Stopped by Bell's Amusement Park tonight at sunset and got these photos for memories .....
I am not a professional photographer by any means.
Enjoy....
http://s176.photobucket.com/albums/w162/ampracing10/Farewell%20Bells/?start=all
(http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w162/ampracing10/Farewell%20Bells/PICT2151.jpg)
Hope to see you up and running again soon Zingo!
Thanks, I have been wanting to do just that.
I snatched a few for my collection of cool stuff that used to be here.
jdb
Amp- You know Robbie Bell is a fellow CH alum, don't you?
Pretty good shots if you ask me. If you say you got them on a cell phone, I'll beg you to enter a Motorolla photo contest. [;)]
I just live six blocks from there, but havent really bothered to take a look at what all has come out since about a month after the Chili Bowl. Being a fellow gearhead, you will appreciate this: Tony Stewart told me after he won in '02 that the NASCAR season was just a way to kill time between Chili Bowls.
Bob Bell, Robbie's dad but not the eldest Bell, came into Action Cycles one morning in need of a portable generator. He was looking for the most power in the lighest smallest package. I asked him what he was needing it for, and his eyes looked wau up at the sky and he said the Sky Ride. Wow, I thought how cool is that, but I am glad it is not me having to work at that altitude.
He was needing 110 volts way up high. He purchased a generator and away he went in his small pick up truck to repair the Sky Ride.
His dad designed and invented the Ally Oop which was a self propelled ride at Bells. That was back when the in Ground Trampoliine craze was around I believe. I remember riding that Ally Oop a ka-zillion times. Object was to get the box over the top of the swinging arm.
The sky refleted the mood there today, like attending the funeral of an old friend.
I must go back for more photos before much more is removed. I sure will miss that place.
Hard to imagine now no Bell's at Expo Square. Much as it was that there would be no more racing at the dirt track after 1984. Yet, sooner or later times change.
"Race fans" gave Emmett Hahn very harsh treatment after the sprint and champ car races in '04, but to me, race cars belonged on a fairgrounds just as much as a wooden roller-coaster.
Truly a shame to see Bell's pass into history. I'd love to believe they will re-open elsewhere, but I think the costs will prove too daunting to make it happen.
quote:
Originally posted by Conan71
Hard to imagine now no Bell's at Expo Square. Much as it was that there would be no more racing at the dirt track after 1984. Yet, sooner or later times change.
"Race fans" gave Emmett Hahn very harsh treatment after the sprint and champ car races in '04, but to me, race cars belonged on a fairgrounds just as much as a wooden roller-coaster.
Truly a shame to see Bell's pass into history. I'd love to believe they will re-open elsewhere, but I think the costs will prove too daunting to make it happen.
You may have seen this short blurb in TulsaPeople concerning Bells and it's relocation. It's on page 24 http://www.tulsapeople-digital.com/tulsapeople/200705/
I was saddened too when I learned that Bell's would be know more, yet you are correct, times do change. [:(]
quote:
Originally posted by Conan71
Being a fellow gearhead, you will appreciate this: Tony Stewart told me after he won in '02 that the NASCAR season was just a way to kill time between Chili Bowls.
That's because in '02 the only place he was winning was in the chili bowl.
Went on to win the NASCAR championship that year...after beating up the press and being beaten up in the press [}:)]
Sand is the enemy of Dirt Track racing and as hard as Emmett and Tommy Estes tried in using massive amounts of time and energy removing the top few feet of the sand there, then pouring on tons of chemicals to help bind the sand fines together it is just not going to work properly.
No matter how much you try to pack sand, it is still tiny balls of glass that will never pack together. Water just makes it blow off quicker and the fine line between hard packed wet sand and a dust bowl are but around 30 minutes in the sun and wind. Best thing to do with sand is add cement and gravel and make concrete.
Del Mar California, Will Rogers Downs in Claremore, Blue Ribbon Downs
in Salisaw, and Remington Park in OKC all suffer from the Sand Syndrome. Beautiful facilities for Motorsports, but wrong media for the racing surface.
Got to remember the proponents for horse racing (recall the petitions at the Tulsa State Fair) may of felt Motorsports were their competitor and they convinced all the track owners into changing the media from clay to sand when their were either transformed into horse tracks, or built new. Thus keeping the Motorsports Industry off their turff so to speak.
Shame those in charge did not choose to use Black Gumbo such is used at the Springfield Fairgounds in Springfield Illinois on the Mile track there. They run Trotters that don't mind the hard packed gumbo clay.
Other tracks we run the Harleys on are made of Pea Gravel, crushed Limestone like the running tracks are made of. We even run at the Football Stadium in Daytona Florida around the running track. It was built by Bill France of NASCAR to be a multipurpose facility.
Multi Purpose Entertainment Complex, what a concept!!!! MPEC, and they have them all over Texas and other states. For some reason, powers in Oklahoma always seems to want to make their mega facilities work for a single purpose. Then later when the trends change they are stuck with a White Elephant.
Best building ever designed is the Expo, and it has logistic issues with constant movement of Bleachers and dirt and PA systems.
Perhaps one day in Oklahoma we may see a building that would accomodate today's modern forms of mass audience entertainment.
http://www.ci.daytona-beach.fl.us/standard.aspx?p_PageAlias=LSmunicipal
(http://www.motorsport.com/photos/wka/2002/dkw/wka-2002-dkw-bw-0103.jpg)
Karts at Municipal Staduim Dayton Florida
(http://www.amaflattrack.com/adm/upl/juxjeguyd5_1148878013.jpg)
Springfield Illinios - The Mile
This is a multi purpose facility, Horse Racing, and Motorsports
(http://www.amaflattrack.com/adm/upl/dcfb67rj40_1148878913.jpg)Springfield Illinios
(http://www.amaflattrack.com/adm/upl/i4sti30e9m_1160902636.jpg)
Columbus Ohio - Chemically treated Pea Gravel - Crushed Limestone
Geo Roeder at around 120mph going into the turn. You steer these things with the Gas On!
(http://www.amaflattrack.com/adm/upl/dgtx3hocze_1151221880.jpg)
Crushed Lime Stone at Lima, Ohio
(http://www.amaflattrack.com/adm/upl/w2tz6l792b_1151221752.jpg)
15 yr old Californian Stevie Bonsey, on the gas at Lima
I don't know if this site has been posted before but it is of Phantasmagoria.
http://www.laffinthedark.com/articles/phantasmagoria/phantasmagoria.htm
Phantasmagoria is sort of like Star Wars. First time, the effects are almost over-whelming and startling. Then over the years you see the improvements in other productions and they are, well, pretty under-whelming.
That bus startled the crap out of me first time I saw it. As I remember, it wasn't part of the ride originally but added a few years later, wasn't it?
I believe you're right.
Sad to hear about the Himalaya needing to be forwards only. Did bells operate it at full speed in reverse?
I always wanted an ex-himalaya operator to be my airline pilot..
"this is your captain speaking... do you wanna go FASTER?"
quote:
Originally posted by sgrizzle
Sad to hear about the Himalaya needing to be forwards only. Did bells operate it at full speed in reverse?
I always wanted an ex-himalaya operator to be my airline pilot..
"this is your captain speaking... do you wanna go FASTER?"
And fly the plane backwards [:D]
Is the old steam locomotive still at (What used to be) Bells?
quote:
Originally posted by RLitterell
quote:
Originally posted by sgrizzle
Sad to hear about the Himalaya needing to be forwards only. Did bells operate it at full speed in reverse?
I always wanted an ex-himalaya operator to be my airline pilot..
"this is your captain speaking... do you wanna go FASTER?"
And fly the plane backwards [:D]
Is the old steam locomotive still at (What used to be) Bells?
The Dierck's Forrest is still there. I'm pretty sure it belongs to the fairgrounds and won't be leaving with Bell's since it's not inside the Bell's compound. We inspected it a year or so back (I'm in the pressure vessel business). Someone had the idea they were going to get it running again. As has happened every other time a railroad preservationist has called us on that locomotive, the calls have stopped after they hear the cost to make it operable again.
Teddy Jack- thanks for the operator's view on the Himilaya. Don't think I'd care to be a jumper.
Am I going crazy or was there a lengthy post on the Himalaya?
Yeah there was, TJ must have deleted it. Seems to happen frequently to his posts. All made sense to me. Maybe he took it down for an edit.
There was, Teddy Jack Eddy posted it and accidentally deleted it (he said so above)
quote:
Originally posted by sgrizzle
There was, Teddy Jack Eddy posted it and accidentally deleted it (he said so above)
Well, that was weird because I read the entire post and then read where he said it got deleted and it was too long to repeat. Yet it was still there. Regardless, it was a great post.
http://www.kotv.com/news/topstory/?id=126201
Wow!! I didn't know the flume had that much history. Originally it was a double log flume ride at the 1964 World's Fair in New York City.
This Amusement Park was opened in 1898.
"$60 million expansion plan...a collection of 22 municipal governments, has announced that it is working with Kennywood on its expansion plan."
Kennywood is one of two amusement parks listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the other being Rye Playland Park. It is also one of the few amusement parks that still allow guests to bring their own picnic lunch into the park.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennywood
I don't feel sorry for them one bit. They let that place fall apart.
quote:
Originally posted by teddy jack eddy
I can understand the disappointment of Tulsans with the closing of Bell's Amusement Park. We all had fun there growing up.
What I can't understand is people feeling sorry for the Bell family. They refused to open their books to the Fair Board, and that's all they had to do to stay on the fairgrounds.
No one twisted their arms. If they had just opened their books for inspection, they'd be open for business today. The Bell family made the decision to keep their books closed, and they knew what the consequences would be.
Since the taxpayers are their "partners" (through the Fair Board) we taxpayers had a right to know what was going on with the "books" if the Bell family expected to keep renting publicly-owned property.
I know the Fair Board was looking out for the best financial interest of the taxpayers. No way I'd want to subsidize a privately-owned business, just because it's been located on public property for 50 years. Longevity of a business doesn't entitle it to public subsidies.
I'd like to ask Robby Bell and the rest of the Bell family to stop appearing on television. I'm tired of their complaining.
The choice to move the park (or not) was theirs. They chose to move.
There was never a statement saying "open your books and you can stay around" nor should they be required to. The place I pay my mortgage to doesn't get to see my bank statements.
The county decided that Bells was more of a liability than an asset, everything after that was fluff.
quote:
Originally posted by Conan71
Phantasmagoria is sort of like Star Wars. First time, the effects are almost over-whelming and startling. Then over the years you see the improvements in other productions and they are, well, pretty under-whelming.
That bus startled the crap out of me first time I saw it. As I remember, it wasn't part of the ride originally but added a few years later, wasn't it?
Phantasmagoria left me completely underwhelmed as a kid, as a teen even. I did like the Wildcat and the Zingo; I loved the Himalaya and the Super Round-Up. Does anyone remember that ride they had near the Log Ride, called Der Wellenflug? It was a bunch of swings that went round and round and up and down? I loved that ride.
Interesting how many Cities around have INVESTED money into their Fairgrounds and Attractions while Tulsa seems to want to close and tear down most of what took years and millions of dollars in time energy and effort to build. Expo may have a few new structures, but the majority of them stand empty most weekends due to overpriced rent and high requirements.
Structures torn down in Tulsa seem to be replaced by some funky corporate structure, grazing cattle or worse yet a parking lot with little or no aesthetic appeal. Oh, forgot the parking lot tree requirement. Perhaps some asthetic appeal. LOL
quote:
Originally posted by AMP
Interesting how many Cities around have INVESTED money into their Fairgrounds and Attractions while Tulsa seems to want to close and tear down most of what took years and millions of dollars in time energy and effort to build. Expo may have a few new structures, but the majority of them stand empty most weekends due to overpriced rent and high requirements.
Structures torn down in Tulsa seem to be replaced by some funky corporate structure, grazing cattle or worse yet a parking lot with little or no aesthetic appeal. Oh, forgot the parking lot tree requirement. Perhaps some asthetic appeal. LOL
But whatever you do, do not tear down the Fairgrounds Pavillion. Not only is it a classic piece of Art Deco, but I dare say that many fun memories were birthes there, not just for a young Mr. Jaynes, but for so many.
Yeah who can forget Budweiser Girls and vomiting Funnelcake?
Ah the Pavillion, quite a place for indoor racing indeed before they removed the nice smooth curved walls below the stands.
Indoor Midget Races and Motorcycle Races on Coke Syrup. Once I used VHT Track Bite cut with methanol sprayed on the polished concrete when we ran the bikes and quads in there. Quarter Midgets got some super bite on that track. There is a photo I saw of Curley Sutton in the early 1960s racing his Matchless G-50 indoors at the Pavillion.
Pavillion hosted a few Monster Truck Mud Bogs and Charlie Orr jumped over a running helicopter during one of those shows. Tractor Pulls also indors. Wonder what the dB meter read when they fired up those two Blown Injected 500 Cu In engines burning methanol in there. LOL
Those were the grand old days!
quote:
Originally posted by AMP
Ah the Pavillion, quite a place for indoor racing indeed before they removed the nice smooth curved walls below the stands.
Indoor Midget Races and Motorcycle Races on Coke Syrup. Once I used VHT Track Bite cut with methanol sprayed on the polished concrete when we ran the bikes and quads in there. Quarter Midgets got some super bite on that track. There is a photo I saw of Curley Sutton in the early 1960s racing his Matchless G-50 indoors at the Pavillion.
Pavillion hosted a few Monster Truck Mud Bogs and Charlie Orr jumped over a running helicopter during one of those shows. Tractor Pulls also indors. Wonder what the dB meter read when they fired up those two Blown Injected 500 Cu In engines burning methanol in there. LOL
Those were the grand old days!
The Pavillion also hosted a number of killer concerts, many of which I attended.