place that illicited fun, the subjects don't always look very happy. They grimace at the camera or look as if having their picture taken is painful. The images are so crystal clear, it's amazing. Even the tiniest detail on the clothing can still be seen.

Every one of these cards were taken and developed at Woolever's studio at Crystal Beach. A local resident, Woolever actually had three studios. One was a smallish building on the midway, one was a tent erected on the beach and the third was in a permanent location on Derby Road from where he did more formal portraits all year round. Woolever was Crystal Beach's first official photographer. He took many photos of the park and the beach. He hired on assistants who would roam the beach, spontaneously taking photos of people. These would be developed into postcards and sold to the subjects. Woolever concentrated on the photo cards. Patrons loved getting their pictures taken. It was a unique and special souvenir they could keep forever or send to family and friends. To make sure there were enough photo cards for all the family and friends, Woolever would offer the subjects several different packages of multiple cards with different price points that fit everyone's budget. (I don't think anyone ever mailed them. All the ones I have are blank on the back.)

Woolever wasn't just a photographer, he was also an inventor. Always looking for ways to make the photographic developing process quicker to accommodate his park patrons, Woolever came up with a device that moved the film from one chemical bin to the other automatically. His invention worked so well, Eastman Kodak bought it from him, patents and all.

Woolever's photo card enterprise was quickly copied by others and a stop to have your photo taken at your local amusement park became quite common. Not much has changed in over a century dispite the fact that nearly everyone carries a camera on them or has one on their cell phone. In most major theme parks patrons are met at the entry gate by employees with huge digital cameras enthusiastically trying to get your group in a photo that will become a magnet or keychain for you to take home. Cameras hooked on roller coasters result in hair-raising images you can't get anywhere else. And it is still fun to meander into the Photo Shop on the midway, dress up in old fashioned clothes and have your photo taken so you look like Great Grandma and Great Grandpa might have in their photo card from Crystal Beach. Maybe someday you will become a piece of someone's collection!

5. It made a horrible noise that could be heard down the midway when the train entered the Figure 8 section under the station.

4. A nurse was hired to stay in the station during operation hours.

3. The lake was close enough to give the illusion of going into it from the first drop.

2. Banked sections of track were parallel to the ground.

1. There wasn't one straight piece of track, outside of the station, including the first drop which was called the "Drop into Hell."

Those of us who were lucky enough to visit Crystal Beach Park had our favorite rides. We can rattle off their names without blinking an eye. Our favorite ride list usually includes the Comet or Laff in the Dark or Wild Mouse. However, there were some very thrilling rides on the park's midway over the years that are barely remembered. Once we recall them we say, "Oh, I forgot about that ride. I loved that ride!" So here are a few we liked.

Flitzer. This small, portable roller coaster only lasted a few seasons. It arrived during the mid-1970's and then disappeared out of the park and our minds. Located just behind the arcade and close to the Comet's first and third turnarounds, the Flitzer was a fun, fast little coaster ride that had to be repeated over and over again. It's layout included two flat helixes and several small hills. The helixes are where all the speed happened. The track weaved in and out of a facade painted with a race car theme. The zippy cars sat two to three riders one in front of the other and the snub-nosed design resembled a custom made race car.

Arctic Cat. The manufacturer's generic name for this ride is Toboggan. Riders sat in black, partially enclosed, 2-person cars with locking grids on the front. Leaving the station, the cars immediately ascended a lift hill straight up through a tower. This totally vertical lift kept riders on their backs until it peaked at the top of the tower. Once the car cleared the tower it began a downward spiral on track that corkscrewed around the tower. The ride finished with three killer bunny hops and a turn into the station. Artic Cat was a generally rough ride, but fun. It only lasted 3 seasons.

Flying Coaster. The name is really misleading as this was a flat ride, not a coaster. The cars could fit up to 4 passengers (depending on their girth) and were connected to a central rotating tower by arms or sweeps. Hydraulics lifted the cars up and down. To help the cars fly, a ramp was situated within the circle the cars traveled. A single wheel under the car rolled along a track then up the ramp. The car flew off the edge, remaining airborn for a few seconds before gently lowering to the ground.

Rotor.  You could observe this ride from above before you rode it. Riders stepped into a vertical barrel and stood back and heels against the wall. The barrel would spin counter-clockwise. As it sped up, riders were sucked to the wall, practically unable to move. Then the floor dropped out. Riders remained plastered to the wall until the barrel began to slow down and the floor rose to meet them. Some riders did stupid things like turned upside down or tried to crawl over other riders. Still the Rotor lasted for several seasons.

Twister. Similar to the Hey Dey, the Twister was mounted on an inclined platform rather than a flat platform. The entire ride spun in one direction while the cars spun in another. The operator had control of the cars and a good spinmaster had passengers staggering for as much as 10 minutes after the ride was over. See photo of Lakemont Park Twister at beginning of this article.