Lagoon (amusement park)
Lagoon is a privately owned amusement park in Farmington, Utah, United States, located about 18 miles north of Salt Lake City. It has ten roller coasters, five of which are unique; "Colossus the Fire Dragon", the last Schwarzkopf Double Looping coaster still in operation in the United States (Laser at Dorney Park closed at the end of the 2008 season and was moved to Germany to become the Teststrecke traveling roller coaster in 2009); Roller Coaster, one of the oldest coasters in the world operating since 1921; Wicked, designed by Lagoon's engineering department and Werner Stengel  in cooperation with ride manufacturer Zierer; BomBora, a family coaster designed in-house; and Cannibal, built in-house with one of the world's steepest drops. Lagoon is divided into five main areas: "The Midway", containing the majority of the rides and an assortment of carnival type games and food outlets; "Pioneer Village" which has several exhibits displaying pioneer buildings and artifacts; "Lagoon-A-Beach", a water park which is included in the regular admission price; "Kiddie Land" with several rides for small children, and the "X-Venture Zone" featuring more extreme rides that cost extra. Lagoon also offers a  full-service RV park, a campground, and a shaded walking trail outside the park that stays open all year. History. 1886–1940. In 1886, the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad built a resort called Lake Park on the shores of the Great Salt Lake. It was one of several resorts built along the lake throughout the late 1800s. In the following years, however, the lake level receded drastically until Lake Park was far from the lake, and the park closed by the end of the 1895 season. Simon Bamberger, who was building his Salt Lake & Ogden Railroad line from Salt Lake  City to Ogden, Utah, was vice president of Lake Park and a 25% owner. To increase passenger traffic on his line, he bought most of the original Lake Park buildings from the D&RGW and moved them about 3 miles (5 km) east near Farmington, Utah. This gave the residents of Salt Lake City (and later, Ogden) a reason to travel over the "Bamberger". The resort was named Lagoon for the small body of water located on the original forty acres (162,000 m). The original lagoon was used to harvest ice in winter; Bamberger had it enlarged to by clearing some  swampland. Lagoon opened in Farmington, Utah, on July 12, 1896, and included "Bowling, Elegant Dancing Pavilion, Fine Music, A Shady Bowery and Good Restaurants." In 1900, guests began swimming and rowing boats in Lagoon Lake. Over time more rides were added, such as the authentic Herschell-Spillman Carousel and Cagney miniature-gauge Miniature Railroad. In 1901, the park hosted a minor league baseball team in the Inter-Mountain League and in 1902, a team in the Utah State League. One of the most popular rides today is Lagoon's famous wooden roller coaster. Designed by John Miller of Coney Island  fame, it was constructed in 1921. Miller gave Lagoon's coaster plenty of dips and turns. Its highest height is fifty-seven feet, and the length of track is . The ride lasts just under two minutes and the coaster train reaches speeds up to 45 mph (72 km/h). It is locally known as the "White Roller Coaster" due to its white wash paint. Little, if any, of the Roller Coaster is still white, however, since the wooden supports are regularly replaced and the new supports are left unpainted. In 1927, a swimming pool with "water fit to drink" was  built north of Lagoon Lake. It was one of the first filtered swimming pools in western North America, and was a cleaner alternative than swimming in the briny Great Salt Lake. Lagoon's popularity grew during the 1920s and 1930s. There was betting and horse racing there in the 1920s, but the Utah State Legislature put a stop to that only a few years after it began. The first Fun House was built in 1929, along with many other midway shows, rides, and games. During the "Big Band" era, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Glenn Miller  played Lagoon's stage. 1940–1970. The park was closed for three seasons during World War II. By 1946, the park was in bad condition and on the brink of permanent closure. The Bamberger family considered razing it. However, Ranch S. Kimball and Robert E. Freed, seeing an excellent opportunity, convinced the Bamberger family to lease the park to their newly formed Utah Amusement Corporation. Kimball served as president while Freed served as Secretary and Assistant Manager. The Freed family's Lagoon Corporation later bought the resort outright from the Bamberger family in 1983. When the Utah Amusement Corporation took over  the lease of Lagoon, a Farmington town ordinance prohibited African-Americans from using the swimming pool and the ballroom. By the end of the 1940s, Robert Freed had fully opened Lagoon to the black community, and further extended this policy to the Terrace Ballroom (formerly the Rainbow Gardens) in Salt Lake City. The Freed family made several improvements, including the installation of new dressing rooms and a general overhaul of the swimming pool in 1949, a rebuilt fun house and the introduction of the "Dodgem Cars" and the "Lakeshore Express" miniature diesel train in 1951, and a new Ferris wheel  in 1953. In November 1953, a fire damaged much of the park, including the fun house, dance pavilion, and the front portion of the roller coaster. It was quickly rebuilt to open for the next season and began to surpass the popularity of its main rival, Saltair. Many rides were restored, rebuilt, or replaced, and a few new rides were added. In 1956, Mother Gooseland, Lagoon's first themed area, was opened between the Midway and the swimming pool. It featured rides only for children. From the mid-1950s into the 1960s Lagoon made many improvements. A showboat was added to  the lake, and a new fun house was built, which featured such attractions as a multi-lane giant slide; mazes, mirrors, obstacle courses, and mystery rooms; a large turntable which flung its riders off at great velocity; revolving barrels; and the ubiquitous jets of air – activated by a human operator – which startled those who were unfortunate enough to stand over them. There was also a mini-car ride added in 1960, followed by the "Space Scrambler", spook house, I.Q. Zoo, and shooting gallery in 1961. The first Wild Mouse ride came in 1965. On the Midway, musical groups including the  Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, the Kingston Trio, and Johnny Cash drew the crowds to the bandstand. The Beach Boys made mention of the park in the song "Salt Lake City" on their 1965 album "Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)". The Rolling Stones concert at Lagoon was in July 1966. The narrow-gauge Animaland Train began circling Lagoon Lake in 1967. In 1975, authentic Crown Metal Products-built 4-4-0 steam locomotives were put into operation around the lake and the name was changed to the Wild Kingdom Train. 1970–1997. The turn-of-the-century-style Opera House Square  opened in 1968 and showcased melodramas, musicals, and silent movies. In 1976, Lagoon expanded east by purchasing Pioneer Village, an old west town complete with several historic structures that had been collected and exhibited in Salt Lake City's Sugar House area since 1953. The buildings were moved to Lagoon and the narrow-gauge "Pioneer Village Railroad" (featuring "Old Ironsides," a Crown Metal Products 4-4-0 locomotive) circled the town. There was also the "Lagoon Miniature Railroad," which looped around the residential area of Pioneer Village using the original miniature -gauge steam locomotive acquired in the early 1900s. A  log flume ride was brought in from the defunct Pixieland Park in Oregon. One of today's most popular rides was added in 1976, the Jet Star 2. Before Lagoon purchased the Jet Star 2, it was one of the attractions at Spokane, Washington's Expo '74. Colossus the Fire Dragon came to Lagoon in 1983, to huge crowds and great reviews as it was selected by "People" magazine in 1984 as one of the top 10 coaster rides in the country. Fire Dragon was Lagoon's first coaster to feature inversions, with a top speed of . With its double  inverted loops, Colossus had the most inversions of any coaster at Lagoon for 32 years. Cannibal, built in 2015, currently has four inversions, the most for a roller coaster at Lagoon. In the late 1980s, both the famous old fun house and the "Haunted Shack", a walk-through freaky fright attraction, were closed, victims of escalating maintenance costs, safety concerns, and increased risk of litigation. The famous swimming pool closed after its fifth decade in 1987. This made way for the $5.5 million Lagoon-A-Beach water park, which was completed in 1989. Its construction spelled the end of  the small-scale railroad operations in Pioneer Village, as some of the supports stood in the way of the track. Attractions. Roller coasters. Lagoon features ten different roller coasters. The oldest, "Roller Coaster" (often called "White Roller Coaster" by locals), was built in 1921 and is an American Coaster Enthusiasts Roller Coaster Landmark. X-Venture Zone. In 1995, the Skycoaster towers were set up on the North Midway and marked the beginning of what would become the X-Venture Zone. (The sky coaster was previously owned by Midway West and traveled in carnivals.) Later the Top Eliminator, Double Thunder Raceway , and The Catapult would all become part of the X-Venture Zone. These rides are not included in Lagoon's all-day Passport and require an extra fee to ride. Events. Entertainment. Lagoon has offered varied entertainments to park visitors over the years, from live bands to musicals, and Wild West shows to Pop shows. 2017 - 2 shows 2016 - 2 shows 2015 - 3 shows 2014 - 3 shows 2013 - 2 shows 2012 - 2 shows 2011 - 3 shows 2010 - 4 shows 2009 - 3 shows 2008 - 3 shows 2007 - 3 shows 2006 - 3 shows 1990 Regular Season "A Salute to Broadway" at the  Music USA Theater. Songs performed included "A Pretty Girl" from "The Ziegfeld Follies"; "They Call the Wind Mariah" from "Paint Your Wagon"; "Let Me Entertain You," from "Gypsy"; "Tonight" from "West Side Story" and "I Cain't Say No" from "Oklahoma". Performers: Collette Schlappi, Angi Cannon, Camille Bailey, LauraLyn Oldham, Angela Burnett, Bret Wheadon, Jeff Whiting, Tim Shoemaker, Roger Stephenson, Brett Bradford. Frightmares. Every autumn the park offers Halloween-themed shows and attractions from mid-September to the end of October, collectively known as Frightmares. List of current attractions The 2006 Frightmares season featured The Hackenslash Chainsaw Demonstration Team, Wailin' Witches , Zombie Mambo, and The "Hypnotysm". Also in 2006 and 2007 Lagoon hosted the following walk-thru attractions: Haunted Hollywood, Fun House of Fear, Hal O. Ween High, Spook-A-Boo Walk-Thru, and Psycho Dave's Salvage Yard. The 2007 Frightmares Season featured The Hackenslash Chainsaw Demonstration Team, Vampire Awakening, Monster Classics, and The Master Hypnotist. The 2008 season lagoon removed the Haunted Hollywood attraction, but Deception was added in the 2009 season in its place. The 2010 season featured new haunted house, Lockdown. Also went to Knowlton Elementary School to sign autographs. The 2011 season featured Nightwalk. The 2012  season Lagoon removed Psycho Dave's Salvage Yard and Deception, replacing them with Backlot, and a children's walk-through named Scary & Crow's Super Fun Straw Maze! Scary & Crow's is located in the main street of Pioneer Village. The 2013 season only featured a re-branding of a haunt. Lockdown themed to a prison where prisoners are escaping the previous years, Lagoon decided to rename the haunt to Zombie's Lockdown, and gave it a theme of the government trying to control the zombie population, but the zombies want out. Games. Lagoon has 26 Currently operating carnival games  in which prizes ranging in size from small to giant can be won. Lagoon's past games include a Fascination Parlor, Skee Ball, Dime Toss, and Skatterball/Monkey Ball. "Putter Around The Park," an 18-hole miniature golf course, with obstacles based on rides and attractions in the park, was removed to make way for Jumping Dragon in 2009. Controversy. In 2012, Lagoon became the focus of animal welfare groups' protests which called for a boycott of the park, citing USDA inspection reports that suggested poor care of animals in the Wild Kingdom. The Utah Animal Rights Coalition and PETA  pointed to a range of USDA citations over a 15-year span that included insufficient living space for and unexplained deaths of animals. While admitting to some problems, a Lagoon spokesman denied any abuse taking place and said veterinarians and staff regularly monitored the animals.