Bell’s Amusement Park Memories

(Last year I handed July 4 to the Toby Keith fans.  This year, I hand it to you.  Although we can no longer celebrate the 4th at Bell’s, we can still celebrate with Bell’s.  Today is an open-post of your favorite Bell’s memories.  Thank you to everyone that submitted.  The above photo is courtesy of Tom from Lost Tulsa.  Enjoy.)

• Sibling Rivalry

Favorite bell’s memory: Forcing my lil bro to get on a ride which made him cry, punch me, & scream that he hated me. Joy! -Traveling Spork

• The Perfect Date

Being absolutely terrified every time I rode the Skyline. I was positive it would plummet to the earth.  Actually, what I liked best was the haunted house ride (what was it called?). It was the perfect date ride. For 12-yr-olds. -Holly Wall

• Projectile Vomit

My grandmother projectile vomiting on the Octopus. She tried to clean it up with napkins, but they had to stop the ride. -Filmbaker

• The Ticket In

As a kid, I grew up at Bell’s in the 70s & 80s.  My uncle worked at Lowrance Electronics & they’d have company parties out there.  He never seemed cooler to me than when he was at the back of the log on the log ride (to add as much weight as possible) or in a bumper car.

I wanted to live in Phantasmagoria.  Baring that, I wanted to step into the Appalachian ski scenes on the Himalaya.

My cousins & I would go out there & ride the water slides, run the cars around the track, & gaze at the globe while we waited out turn at miniature golf.  We’d ride Zingo until we were nearly sick, ride the Scrambler til we were nearly sick, ride the Wildcat til we were nearly sick…  (notice a pattern?)

As a teenager, I took many dates to the park.  One particularly memorable 1st date involved my 1st time on the Spider…  I got off the ride, walked to the flower bed, & threw up in it!

(This is usually the part where they say, “and she’s my wife today!”  Didn’t happen for me…)

There were fewer romantic places for me back then, than on the ski lift or on top of the Ferris wheel.
The slide, however, was simply painful after I was no longer a little kid.

Remember the Sea Dragon?  It used to be where 1001 Nachts ended up…  rode it once, had a good time but was too scared to go again.  Eventually they had an Egyptian themed version near the Phantasmagoria.

I worked at Bell’s the summer I was 16.  It was long hot work, but when cloudbursts drove away park attendees we’d be allowed to clock out & ride the rides.  I worked a number of the kiddy rides, the 1001 Nachts, & the super round-up.

July 4th of 1986 I worked Bell’s; EVERYBODY worked July 4th.  Customers were buying those wristbands that let them ride all the rides as often as they wanted all day (& night).  I was chugging Jolt cola to stay alert & eventually the lines were so long they told us to start trimming the length of the rides (yes, as you suspected…).  Still the lines got longer & longer.  I think we were still going after 1am that night!

It was running the Super- Round-Up that finally convinced me to ride it.  I saw hundreds and hundreds go up without dying, & I thought, ” I can do this!”  Was I glad I did…  it was like a gentle cradle, & to this day is one of the most “relaxing” rides at a fair.

Even though Bell’s was in a number of areas pretty dilapidated, I knew from working there the rides were generally safe.  One of the last times I was there they had done some work restoring the Phantasmagoria…  it was really nice, & I thought maybe they were on their way back up.

Then the report came across the TV: “Bell’s will not reopen.”  I feel like this town lost a part of its soul that day.

I wish I could believe Robbie will bring it back, but I have a feeling our memories are our only ticket in again. -Gene Savage, Blacklight Radio

• Company Picnic

We always had our company picnics at Bells, but since there’s no more Bell’s, there’s been no more company picnics. That sucks. -Tha

• Father and Son

My favorite Bell’s moment was riding the Zingo for the first time with my dad.  I was 8 years old.  Of course, we had to ride it about 3 more times after that! –Beau

• Juvenile Delinquience

This one time, in 8th grade, my friend Morgan and I had her mom drop us of at Bell’s, then we had older kids pick us up and take us to a party where we engaged in underage binge drinking before being dropped back off at Bell’s hours later.  Then, we paid our dollar fee to get into the park and got a group of boys to give us their wrist bands so her mom would think we had been enjoying innocent family fun when she picked us up 10 minutes later.  That was so awesome! -Francis

• Silver Bullet Vomit

This was back in 1993.  An old girlfriend of mine and I were standing in line to ride the Silver Bullet.  There were about 20 people in line with us.  We’re watching the current riders go around and around on the ride, upside down and all around.  Two of the riders on one side of it were a mother and what I assumed to be her young son.

Suddenly an extremely long liquid line of vomit comes shooting out the top of the ride originating from the mouth of aforementioned young son.  The vomit was almost like an extension of the ride.  Needless to say a madhouse of scattering people ensue with everybody screaming like little girls.  The rider operator gets hit while he stops the ride to let the puking young boy off.

The mother and boy get off and are covered in what appears to be the remains of cotton candy, a used hot dog and other mysterious Bell’s food particles.

My old girlfriend and I decide to move on to another ride.
Needless to say, the bullet was shut down while somebody wiped the mess up.

Yummy. –Beau

• Frog Balloon

We took a trip to Bell’s with my cousin and when we were leaving our parents said we could buy a balloon. My parent’s are cheap and had probably already thought the money spent for tickets to the park and meals was enough, so I had to pick from the cheap balloons which were your typical one color variety. Those weren’t good enough for my cousin. She threw a fit until her parents allowed her to buy a balloon shaped like a frog. As soon as we walked out of the park, a breeze hit us, she wasn’t holding on tight enough and the balloon flew away. I remember watching it until I could not see it anymore and just savoring the moment. Brat. She cried the whole way home and I sat quietly enjoying my cheap boring balloon. –Kimberly

• Nevermind

One of my Bell’s memories occured when I was young. My brother and I always begged our mom to stop so we could ride Zingo. Well one day she slammed the brakes and we turned in. As soon as we got on and the lap bar committed us, I turned and said “I don’t want to do this anymore.” She said “It’s too late now. Just close your eyes.” I did. -Stephen

• The First Date

May 24, 1978. It was, I believe, the last day of school. And I had met the most amazing girl. We met in church in the Youth Choir. She was still in high school, and I had graduated earlier. I asked her out, and she said yes. We were to go out after Wednesday services. Since school was over, her folks were going to let her stay out until 11:30.

So I had a first date that I wanted to go well. Unfortunately, I was about broke. I had to find a way to fund a four hour date on a little over ten bucks.

So I took her to Bell’s. We rode a few rides, walked, talked, and had our first very gentle, very romantic kiss while riding the Skyride. After a quick snack, which just about took my remaining funds, I took her to the River, the big concrete area near 21st street. We talked some more, watched the river, we walked up and down River Park and then I took her home. We listened to Johnny Martin on the way home.

I was very worried that my efforts were inadequate. I found out years later that most of her girlfriends were bored with “pizza, movie, and make-out”, and I had impressed her (and her friends, after she gave them the 411) with a romantic, slow-paced evening.

I married her two years later. We’ve been married ever since. -Shadow6