Indiana Arm band tour. Fun Spot, IB, More!

Well I've been looking at ways to visit Fun Spot for years but never really considered the 230 mile trip worth going for only. Don't get me wrong, I've tried before and even got there on a trip to MIA but the park was closed that day.

Well from a racing website I found out there would be a midget race at Kokomo Indiana Speedway Thurs Aug 17 at 6pm as it's another place I always wanted to visit. I bookeneded the two for half a day each.

I left Mason Ohio at 5am hoping for a 10am arrival to Fun Spot. Well a little late but not much 10:20 and I pulled into the lot. Did they change the entrance since 2002? I remember a gate facing the road to enter the parking lot but now found it at the south end of the park.

Video camera in hand I paid the 15 dollar all day Wristband (1) and entered the park. I also find it's Amish Day at Fun Spot! We'll I kinda follow the Amish around and take footage of them riding the Flyers and Balloon Race, Careful not to get Beat Up!

Fun Spot has Flying Scooters and many know it's my favorite ride of all time. Even better than my favorite coaster as it never gets boring to me.

I believe this is the only set of flyers to have the exact same kind of tubs Lesourdsville has. Fiberglass and made by a company in Dayton for Lesourdsvilled after the 1980 fire. It makes sence beings Fun Spots flyers are Fantasy Farms old flyers that park was right next to Lesourdsville.

From watching the Amish, I notice these things are fast. I mean Knoebels Fast! OH YEAH!

My first ride took a short getting used to as it's been 4 years since I rode Lesourdsvilles but by rides end I was snapping. By my third ride I was freaking people out. Now my second favorite Flyers next to Knoebels. Trust me people. They are much faster and easier to snap than PKI's old ones now at PCAR.

More footage of Flyers and other stuff and it's off to Zyclon. OK, WTH? Someone put OTSR's on a SDC Galaxie! Put it this way. YEOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One ride was enough for a lifetime.

I take a little footage of their Jungle kids coaster (Herschell) Afterburner that is not running and I figure it's from the incident a month ago. Darn, I'll probably never get to ride another Arrow shuttle loop!. I take a Tilt ride and get no spinnage Sad. I filmed the go karts nad took a ride on a excellent Dodgem with bumper boards that are capable of inline bumper cars Smile The Bayrne Curve and Troika are closed and I somehow missed the Zoo but after looking at the ground I see footprints and follow them to the Zoo. All the animals are rescue projects either found hurt or young without a mother. They had 4 bengals tigers (BENGALS RULE!) Two Lions, A leopard and several other cats on display. Another park you can littlerally get five feet from the animals and when your that near a big cat like a Lion or Bengal tiger you realize just how helpless you would be!

Noon and Afterburnner opens! WOO HOO! I haddn't ridden a Arrow Shuttle since Screamin' Demon left Kings Island and I totally forgot how much airtime they have although I remembered them having it. WOW! What a fun and not rough coaster! The ride op even let me film it from the operators possition in both is cycles Smile

I take a couple more flyer rides after my 5 consecutive Afterburner rides and notice its almost one oclock. I buy a root beer float from the concession and Im off for my next stop. Kokomo Speeday.

OR NOT!

I come down I-69 to US 24 and Im halfway across the state in a hour and a half. It's only about 2:45 and looking at my map Im only 20 miles from INDIANA BEACH! I figure I got at least a hour and a half so I just buy another wristband (2) for the evening session and proceed to ride Lost coaster 3 times. Cornball twice and hoosier Hurricane once.

All the coasters seemed to be running well but not their best. Remember I'm one who loved Lost coaster the old rough way! HH was a little rough but not painful and Cornball was a little slower than normal.

4:30 and Im out of IB heading for KOKOMO Speedway.

OR NOT!

I go under this bridge US 31 and see GRISSOM MUSEUM EXIT HERE! A 60mph quick turn to a very short exit ramp and Im in a airforce museum for a look at several old planes and not so old ones. I paid the $4 entrance and got another Wristband (3) even knowing I would only be there less than a half hour. They had a B-17 flying fortress of which my Great Uncle flew in WWII, Several fighters including a F-14B Tomcat and even one Blue Angels Jet. While I was outside looking around several stratojets took off from Grissom Airforce base to perform refueling duties for our troops both in the air here and europe.

5:15 after buying a couple quick souvineers and a early Christmas present and I was out of there for Kokomo.

6:00 right on time for hot laps and I buy another Wristband (4) and proceed to watch some excellent Midget Racing which ended at 10:00.

I got home at 1.30am and after cutting off my FOUR wristbands and took a quick shower, Had no trouble falling asleep.

What a day, I Wondered Indiana. Had a great time at Fun Spot (For some reason I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did) Caught surprise visits to IB and a airforce museum and even seen the full race program I was going for.

Thanks for reading! Get yourself to Fun Spot!

Charles Nungester 8/18/06

Sounds like that was a blast Charles! BTW, it was nice to have met you at Holiwood Nights!

Awesome TR, Chuck!

Fun Spot is a cute little park that reminds me of Lakemont in a way......a bunch of rides scattered all over an open field. :)

I miss those shuttle loops!

-Tina

<---who says do NOT under any circumstances dail 1-800-FUN-SPOT. That is NOT the park's number! ;)

I've heard of bird watching, whale watching, and even people watching. Amish watching? That's a new one to me! :)

Nice TR, sounds like you really crammed a lot in to one day!

- Aaron K

Yeah, I wasn't even really rushed except IB and the Museum.

Chuck, who would have ridden IB's flyers if I had more time but it had a pretty consistent line.

Hey, Chuck! I went there Sunday. I will state that those ARE Americana's tubs. The last time I was at Fun Spot, they had blue and white traditional tubs, which today I found sitting next to two more fiberglass tubs. Wasn't Americana's a 10 tub?

Anyway, I also remember the old "winged kayak" tubs from FF sitting in the same Fun Spot boneyard a few years ago. Thought I'd let ya know. I MISS AMERICANA/LeSOURDSVILLE!!!

Ken

Fun Spot used to have tubs just like those at Knoebels and PKI but they had very short chains on the sails. They were pretty much impossible to snap but were definitly fast as hell.

I have not been to Fun Spot in years even though it is only a half an hour away, if they are Americana style tubs then they are definitly new.

Im not sure if they are Lesourdsvilles Tubs. I don't think they are. It it most certain they were made by the same people tho.

Someone told me a couple years ago that Fun Spots tubs were the same as Lesourdsvilles.

BTW, Lesourdsvilles flying Scooter is still at Lesourdsville and not for sale.

Castleking, I too seen the old steel tubs and two fiberglass ones in the boneyard. Interesting tho as there is another boneyard at the other end of the park that apears to have some structure support for a flying scooter and the elevator to Afterburner.

Chuck, Who thought the tubs for the Fun Spot flyers looked in better condition than Lesourdsvilles. All the screws and washers in the tubs and wings of Lesourdsvilles were rusting and these apeared to be almost brand new.

Were you there last Thursday? I was there last Thursday and there was a whole bus of Amish people there! I think we might have both gone the same day!

Just out of the blue my bf and I wanted to go up there and visit the park again. It was a lot of fun and the place looks a lot nicer then the last time I was there.

Becca, We were there on the same day. I was there from 10-1:15 or so.

Yeah, The Amish or Quakers or Mennonites whichever they were were all wearing Blue. On the way out, Passing the picnic area, I though about enquiring about a piece of hand wrung fried chicken :) It smelled good anyhow.

I'd never been there before, Had stopped on my way to MIA in 2002 but it was closed. I have to say the park was WAY BETTER THAN I EXPECTED but not great.

The park had a decent crowd but nothing to cause a wait on anything really. I was impressed and I think if they'd expand on the waterpark a bit and get some of the local college crowd to come. They might turn it around. Theres been a couple years the park was flirting with closure.

Chuck, who wished he'd of known you were going.

Chuck, I know the owners a little and there is verification those are A/LL's. The structure of the Scooters is from FF still. Also, it appeared the Kiddie Wheel placed at front of LL is sitting in other boneyard. Did you have chance to see?

FYI- That IS the elevator from when AFTERBURNER was DOUBLE O at Boardwalk & Baseball in Florida.

Last note, AFTERBURNER seemed to be running VERY well. No shuffle or headbang!

Ken

I agree Afterburner was running very well IMHO and mass airtime in the front seat (Which I rode every ride)

Thanks for the heads up.

I made a side trip to Fun Spot on Sunday after an AWESOME Lost Coaster Weekend at Indiana Beach. The sole purpose of this side trip was to ride the snappy flyers. Guess what ride was closed...due to wind. BALLS! It wasn't even windy enough to blow the tubs around.

Also got another zero-spin ride on a tilt-a-whirl, which broke down just as a second cycle started. On the bright side, Afterburner was indeed a fun ride--hadn't been on one of those in MANY years. And the bumper cars weren't awful. Still, I didn't get my flyer fix. FLYERS...can't stop snapping in my head.

The flyers were indeed snappable, for anyone with ANY level of skill. I need to get to PPP so I can snap again, 'cause I have NO skills whatsoever. Both Fun Spot's and IB's flyers ran well, but I am WAYYY out of ppp-practice.

Afterburner was indeed running very well, and the airtime on the front-seat ride backwards was intense. WAY better than my previous stop at Fun Spot. Also, the Zyklon was *inifintely* better than my prior visit, enjoyable even. And I had geared up for a beat-down... ;)

The one negative was that adults are no longer permitted on the kiddie coaster...seemed like the entire Midwest is geared to prevent adults from riding kiddie coasters...'cept for Nick L. getting us on Little Titans...thanks Nick! :)
*** Edited 8/22/2006 2:01:50 PM UTC by rollergator***

I got the beatdown on Zyclon. I'll never ride it again.

I was banned from Little Titans even after saying Im a big kid.

:(

Chuck