John240
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Sunday, July 3, 2022 8:21:28 PM
Hello MCW;

It's been a while; I didn't see any shows in 2020 because of the pandemic and California's ridiculous lockdowns, but I managed to catch a couple last year.

I didn't get a chance to get them posted until now because I had a lot of other stuff on my plate but now they're ready, so here goes:

Butler Amusements--Summer Carnival At Cal Expo:
https://www.flickr.com/p.../sets/72177720300172765/ 

Classic Amusement--shopping center date:
https://www.flickr.com/p.../sets/72177720300227058/ 

Enjoy!

Photos from this year coming soon.

John
ridejocky
Sunday, July 3, 2022 9:26:41 PM
Nice pics, thanks!

I worked Cal Expo with Atlas in '77, still have a hat a program somewhere.

I was moving moving the Flying Bobs and gave breaks on the diver, the toboggan and the zipper.

WPS had a brand new Super Himalaya in that year.
Ride the Zipper?
John240
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Monday, July 4, 2022 11:56:50 PM
I visited the California State Fair that year, but I wasn't yet taking pictures.

I remember lots of classic rides out there, and I've been trying to find photos online of Cal Expo during the mid 1970's but I've been coming up empty.

I vaguely remember one called the "Olympic Bobsled" (not Helm & Sons' coaster), which had a high back wall with the electric signage on top, kind of like a Swiss Bobs or Bayern Kurve; do you remember this one?
ridejocky
Wednesday, July 13, 2022 4:08:21 AM
Yeah, I don’t have any pictures from of Atlas at all, but for one somewhere of me sitting on the steps of a trailer in winter quarters.

I do remember the “Olympic Bobsled”, and if it was not a Swiss Bobs, it was very much like it. But by ’77 the train had been removed and it had been converted into a terrarium pitch.
There were indeed a lot of classic rides, and as I remember, Atlas had a lot of old stuff installed there permanently, the Olympic Bobsled was one. I don’t remember them all, but others were:
Caterpillar (no canvas)
Rock-O-Plane (ground mounted)
Fly-O-Plane
Toboggan (I loved giving breaks on it)
Twister (maybe)
Non-permanent rides that I remember were:
From Atlas’ first unit:
Sky Diver
Zipper
Octopus (8-tub, smooth sweeps, red, white & blue)
Scrambler
Gyro (home-made Round-Up)
Bulgy the Whale
Tubs-of-Fun
Midge-O-Racer
Hampton Combination
Starfighter (kid-ride)
From Atlas second unit:
Flying Bobs
Tilt-A-Whirl
Octopus (8-tub, lattice style sweeps)
Dodgem
Merry Mixer
Western Pacific Shows (WPS) was there, and they looked great, but all I remember them having there was a new (I think Reverchon) Super Himalaya and a Super Round-Up. Not sure what happened to the Lopez brothers, but they had the best-looking rides and trucks there.

Carnival Time Shows (CTS)(now Helm & Sons) was also there, and I don’t know what all they had, but I think they had Larry’s German Swing.

I’m sure I missed a lot, but that’s all I remember now. I think that might have been the last year Allan had the contract.

Ride the Zipper?
John240
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Thursday, July 14, 2022 9:50:11 PM
Thanks for the info!

I remember the game being inside the fences of the Olympic Bobsled; though the ride itself was gone, the back wall and sign were still there.

I think the Caterpillar was set up back-to-back with the former Olympic Bobsled and had its own back wall, with "cowboys and Indians" scenery.

There WAS a Twister there (I rode it).

There was also a Dodgem ride (possibly Allen Herschell?) with big diamond-shaped light fixtures over the support columns in the front; this ride, along with the Gyro (Round Up type) made an appearance in the movie "Grease."

I remember CTS' German Swing ride being there; I rode that in 1980.


Man, I sure wish I had taken pictures back then!

Again, thanks for the info!