Post by robert on Mar 23, 2007 22:04:32 GMT -5
There's a set of four Dorney Park photos on ebay now. They are from the early 80's when the late Bob Ott owned the park. The carousel was from 1984, the 1901 carousel (broken up and sold by Harris Weinstein-Bob Ott's successor in 1985) was brought out of storage to celebrate the 100th anniversary and replace the 1916 PTC Le Grande Carrousel which burned in the Sept 1983 fire as well as the Bucket O' Blood dark ride which there is a picture of the Bill Tracy pirate head. I have pictures of the entire front, Bill Cherkasky sent me one (a scan) but I seemed to have lost it, but I have a small print of it. It was of his family standing in front of the Bucket O' Blood looking at an angle toward the Iceberg down the hill in 1982 or 1983. I have another shot looking up the hill at it, it was taken by Bobcoaster, Bob Hooley, he has a website. He sent me the photos of Dorney showing some of the old stuff because he took the page down that they were on. And, Bret Malone from Laff sent me a shot of it, too, a closer view looking up at it looking toward the top of the park. Laff in the dark also has a shot of the ride. That ride was my first dark ride. I remember the rotating tunnel in the beginning, pirate scenes, etc. Bill Tracy redid it as the Pirate's Cove in 1962 then it got another slight makeover as Bucket O' Blood in 1974 by Jim Melonic and Fantasies and Dreams, Bill Tracy's successor. It started out as the Devil's Cave (pretzel ride) in the 30's, it was Bob Ott's first ride he operated in 1936, he started as a ride operator under the Plarrs, Jacob, then Bob. He became president after Bob Plarr and son Steve passed in 1967. Bob Ott was married to Bob Plarr's daughter Sally. They both passed a half a month apart, Sally Feb 14, Bob Mar 3.