Canobie Lake Park
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Canobie Lake Park is a small amusement park located at 85 North Policy Street in Salem, New Hampshire.
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[edit] Description
Canobie Lake Park opened on August 23, 1902 as a trolley park for the Massachusetts Northeast Street Railway Company. The amusement park has opened every summer since then. In the park's early years, it was known for its flower gardens, promenades and gentle attractions. Today, the park features over 50 rides including roller coasters, a log flume, the "Timber Splash" (a log flume coaster), a hand-painted antique carousel, steam train, Ferris wheel, the "Starblaster", "DaVinci's Dream Flying Swing" ride, over a dozen kiddie rides, a variety of foods, prize games, three arcades, live entertainment, fireworks, and more.
The Yankee Cannonball, a 1930s era wooden roller coaster, is one of the park's best known rides. The park also has a looping, steel roller coaster named "Canobie Corkscrew", designed by Arrow Dynamics. It was formerly located at Old Chicago, where it was called the "Chicago Loop". There is also a kiddie coaster, called The Dragon". There used to be another steel coaster called "Rockin' Rider (a Galaxi steel coaster) but it was removed in 2004.
The park also features one of the few "dark rides" located in New England, titled "Mine of Lost Souls". Passengers board a mine train and are transported into the depths of a dark mine, which begins to collapse. Another popular flat ride at Canobie is the "Psychodrome," which is a scrambler-type ride located in a dome with fog, special effects lighting and music.
Located towards the back of the park, along the lake, is a classic Chute-The-Chutes ride titled "The Boston Tea Party." It is themed after the actual Boston Tea Party, a protest by American Colonists in 1773. Riders board a large boat, and are transported up a lift hill. They turn around, and plunge down a tunnel into the water below, creating a massive wave.
Another ride that can be found there is called the "Turkish Twist." Here, the riders stand with their backs to the wall of a circular room (with no ceiling, so that others can watch from above). The entire room begins spinning, and the riders are pushed against the wall by the strong centripetal force. The floor then drops out from beneath them, while they remain stuck to the wall.
2002 was the park's 100th season. In 2002, the park opened an S&S Power freefall named "Starblaster". In 2003 the park opened "DaVinci's Dream", a Chair-O-Planes-type ride. "Wipeout", a tropical surf theme ride, replaced "Kosmo Jet" (an SDC Telecombat ride). It opened for the last three days of the 2004, and was officially opened in 2005. Also in 2005, the park opened a new water park called "Castaway Island". The park also added a ride called "Skater". "Skater" took up some of the removed "Rockin' Rider" site, but has been moved to the old location of the "Paratroopers" ride (which will be sold and has been removed from the park). For 2007, a boom ride called "The Extreme Frisbee" is planned for the original "Skater" site. It is expected to be open for opening day in April.
Matterhorn never opened during the 2006 season because wear on the arms that hold the cars could have led to dangerous results. It will be removed during the 2007 season. Rumor has it that it will be replaced by a ride very similar to it.
[edit] Rides at Canobie Lake Park
[edit] Black diamond rides
- Starblaster
- Canobie Corkscrew
- Wipeout
- Pirata
- Psychodrome (an indoor scrambler ride with darkness, fog, music, and lights)
- Turkish Twist
- Xtreme Frisbee
[edit] Blue square rides
- DaVinci's Dream
- Yankee Cannonball
- Skater (Replaced "Paratroopers" ride in 2006)
- Boston Tea Party
- Policy Pond Log Flume
- Timber Splash Water Slides
- Giant Sky Wheel
- Crazy Cups
- Round Up
- Mine of Lost Souls
- Dodgems
- Twist & Shout (Tilt-A-Whirl)
- Rowdy Roosters
- Caterpillar
- Dragon Coaster
- Over the Rainbow
- Matterhorn*
[edit] Green circle rides
- Canobie 500
- Antique Carousel
- Blue Heron Lake Cruise
- Ocean Trip
- Antique Cars
- Sky Ride
- Jungle Bounce
- Flower Power
- Alpine Swing (Kiddie version of Da Vinci's Dream)
- Mini Dinos
- Junior Sports Cars (Kiddie version of the Canobie 500)
- Sea/Land Rescue
- Tiki-Maze
- Kiddie Canoes
- Mini-Scooters (Kiddie version of the Dodgems)
- Vertigo Theatre
- Canobie Express Train
- Kiddieland (a small area with rides for children only)
[edit] Other rides and attractions
- Castaway Island
- Rock Wall
- Fireworks
- Games and Arcades
- Shows at the Country Stage, Midway Stage and Dancehall Theater
- Music by the Canobie Ramblers at the Log Flume Gazebo
- "Canobie Critters", with names Patches, Molly, Bruno, and Dapper.
- *Matterhorn has been closed due to wear on the arms that hold the cars. It will be removed during the 2007 season
[edit] Trivia
- The Paratroopers, Caterpillar, and the Kosmo Jets were originally purchased from Palisades Park in New Jersey.
- The number on the side of the steam engine, 1902 is the year the park opened.
- After purchasing the park in the 1960's, the owners burned all the pins from the bowling alley to keep warm during their first winter.
- The Turkish Twist rotates at exactly 33&1/3 RPM.
- The Crystal Orbiter's name derives from the fact that the building did at one time indeed rotate constantly.
- The Turkish Twist gets a new paint job almost every season.
- The Yankee Cannonball's lift hill was desrtoyed by Hurricane Carol in 1938.
