Crystal Beach was one of those wonderful traditonal amusement parks that evolved through its long history as Western New York's and Southern Ontario's Playground into a premier amusement park. Nearly everyone who lived within 100 miles of the park, enjoyed it's summer offerings every year. Many companies and schools booked their annual picnics at Crystal Beach. There were Community Days when folks from specific neighborhood areas of Buffalo arrived at the park en masse via the Canadiana steam ship or bus.

Crystal Beach was known for its scream machines. In the early days it had a state-of-the-art Figure 8 roller coaster that really gave  early 20th century patrons a thrill. That roller coaster was replaced by the Backety-Back Scenic Railway. It was a breathless ride that cummulinated on an upward sweep of forward track that stopped in mid-air. While the train made its way up this small hill, a switchman switched the track below. When the train rolled back down, it rolled onto the new track and coasted in a different direction. The side-friction Giant Coaster, known as the "yellow coaster" to many park patrons, debuted in 1916 as a "smooth, fast ride." The Giant provided a fun and quick ride for the next 73 years.

The Cyclone roller coaster was the most terrifying roller coaster in the world. Built in 1926 by famed coaster builder, Harry Traver, it was ahead of its time. This diabolical ride rose 96 feet above the midway and dropped passengers down a spiral dip "into hell." The double helix was so sharply banked it was mistaken for a loop. When the train entered the figure-8 element below the station it could be heard throughout the park.  The only straight piece of track on the Cyclone was in the station. High maintanence and low ridership ended it's 20 year career, but the Cyclone lives on.

The Comet landed at Crystal Beach in 1948 and most of its steel came from the Cyclone. Stretched along the shoreline, the Comet gave riders plenty of thrills and chills on its 14 rolling hills. It's lakeside location added fear to the ride as passengers had a bird's eye view of the lake bottom from the top of the 96 foot lift hill.

Crystal Beach also had plenty of flat rides, a lovely handcarved carousel, a miniature train ride, a fabulous dark ride and unique fun house. It's shady grove was the perfect place for picnics and its kiddieland was a delight for youngsters. With the cool Lake Erie breezes, a golden beach and rolling surf to swim in, Crystal Beach was the perfect place to spend a hot summer afternoon.

To read more about Crystal Beach's history and rides, see our on-line catalog for the book, Crystal Memories: 101 Years of Fun at Crystal Beach Park.

Crystal Beach's Laff In The Dark

Crystal Beach debuted its Laff In The Dark ride in 1936. Although park owners had been planning on the addition of a dark ride since 1932, the Great Depression kept those plans from coming to fruition because of a lack of money.

Finally, things began looking better and the park spent the money for the new ride. The former bowling alley building was used to house the ride. It's exterior was decorated in an oriental design, changing the Victorian towers flanking the building into pagodas with curling accents at the roof line.

Inside were funny and scary stunts like Popey and Whimpy, a flying witch, dancing skeletons, and a man's head in a bathtub. Ceiling stunts included 80 inch thick thread, balloons and rubber bands that brushed against riders faces and heads. The cars headed for dead ends and collisions like the brick wall and an oncoming train, but a sharp turn of the track took riders out of harm's way. Wooden blocks set in places alongside the track tricked riders into believing their cars would tip over. There were plenty of sounds too, spooky, funny and loud.

As the years passeed stunts changed inside and the track was shortened. Some of the trick track was removed. Still, Laff In The Dark provided fun and entertainment for many riders both young and old. Those not brave enough to ride enjoyed the mechanical laughter of Laughing Sal and the out-of-tune piano playing of the skeleton known as Charming Charlie. Both of these odd figures resided within each of the ride's towers and were part of the ballyhoo used to draw riders to the attraction.

Laff In The Dark was purchased by a single bidder during the auction in October 1989. Several of the cars were sold to other people after the fact. Laff In The Dark is long gone, but its memory lingers on. Enjoy a glimpse back at this fun scary ride in the video, I Remember Crystal Beach, now available through our online catalog and hear Sal laughing again. Ha,Ha,Ha,Ha.

When Crystal Beach closed in 1989, Charley Wood, then owner of the Great Escape Park in Lake George, purchased the Comet at the auction for $210,000. The bidding was fast and furious between Charley and officials from nearby Darien Lake. Charley won the Comet, a great moment for him. He had been a young man when he first rode it and was well versed in its reputation. Winning the ownership of the Comet meant the arrival of coaster enthusiasts from all over the world to his park.

Charley also owned local park, Fantasy Island at the time. While he negotiated with the people of the town of Queensbury to erect the Comet at Great Escape, Charley hired people to take down the Comet and truck it across the Niagara River to Fantasy Island on Grand Island, NY. It remained stacked up in the field behind the parking lot for five long years. As time dragged on, the steel began to show signs of rust, the trains rotted and small wild animals made their homes in the leather seats. Many feared the Comet was lost forever. Many believed Charley was dragging his feet in putting up the Comet and until he sold Fantasy Island, they hoped the Comet might still be put up at the Grand Island park. The real reason for the long wait for the resurrection of the Comet was the zoning laws, noise  and environmental issues the town of Queensbury used to fight Charley in putting up the roller coaster.

Then, in late fall of 1993, word leaked out that the Comet was going up at Great Escape. Concrete footers appeared in carefully laid rows at the far back of the park. Flatbed trucks hauled the Comet parts across the state and soon the steel supports were seen stacked in an open field near the site. Throughout  the winter workers raised the Comet. The steel was still strong. The rust was removed and primed. In near blizzard conditions and freezing temperatures the Comet was reassembled. Douglas Fir was trucked in from British Columbia and was used for the track bed. Steel rails were bent to the configuration of the track. Charley Wood said the Comet was the "world's largest erector set."

The Comet was put up exactly as it had been at Crystal Beach except for an extra 15 feet out of the station, a necessity because of the lay of the land. Coaster Enthusiasts made suggestions for the station queues. The station's roofing suppots were the same as they had been at Crystal Beach without the art deco. The lattice work steel had originally been used on the Crystal Beach Cyclone roller coaster as was most of the support steel, including the lift hill. The greatest controversy came when Charley wanted to purchase fiberglass trains to replace the original Philadelphia Toboggan Company  (PTC) trains that were too rotted to be restored. A loud protest rang out among coaster enthusiasts. Over 1200 signatures were collected on a petition for new, heavy metal PTC trains.

The Comet opened in its new home in June of 1994 to much fanfare and a large contigency of excited coaster enthusiasts anxious to ride their old friend. When Charley made his speech to the coaster's fans he said, "I got you your trains. You'd better like them."

Finishing its 12th year at Great Escape, the Comet continues to have an expansive following including a new generation of coaster crazy fans. It is the most popular ride in the park with 8 out of 10 riders repeating ride after ride. Early in the day and late in the day, repeat rides are the quickest and easiest. Riders are allowed to remain seated in the trains if no one is in their line. Most riders stay. On a recent visit by this author, two 12 year-old boys racked up 15 consecutive rides in 90 minutes. Twice the entire train agreed to stay on and the operators sent the train out full.

Charley Wood sold the park to the Six Flags Corporation in 1997. Six Flags maintainence took it upon themselves to reprofile a section of track they felt was "too violent" on the Comet. While this unnecessary, In this author's opinion, reprofiliing removed the lateral-g section and changed the feel on the first back run, the Comet still produces plenty of airtime and speed.

This author has many opinions on the operation of Great Escape. A pretty, clean park is now overcrowded and dirty. It needs paint and tender loving care. While improvements have been made in some areas, other areas have been neglected, including on the Comet which desperatley needs a new coat of white paint. While there in August, 2006, I rode both the red and blue trains. My favorite seat is in the back and the blue train had a definate shimmy to it. Two maintainence men rode with me at one point and I told them about the shimmy. We were riding the red train at the time. Then they got into the blue train to ride and probably to prove me wrong, which they couldn't do.

Last weekend I was in the area and stopped at Great Escape for a few hours, not for the Frightfest event, but to ride the Comet. It was cold and raining. People were leaving the park. It was prime ride time. I had 18 consecutive rides in 96 minutes! Fabulous! Only the red train was running. The blue train had already been taken off the track for repair. At least someone at Six Flags listens to coaster enthusiasts. We do know what we're talking about.

Although I don't care for Six Flags in general, they do have possesion of my favorite coaster, and I will, on occasion, shell out the money to ride. I don't like what they did to Great Escape, sucking away its charm and diversity. The clientele is now primarily teenagers and young adults who are rowdy and obnoxious. Those old enough to drink consume large plastic "steins" of beer and ride drunk. This last visit I had a guy behind me who was so drunk I could smell the beer on his breath when he talked. He didn't even know me, but insulted me throughout the ride and when he was leaving, he attempted to climb over the railing and was stopped by an employee. Then there is the line jumping. At Six Flags line jumping isn't forbidden, its an art. And no one stops people from doing it. I witnessed adults jumping over the queue line railings or walking on them to get ahead in the line. It was disgusting.

But, I still go to ride the Comet, which continues to deliver a wonderful smooth, fast ride even after 58 years. Coast on Comet!

The Comet wasn't the only ride Charley Wood purchased from the Crystal Beach auction. He also bought the Flying Bobs. Crystal Beach had several different versions of the Flying Bobs over the years, dependent upon the machine the concessionaire owned. The Allan Herschell Company in North Tonawanda developed the Flying Bobs ride initially. It was an exciting thrill ride that simulated a bobsled ride.

Compact vehicles with sticker-type runners on the bottom were attached to sweeps or arms that extended from the hub of the ride. In turn the sweeps were connected to wheels which followed an undulated track creating the up and down motion of the vehicle. The speed of the ride caused the bobsled to swing from side to side via thick rubber bands and at times riders were parallel to the floor. The ride was capable of forward and backward motion. Usually the operator would start the ride forward, then halfway through, slow it and reverse it. Many riders agreed that the backward motion was far more intense than the forward motion. Throughout the ride rock and roll music would blast from the huge speakers mounted near the control booth.

It was difficult getting out of the bobs after the disorientating ride. Watchers laughed as riders clung to the vehicle while trying to step out of it . Even when stopped the vehicles moved from side to side. It certainly was amusing to see riders stagger down the undulated platform to the exit.

The Flying Bobs had a nice winter theme with paintings of skiers, snowy hillsides, snow-laden trees and even snowmen. These paintings covered the inside center panels that hid the mechanics of the ride and were also on the lower panels attached to the raised platform.

During the 1960's Crystal Beach had the Zugspitz. A ride similar to the bobs, it was the prelude to the Music Express and Himalya type of rides known today. The really "cool" part of the ride was the snowman mounted in the center. He bowed, flourishing the top hat he held in one hand. The snowman was made of a soft foam-type of fiber that was prodded from behind by a metal rod. This produced the bowing motion.

The last version of the bobs Crystal Beach owned was purchased from Chance Manufacturing in 1980 and it came with a fabulous lighting package of pulsating colored lights. It moved around the park to several different locations before its final stop in the Comet courtyard near the walkway to the beach, previously occupied by the Wild Mouse. It was a popular ride, especially with teens.

After winning the Flying Bobs at the auction, Charley had it moved to his park in Lake George. Not the Great Escape, he already had a more recent version of the ride called the Thunderbolt operating there, but to Gaslight Village which was located on Route 9 in the village of Lake George. I'll write more about Gaslight Village in another blurb. By the time the bobs were installed at this park,Charley had changed the name of the park to Adventure Park. He had updated the park to fit its new image.

In the late 1990's, Charley closed Adventure Park. Attendance hadn't been good despite the summertime crowds. The Flying Bobs was sold to a carnival owner. It is unknown if the ride is still in operation. Click on the photo above to view more photos of the Flying Bobs.

The Pirate swinging ship ride arrived at Crystal Beach in 1980. The large ship had a bow, stern and mermaids mounted on the pole directly below the crow's nest. Although made of fiberglass, the ship looked as if it were made of wood. A total of eight bench seats could comfortably seat 4 to 5 riders each. Lap bars were automatically lowered and lifted by the operator. Four benches were set on each side of the ship so riders faced each other as the boat swung 7 stories into the air. Major airtime was experienced in the far end ship.

The Pirate was a prototype from Huss Manufacturing of Germany and was the first of this type of ride in the area. Later models were made smaller as the original model took up a great deal of space. Rubber tires rolled against the metal strip on the bottom of the boat, pushing it back and forth until momentum took over and the ship swung freely from its center pivot. The same rubber tires were used to stop the swinging ship by causing friction against the metal strip. A sound system onboard the ride allowed rock and roll music to be played.

Some Crystal Beach operators had fun with the riders. On slow days an operator would taunt, "The louder you scream, the longer you ride." Riders were quick to obey, screaming so loud they could be heard all the way to the Creamy Whip stand. The screams attracted people down to the Pirate, most curious to see what all the excitement was about. Watchers usually became riders. The operator was good to his word, allowing a long ride until passengers became hoarse.

Originally located between the pier and beach entrance, the Pirate was moved behind the Auto Skooters in 1984 to make room for the Galaxy coaster. In 1986 it was moved in front of the old Bingo Hall between the Giant Coaster and the lunch counter. When the ride arrived in 1980, it came with metal backdrops painted with ocean scenes that included jellyfish, dolphins, coral and mermaids. The backdrops disappeared when the Pirate was moved in 1984.

Charley Wood won the ride during the 1989 auction and moved it to The Great Escape. The Pirate continues to operate there, just a short walk from its compatriot, the Comet.

"We met boys there. That was the main reason to go. And, oh, how beautiful it was with all the lights glowing and the mirrored ball spinning and the dancers gliding on the floor. All those famous bands playing and the music sounded all over the park. It was magical, wonderful. I really loved it."

Laffing Sal was the mechanical woman trapped behind a wire mesh screen in one of the towers of the Laff in the Dark. She moved back and forth and her head rolled as she chuckled loudly. Her tinny guffaw could be heard half way down the midway. The exact date of Sal's arrival at Crystal Beach is unknown, but it must have been sometime in the late 1930's or early 1940's as that was when her cousins began appearing at funhouses all across North America.  Although she occasionally made appearances in parades and outside her tower, Sal was forever connected to the Laff in the Dark in the minds of Crystal Beach Park patrons. 

Robed in a fashionable belted dress, a string of pearls and sporting a snappy hairdo when she first took residence at the park, Sal was larger than life standing 6 feet, 10 inches tall. She personnified the jolly fat woman and was meant to amuse the crowd, however she often frightened small children (including the CB Crier!) with her wildly waving arms and gap-toothed grin.

Laffing Sal and her male counterpart, Laffing Sam, were made by Philadelphia Toboggan Company as part of the ballyhoo for funhouses and dark rides. PTC actually subcontracted the papermache  construction of the mechanical couple to Old King Cole Papier Mache Company of Canton, Ohio. The papermache was 7 plys of pressed ground wood pulp and card stock with interior horse hair. This was wrapped around steel coils, springs and cams. The head and limbs were detachable. Sold new from the factory a Laffing Sal cost $360. A restored Laffing Sal today can cost as much as $50,000.

Over time Sal's repitious movements wore out her dress. Age, weather and sand matted her hair and cracked her face. Her clothing changed yearly, her dresses often hand-me-downs from park owner Ed Hall's mother. Her chuckle became a cackle as her taped laughter wore out and began to fade. Eventually the looped soundtrack stopped working altogther and Sal's jerky movements were accompanied by silence. She became a real horror.

Like everything else at Crystal Beach Park, Sal was auctioned off in October of 1989. Her soundtrack fell into the hands of a preservationist who restored her looped laughter. After a bit of traveling, Sal ended up in a private collection in California where she enjoys a fine retirement.  

For years Paul Bunyan towered approximately 18 feet above the midway at Crystal Beach. He appeared sometime in the early 1960's, his fiberglass face gazing down upon patrons with a benign expression. Many parents had their children pose for photos with Paul, clutching his massive legs.

During the 1960's there were many giant fiberglass figures that made their way into amusement parks. Paul's origins remain a mystery, although many claim him to be a member of the Muffler Man family. However, upon comparison of characteristics of Our Paul and the Muffler Man family, the CB Crier believes that our Paul is just a distant cousing.

Muffler Men were made during the 1960's and 1970's as advertisements for retail stores by a company in Venice California. The first Muffler Man was a Paul Bunyan built for a cafe on the infamous Route 66 in Flagstaff, Arizona. All Muffler Men since then have been created from the same mold. They have identifiable features: a lantern jaw, neat side-parted hair, are nattily dressed, have their right hand palm turned up and their  left hand palm turned down (to make it easier to hold things.) Our Paul has an elongated face, rather shaggy hair with a stray lock on his forehead that would make Elvis Presley proud, a too-tight shirt straining at the single button exposing his upper chest and slightly round paunch, and both his hands are turned palm inward.  The conclusion is that our Paul was made by a different manufacturer. In all my travels I have not seen a Paul Bunyan that looked like ours.

As former Crystal Beach patrons know, the kiddieland section of the park was full of giant fiberglass figures. Among them were the tin soldier and cowboys riding bucking broncos. And don't forget those clown faces mounted on the Frolicland facade. They all had to come from somewhere, most likely the same company as Paul.  If anyone knows where they were made, send us an email.

Regardless of where our Paul originated from, he was a favorite with park patrons. When he first arrived he held a shotgun in both hands, then it switched to his right hand with the butt resting at his feet.  Eventually the rifle was replaced with a sign.  Paul moved around the park a bit. He was seen near the Giant Coaster, then next to the Flitzer, then finally in the Comet courtyard. These days, Paul is in semi-retirement in a private collection in Western New York, but when the Christmas season rolls around he can be seen towering above a man-made grove of live Christmas trees at Anderson's on Sheridan Dr. in Tonawanda, NY, proudly holding a pine tree in his hand.

One of the most popular rides on Crystal Beach's midway was the miniature train. Like the carousel, it appealed to all age groups. There was no height restriction. Many children experienced their first ride as an infant, seated on their mother or father's lap.

The first train at Crystal Beach was a miniature steam engine. Running on coal and water, it huffed, puffed and chugged its way down toward Erie Road and round the backside of the largest sand dune. The original equipment was later joined by a steam engine that had operated at the Pan Am Exposition held in Buffalo, NY in 1901.  The hard top coaches had 2 to 3 seats, just comfortable enough for adults. The pair of steam trains departed from and returned to an open-sided station decorated with fancy gingerbread woodwork.

The station changed during the remodeling of the midway. The older station was removed and the new open-sided station had a distinct art deco look including an archway that the train passed under on its return run. Louis LeJeune operated the miniature train concession for many years along with the adjacent Auto Speedway. He replaced the aging steam engines with modern, streamlined diesel engines in 1948. These trains had smaller coaches more suitable for children than adults, however, adults quickly learned to squeeze themselves in the miniature seats. Other than the updated station, the course remained the same. A trestle and tunnel were added.

The streamliner was replaced in the 1960's with a Chance Mfg. C.P.Huntington train, a replica of an actual steam engine by the same name. The new train had large soft-topped cars that easily accomadated adult riders. With the arrival of the new engine came the last incarnation of the station. Its sloped roof and woodwork trim harkened back to the era of the C.P. Huntington and was often spruced up with hanging baskets of flowers. The interior of the open-sided station remained the same with the false ticket booth and the painted ticket taker as well as the benches passengers sat on awaiting the train's return. This bright red and blue train is the one most baby boomers remember.

Since time began humans have been afraid of the dark. From this fear sprang tales of ghosts, zombies, monsters, vampires and other horrible creatures of the night. We have devised methods of keeping the dark at bay: candles, lanterns, torches, the lightbulb and flashlights. The people who manufacture night lights have a booming business. How comforting it is for us to have that soft yellow glow in the hallway, kitchen, bathroom or our bedroom in the deepest, darkest part of the night when our dreams can turn into nightmares. With the dawn of the electrical age came the thought process that things that go bump in the night aren't real and we tamped down our primitive fear of the dark because with the flip of a switch, we could make the threat go away.

But that primitive fear of the unknown entity lurking in the dark remains deep within us and that's one of the reasons dark rides and haunted walk-thrus are so popular. We love being scared--in a controlled environment. When we know that the ride will end we are more willing to subject ourselves to the fear. Most of us associate the dark ride with horror and the macabre. Our childhood nightmares become real in some of these rides. Bats circle our heads, we pass scenes of torture and blood, we scream and cringe, then laugh when we emerge.

Not all dark rides have scary themes. They rely on the element of surprise, clanging bells, blasts of bright lights, and whistles among others, to startle us. A dark ride can be as much fun as it is scary.

The history of dark rides dates back to the Old Mills of the Victorian Age. These rides were two or four seat boats that moved along a man-made stream. The stream's current kept the boats moving through the circular course. Most of the course was pitch black with only a few low-lit scenes scattered throughout. The ride was an excuse for heavy petting forbidden during that era. Soon it was obvious what was occuring and to discourage the fondling, automated noise makers were added to the ride. These included crashing cymbols, cowbells on strings, and air whistles which quickly became the mainstay of the dark ride. Eventually the Old Mill was replaced by the Tunnel of Love concept. In the 1960's The Tunnel of Love was revamped to Jungle Land themed water dark rides.

The first non-aquatic automated dark ride was invented by Leon Cassidy in 1928. Cassidy had taken over Tumbling Dam Park in Bridgeton, NJ. He and his partner were intent on refurbishing the park, but they had a tight budget. The popularity of the Old Mill rides pressed Cassidy to wanting to install one, but he didn't have the resources to construct a man-made body of water or the boats. Tinkering with an old Dodgem car and a single electrical track, he created what we now know as the Dark Ride. His name for it was The Pretzel, because, as one rider claimed, he felt like a pretzel, all twisted and bent after taking the ride.

In a basic dark ride the cars glide along a single winding rail through a large dark structure. The snaking track gives the illusion of moving through rooms, enhanced by the vehicle slamming through doors here and there. However, darkness forms the "walls" of the various "rooms" throughout the ride. The twisting path of the rail takes advantage of the spacious building so that any older building can be utilized to house the ride.

With the entire ride, including stunts, mechanized, it is easily operated. Kooky gadgetry, automated stunts, and well-placed noise makers are triggered by the car running over pipes or magnets on the floor. Stunts can also be scenes, hence, devils, witches and other creatures of the night populate the ride. Many tricks are used to disorientate and fool the senses. Black thread brushing against faces, rotating spiral disks, spinning barrels, corridors that appeared to grow smaller and blasts of air are just the some of the pranks used in a traditional dark ride.

Crystal Beach opened their version of a dark ride in 1936. It was the depression and money was practically non-existant, still the park owners needed a new ride to excite customers. Laff in the Dark was a dark ride concept invented by Harry Traver in 1930.  Traver sold his business to employee R.E. Chambers in 1932. Chambers continued offering the ride as one of his products. During installation of Laff in the Dark, Chambers often became frustrated with Crystal Beach's general manager, Harry Hall, who needed to keep the cost down and kept trying to cut corners. Initially, Mr. Hall wanted to use old Dodgem cars on the ride, but eventually Chambers convinced him to build new ones. The cars were constructed right in Ontario using Chambers blueprints.

By converting the old Bowling Alley into the dark ride the outset of money for the ride was far less than it would have been if the park had constructed a new building. An oriental theme was chosen and embellishments made of wood, pressboard and metal sheeting, combined with back lighting,  made the building look brand new. Inside, the track wove through the structure. Magnets were laid at certain points in the track activating stunts and lighting up scenes, usually with black lights. Quick, hairpin turns took the cars away from the threat of head-on collisions with a brick wall, train or another car (which was the reflection in a mirror of the car the riders were in.) There were in-your-face stunts like ribbons, ropes, and thread. Masks were fixed on poles and popped up or out at the riders.

The dark ride all but disappeared in the 1940's. Few were built and some of those that continued to exist began to fall into disrepair. Then in 1955 Uncle Walt opened Disneyland and the dark ride was reborn. Only this time, there was very little in scare factor and much in delightful fantasy. Using the traditional stunt styles like mechanical and popping figures and slamming doors, Walt and his imagineers created such classics as Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and Snow White's Scary Adventure. The imagineers developed new technologies to create timeless rides as Peter Pan's Flight and Small World. Their crowning glory was the Haunted Mansion. Making strong use of magician's tricks, low and black lighting and audio-animatronics, the Haunted Mansion quickly became the most popular dark ride in the park and remains so to this day. Other dark rides sprang up such as the infamous Pirates of the Carribbean. Today Disney imagineers have taken the dark ride to new heights with the Winnie the Pooh ride, Splash Mountain and the interactive Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.

With Disneyland's innovative dark rides exciting guests, amusement parks across North America revamped their old dark rides, often immitating Disney's ideas. New dark rides began showing up on the midway resulting in an explosion of them during the earlier part of this decade.

Disney paved the way for other inventors to take the dark ride further by applying the constantly improving uses of computer technology. Today riders find themselves blasting ghosts, rounding up turkeys, and hunting bad guys in themed inter-active dark rides that utilize a targeting system and allows riders to rack up points. There are no prizes, but there is plenty of satisfaction beating your fellow rider. Other dark rides have returned to their non-aquatic roots; scaring the rider.

With sophisticated audio and visual technology combined with fantastic computer and mechanical advances, the fear factor has returned to the dark ride; now immersing the rider completely into the dark ride environment. Again, Disney was the leader in this development, creating the Indiana Jones Adventure and Dinosaur rides. Other parks have borrowed the technology and created amazing dark ride escapades such as Universal's Spiderman and Busch Gardens Williamsburg's Curse of DarKastle. The elements of surprise, illusions and playing on the rider's fears all work together to create a terrifying nightmare of a ride, leaving one to ask "Are you afraid of the dark?" You should be. You should be.

(Photos in this article are: Photo 1: Dante's Inferno exterior from the now defunct Astroland, Coney Island, Photo 2: reducing hallway from the defunct Roseland Park's Golden Nugget, Photo 3: Laff in the Dark from Crystal Beach, Photo 4: Disneyland's antebellum Haunted Mansion and Photo 5: Busch Gardens Williamsburg Curse of DarKastle.)

We speak with a lot of people about Crystal Beach during events, etc.  and it is amazing what they remember or what they think they remember. Within all those memories five things stand out above all others. We want to share those with you.

5. School Picnics and Community Days. Ah, yes. Those wonderful days when you went to the beach with your pals on the bus or the boat and spent the entire day, usually without your parents. Depending what school you went to, tickets or admission was either free (paid for by the PTA or class fund raiser) or discounted. Discounted tickets was the general rule of Community Days and with both events there was transporation to the beach. There were games in the stadium and prizes for the winner, not to mention the beach and the rides. A bonus with school picnics was that food was usually involved so you had money to blow on games (except for the money your mother gave you to bring a bag of waffles home and you'd better bring them home.)

 4. The food. Whether you took a picnic to the park or not, there were always certain treats you bought at Crystal Beach. The top three that people can't forget are Loganberry, Hall's suckers and Sugar Waffles. It's getting harder to find Cronfelt's Loganberry syrup, but the closest to this delightful liquid treat is Aunt Rosie's Loganberry. Ex-park patrons must have their loganberry! Hall's suckers have been around since the early 1900's. Ed Hall sold them from his popcorn stand on the midway for a penny each. Today, the suckers are still available in the five park flavors, peanut, coconut, lemon, butterscotch and cinnamon, as well as grape, orange and lime. And they are still made with the original recipe and molded on the original equipment Hall used over 100 years ago. Sugar Waffles, which were originally called Sugar Puffs, first arrived at the beach following the 1964-65 World's Fair. The popularity of the Belgium Waffle turned into the Sugar Waffle which was lighter, smaller and crispier. The Sugar Waffle was the favorite treat of nearly every Crystal Beach Park patron and can still be found today at Crystal Beach Candy Company along with the suckers. Visit our Great Links page to order some.

3. The Comet. Most of WNY Baby Boomers cut our coaster teeth on the Comet. It's rolling hills, air time and speed was enhanced by its location above Lake Erie. There was nothing more terrifying than looking down and seeing the lake bottom as the train climbed up the lift hill. And who can forget a nasty treat of sandflies while riding the Comet in the dark?  In its time, the Comet was considered one of the finest wooden coasters in North America. Although it is no longer by the lake, the Comet, now at Great Escape, still wows its riders and remains in many top ten wooden coaster lists in North America, sans sandflies.

2. The Cyclone. Even though the Cyclone was dismantled in 1946, (most of its steel went into the Comet), people still talk about it with fear in their eyes. People who never rode the Cyclone talk about it and wish they could have rode it. This horror coaster continues to be the talk of the coaster world and beyond. Those who rode it are eager to let you know about, regardless of their ride experience. They can't forget it. The massive twisted monstrosity didn't have a single piece of straight track on it, except for the station and lift side of the first hill. When the train entered the figure 8 it could be heard all over the park. So many people sustained injuries on the ride, particularly whiplash, a nurse was kept in the station at all times. Even with all the radical coasters being built today, The Cyclone continues to be rated as the most terrifying coaster in the Northern Hemisphere.

1.The Canadiana. Any park patron born after 1956 didn't ride over to Crystal Beach on the Canadiana, but many wished they had. There are the stories from their parents and grandparents that tell of wonderful times gliding across Lake Erie in that opulent steamer. From 1910 to 1956 thousands rode, danced, and socialized aboard the Crystal Beach boat. Ask anyone from those generations about the boat and their eyes glaze over with happy memories that outdo anything at the beach itself. For the rest of us the Canadiana was a ghost ship; in dry dock along the Niagara River or moored near the old Pier nightclub off Fuhrman Blvd or partially submerged in the shallows in Port Colborne; haunted not by the dead, but by the essesence the living left behind. Cut up for scrap in 2004, the Canadiana is still the most talked about part of Crystal Beach. 

It was 20 years ago this Memorial Day weekend Crystal Beach Park opened for its final season. After celebrating its 100th year the previous season, there was hope among many fans for a long future. There were promises of improvement and updates long overdue. The opening weekend patrons didn't know that within 15 weeks, their hopes would be dashed against the rocky shore.

Telltale signs were there, although walking through the gates, only the truly observant could see them. The Monster was not put up. It remained disassembled on its trailer in the Garrison Rd. parking lot where it had been all winter. The game booths behind the Arcade didn't open. By July 4th they would be nothing more than a pile of rotted lumber. The optimists hoped the area was cleared for a new ride. The pessimists looked at it with foreboding. Unfortunately, they were right.

But these signs were easily overlooked. Many patrons still lugged their picnic paraphernalia into the picnic grove, fought the bees at the Sucker stand, stood in line for the Sawmill River Flume, battled sandflies during night rides on the Comet, and bought sugar waffles to take home. Over all it was a pleasant weekend and repeat patrons looked forward to more visits throughout the summer.

There are many reasons Crystal Beach Park closed. Lack of patronage and competition were two of them. In 1980 two modern "theme" parks opened, Canada's Wonderland north of Toronto and Darien Lake in Corfu, NY.

Canada's Wonderland had been in the works for some time. It opened with themed sections, high production shows, a large kiddie land, Hannah Barbara characters and modern rides including a looping coaster, which was high tech for the time. Its fresh, new look attracted many people with limited spending money to its gates. Throughout the decade CW expanded, adding "dry-wet" rides, an outdoor concert theater, and new state-of-the-art coasters.

Darien Lake had started out as a campground with a game room/snack stand and a fish-stocked lake. My family camped there many weekends during the summers. Paul Snyder, who owned the place at the time, made a deal with Germany- based Huss Manufacturing to add prototype rides to his campground. When Darien reopened in 1980 it was with several Huss flat rides. In 1982, Huss and Arrow Dynamics teamed to build Darien the Viper, a multi-looping steel coaster and the largest in New York State. It was the first steel coaster in the world with 5 inversions. The Viper alone was a lure for many coaster enthusiasts and locals were eager to try it out as well. Darien also succeeded in enticing corporations and schools to hold their annual picnics there, taking away Crystal Beach's largest summer income source. The aging park could not compete with the shiny new one with its contemporary thrill machines. By 1980 older Baby Boomers had teenagers seeking major thrills and they abandoned their old park for the new ones. Younger Baby Boomers headed out to the new parks as well, enthralled by all they had to offer.

The competition was not, however, the main reason for the decline of patronage, although it helped. This had been happening since 1974 when the Pay-One-Price policy went into effect and Crystal Beach owners gated the park's entrances. Patrons, while happy to accept the changes brought on by a new park, were not so happy to accept this particular change at their old haunt. Used to the freedom of coming and going to Crystal Beach as they pleased, buying tickets for a few rides or food and just hanging out at the park, the POP was an unwelcome change most patrons were against. This was especially true for cottage dwellers who spent a week or all summer at the beach and were spoiled by enjoying the park at will. While the POP was a great deal for riders, particularly coaster enthusiasts who couldn't get enough of the Comet and Giant, it was highly resented by non-riders. These people stopped going to Crystal Beach and there were enough of them to make an impact.

Aging was a big factor in the closing of the park. Crystal Beach had always heavily relied on concessionares to bring in new rides each season. While the park owned some of the rides, a majority came in with people like Paddy Conklin. This allowed park owners to concentrate on maintaining only the rides they owned, so that despite their age, those rides held up from season to season. Around the time the POP went into effect, park owners, Van and Robert Hall, purchased a majority of the rides, limiting the concessionares that brought rides to the park. This increased the maintenance needed to keep the older rides running. With only a few year-round mechanics working on the rides, this goal became nearly impossible. Rides have a life-span and as parts wore out it became more and more difficult to replace them, particularly if the ride was very old and the manufacturer was no longer in business. The Hall's quickly discovered that the cost of new rides drained the coffers. They rented portable rides for a season just to keep the midway full. As insurance rates skyrocketed, even renting rides became an issue. With the exception of the Pirate and the Sawmill River Flume, no new permanent rides were added after 1977.

When the Halls finally sold the park, the new owners were less than interested in updating it. Minimal effort was put into it and the lack of attention was obvious to patrons. Many of them went elsewhere for their fun. The park changed ownership a couple of times during the 1980's, but none of the new owners invested the money needed to turn Crystal Beach into a premier traditional park. With the right investments, this achievement is definately possible. Look at Knoebels, Kennywood and Lake Compounce. These parks have managed to blend the old and the new to create wonderfully unique and popular parks. Crystal Beach should have been one of them. Replacing rides with game booths and flower boxes just didn't work. The midway became more barren. People came to ride the Comet, the train, the carousel and left, if they came at all.

The rides weren't the only things aging. Throughout the park buildings aged and repairs were patchy at best. The brilliant color scheme of the 1950's and 1960's was replaced in the 1970's with dull earth tones. Bright colors lift a person's mood. Earth tones are too somber for an amusement park. Despite promotions and incentives to attract patrons, the aging park remained unattractive in lue of the newer parks north and south of Crystal Beach.

Mismanagement, bank receivership, owners bleeding the park dry, and the sale of the carousel, were many other reasons that added to the demise of Crystal Beach. No single person is to blame, but everyone is to blame. Had someone with a lot of cash, imagination and tender loving care stepped in to redefine the park, Crystal Beach could have survived the competition of nearby theme parks and would still be around today.

Twenty years ago the Comet's front cars were running backwards. This change of direction first occurred in 1985 following a random suggestion by a patron the previous summer. The patron had been to another park that had turned the last two cars backwards on their wooden coaster, creating a new thrill to an old ride.

Crystal Beach consulted with Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, the company that had built the Comet, to see if turning some of the cars backwards was feasible. After several computer tests proved backwards was possible without adverse effects on the riders, the first two cars of the Comet were reversed. Unfortunately, this changed the ride on the Comet, eliminating the thrill of the first seat. Park officials claimed that the last two cars couldn't be reversed. While the backwards cars certainly added a new thrill element to the Comet, they also caused some controversy.

Outside of a few crazy coaster enthusiasts and teens who truly enjoyed the backward ride, most riders didn't like the change. Some couldn't physically handle riding backwards. Others just didn't like it. Looking up at the sky while falling down the first drop was too intense. Seeing where you'd been wasn't the same as seeing where you were going. The result was a longer wait to ride in the forwards cars. Some jumped into an empty backward seat and turned around to watch the track, (easy enough to do in those days without seat dividers or seat belts!) Even with the empty seats, the Comet continued to operate with backwards and forwards cars right up to the day the park closed.

Twenty years ago, The Giant (Yellow) Coaster was running smoother and faster than it had in many years. During the summer of 1987, the Comet worked alone as the Giant underwent much needed retracking and support work. When Crystal Beach reopened for the 1988 season, its 100th anniversary year, the Giant reopened with a fresh coat of paint, stronger, smoother and faster than most patrons remembered it to be. The old workhorse sustained a formidable ridership throughout its final seasons. When the park closed, the Giant, built in 1916, was the oldest operating ride in the park at 79 years old.  When the rides were sold at auction, a group of enthusiasts bought the Giant with intentions of finding a home for it. However, they couldn't find a park willing to take on an ancient side-friction coaster. After standing idle for two years, the Giant was finally torn down. Most of its wood was burned. The coaster enthusiasts distributed the cars between themselves and sold some. Sections of track were relocated into homes in Ridgeway and Buffalo. The Giant was the last vestige of the park still standing in 1991. Now homes stand there instead.

A lot has changed in 20 years. The Fourth of July weekend of 1989 was the last time my family held their reunion picnic at Crystal Beach. We had been having this picnic at Crystal Beach since 1973 following the firecracker/clothes pole incident. That's another story which I might tell you sometime.

Twenty years ago, we paid our admission and walked into the park dragging with us numerous items for our picnic. My mother always overpacked. Her logic, we were there all day. We brought with us 2 coolers-one for food and condiments and one for drinks-a picnic basket filled with paper plates, plastic utensils, napkins, plastic cups, tongs, a spatula, hot plates and at least 1 oven mit. Then there was the cardboard box with an old metal coffee pot we'd been carrying to Crystal Beach since I can remember, a roll of aluminum foil for the grill top because it was never clean enough..., a wash basin, soap, 2 hand towels, a dish towel and dish cloth because we had to clean the coffee pot and any non-plastic or non-paper item before we went home; 2 table cloths, thumbtacks to hold down the table cloths in case it was windy and a tray of some sort of baked goods. We also brought our own grill, in case the park grills were being used, charcoal and charcoal starter fluid plus 2 plastic milk jugs filled with water for coffee, etc., even though Crystal Beach had a sink in the picnic grove not to mention the restrooms. I almost forgot the bag of clothes. Adults or not, my mother insisted we bring extra clothes "just in case"  or we'd be sorry. I have to admit that once I did need the "just in case" when my shorts caught on a ride and tore. Good thing I wasn't wearing pink underwear. The bag also included sweaters or sweat shirts in case it got cold at night and if you were going swimming or using the water slides you needed a swimsuit, towel and flip flops. With all this stuff we would have been better off renting a cottage for the summer. My relatives attending the reunion were just as bad and those in my generation starting their families also had diapers, bottles, baby food, strollers... You get the picture. And bringing it all into the picnic grove usually required 2 or 3 trips per person.

Today, we could not bring all this gear into an amusement park. Most parks don't allow picnic items of any kind, we'd be paying for a catered lunch. Those that do search your bags, coolers, etc. Homeland Security would turn us around just for having all this stuff.

Twenty years ago general admission to Crystal Beach was $2. A Pay-One-Price (POP) was close to $10. Non-riders could get a general admission pass then purchase tickets for "pay-as-you-go" riding. Today, very few parks give you a choice between a POP and tickets and none of them have a reduced general admission rate. Depending on the size of the park you can expect to pay between $20 to $75 for one single day at the park. That's without discounts, senior rates or coupons.

Twenty years ago I had a season pass to Crystal Beach. I don't remember what it cost, but it was under $25. It was a laminated card with my photo on it.  Believe me, I made use of that pass. Today, a season pass can cost between $45 to $80 for 1 person. Today, a season pass does not only have your photo on it, but your fingerprint is required every time you enter the park. We can thank the considerate people who didn't think they were being dishonest when they "loaned" their season passes to a friend or relative for a day or two. It certainly is a different world.

There were no cell phones 20 years ago. Yes, there were mobile phones, for people who had money, but those were usually large phones connected to the car. Nope, there were no cell phones, I-phones, blackberries and no text messaging. Folks actually knew how to spell and how to use punctuation. ( I despise run-on sentences.) When you went to Crystal Beach you didn't stand in line talking on your cell phone to someone only 5 feet away. You didn't glare at or say something nasty to the person standing next to you who is overhearing your "personal" conversation through no fault of their own. You moved through the ride line without having to encourage the person ahead of you to please move forward, which she didn't do because she was too busy texting her boyfriend who was standing in line for a different ride.

Twenty years ago we went to Crystal Beach to have fun, to forget reality, to be absorbed in the thrills the park had to offer. If there was an emergency and we had to use a phone there was a pay phone near the carousel and one at the front of the park. That's right, a pay phone. A talking box that worked when coins when deposited.

Even today, my friends and I leave our cell phones in the car when we go to an amusement park. We don't want to be disturbed from getting our thrill on.

Twenty years ago there no TV's fixed into the queue blasting advertisements for the park's sponsors into rider's faces. It was a pleasure to stand in line for a ride, allowing the anticipation to build while holding a conversation with my friends. Conversation is becoming a lost art. It didn't seem that way back then. Crystal Beach's sponsors were subtle. Their names appeared on or next to rides, like Super Duper Mountain. Most of the sponsors offered discount coupons for admission. Even back in the 1930's Crystal Beach had sponsors. A Buffalo soft drink company, Queen-O, was one of those sponsors. Patrons collected Queen-O bottle caps and took them to Crystal Beach for discounted tickets.

Going to Crystal Beach was a very different experience from going to an amusement park today. We took our time, enjoyed the day, strolled through the park, swam in the lake and rode until we dropped. We weren't inundated with a lot of outside things and we liked it that way. I long for those days when we sat on a bench eating ice cream, gazing out at Lake Erie while the Comet rumbled in the background. Twenty years ago I would have scoffed at my Dad for reminiscing like this. Today he would laugh at me.

Twenty years ago, August 1, Crystal Beach Park entered its final four weeks of operation. Neither patrons nor employees were aware that their realtionship with Crystal Beach would permanently change very soon. The owners had already made the decision to sell the park to a Buffalo businessman. For Ed Hall, the decision was a painful one and one that months later, he would regret. But even if Ed had resisted the sale, he was alone and his partners would have outvoted him. Arrangements were quietly made with Norton Auctioneers of Michigan to sell everything in the park. Meanwhile, on the midway, all went on as normal for a typical summer day with no one the wiser of what was to come.

Summer is slipping away rapidly. I have always disliked the end of summer, not so much because school was starting again, but because the amusement parks were closing and riding was over. Waiting for the long autumn and winter to end was endurable only because of Halloween and Christmas. I could hardly wait for spring to arrive. May was an exciting month. Yes, it is the month of my birthday, but more importantly, the parks reopen. With the miserable weather we had in July, this summer has gone by even more quickly than normal. Days at the parks have been few and far in between. We've been trying to make it up all of August without much success.

And here we are, entering the final week of August. Twenty years ago the final week of August was the week I wept. It was the week the announcement came that Crystal Beach Park was closing its gates forever. No one could believe it. Despite the struggles the park had endured since the mid-1970's, everyone thought it would continue on. It had always been there, it would always be there. But the reality hit hard and was unexpected for many.  The final days of the park would be Labor Day weekend. It was difficult to fathom. No more Comet, Giant, Laff in the Dark. No more Magic Palace, train ride or Skyride over the pier. What would we do now? Where would we go?

Like other Buffalonians, I had gone to other area parks over the years: Fantasy Island, Canada's Wonderland, Fun and Games Park, Darien Lake, Marineland and Game Farm, Olcott Beach. However, I found none of them as special as Crystal Beach. At that time, if I never went to another park again, I would have been content just to enjoy my summer rides at the beach. To say I was devastated by its closing is an understatement. Others felt as I did. That last week of August was the busiest week the park had experienced in a decade. The irony of the last visit.

Of course I made my final pilgrimage to the park. I knew instictively that there would be droves of people there Labor Day weekend. I didn't want to contend with that. I wanted to say goodbye without the crowds. At the time I was working 2 part-time jobs, so I was able to finigle a weekday off by switching with a co-worker. My grandmother was the family member who agreed to go with me. I would have gone alone. Crystal Beach was special for my grandmother. She had gone there as a child with her parents, she had danced in the ballroom with her beau, my grandfather, and she had never missed a summer visit even during the depression. She would pack up a picnic and take her three kids across on the Canadiana to play on the beach and eat lunch. If she had enough money, she would buy tickets for each of them to ride at least one ride.

The two of us walked the park reminiscing. I had a season pass, so I rode each ride several times while she waited for me and looked fondly around our playground.  I was angry that day. Five years earlier my beloved menagerie carousel had been sold and now my beloved park was being sold. I was angry at the owners and angry at everyone who had forsaken Crystal Beach for other venues. They were the ones who would come back Labor Day weekend and protest the loudest.

At last we could take no more. I took one final ride on the Comet and cried throughout. I would never experience the ride the same way again. No matter where the Comet went there would not be a lake or sandflies, a backward seat, or a beautiful sunset seen from the high points of its structure. I returned to my grandmother and we sat on a bench together, crying over the loss of Crystal Beach. When our mourning was done, we left. In a way, going to Crystal Beach that last time was like going to a wake. We were saying goodbye, viewing the dead and recalling how wonderful it had been to know the park.  Neither of us would attend the funeral--the auction. It was just too painful. We cried some more as we drove away, several bags of waffles and suckers in the back seat. Those would be consumed quickly, but our memories would last our lifetimes.

Twenty years ago on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend Crystal Beach's gates opened to a crowd lined up and waiting to get into the park. Both parking lots were full. People were parking in the street and blocks away. In minutes of opening the picnic grove was packed. Lines had formed at all the rides and remained that way the entire weekend. It was the final days of the park's operation and thousands flocked to Crystal Beach during that three day period. The attendance was higher than it had been in more than a decade. People came from all around Southern Ontario and Western New York, even as far as 100 miles away.

Media descended upon the park, giving it more coverage than it had ever had in its 101 years. Interviews with park patrons revealed that a majority of them had not been to the park in 10 years or more. Many brought their children for the first and last time. Ironically, this was the group of people who protested the loudest, shouting things like "Save the Comet," "One more ride," and "Save Crystal Beach." However it was too late. Their lack of patronage had been one of the factors leading to the closing of the park, a decision that had been made months earlier unbeknownst to everyone else.

As the final hours approached on that Monday, crowds became restless. With the announcement of the last ride on the Comet, people standing in line very nearly rioted. The crowd was quickly controlled by park security. People were forced to leave the park, security herding them like cattle. Finally, the park was cleared and the gates closed. That last click of the gate signified the end of an era.

There would be no more laughter, no more screams, no more music, no more whirring of motors, no more train whistle, no more carousel bell, no more smells of cooking food, no more loganberry, no more buzzing of bumper cars, no more clanging of roller coasters going up the lift hill or roaring down the other side, no more whoosh of air jets from the Magic Palace's floor, no more picnics, no more suckers, no more waffles, no more humming of the Laff in the Dark cars, no more clacking of Skeeball balls, no more Charming Charlie playing his off key piano, no more Laffing Sal. No more fun.

There would never be another park like Crystal Beach.

Twenty years ago, October 19, 1989, Crystal Beach Park was auctioned off piecemeal. It was a bleak, cold, rainy day; a day that befitted such a sad event. The crowds surged into the park that day, but not to enjoy the pleasures it had to offer, but to buy a piece of it, or just to watch the funeral take place.

Clutching colored auction brochures, carnival owners, amusement park owners, collectors and park fans huddled beneath umbrellas as Norton Auctioneer's mobile auction cart rolled from ride to ride, building to building. At the Laff in the Dark, stunts, cars and exterior elements were disbursed among several bidders. The bulk of the dark ride went to a gentleman from Amherst, NY who also won the Paul Bunyan statue. A similar fate met the Magic Palace as the crazy mirrors, spinning disks, tipping barrels and pieces of facade went to the highest bidder. The Carousel Society of the Niagara Frontier won the Little Dipper roller coaster. Collectors bid on Skeeball machines, light posts, park benches, lighted signs and painted signs. Several former park patrons won signs, ticket deposit boxes, rolls of unused tickets, a collection of stirrups from the old carousel and even boxes of nails. 

As the auctioneer's gavel resounded in a final "sold" for the Giant Coaster, several coaster enthusiasts who had won it, celebrated. They firmly believed that they could save the coaster by finding a park they could relocate it to. (Unfortunately, they were unable to find a park willing to take a chance on the Giant. So, they divided the cars up amongst themselves and took away the brake handles and sections of track. The rest of the coaster was demolished in 1991.)

Finally, the auctioneer's cart was wheeled to the Comet. The rain seemed to pour down heavier as the trains were sent around the course in a demonstration. This was the last day the Comet would run at Crystal Beach. The bidding was hot and heavy coming down to two bidders, the then owners of Darien Lake Theme Park and Charley Wood. Charley had already purchased the Flying Bobs and the Pirate. Now he had his eye on the big ticket item, the Comet. A Lockport native, Charley was very familiar with the Comet and what it could do. He didn't just want the coaster, he wanted its name and reputation. He wasn't willing to give up and in the end he won the prize. It would take him 5 years to get the Comet up and running at his park in the Adirondacks.

The sale of the Comet was the height of the auction. People began to drift away. The funeral was over. Now the burial would begin. Those who could, grabbed what they had purchased and hauled it away the same day. Others would return over the next few weeks to claim their new purchase, dismantle it and take it to a new destination. For some rides and buildings the burial would come much later, in some cases, as much as 2 years later. After the rides and other items had been removed from the property, demolition crews moved in. It took very little time to tear down the game booths, picnic shelters, concession stands and the roundhouse. The Magic Palace and Laff in the Dark were ripped apart. The bathhouse was torn down. The ballroom was gutted. Another crew numbered the bents and supports of the Comet before taking it down. The wooden track was pulled from the structure and burned. A fan taking photos of the dismantling, rescued the brake handles from the fire. The Comet's station was demolished, all except the sweeping steel lattice worked roof supports that were hidden for 41 years by ceiling board. These would go with the Comet and once again support its station roof. By the time the Comet was dismantled and placed into storage at Fantasy Island, the first construction of the faux New England style houses replacing the park were being constructed.

Today it is nearly impossible to imagine that a park once existed where the gated community now sits. All that remains of Crystal Beach are the parking lots, the breakwall with its colonial dancing couple, the pier which is slowly crumbling into  Lake Erie and memories of one of the greatest amusement parks on the lake.

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!

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.

Crystal Beach was a concession park...that is individuals brought their rides in for a season and were paid by the number of tickets taken in per day. Some of those rides came and went. Here's a few you may have forgotten. So let us jog your memory....If you didn't see the first article, visit CB Crier Archives.

Roundup: This ride showed up on the midway several seasons during the 1970's. It seemed like a basic spin ride, but was actually pretty thrilling. Riders choose a divided section of "wall" to stand against. A simple safety cord hooked across the front. The ride started out in a flat spin. As the speed increased the platform began to rise into a vertical position by means of hydraulics. Riders experienced a mild sensation of vertigo as the platform continued to spin vertically. As the speed reduced, the platform slowly returned to its original flat position.

Sky Diver: Made by the Allan Herschell Company, the Sky Diver was a Ferris Wheel type ride. Instead of the typical buckets attached, the cars were enclosed with grated openings. Seating 2 passengers side by side the cars had a large wheel mounted in the center that allowed riders to turn their car upside down or rotate it completely 360 degrees. The Sky Diver only appeared one season at Crystal Beach in the early 1970's. It was located near the ballroom next to the Comet's first and third turnarounds.

Roto Jets: Made by the Allan Herschell Company this interactive ride was exciting for wannabe pilots and super heros. Each small red "jet" seated 2 to 3 riders, depending on their size, one in front of the other. The "jets" were attached to sweeps or arms attached to the central housing. As the ride turned and increased speed, riders could manipulate their jet into different aerial positions, moving it up and down at using a joystick: up to climb, down to dive. The Roto Jets were located in front of the Laff in the Dark for several seasons during the 1960's.

Hurricane: One of the CB Crier's favorite "flat" rides. Also made by Allan Herschell, the Hurricane spent 4 seasons at Crystal Beach from 1971 to 1975 and was located near the ballroom behind the Auto Skooter, (bumper cars). The cars of the Hurricane sat 4 riders, 2 in the front, 2 in the back, side by side. They were attached to hydraulic sweeps that lifted them into the air as the entire ride spun counter clockwise. Reaching top speed, the sweeps would lift and drop and at one point in the ride the sweeps would remain full out in the air so the cars were parallel to the ground.