Last week, we covered the first decades at Joyland Park under the operation of the Ottaway family. This week, we’ll cover the park’s operation under new management, with rises, falls, closures, abandonment, and lots of fires. Abandoned, Joyland Park became a magnet for urban explorers and vandals, and an example of the changing face of the amusement industry.
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Under New Ownership (1960s)
With Herb and Harold Ottaway retired, Joyland Park was leased to new owners: Herb’s son, Jerry Ottaway, and Stanley Nelson. Jerry Ottaway, of course, was a familiar name. He was Herb’s son, and had literally grown up around the park.
Stanley was a long-time park worker and a friend of the Ottaway family. Stanbley was a Dodgem ticket-seller, and met his wife Margaret at the park in the early 1950s when she was a skeeball attendant. Nelson continued to work at the park, doing bookkeeping and working up through the management as he got his accounting degree at Wichita State University.
“My dad realized that he loved the amusement park business, so he decided to go into it,” Roger Nelson, Stanley’s son, said.
New Directions for Joyland Park
Together, Jerry and Stanley continued to manage the park and take it in new direction.
Things didn’t always go as planned, especially with Joyland’s miniature zoo that operated for a period of time. A lion at Joyland got out after biting its caretaker, and three deer escaped from their pens. The 1960s were also the first major injury at the park, with a girl suing the park for $400 after smashing her teeth on the steering wheel of a bumper car.
In 1968, Jerry and Stanley built Joyland’s roller rink to the tune of $100k, opening in July of that year. The skating floor at the roller rink actually came from the skating rink at Wichita’s Kiddieland that had closed earlier that same year (remember, Kiddieland was not the same as Joyland’s downtown location, Joyland Central). The rink was 75 x 175 feet. It was brightly colored and held 600 skaters.
Stanley continued rising in the ranks of the amusement park industry all the while. “My dad was the president of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions,” Nelson said, “and that was a big deal. He was in the business a long time, and he was just a little park operator, but he worked his way up to become the president,” Nelson said.
Changes at Joyland Park (1970s)
In the 1970s, more changes were afoot. The park was facing some challenges. Jerry Ottaway said “it takes more thrilling rides to give amusement park patrons their kicks anymore. People have their water-skiing, snow-skiing, motorcycles and that kind of thing.”
Some were little: owners built a giant gunny-sack slide near the dark ride.
Others were more festivals and commercial partnerships. For instance, in fall of 1971, Joyland Park hosted five days of the Wichita State Fair, which included country music as well as other performers: Pee Wee King, Stonewall Jackson and Leroy Van Dyke. In 1972, Joyland was part of a Kellogg’s commercial, introducing the new Mini-Wheats product.
Other changes were bigger. In the mid 1970s, Jerry Ottaway decided that wanted to pursue an interest in the roller rink business. He sold his portion of Joyland park to Stanley Nelson, and later built the Carousel Skate Center.
Stanley Nelson and his wife Margaret were now the sole owners of the Joyland Park.
Whacky Shack
With the change in ownership, Stanley Nelson was in the market for a new darkride. At an IAAPA convention, Stanley connected with noted dark ride and haunted house designer Bill Tracy. Stanley took one look at Tracy’s new “Whacky Shack” concept and placed an order on the spot, saying he wanted the Joyland facade to look exactly like the concept art.
Bill Tracy and the Whacky Shack at Joyland Park
Tracy died soon after the completion of the Joyland Whacky Shack, making it the last complete project with his personal touch. The Joyland Whacky Shack was the prototype for the Whacky Shack model. Joyland’s shack was the first such design built. The Whacky Shack did have its roots in earlier Tracey rides like Hell’s Kitchen and Devil’s Inn. However, the Joyland Whacky Shack was the first true iteration of the design.
Stanley Nelson was a fan of Bill Tracy. Stanley said: “Bill Tracy never got the recognition that he deserved. He had a great imagination and a knack for scouring the local area for just the right materials for a ride. If he needed old looking wood for a ride, he would search for an old building being torn down. No sense in creating that look when the real thing could be found.”
Whacky Shack at Joyland Park
The old safari darkride building became the new Whacky Shack building. This building had originally been a Dodgem bumper car building.
The new Joyland Whack Shack ride incorporated portions of the old safari ride as well as plenty of Tracy’s classic dark ride haunted house spooks. Reportedly, when construction was complete, Stanley Nelson looked Bill Tracy in the eye and said that the building *wasn’t* exactly like the concept art like he’d wanted. Tracy, shocked, asked what the issue was. Nelson laughed and said that the hands on the clock on the front Whacky Shack facade pointed to 2:00, not 12:00.
The completed Whacky Shack was an excellent example of Tracy’s famed dark ride work. The ride combined eerie sound effects, spooky organ music, and dim lighting to set the environment. Then guests rode through different scenes, most done in neon fluorescent paints: skeletons, cemeteries, even a near-collision with a realistic truck. The second floor of the ride brought riders out into the open, past fearsome painted figures.
Tracy’s original ride had additional thrills, with rotating cars and track layouts that dipped and rose. But as Stanley Nelson put it, “Tracy was into thrills, not maintenance.”
Later Changes to the Whacky Shack at Joyland
Whacky Shack had rotating cars that were a maintenance hassle, especially for such a small park. The cars were ultimately welded to stop any rotation. Later, Bell’s Amusement Park made new fiberglass cars for the ride. Management also made other changes, including the removal of the thrilling track dips.
More modern computer sensors and additional fencing prevented guests from getting out of their cars and removing scenery.
See a ridethrough from a different Tracy Whacky Shack on Youtube here.
The Whacky Shack wasn’t as thrilling as some of the bigger rides in the same genre that you might find at a Six Flags, but for many people, the Whacky Shack is one of the most outstanding memories of the park. It was a first thrill ride in a comfortable environment, a welcome into a larger world of amusements.
Joyland in the 1970s
More festivals and commercial partnerships followed in the late 1970s. Filmmakers of the 1976 film “King Kung Fu” filmed on location throughout Wichita. One scene included several minutes of footage shot at Joyland, primarily in the Roller Coaster area. 1978 saw a two day “Jesus Rock” festival that included free camping at the park.
The park also cross-promoted through local radio stations and businesses. The shady picnic areas and Opera House with space for performances were huge draws. Many places held celebrations and meetings at Joyland.
An interview with Stanley Nelson in the local paper in 1979 discussed his hopes to add a large water slide to the popular Joyland swimming pool, citing the popularity of water-oriented rides throughout the amusement park industry. The date of this interview is a bit surprising, since most of the internet sources I came across in my research have given 1973 as the date of the Joyland pool closure. Other reports note that the pool was closed but still standing. Reportedly, the pool became a bumper boats attraction for a short period in the 80s.
Sadness at Joyland Park
Of course, it wasn’t all fun and games in the 70s. 1977 saw the first death at the park. A seven-year-old boy fell from the Roller Coaster after standing up in the rear car. This was a regular activity on the ride at the time, despite the famous sign at the top of the lift hill warning riders to the contrary. However, this time the boy couldn’t hang on. He was ejected from the car on a hill near the end of the ride. He died almost instantly.
Totally, Gnarly, Joyland (1980s-1990s)
Joyland in the 80s
As the decade turned over into 1980, things weren’t feeling as comfortable at Joyland, beginning a time of ups and downs for the park. Stanley Nelson talked with the local paper about the contrast of Joyland vs. larger amusement parks such as Six Flags. “People are developing a taste for bigger attractions,” he said, describing the impact large parks had on small parks like Joyland. It was true that the most popular theme parks were having success because of their location: on large highways near major population centers.
In 1981, the high gas prices resulting from the 1979 oil crisis caused increased park attendance, with people wanting to vacation closer to home. “Joyland doesn’t pretend to be the park to end all parks,” Nelson said. “It’s simply a hometown recreational facility that draws from a radius of about 100 miles.”
Sadness at Joyland Park, Again
Things were looking downhill again at Joyland, with the second of the park’s deaths in 1982. The neighborhood around Joyland took on a rougher vibe. The happenings at the park reflected this. A park employee was stabbed to death in the parking lot. Several men snuck into the park and tried to provoke several employees before finally finding one to fight.
The Log Jam
The Log Jam at Joyland opened in 1985, and represented one of the last major projects the Nelsons undertook at Joyland.
Nelson remembered the ride as “a really big risk at the time”, at least financially speaking. Log flumes were (and continue to be) popular rides; Disneyland announced their log flume, Splash Mountain, in the early 80s, as well.
Designed by O. D. Hopkins, a well-known water rides manufacturer, the Log Jam required a river dug into the ground as well as a tall splashdown. The Nelsons took on some of the building for the project themselves, in order to save money. However, the investment paid of. “It was good for the park, it was a good major ride and it made us feel good to do that,” said Nelson.
The Log Jam was a classic log flume ride. Riders boarded fiberglass boats shaped like hollowed out logs, seating 4-5 riders each. The Log Jam guaranteed that every rider would get wet. The ride was therefore one of the most popular in the park on hot summer days, particularly with the closure of the Joyland Pool.
Joyland in the 90s
The 1990s continued to be somewhat tumultuous for Joyland. In 1993, a fire destroyed the Joyland skating rink – one for the L column. But sometime in the mid-90s, a go-kart track was added – one for the W column.
In an interview with the paper, Nelson drew contrasts with Joyland and bigger parks like Six Flags. He thought that parents interacted with their children differently at Joyland; calmer, more relaxed. “We give them a place to go where they can get their minds off what they’re doing.”
Skycoaster at Joyland Park
1996 saw the addition of Joyland’s last new ride, the Skycoaster. This is a ride consisting of an arch and two lifting towers. The ride pulls riders to the top of the lifting towers, then lets go. Riders swing in a huge arc from the main arch. As described at the time, “There is a sudden drop and the scenery begins whizzing by in a sweeping arc at about 32 feet a second.” A video of the Joyland Skycoaster can be found on Youtube.
Management built the Skycoaster on the site of the former Joyland Pool, now filled in with cement. This ride was a separately-charged attraction, costing $15-25 in 1996.
1997 flooding at Joyland Park
In June of 1997, in the middle of the Joyland operating season, Wichita experienced a torrential rainstorm, which led to flooding. Joyland Park flooded with water from the nearby creek, to a depth of 6-8 inches. Electrical equipment shorted out. Debris scattered everywhere. Two of the Joyland Log Jam cars floated away in the fray. One was found a few days later. The other car remained lost for three years, finally being found seven miles away in the Arkansas River.
When the flood waters finally receded, building floors had been covered in a half inch of sludgey, silty mud that had to be scraped and power washed. The park lost eleven critical days in the middle of the season. The park reopened, but it was clear that the flood had put a damper on the season.
The End of the 90s at Joyland Park
The flood may have marked the beginning of the end for Joyland. Despite the niche market the park had in providing party catering and group picnic spots and corporate event hosting, opinion of the park was starting to take a downturn.
In 1998, it got worse, with the final death at the park. A roller coaster car hit a maintenance worker, killing him. For unknown reasons, he was weeding with a weed trimmer underneath the roller coaster; he then stood up. The oncoming roller coaster train hit him.
Kansas lawmakers at the time did not require state inspections for amusement park rides. They did consider the notion as a result of this incident. But, it wasn’t until a state lawmaker’s son died on a water park ride in 2016 that a law was passed requiring state inspections of theme park rides.
Things were getting grim at Joyland.
Trouble at Joyland (2000s)
Getting into the early 2000s, we are finally arriving at a point where contemporaneous trip reports posted on the internet still exist.
Joyland Park Layout
One 2002 visitor described the park layout: “Essentially Joyland is one long midway. It is a bit odd as I felt the left side of the park (as you are walking in) had a classic feel to it. Down here there was Louie the Clown (one of two Wurlitzer clowns left), a Herschell carousel, the Eli Bridge Wheel, a Hrubetz Paratrooper, the Hopkins flume, an Eli Bridge Scrambler and the Roller Coaster.
“There were lots of trees hanging over the midway and may of the trunks had benches fashioned around them for people to sit and relax. The right side of the midway featured the seemingly out of place Skycoaster, the train station, a Hrubetz trailer-mounted Round Up, the Zumur, a Tilt-a-Whirl, Bumper Cars, the Wacky Shack, the kiddie area and a boarded-up western area. There was lots of open space here covered by concrete and some downright ugly buildings.”
Joyland cost $3.00 at the gate, plus either individual ride tickets or an unlimited wristband.
The park in 2001 felt run down. The entire Frontier Town section of the park had closed, fenced off, and decaying under cover of weeds. The post praised the park for trusting the visitor (“the park’s scenic train ride crosses pedestrian paths without the use of gate crossing arms in at least three places!”). They also noted that there was only one food stand and one set of bathrooms for the entire park.
2001 Review of Joyland Park’s Roller Coaster
Another 2001 visitor described the park as “shabby”. They praised the Roller Coaster, however, still a park favorite even after more than 50 years.
“The 1949 ACE Coaster Classic was my very first roller coaster. I still measure all wooden roller coasters by the standard set by its first two hills. It wasn’t the tallest coaster, nor was it the fastest. It didn’t do loops or have any bells and whistles. The lift hill was a tall ride, straight up. As you neared the top, you saw the vintage clown sign that read, “Last chance!” We’d put our hands in the air, and WHEW!, you dropped straight down. No turns, no tilts. Just a perfect, straight tummy-tickling drop. You could touch the branches of the trees, if you kept your hands up. Then whoosh!, straight up again, and another straight drop. The rest of the ride was a bit quieter, but those first two hills were my favorite part of Joyland. And in 2001, that ride was still incredible.”
Joyland Park Under David Rohy
All together, the reports were painting a picture of a park past its prime. It appeared as though the park’s maintenance, formerly meticulous, had slipped. Visitors were starting to notice. Many of the attractions were said to be in need of extensive repairs. It perhaps should not come as a surprise that in 2000, the Nelsons had begun leasing the park operations to another person, one David Rohr.
In 2003, David Rohr purchased the park from the Nelsons for $1.6 million.
It was short-lived. In March of 2004, the Nelsons sued Rohr, for missing payments and not paying the park’s taxes. In their lawsuit, they alleged that he was not properly maintaining the park.
Closure of Joyland Park
Then, in April 2004, another major incident, with a 13-year-old girl falling out of the ferris wheel and dropping over 30 feet to the ground. She suffered major head, leg, and arm injuries. Fortunately, she lived. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission investigated the accident. “We have an excellent safety record,” said David Rohr. “Nothing like this has ever happened since I’ve owned it.”
2004 at Joyland Park: Lawsuits and Closure
In mid-July 2004, the park abruptly closed. The given reason at the time was a dispute between David Rohr and the insurance companies, possibly relating to the Ferris wheel incident. Joyland was still a profitable park, reportedly grossing around $1.75 million per year at this time.
In late July of 2004, the Nelsons sued Rohr for a second time, again for missing payments on his $1.6 million dollar loan. Employees of Joyland were furious as well, reporting missing paychecks or paychecks that had bounced. The IRS put a lien on Rohr’s business, Rohr Enterprises, for $185,000.
By December of 2004, the park was in possession of the sheriff’s office. At this December 2004 sheriff’s auction, the Nelsons were able to successfully rebid on the Joyland Park, purchasing the property back with a $1.3 million bid that primarily consisted of collateral owed to them by David Rohr.
Joyland Park Revived (2006)
Joyland sat empty for all of 2005, with gossip flying about the future of the park. Urbex found its way in, even back before it was a trend: a great image album of the park in 2005, in between the final operating seasons. Rides were all still in place. Everyone waited.
In early 2006, the Nelsons leased the park to Michael Moodenbaugh and his business partner Robert Barnard, of “T. Rex Group”, with plans to renovate and reopen the park by mid-April of the same year.
It was a tumultuous year. The park did open Easter weekend, but without any rides. A contemporaneous park visitor posted about the reopening, saying it was “worse off than it was before. The roller coaster was closed, Whacky Shack was closed, go-karts closed, sky-coaster closed, the Log Jam was open but did not work properly; the Slide did not have wax so you could not slide. This image of Joyland was one that people did not like to see.”
Upgrades at Joyland Park (2006)
Joyland closed again in May for additional renovations. The Nelsons weren’t pleased. They got a court injunction to prevent Moodenbaugh from entering the park, claiming he had missed utility payments. Moodenbaugh countered by saying he and his company had already spent over $300,000 on renovations. The injunction was lifted after a few days, and the renovations continued.
Moodenbaugh and his T. Rex Group did invest money into the park, mostly focused on aesthetics and not ride safety. The roller coaster received a facelift – white paint, $10,000 dollars worth of wood repairs, and a new name: “Nightmare”. This included a quite tacky skeleton grim reaper makeover on the coaster cars themselves.
The Log Jam ride received upgraded pumps. Most of the other rides were left alone. Nothing was really done in regards to upgrading the ride safety. However, the park received a very unique blue and pink paint scheme throughout.
Joyland Park Reopens in 2006
By the end of May 2006, the park was open again, from 2-9pm daily. The Roller Coaster, however, did not reopen, due to failure to obtain insurance company approval for its operation. Irritated neighbors complained about the noise at the park, and there were constant squabbles with the city about permits.
The park closed for the season in the fall of 2006, and never re-opened.
Uncertainty at Joyland Park (2007-)
Joyland sat empty for all of 2007. Moodenbaugh and Barnard were facing a lawsuit from Star Lumber Supply Company, Inc, stemming from unpaid debt incurred for materials used in repairing the Joyland Roller Coaster. CEO of the lumber company stated: “It isn’t a huge amount ($10,000) but it still makes you angry.”
The Nelsons were back in court in 2008, again suing Moodenbaugh for “$248,000 in unpaid rent and $200,000 in missing or damaged property”. Moodenbaugh planned to counter-sue, but did admit to owing $150,000 to various creditors in Wichita.
Joyland Park Abandoned (2006-present)
“The unfortunate thing is that a lot of times, what we’d hear from people is ‘Oh, you’re closing Joyland down? Gosh, I haven’t been out there in 20 years,’ and we’d go ‘Yeah, we know,’” Nelson said to the local paper, afterwards.
“The support was just not there, and that’s nothing against Wichita, it’s just a fact,” Nelson added.
Park visitors concurred. One stated: “I honestly believe that Joyland closed because there was no introduction of new rides. Every park has to have some form of modern rides to keep the interest of the general public. The lack of attendance is why the park went under.”
Joyland Park Up for Sale
After the park’s closure in 2006, the Nelsons unsuccessfully tried to sell the park twice more. Both times, the sale ended with the potential owners walking away in the middle of the deal. And Stanley and Margaret Nelson wouldn’t sell to just anyone, at least not at first.
“He wanted to keep it as an amusement park,” Roger Nelson said of his father. “My dad genuinely loved the place and he wanted to see it continue.”
By fall of 2008, the Nelsons were resigned. They listed the park for sale for $2 million, open to any type of development, not just a theme park, for the first time. The local paper described the state of the park at the time: “Weeds have grown up in concrete cracks. The wind whistles through buildings with no windows and through the ghostly skeleton of the roller coaster, now silent.”
Vandalism at Joyland Park
While wheels spun on the business front, vandals and thieves made merry at the abandoned Joyland park.
Nelson remembered one weekend in particular: “they [vandals] came in and just ripped the guts out of the electrical system and that left us absolutely unable to defend the place because we couldn’t leave any lights on,” Nelson said.
In 2009, the Nelsons sold several of the rides: the paratrooper, the round-up, the big truck ride. Later that year, someone stole the “Last Warning Do Not Stand up sign” from above the roller coaster.
Vandalism at Joyland Park was Difficult
Fires were set. Items were stolen, tagged, destroyed, sometimes even on a nightly basis.
“It was very hard to watch and very hard to come to grips with,” Nelson said.
With the constant vandalism at the park, it was difficult to keep a basic level of maintenance at the abandoned Joyland park, much less to sell it. This in turn made the banks reluctant to invest in either the refurbishment or the sale of the park. The city did their part to make the process even more difficult, declaring the Joyland property a flood zone.
Joyland Restoration Project
In 2010 and 2011, an ambitious group of high school students organized the “Joyland Restoration Project”. The Joyland Restoration Project had ambitious goals for buying, restoring, and expanding the park, and was looking to run the park as a non-profit. Their plans included expanded concessions, a second roller coaster, and a water park after ten years. However, their plans did not ever come to fruition.
Neighborhood in Decline
It seemed as though any and every possible idea to save the park was tried. They even listed Joyland for sale on eBay for a time. Everyone speculated about the reason the park wasn’t moving.
Alex, from the Joyland Restoration Project, was interviewed by the website Coaster101 in 2011. When asked why Joyland was still standing after seven years of abandonment, he responded: “I believe that Joyland is still standing because the owner of the park wants to see it come back to life. Joyland is not on the best side of town and that is why nobody has purchased the land and torn it down already; the only things that the land could really serve as is something unique like Joyland.”
Other people agreed, commenting on websites with similar sentiments. “Many people are probably thinking about the neighborhood Joyland is located in. I really think it will be fine there but many people won’t. Security will have to be addressed. People’s perception of the area will play a major factor regardless if there’s enough security there.” Others described the neighborhood as “a scary part of town”.
Fire, Fire, and More Fire at Joyland
Vandalism continued to rise at the abandoned Joyland park.
In late 2008, paintballers began to tag up the abandoned park.
In 2009, vandals destroyed the park’s office building. They smashed windows, scattered papers, kicked in doors, and destroyed furniture. Metal scrappers attacked the park. In a comment to the newspaper, Margaret Nelson said, simply, “We’re sick. Our hearts are just sick.”
Later that year, the Opera House at Joyland, known for its picnics, puppet shows, movies, and corporate retreats, was completely burned down by fire. Police suspected arson.
In 2011, the bathrooms were destroyed in a fire. Police suspected arson.
In 2012, a storage building was partially damaged by fire. Three teenagers fled the park. Police suspected arson.
Joyland Park: An Attractive Nuisance
By 2014, the city of Wichita stepped in. They claimed that the Nelsons had failed to properly maintain and secure the premises. Joyland Park had become an attractive nuisance. It needed to be demolished. Plagued by constant vandalism, the park was simply beyond repair.
What was once a vibrant, thriving family theme park was now a hazardous wasteland, covered in graffiti and weeds, ruinous and sad. One urban explorer commented in 2017: “There are heaps of debris everywhere and evidence of fires and graffiti at every turn. It is eerie and sad to remember having fun there and now it’s just an abandoned ruin.”
In 2015, Joyland’s iconic (or terrifying, depending on the source) Louie the clown was discovered. Lost at the time of the park’s 2004 closing, a disgruntled former employee reportedly stole Louie; originally, he maintained Louie during the park’s off-seasons. The same employee was involved in a civil suit with Margaret Nelson over the purchase of the Wurlitzer organ. Neither the status of the lawsuit nor the current whereabouts of the Joyland Wurlitzer organ are known.
Decay and Damage at Joyland Park
The decay of the abandoned park is very apparent in this video from the local paper.
A windstorm swept through Wichita in April of 2015, massively damaging Joyland’s Roller Coaster. Portions of the track collapsed, and the entire coaster structure was visibly structurally unsound. On July 23, 2015, owners demolished the remainder of the historic Philadelphia Toboggan Company wooden Roller Coaster.
The final insult to the once-thriving Joyland park came in 2018. The historical society had purchased the iconic Whacky Shack facade, among other Joyland items, and was in the process of arranging for transport. On August 8, 2018, fire completely destroyed the Whacky Shack building.
Police suspected arson.
In November of 2018, a private buyer purchased the land where Joyland once sat for $198,000.
Joyland Park Remembered
Joyland Park was an iconic part of Wichita for the better part of a century, and parts of the park still remain, scattered throughout the community.
Storage and Preservation of Joyland Park Artifacts
Despite the attractive urbex abandoned park photos cluttering the internet, many of the park’s items were saved. Sitting in a warehouse, buried under layers of dust, lie piles of park memorabilia: original Joyland posters, dodgem cars, ticket boxes, signs. Porky the Paper Eater leans up against a wall, recovered from the home of a disgruntled park employee in 2015.
Elsewhere, the Historic Preservation Alliance of Wichita and Sedgewick County have stored away several larger historic Joyland artifacts, such as the large caboose that formerly resided in Frontier Town. The original neon animated sign that once lived at Joyland Central was also purchased and saved, featuring an animation of two clowns. Along with the stagecoach, the Old Woman’s Shoe, and the original Roller Coaster ticket booth, these artifacts were reportedly purchased in 2010 for $22,000. These larger items sit dismantled in storage, waiting for eventual restoration.
Joyland Park in the Community
Other local groups also have bits and pieces of Joyland. The Donut Whole shop in Wichita has Joyland’s original open-mouthed lion drinking fountain. And over at the Churn and Burn, an ice cream and coffee shop, you can find several of the handpainted Joyland signs, including the “Joyland Arcade” sign. Owner Christian Shomberg says that after a dream about opening up the show, he says the Joyland signs pictured under his first web search for “ice cream shop”. “That afternoon I went and looked at them and put a deposit down before I had even bought any equipment or anything else because I knew I wanted them.”
Joyland Rides at the Ottawa County Fair
It’s not just small stuff that’s been saved, though. The Ferris wheel remained in the park until the early 2010’s, when crews eventually came to remove it. Today, the Joyland Ferris wheel runs at the Ottawa County Fair in Minneapolis, KS, a brilliant yellow wheel against the sky. Bucket seats feature a detailed “JP” on the backs, for Joyland Park. The Scrambler and a handful of other rides, including a tea cup ride, were purchased by the Ottawa County government from Joyland to run at the fair, as well.
Joyland’s Carousel, Restored
Perhaps the most visible part of the former Joyland artifacts is the Carousel. In May 2014, Margaret Nelson announced her donation of the carousel to the Botanica in Wichita, where it would be fully restored. In addition to restoration of the horses, the entire carousel is to be rewired after copper thieves hit the park, and energy efficient LED bulbs will replace the original incandescents.
Carousel Restoration Process
Carousel restoration artist Marlene Irvin has 40 years of experience with carousels. “I have repainted and restored thousands of individual animals and restored complete carousel machines. This one is special to me because it is the carousel of my youth, in my town,” Irvin said. “All through my growing up years I went to Joyland for various outings and always rode the carousel and stopped by the Wurlitzer organ to listen. I imagine I have ridden every horse several times during my lifetime.”
Describing the task ahead of her, Irvin said, “Every couple of years a new coat of paint was applied over the old resulting in me now having to strip anywhere from 5 to 25 or more coats of paint.” Each horse takes at least one hundred hours or more to restore.
“Finding and bringing back the beauty that was originally there is never boring,” Irvin said.
Botanica is building a brand new pavilion complex to house the Herschell carousel, where it will reportedly be one of only five remaining Herschell carousels in the world. Irvin completed the restoration of the carousel horses in April 2019, and the expected opening date for the restored carousel in Botanica’s Carousel Gardens is fall 2019.
Joyland: Community
Joyland still inspires fond memories today. Everyone who talks about Joyland remembers it in the context of family and community.
“I grew up at Joyland. First roller coaster, first date and even my first kiss were at Joyland. I am sad that my kids and my nieces will never get to experience Joyland the way me and my sister did. I have so many amazing memories with my family there. My sister and I always reminisce about our youth and mom and dad taking us there,” a visitor is quoted as saying.
Remembering the Ottaways
Roger Nelson is grateful to the park’s original owners for the work they put in and the risks they took in opening a park like Joyland in Wichita.
“The people that originally started the park were some really special people. The Ottaways were very innovative and very handy at what they did, and I always like to give credit to them. The things that they did, back then, the risks that they took to buy equipment and stuff, not knowing for sure what’s going to happen. They took some tremendous risks,” he said. “We did, too. That’s what it’s all about in that game. You spend a lot of money on a ride and you hope like heck it goes, ‘cause man, we’ve got everything riding on it.”
Joyland Park: Something Special
True to its name from the beginning, the amusement park brought joy to Wichita for decades, and it will forever hold a special place in the hearts of those who visited.
“It was a place where you could take your kids, it was a good safe place, and it had little kiddie rides,” Nelson said. “It was just a nice, pleasant uncrowded place and it was something that people just enjoyed,” Nelson said, remembering the park. “We lived and breathed the whole thing, always.”
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References
I’ve included a complete list of references used while researching this topic. It’s hidden under the link for brevity.