Canobie Lake Park

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Coordinates: 42°47′42″N 71°15′01″W / 42.795, -71.25028 Canobie Lake Park is an amusement park located 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.[1] 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. From the 1930s to the early 1950s, Canobie Lake Park’s Dancehall Theater became known as an entertainment destination hosting names such as Guy Lombardo, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, and later, Sonny & Cher and Aerosmith.[2] Today, owned by 3 different families, the park features over 50 rides, including roller coasters, a log flume, the "Timber Splash Water Coaster", a hand-painted antique carousel, a steam train, a Ferris wheel, the "Starblaster", "Dodgems", "DaVinci's Dream", 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".[3] There is also a kiddie coaster, called "The Dragon".

Previous logo of Canobie Lake Park
Previous logo of Canobie Lake Park

The park also features one of the few "dark rides" located in New England, titled "Mine of Lost Souls". Passengers aboard 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", a 12-car Sizzler ride located in a dome, with 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 in the back portion of the park is a classic Rotor ride named "Turkish Twist". Here, the riders stand with their backs to the wall of a cylindrical drum (with no ceiling, so that others can watch from above). The entire drum begins spinning, and the riders are pushed against the wall by the strong centrifugal force. The floor then drops out from beneath them, while they remain stuck to the wall. In 2001, the park opened "Ocean Trip", which has been replaced (although it still is the same style ride) by "Boston Harbor Patrol" (To fit in the "Boston Tea Party theme). 2002 was the park's 100th season. In that year, the park opened an S&S Power Double Shot ride named "Starblaster".[4] In 2003 the park opened "DaVinci's Dream", a Chair-O-Planes-type ride. "Wipeout", a tropical surf theme ride, replaced "Kosmo Jets" (an SDC Telecombat ride). It opened for the last three days of the 2004 season, 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 since been moved to the old location of the "Paratroopers" ride (which will be sold and has been removed from the park). In 2007, Canobie Lake opened a HUSS Frisbee named "Xtreme Frisbee" at the original "Rockin' Rider" site.

[edit] Rides at Canobie Lake Park

[edit] Black diamond rides

Name MFG Year Added Notes
Starblaster S&S Power
2002
Canobie Corkscrew Arrow Dynamics
1987
Wipeout Chance Morgan
2005
Pirata S.D.C.
1986
Psychodrome Eli Bridge Company
1989[5]
 an indoor Scrambler ride with music, and various visual effects.
Turkish Twist S.D.C.
1981
Xtreme Frisbee HUSS
2007

[edit] Blue square rides

Name MFG Year Added Notes
DaVinci's Dream Wood Design bv
2003
Yankee Cannonball Philadelphia Toboggan Company
1933
Skater Zamperla
2005
Boston Tea Party O.D. Hopkins Associates, Inc.
1998[6]
Policy Pond O.D. Hopkins Associates, Inc.
1983
Timber Splash WhiteWater West Industries
1994
Giant Sky Wheel Preston Barbieri
1981
Crazy Cups Philadelphia Toboggan Company
1958
Mine of Lost Souls Sally Corporation
1992
Dodgems
1930's
Twist & Shout Sellner Manufacturing
Rowdy Roosters
1948
Caterpillar Harry Traver
1963
 Originally purchased from Palisades Amusement Park[citation needed]
Dragon Coaster Zamperla
1991
Over the Rainbow Zamperla
2001[7]

[edit] Green circle rides

Name MFG Year Added Notes
Canobie 500
1977
Antique Carousel Looff
1902
Blue Heron Lake Cruise
2005
Boston Harbor Patrol
2008
Antique Cars
Sky Ride
1986
Jungle Bounce S&S Power
2003
Flower Power William Mangels
1995
 Kiddie Whip
Alpine Swing Sartori Rides International
2003
 Kiddie version of Da Vinci's Dream
Mini Dinos Zamperla
Junior Sports Cars Arrow Dynamics
1958
Land/Sea Rescue
1989[5]
Tiki-Maze Formerly known as "Crystal Orbiter", a reference to the fact that the entire building is on a motor-driven rotating platform. The mechanism has been broken for many years and there are no plans to repair it. The rotation controls can be seen in the control booth just to the left of the maze entrance.
Kiddie Canoes
Mini-Skooter Zamperla Kiddie version of the Dodgems
Vertigo Theatre
1987
Canobie Express Train Crown Steam Engine, propane fired. The number on the side of the steam engine, "1902", is the year the park opened.[1]
Kiddieland multiple
1954
 A small area with rides for children only

[edit] Other rides and attractions

  • Castaway Island (added in 2005[8])
  • 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.

[edit] Retired attractions

Name MFG Year Added Year Retired Notes
Calypso Mack
Canobie Queen Paddle wheel riverboat
Fascination
Figure 8 roller coaster
House of Seven Gables Walk-through haunted house
Jr. Roller Coaster
Kosmojets SDC Telecombat, Originally purchased from Palisades Amusement Park[citation needed]. Replaced with Wipeout.
Matterhorn
2006
Moon Orbitor
1989[5]
2002
Paratroopers
2006
 Originally purchased from Palisades Amusement Park[citation needed]. Replaced with "Starblaster".
Petting Zoo N/A
Rockin' Ride
2004
 Replaced with "Xtreme Frisbee"
Round Up
1980
2007
 Replaced with "Zero Gravity" (Round up)
Skating Rink
The Swamp Pretzel
Swimming Pool
2007
USA Missile SBNO
The Whip

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • After purchasing the park in the 1960s, the owners burned all the pins from the bowling alley to keep warm during their first winter.[1]
  • The Yankee Cannonball's lift hill was destroyed by Hurricane Carol in 1954.
  • Psychodrome before 2007 had a fog machine in it. The house lighting in Psychodrome used to get turned off during operation up until early August of 2007. The ride still employs strobe lights but they are very unnoticeable. The colored non-flashing "disco lights" are still used.
  • The Lake and Palace Arcades feature a wide selection of antique machines, many of which are in working order.
  • From 1979 through 1982, the park employed a house band called "The Canobie Brass". The band played three shows daily on the stage directly across from the entrance to the Yankee Cannonball. Members of the band were students from the University of Lowell College of Music, Berklee College of Music and Boston University. Instrumentation fluctuated somewhat, but the typical ensemble was alto sax/clarinet, tenor sax/flute, trumpet, trombone, electric piano, electric bass and drums.[citation needed]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Seed, Douglas, & Khalife, Katherine (1996). Salem, NH. Volume II - Trolleys, Canobie Lake, and Rockingham Park, Images Of America. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-0438-5.
  2. ^ Canobie Lake Park
  3. ^ "Salem's Canobie Lake Park Has Given 80 Years of Fun", New Hampshire Sunday News (Manchester, NH), June 17, 1990, Colleen Cowette
  4. ^ s&swebwide2
  5. ^ a b c "CANOBIE SPECIAL", Boston Globe, April 16, 1989.
  6. ^ "For your amusement - Region's theme parks have a host of new rides to thrill and chill you", Boston Herald, July 5, 1998, Karyn Miller-Medzon
  7. ^ "More sure signs of spring: Canobie Lake Park opens", New Hampshire Sunday News (Manchester, NH), April 29, 2001
  8. ^ "Canobie's new Castaway Island water complex opens", Manchester Union Leader, May 26, 2005
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