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LEFT: Lakeside’s Rhoda Krasner
Gardens. In 2007, Six Flags sold the park, which is now operated by Herschend Family Entertainment for CNL Lifestyle Properties.
When I visited Denver in 2011, I’d been away for almost 30 years, and I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the new Elitch Gardens. Its entrance leads into a covered mall that contains photos and original signage of the old Elitch's Gardens; a proper homage to its namesake. The mall empties into an flowered area that showcases Elitch’s 1928 Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel. Elitch Gardens’ waterpark is integrated within the theme park, with lockers allowing guests to go back and forth between the wet and dry parks. Live shows are presented daily in the Trocadero Theater, big name entertainers appear in the Elitch Arena, and fireworks light up the sky every night.
Gary Kyriazi is the author of The Great American Amusement Parks, and the writer and
producer of America Screams, the first pictorial history and television special about American amusement parks. He has been a researcher and historian on American amusement parks for 40 years.
The present day Elitch Gardens
Having witnessed the new Elitch Gardens’ obvious success, I rode Twister II, then drove to Lakeside Park. The park hadn’t yet opened for the day, and so I had the quiet pleasure of savouring the freshly-painted, lawn-laden and flower-laden American treasure that is Lakeside Amusement Park. Everything was perfectly manicured and trimmed, the wonderful old architecture clean and well maintained. Brenda Fishman, operations manager, gave me the tour, obligingly escorting me into the classic station of the Cyclone coaster, and walking a portion of the train track that circles the Lake Rhoda. I had many questions, and she answered them confidently.
Crosshead 3 Lakeside’s Fun House was the last old American amusement park Fun House to close down, in 1986 (Lagoon, in Farmington, Utah, had closed its Fun House just prior to that) A marvellous museum piece, Lakeside’s Fun House included a [possible] one-of-a- kind “vertical slide,” where the patrons would hang their legs over a wall and drop off, with the wall sloping out 90º degrees onto the floor. I asked Brenda if the Fun House’s closure was due to rising
liability problems with such facilities. “Only partially,” she explained. “It took five people to operate it, and that’s five rides we could run. It was sad to see it go, but it was necessary.” Lakeside’s Wild Chipmunk is Miler’s version of the
Wild Mouse, and there are very few still around (Adventure City in Anaheim, California has one). Are there any problems getting parts for it? “Not at all,” said Brenda. “Miler is great to us that
way, and we also have one of the kiddie coasters, so there’s not a problem.” How’s the Cyclone running? (My flight would leave before the park opened that evening, so I wouldn’t be able to find out myself.) “Leonard Adams and Structural Technologies from
Pennsylvania did a great job. They’re the ones who also rebuilt Conneaut Lake Park’s Blue Streak. Their main task here was re-tracking the bottom of the Cyclone’s first hill, around the 180º turn. It rides like new now.”
And look at all this beautiful land, with a lake and an exit off Interstate 70. There must be hundreds of offers from potential buyers. Are you ever tempted to sell? “Of course there are offers, continually, offers worth millions. There could be condominiums lining the lake, or a large mall, or just a soft greenbelt park owned by the city. But what would we do, not having Lakeside Park? What would be the point, besides getting a lot of money? I love this work, and there’s nothing else I’d rather do.” I appreciated, and was relieved by, Brenda’s passion and understanding of the industry, and asked her if she would be the one to accept the torch from Rhoda Krasner, who has doggedly and determinedly kept Lakeside Amusement Park going, even against the formidable Elitch Gardens, which at one point was heavyweight Six Flags. “I think so,” she nodded simply. “You see, I’m Rhoda’s daughter.”
My jaw dropped. I had no idea. Before I could speak, Rhoda herself walked up to us, still energetic, radiant and beautiful.
“Gary!” she cried, giving me a hug. “Rhoda ...” I was still speechless, and I pointed to Brenda. “This is your daughter!”
Rhoda nodded and smiled proudly at Brenda. There was nothing left to say. Lakeside Amusement
Park will continue, and in 2013 it will be 106 seasons strong. It looks like Denver, Colorado, will always have two great American amusement parks.
34 MARCH 2013
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