Kennywood's Gold Rusher to take last ride

Don't forget that Halloween Productions also makes interactive dark rides, and they were responsible for Garfield's Nightmare as well as all the haunted attractions for Fright Nights. I'd love to see Sally do the ride, but given the park's recent relationship with Halloween Productions, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see them at the helm.

What scenery is there in a dark ride besides campy animatronics?

I sure am glad I visited KW for the first time yesterday and didn't wait until next week. I really liked Gold Rusher and to me it contributed a lot to the parks "feel".

I'm Glad I rode it yesterday. =)

I was talking to my friend about this yesterday, and we said that KW is in a tough position. They really don't have any room to expand at this point, so the only two choices are to 1) remove older rides and 2) replace with newer ones.

I guess I'm in the minority here, but I love the Sally shoot-em-ups (as long as the guns work correctly--I talking to you KI). I like competing against friends, and improving everytime I ride one of them. I like the active quality of them as opposed to the passive nature of rides like The Gold Rusher.

Here's the attraction to the Sally shoot-em-up rides, though: if you just want to concentrate on the scenery and enjoy the ride, you're perfectly welcome to. Just put the gun down and you have a traditional dark ride.

For most people, though, they're insanely re-rideable. People want to better their score, beat their friend, or see what happens when they hit different targets. No one re-rides the Rusher.

EDIT: We aren't installing a Sally Interactive. Don't read in to this post. I was just sayin'...

*** Edited 8/23/2007 9:18:47 PM UTC by kpjb***

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kpjb said:
EDIT: We aren't installing a Sally Interactive. Don't read in to this post. I was just sayin'...

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Pity -- that would actually be a good addition.

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scraperguy99 said:
So tired of the stupid general public, they're why we can't have classic rides anymore in most places.

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They're also the reason parks exist in the first place, though. Enthusiasts have to take the "bad" of that with the good to have our parks at all.

Gotta agree with Tambo on this one. The Sallys are good for a few rides a season, But a great CLASSIC DARKRIDE never gets old. Im talking Waldameer here with it's multiple doors and three D squares. Knoebels and all its effects and scares.

Nothing scary or even really exciting about a Sally, However sometimes the competition is fun. Aiming at every little target takes any STORY or effect out of the equation.

Chuck, who likes Sally's but NOWHERE NEAR CONSIDERS THEM A CLASSIC DARKRIDE or HAUNTED ATTRACTION.

Hmm....could a new motion simulator ride fit in the building where this ride used to be housed? Just fuel for the fire and something Kennywood doesnt have yet.

I grew up with Waldameer and the Wacky Shack, it got old. I spent more time worrying about the girls in the car ahead of us than the so called scares and surprises. I love the Wacky Shack, but its not scarey and never surprising after the first ride.

If they put in a new dark ride, great! A new interactive, great! I loved the Old Mill and I love Garfields Nightmare. I will probably love whatever they put in its place.

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I loved the Old Mill and I love Garfields Nightmare. I will probably love whatever they put in its place.

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Continuing on with that comic strip theme... How about "Opus's Mildly Disturbing Dream"?

*** Edited 8/24/2007 3:44:36 PM UTC by SLFAKE***

Opus the penguin?

What am I missing here? I was never at KW (live by Dorney Park for all my 33 years) It's a shame that the park announced the closing too late, giving people little time to go there. Now it's already closed forever. It seems dark rides are closing all over at the same time lately for various reasons. Coney Island, Rye Playland's 2 electric rail rides, Myrtle Pavilion's Haunted Hotel was razed in March, an abandoned 2 level spook ride was torn down in Wildwood, NJ last January. The Golden Nugget Mine Ride on former Hunt's Pier in Wildwood is still standing as of 8/2007, but for how much longer? I was upset when Dorney Park removed all their dark rides, including the old mill Journey to the Center of the Earth after 1992 upon Cedar Fair takeover, I was kind of bitter at that, they claimed the ride was too old, poor thoroughput, low capacity, etc. You can find a video of it at YouTube which I uploaded, it was from a TV show. My ID there is rwk360. The dark ride Bucket O' Blood burned in Sept. 1983 at Dorney Park, I rode it several times. It was a Pretzel/Bill Tracy creation like the Ghost Ship KW had. The Gold Mine walkthrough under the arcade in the old Dorney house closed 1985 and the entire building was torn down fall 2005. Th mine was under there sealed off all those years. It had caves, scenes, bloody handprint on cave wall, rope bridge, rotating tunnel walking across a bridge, strobe light jail room with bars walking back and forth. Now, I like that Dorney at least does haunted houses, walkthroughs in the fall. Back to Gold Rusher, I saw a video on YouTube and it looked good but it could have used some improvement. The Golden Nugget Mine on Hunt's Pier was better. It's a 3 level dark ride/coaster with the first part outdoors on the upper level (roof) and outside around a curving bridge after the first drop in a mine shaft then into the mine. It (Gold Rusher at KW) wasn't as good as a Knoebel's or Whacky Shack or Ocean City, MD Haunted House (Bill Tracy like Whacky Shack built 1962) or Rehoboth Beach, DE Haunted Mansion. It was kind of a short dark ride. I missed Le Cachot, too, never got to ride that one but it looked great, classic, I have a TV show on tape which shows the old mill and Le Cachot. It's called Fun House and aired several years ago when the Le Cachot was there around 97, 98. Bill Tracy was involved with that one, too. Several of his classics are threatened with extinction lately. The Fright Zone in Ohio, formerly of West View, Pittsburgh until 1979, was dismantled and in storage at Conneaut Lake and faces an uncertain future due to lack of funds. The Ocean City, MD Haunted House and Pirate's Cove face an uncertain future due to high tax assessments causing the owners to think about closing Trimper's Rides for the first time after 117 years in business. It's the threat of condos at the shore killing shore parks and dark rides except maybe NJ piers like Morey's in Wildwood. *** Edited 8/25/2007 2:21:16 AM UTC by Rob K*** *** Edited 8/25/2007 2:23:40 AM UTC by Rob K***

I gotta agree it is sad to see another classic dark ride leave not only kennywood but amusement parks in general its all about special effects and aiming towards the youth (even though im only 19)...i like the nostalgic rides as much as thrill rides however i can't wait for the new ride and think it will be a great fit for kennywood....too bad they didn't leave the gold rusher and fix what maybe there biggest mistake in garfields nightmare the old mill was great the way it was.

Rob K, your bantering was seen on CLP Junction a ways back. One giant paragraph and all BS that leads to the Golden Nugget. This thread was actually being used quite constructively in the news sections, with CB members giving their fond memories of the Gold Rusher, and now you have polluted this thread about Bill Tracey and all his creations.

Lets get this straight. Bill Tracey is dead. I have worked in this business long enough to figure this out. He built stunts that lasted until the next capital upgrade for a dark ride 15 years later.

You gave CB another history lesson that belongs on the DAFE website with corrections in several of those. Hear this fact loud and clear before you fire back on Anthony's Boardwalk Site: No more Golden Nugget for now. The Moreys have shelved moving the ride, and are planning a new $8 million wooden coaster.

Dark rides are for rainy days and ka-noodleing(sp) for couples. Ask any owner. If a skeletons arm falls off, who really cares? The Gold Rusher's tnt blast was broke for 3 straight seasons, and everyone still rode the ride.

The Gold Rusher was BETTER than the Nugget. Here is why. I was in Wildwood many times in 1996-98 when the Nugget was open. Never ever did it have a line like the Gold Rusher. Not even close.

It could be raining giant frogs, and the Gold Rusher would be better.

That does it. I just have to get to Waldameer next year come hell or high water (and there was plenty of the latter this year in some places). With RF2 opening and those two Bill Tracey attractions (Whackey Shack and Pirates Cove) still around, that park will be a don't miss place in 2008. Plus they have one of the best views from their Ferris Wheel and drop tower.

By the way, either Lakemont or Del Grossos would be a good place to preserve a classic darkride. The same goes for some of the other smaller parks in other parts of the country.

How could you say this ride was better than the Nugget in Wildwood? The Nugget had coaster-like drops, which Gold Rusher didn't, and that cool rotating tunnel of golden nuggets near the end. There was a TNT skeleton guy near the end in the old days of Hunt's Pier. As for Bill Tracy, I'm upset his creations are disappearing due to parks no longer wanting them or parks going out of business forever. Hunt's Pier had a very cool Bill Tracy Whacky Shack but on one level. It was built 1963 but removed early 1996 when the pier was being reworked into Dino Beach. It was closed the year before with the Nugget and Flume, Rapids closed. I was at Hunt's Pier 1980-83 and Dino Beach 1996-98 and rode the Nugget every time. I must get to Waldameer sometime before they tear down the dark rides. I was on the Ocean City, MD Haunted House and Pirate's Cove which are threatened with extinction because for the first time in 117 years, the park Trimper's is considering closing due to high tax assessments. Hope they open next year. Kennywood looks like a great park but I hate what they did to the Old Mill. At least they didn't tear it down like Dorney Park did after 1992 when Cedar Fair got their grubby hands on it. Rye Playland's is the better one. But, they're getting rid of their 2 tracked dark rides after this season unless a miracle happens. If just one dark ride gets retired in 2008, I'll scream! Sorry for the very long posts.

Sorry, but I have to agree with RobK. The Golden Nugget was vastly more fun and IMO a superior ride experience than the Gold Rusher.

I think Kennywood's attempt with the Gold Rusher was good but I thought their other dark ride, Le Cachot(sp?) was a far better ride.

I haven't ridden the Garfield Old Mill but I did ride it in the previous incarnation and found the Haunted Old West scenes quite enjoyable.

I am sorry that Dark rides are disappearing and will miss them like I do all of the Great Fun Houses I visited in the past (Asbury Park's Palace FH being one of the best). I prefer the old style dark rides over the newer target shoot rides, but I will say MIB at Universal is quite good.

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eightdotthree said:

If they put in a new dark ride, great! A new interactive, great! I loved the Old Mill and I love Garfields Nightmare. I will probably love whatever they put in its place.

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^That's how I feel as well. No use to lose any sleep over it. Any dark ride will work fine, even if it's a shooter (I find them FUN, especially Gobbler's! I think it's a blast with a bunch of friends!) I like just about every dark ride out there. Some are just more entertaining than others. :)

I DID like the Gold Rusher as I found it unique, but whatever. I am sure Kennywood won't go wrong with whatever they decide to do with it.

-Tina

*** Edited 8/26/2007 2:09:02 PM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

Le Cahot. Nothing like a room that took a long time to get through that tried to blind you with strobe lights.