originally posted on 11/10/2023
Photo: Robert Ingle. View full-sized image.
On October 14, ACE Northern California members gathered at California’s Great America (Santa Clara, California) for a day that included a behind-the-scenes tour of the park’s Tricks and Treats Halloween event, ERT on Gold Striker and a buffet meal.
Attendees enjoyed a look at one of Flight Deck’s trains undergoing refurbishment.
Photo: Robert Ingle. View full-sized image.
Photo: Liz Tan. View full-sized image.
Attendees entered the park three hours before it opened via the Great America Pavilion, a space that offers terrific views of Flight Deck. All attendees were given custom lanyards for the event. The day began with the members greeting one another, followed by the group heading into the park for the tours. Mike Curry, director of facilities and construction, led the group through the maintenance area where they observed Flight Deck’s second train undergoing refurbishment, saw many antique cars in varying stages of repair and enjoyed viewing a large set of old signs from throughout the park’s history. The final stop in this backstage area included a glimpse of a prototype electric antique car.
California’s Great America’s backstage area is home to a prototype electric car, perhaps for future use on Barney Oldfield’s Redwood Rally?
Photo: Liz Tan. View full-sized image.
Photo: Robert Ingle. View full-sized image.
After leaving the backstage area, Corporate Creative Producer Clayton Lawrence took over as tour guide and led the group into the main park. Some group members were rather distracted by the maintenance worker who had tethered himself to a Drop Tower car and went for a slow ride to the top. The group learned there’s a ladder inside of the ride, but most workers prefer to ride rather than climb.
An unexpected surprise was observing a maintenance worker take a ride to the top of Drop Tower instead of climbing its ladder.
Photo: Robert Ingle. View full-sized image.
Next, the group enjoyed a walk back through Barney Oldfield’s Redwood Rally, and many attendees happily took rare pictures and set off the sensors that play audio messages at the start and finish of the ride. Attendees made their way to the infield of Gold Striker where the tour guide shared the ride’s history and explained that neighbor complaints about guest noise as they rode the ride were the impetus for all of the sound-dampening panels and the two tunnels on the ride.
ACE members walked along the course of Barney Oldfield’s Redwood Rally, setting off the sensors to play audio messages and taking photos of adjacent rides such as Grizzly.
Photo: Liz Tan. View full-sized image.
Photo: Liz Tan. View full-sized image.
The tour concluded with a walk through the WinterFest storage area (which used to be the IMAX theater), and the official end of the day was a buffet at the Great America Pavilion. With the park’s future uncertain, it’s always a treat when ACE members are able to spend some time together at this local landmark. ACE Northern California looks forward to sharing this park with CoasterCon 46 attendees in the summer of 2024.
— Liz Tan
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