originally posted on 9/15/2023
All Photos: Jeff Braziel. View full-sized image.
ACE partners with many nonprofit organizations, and ACE South Central is proud to be the home of the National Roller Coaster Museum and Archives (NRCMA). On Saturday, August 19, the region partnered with the Museum and Wonderland Amusement Park in Amarillo to host its biannual West Texas Roundup event.
The morning started with more than 60 attendees from nine different states arriving at Larson International, the site of the NRCMA. After checking in, guests wandered through the original section of the museum, which houses many of the items that have been donated over the years, such as Matterhorn Bobsled trains from Disneyland (Anaheim, California), a section of track and car from Disaster Transport at Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio), historic models and signs and much more.
Amusement Today Owner and Publisher Gary Slade, who has been instrumental in the museum’s development as a past board president was on hand to answer questions about the museum. Surprises for attendees were also in order. First, Slade unveiled an Ottaway Locomotive donated to the museum by Dick Chance. He personally restored and converted the model on display to run on compressed air. His father, Harold Chance, sold these, which later inspired Chance Rides Manufacturing to create the C.P. Huntington trains in operation at amusement parks and zoos across the country.
Tours of Larson’s manufacturing facility were a highlight of the biannual West Texas Roundup event.
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Following this first unveiling, tours of Larson’s manufacturing site were conducted by Hunter Novotny and longtime Larson employees Josh and Fred, giving attendees — most of whom had never been to Larson’s facility — a unique behind-the-scenes glance at the process Larson uses to create its attractions. During the tour, Larson’s newest, ready-to-ship Ring of Fire was on display, as well as a much older, still-in-operation Super Loops, which is being refurbished for its current owner. Tours illustrated from beginning to end both how Larson’s most popular attractions are built and assessed, as well as the Tilt-a-Whirl attractions that Larson acquired in recent years.
Some of the highlights of the Larson tour were up-close looks at a brand new Ring of Fire as well as an older Super Loops being refurbished for its current owner.
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After the tours, guests returned to the museum to explore the largest expansion in the museum’s history, featuring some of its largest displays, including a 20-foot-long section of the Texas Cyclone from AstroWorld (Houston, Texas) and an entire train from sooperdooperLooper courtesy of Hersheypark (Hershey, Pennsylvania). Attendees also enjoyed a complimentary lunch at the Buzz Bar provided by Larson and the museum. Near the bar area, a touching tribute to David Dean, the recently passed owner of Joyland Amusement Park in Lubbock, Texas, was on display. Dean’s wife, Kristi, was present to greet and thank guests for their support over the many years of Joyland’s operation.
Following lunch, Slade had even more surprises in store. Three more unique items were unveiled, one of which had just arrived only 12 hours earlier. First up for Schwarzkopf fans was the lead car from Montezooma’s Revenge at Knott’s Berry Farm (Buena Park, California). Although not currently on display, the museum also has the rear cars, a sign and the top of the loop from the much-beloved ride.
Amusement Today Owner and Publisher Gary Slade unveils the lead car from Canobie Corkscrew – one of the NRCMA’s more recent acquisitions and intended to be displayed with a complete corkscrew element from the defunct ride.
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Next to be unveiled was the lead car from the Canobie Corkscrew at Canobie Lake Park (Salem, New Hampshire). Formerly the Chicago Loop, this donation included a complete corkscrew element along with two complete trains. Five semis were required to relocate this donation to the museum. It is intended to be part of the largest display in museum history when completed.
The final unveiling was a true labor of love by a longtime member of the ACE family. For the last 20 years, Randy Duffer has been painstakingly personally restoring a classic piece of American coaster history. Duffer unveiled a fully restored 1911 side friction car that was built for the Derby Racer at Lakeside Amusement Park in Denver. This car, designed by John Miller and built by Fred Ingersoll, was one of the first coaster trains to feature a restraint device and is now the oldest vehicle in the museum’s collection.
Attendees take full advantage of a whiteboard to leave messages of thanks and appreciation to the NRCMA for its preservation efforts.
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Following all the unveilings Slade personally thanked all those in attendance for their continued support of the museum. He pointed out that ACE is the single largest source of monetary donations to the museum, and without that support the museum would not have progressed to the point it has today. Attendees were then free to spend the rest of the early afternoon exploring the museum at their leisure before making the short journey north to Amarillo for the second portion of the round up.
After arriving at Wonderland Amusement Park, guests were given an unlimited rides wristband, which included access to all the park’s rides and coasters and even a chance to test their skills playing the park’s miniature golf course. After a group photo in front of the unique O.D. Hopkins-designed Texas Tornado entrance, attendees were off to enjoy the park’s many attractions and coasters including the aforementioned Texas Tornado; Cyclone — a unique 1960 Miler mouse coaster; Mouse Trap — a 1975 Zyklon; and Hornet, whose history includes operating at Boblo Island (Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada) and Six Flags AstroWorld.
ACE South Central extended its gratitude to the NRCMA, Slade, Kris Rowberry, Larson International, Novotny, Wonderland Amusement Park, Paul Borchardt and the Borchardt family for the time and work that went in to making this event a success. ACE South Central looks forward to its next visit to the museum and Wonderland.
— Jeff Braziel, ACE South Central Assistant Regional Representative
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