Hershey Park:
A Look Back To
The "Dark" Ages
By Stephen Oxenrider
Hershey
Park, in Hershey PA, at one time had many
different darkrides and funhouses. Today though,
all of these classic attractions are gone. Here are my memories of
them circa the early and mid - 1960's.
The Mill
Chute
First up is quite
possibly my favorite ride of all time! The Mill Chute
was an old PTC built water
type of ride located adjacent to the left of the Comet Rollercoaster
and toward the back of the park, near the small creek that runs through
the park. A Bug ride was nearby as well as twin Ferris
Wheels. Admission to this ride was 20 cents back then, and I
would ride and ride. The entrance to the ride as well as the tunnel
section were both painted a pale green and the neon lettering on the rides sign lit up in a beautiful pink color
in the evening. The tunnel was well hidden by the backs of the other
attractions. The Chute, as I called it,
had several 4 passenger boats which, upon leaving the station, would
enter the damp and musty smelling tunnel. There were 3 or 4 rather
simple dioramas during the course of the tunnel section. They all
had a Pinocchio style theme. I vividly recall a plaster facial
portrait of Geopetto immediately upon entering the tunnel.
There was also a Pinocchio head that bobbed up and down.
There was also a peaceful, almost soothing piece of music score that
played as the boats silently glided through the tunnel, making one
almost totally oblivious to the outside world! The tunnel part (Ahh-
with its wonderful musty smel!) lasted about 2 1/2 minutes before
ending at the lift hill for the big climax, complete with its "Hold
Onto Your Hats" sign atop.  The boats crested the top, then
plunged down the hill into the water with a big splash, soaking riders
who by now were laughing very hard. In 1964, the Mill
Chute was renovated by the renowned darkride
and funhouse master Bill Tracey
and his Amusement Display Company.
The new ride was now called The Lost River,
and featured a fiberglass elephant which stood guard atop
the rides entrance along with a volcano as part of its Jungle
theme. Some of the new interior stunts now included an animated Swamp
Ghost, Bat and a now famous scene of a Hippo-Girl
who had a heaving bosom. She sat upon a hippo and sang "I'm Forever
Blowing Bubbles". This newly refurbished ride was very popular.
Click Here for more photos.
The Pretzel
Hershey
Park also had a fun, old time type of darkride made
by the defunct Pretzel Ride Company. The
building in which it sat was painted a light tan with navy blue trim.
In 1959, admission was 10 cents. The Pretzel
had classic, stock factory cars painted a fire engine red with golden
counterweight Pretzels made of cast iron on the sides. The
boarding area featured painted white ghosts with a sign that read:
"Fun, Thrills, and Chills". The slat floor ride
had classic, original black-boxed Pretzel stunts, among them
a monkey's face. The Pretzel was  renovated in 1964, also by Bill
Tracey and Amusement Display into
the new "Gold Nugget" darkride,
complete with a 2 level western theme with fake western
town storefronts. The ride cars now had a "Mine
Train" look to them. About halfway through this ride, riders
would emerge briefly on the second floor outside the building on a
patio style porch, only to return to the darkness inside. Some of
the new scenes included: an Indian who jumped from behind
a rock to startle patrons as well as a Skeleton that tried
to set off dynamite and a Beauty In Bed who sat up in surprise
from a bed as a car passed by!
Click Here for more photos.
Funland
In the 1960's, there
were also two other funhouses at Hershey Park. The
first, Funland, had a front that featured
a laffing clown (although I recall that it was anything
but funny to me!). The interior was very big and had two levels with
a vast complex of floorboards that shifted back and forth
with other floor sections that rattled, as if hit with a
rivet from below. It also had classic air holes to blow up
the ladies skirts and to embarrass the gents, and two large polished
revolving barrels, two polished spinning floor  discs that held as many as 10 people
each and a large bowl shaped wooden tub. All of this was
located on the first floor alone! The second floor contained a bridge
that passed through a revolving barrel and around 20 different
distortion mirrors, (Much Fun!). A walkway led to
the outdoors onto a patio and a nice view overlooking the park, between
the sculptured devil and the bearded man on the
facade, just below the Funland sign. This
section had demonic swirling toad stool type pedestals
that guests had to maneuver carefully, or risk stepping down into
a surrounding pool of water!
Laugh
Land
This was the name
of the second walkthrough funhouse at Hershey. It was a classic PTC
built Magic Carpet and had a facade featuring a Laffin'
Sal located to the right of the entrance in a glass enclosed
case. The facade was painted in yellow, with greens and reds mixed
in, too. This walkthrough was very black and dark with a
gradual incline at the beginning that led to a slanted room,
which then led to the outside balcony. You would then go back inside
to yet another room and here you sat on a  large padded cushion which
started a conveyor belt. The cushion would drop
you onto the conveyor belt and you were then carried down
a dim corridor to the exit. Throughout this walkthrough,
there were very few tricks or stunts that operated, although I do
vividly remember a Caveman holding a knife stunt. (Have you
ever seen the "Simpsons" episode where Bart and Lisa go through
a Haunted House with nothing happening except an
old spring popping out of a coffin?!? Much of the same here!).
The Later
Years
By the late 1960's,
all 4 attractions, Laugh Land, Funland, The Lost River
and The Gold Nugget were removed
to make room for newer, white knuckle rides as the park began to modernize.
Only the building which housed the Gold Nugget
was retained, and today is used as the roof for the bumper cars.
Today......I only have fond memories of all these past Darkrides
and Funhouses, but I still miss the musty old smell of the
Mill Chute, and will never forget it!
Editor's Note: It has been
said that, at one time, Hershey Park featured at least 6 or 7 animated
"Laffing'" Characters made by the defunct Old King Cole Company and
marketed by PTC.
Addendum
"Laugh Land"
was the first fun house removed, sometime in the early 1960’s. "The
Lost River" was fine until 1972 when Hurricane Agnes came along and
cleaned it out. "Funland" survived into the early 1970’s, with its
final demolition taking place circa: 1973-74. "The Gold Nugget" was
the last to go, making it to the mid 1970’s. The building's structure
had deteriorated and vandalism had taken its toll on many of the stunts.
It was dismantled and some of the stunts and scenery were moved to
the "Dry Gulch Railroad" ghost town where they still exist today.
The building was torn down and a completely new structure was built
to house the "Lusse Skooters". A Very Special Thanks to Rich Sitler
for this new information and corrections.
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