All things Knotts Berry Farm

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

There's one video of people running through Calico Square, and the band, The Suffragettes, were continuing to play. It was kind of surreal watching it, and expecting the band at some point to stop, realizing that the crowd watching them perform were suddenly gone, and people were running towards the exit. I think they may have even finished their song. Someone in the comments said it was like in the movie Titanic.

Like when the band kept playing as the Titanic sank

 

[cmwade77]

what did they use to do at Disney because weren't these guys at Knott's before the pandemic? I didn't pay admission for you to take shots at your former employer. shut up and play music for me.

They did basically similar shows as Billy Hill and the Hillbillies for a long time in the Golden Horseshoe, then moved to the Frontierland Ranch and then Disney got rid of them because they didn't want to spend as much money on entertainment. Knott's ended up getting they managed to get Ken Parks to become the vice president of entertainment for Knott's. I am told he has now been moved to a role where he is involved with all of the parks. But we still get all of the awesome entertainment that he managed to snag when Disney has laid them off.

As for taking a shot at their former employer, that's all part of their thing and the show wouldn't be the same if they didn't do things like that. Their show isn't just the music, that would actually get boring, it is the comedy as well.

 

[cmwade77]

im not saying homeless are "bad" either but most of them are not what I would consider "good" either. Most of them a drug addict losers who steal and rob anything they can to get high. Im a very empathetic person but its gotten so out of control in LA that im starting to have less and less empathy towards them. I was eating at dennys this morning with my gf and we were watching 2 homeless losers shoot up heroin on the sidewalk right in front of our window while we ate, its just getting too out of control...

But there are ones that are good, for example, we have one near where I live that spends his days picking up trash, I have even heard that if he sees someone walking and feels it is unsafe for them to be alone, he will walk with them to make sure they get to thier vehicle or such and the local businesses make sure he has food and such. He never asks for anything that I have ever seen, but the community makes sure he is looked after as well, as he is a good guy. He is one that as I understand.it could choose to not be homeless, but just prefers it. If he has extra, he gives to others in need as well.

Another in our area that does ask for food will take only what he needs and then makes sure others who are going hungry gets anything else he has, similar to the first guy.

While I don't think he is homeless, there is a guy at one of our shopping centers who offers to wash your windows for whatever you can spare and is once again a really nice guy, the employees like him there, as again he helps to make sure people are safe especially in the poorer lit areas of the parking lot.

And no, not all homeless are like this, but the point is I can understand not running people off just because they are homeless, they may very well be doing what they can to help.

 

[cmwade77]

I Like How Knott's tried to downplay it by saying "it was away". LIARS. It was literally at the gates.

If it was right at the gates, I wouldn't be leaving the park until I knew for sure it was safe.

 

[MK-fan]

I think Knott’s needs to change something as anyone can go into the marketplace area and right in front of the park with weapons. Knott’s stated that this shooting was away from the park but it was literally 50 feet away from the park gates.

 

[cmwade77]

I think Knott’s needs to change something as anyone can go into the marketplace area and right in front of the park with weapons. Knott’s stated that this shooting was away from the park but it was literally 50 feet away from the park gates.

You mean like any other mall?

Yep, like any mall, except most malls do not have theme parks attached to them.

I really think Knott's has to rework their parking to where they remove the street in front of the entrance and instead have guests enter how they did during the Tasting events. They would of course have to move around some parking booths, but it is doable. Of course there would need to be some accomodations made for those that need to be dropped off due to disabilities, etc.

But then this would keep traffic away from right in front of the gate.

They also need to find a way to put more between the street and inside the park.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

They did basically similar shows as Billy Hill and the Hillbillies for a long time in the Golden Horseshoe, then moved to the Frontierland Ranch and then Disney got rid of them because they didn't want to spend as much money on entertainment. Knott's ended up getting they managed to get Ken Parks to become the vice president of entertainment for Knott's. I am told he has now been moved to a role where he is involved with all of the parks. But we still get all of the awesome entertainment that he managed to snag when Disney has laid them off.

As for taking a shot at their former employer, that's all part of their thing and the show wouldn't be the same if they didn't do things like that. Their show isn't just the music, that would actually get boring, it is the comedy as well.

Fair enought but to me stay in character and play, I don't care where you preformed at before.

 

[cmwade77]

Fair enought but to me stay in character and play, I don't care where you preformed at before.

Like I said, it.is part.of the character.

 

[SoCalDisneyLover]

Yep, like any mall, except most malls do not have theme parks attached to them.

I really think Knott's has to rework their parking to where they remove the street in front of the entrance and instead have guests enter how they did during the Tasting events. They would of course have to move around some parking booths, but it is doable. Of course there would need to be some accomodations made for those that need to be dropped off due to disabilities, etc.

But then this would keep traffic away from right in front of the gate.

They also need to find a way to put more between the street and inside the park.

I don't see how that's possible, when the park's fence is literally right up against the sidewalk on the other side. And they obviously have no control over the street itself, isn't that a public right of way? Then you need to enter on Grand, in order to access the road that goes under Beach Blvd.

I really don't see a whole lot of options. Perhaps some blame should be placed on Buena Park Police. They need to maintain a presence in the immediate vicinity of the park, especially around the borders. If this incident happened near the entrance, and by Beach & La Palma, those are prime security concern locations, and there should have been cops everywhere, and they could have caught whomever fired the shots, right away. If they really have no clue who did it, that's pathetic. And where are all the cameras? Disney has them everywhere.

 

[Emmanuel]

So I ended up going to Knotts this past Saturday, the day after the drive by shooting.

The shooting scare didn't scare anyone away at all and it was so busy to get in prior to opening.

The coasters had at least an hour wait. Xcelerator was open but hang time remains closed.

Didn't had much of a wait for the Calico Railroad only having to wait for the train to come back. Stagecoach had a 30 minute wait when I went in line but got on quicker when they needed a single rider. Managed to get the rear of the stagecoach. The log ride had 40+ if I recalled the whole day due to the heat but in the last hour, I only waited 5-10 minutes.

They only thing crazy to have happened was a random guy running onto the stage during the last Suffragettes set on the Calico Mine Stage shirtless. Security was quick to remove him and the band was able to finish the show

Other than that the park went through the day without any major incident.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

You mean like any other mall?

But its not a mall. Its shops and 1 chicken restaurant outside of a theme park on theme park property that you have to pay parking to enter you cant just drive by.

 

[Disney Analyst]

They only thing crazy to have happened was a random guy running onto the stage during the last Suffragettes set on the Calico Mine Stage shirtless. Security was quick to remove him and the band was able to finish the show

How odd. What an interesting mix of people Knott’s seems to attract…

 

[MK-fan]

But its not a mall. Its shops and 1 chicken restaurant outside of a theme park on theme park property that you have to pay parking to enter you cant just drive by.

The street that the shooting happened on was right in front of the theme park entrance, you can choose to go all the way down this street to the next Main Street or pull alongside one of the parking lots to the left and pay. This is a through street

 

[SoCalDisneyLover]

The street that the shooting happened on was right in front of the theme park entrance, you can choose to go all the way down this street to the next Main Street or pull alongside one of the parking lots to the left and pay. This is a through street

I'm very unclear as to exactly where the shooting occurred, as well as other details surrounding it. Smells of many things being hidden.

Was there more than 1 victim, I've read conflicting reports. And where were the victim(s) when they got shot? Closer to the street, or to the ticket booths, assuming it happened directly in front of the entrance. Being that it's a 1-Way street, how did the shooter escape? And if it happened right in front of the park, where people probably were already exiting the park, how come we haven't heard a single description of the vehicle.

It makes me think that the shooting happened closer to Beach & La Palma, rather than on Grand, in front of the entrance. It affords way more opportunities for escape, while Grand is 1-way, through an area which should have had lots of witnesses. But since they haven't said anything, and may just want to close the case, we may never really know.

 

[SevenSevens]

Here's what I've gathered from the latest reports.
- The people shot were on the sidewalk along Beach Blvd
- One person who was shot ran to the ticket booths to get help
- Another person shot was taken directly tot he hospital by his family

My best guess is they were on Beach between Grand and La Palma, either walking to/from the park.

 

[Emmanuel]

Knotts has officially confirmed Scary Farms return this year!

 

[Ismael Flores]

I was watching Steve & Kai doing a livestream at Downtown Disney, and about 8:50, someone posted in the chat about a shooting outside Knott's. Turned on Channel 9, and they were covering.

Seeing several videos, it appears much lighter at the time of shooting. Perhaps between 8:15 & 8:30. Seemed like some genuine panic by many. I'm wondering whether it was caused by word of mouth that there was a shooter, or if people could hear gunshots in different parts of he park. That seems unlikely, but thankfully I've never been around an active shooter situation, so I have nothing to go by. I just imagine it's hard to hear over the sounds in the park, unless you are in the area it actually happened.

Someone on YouTube commented that there was an argument between 2 men outside the park, and one of them shot the other, and then drove away. Perhaps we'll learn more by the morning. I wonder if the park will open by 9:30, like it has been on Saturdays. Or could it get delayed, or have a section of park closed off if there's still an investigation going on.

a couple of the videos i saw showed a few people running then others asking why are you guys running. response was there is a shooter, creating panic that spread throughout the park.

Sounds like word of mouth starting near the front gates spread quickly throughout the park as people started running. Not sure what their protocol is but i would think that if the shooting was outside the park the first thing should have been to advice security to close the gates and then let workers know that park was secured so people didn't panic.

videos of people hiding in the camp snoopy grizzley creek lodge while a man grabs chairs and cabinets and barricades doors meanwhile a security person just walking around inside casually should not have happen. They are lucky no one got hurt inside the park just because of panic.

surprisingly i had not heard of the news and had reservations to the park on saturday. Drove there had a fun but hot day (what is it with the lack of shades and trees at Knott's) and then found out about the incident on Monday when co-worker asked me about it.

 

[Ismael Flores]

The area around Knott's has been going to crap also. I remember back in 2019, they let homeless people hang out on the walkways back to the main parking lot. I know homelessness is a real problem, and I don't want to make it sound like I am saying homeless people are bad or anything, but Knott's seems pretty lax on security when they have homeless people hanging out in the parking lot. I also recall hearing that Knott's has the most car break ins of all the SoCal parks a few years back.

One thing that they should get rid off is the drop off zone right next to the gates. What used to be a drop off zone has now become a waiting zone with cars lining up and parking while they wait for their kids to come out. I have seen that area used as a food pick up zone. car pulls up, family members run out of the car they head into park then come out 3o minutes later with food boxes from the deal plans. The driver switches seat, person runs in then walks out 30 minutes later with food.

what happen with security, allowing cars to sit there and wait not only causes bottleneck of cars parked along the property line, eventhough the curb is painted red, but is also a possible security issues?

speaking of homeless, this Saturday there was a man right on the sidewalk heading to the gates. I felt bad for the man, he was wearing some sweat that looked like they had been urinated on for months and sadly the smell was very bad. The guy had this full beard and large mustache and was saying something to the guests as they walked by. all i could think off was him looking like one of those strange looking animatronics inside the log ride. I told my friend, hey look new addition for the anniversary.

 

[Ismael Flores]

I don't see how that's possible, when the park's fence is literally right up against the sidewalk on the other side. And they obviously have no control over the street itself, isn't that a public right of way? Then you need to enter on Grand, in order to access the road that goes under Beach Blvd.

There actually is already an entrance to the eastern parking lot off Beach Blvd without the need to access Grand if coming from the south. The Grand entrance is only for traffic coming from the North.

It would be possible to divert traffic from being so close to the entrance but they would have to work in conjunction with the city to possibly widen a small portion of Beach Blvd to create a turn lane.

If i remember correctly Knott's has been in he planning for years now the possibility of actually removing the Eastern flat surface parking lot that serves both the theme park and waterpark and actually building a parking structure. If they did eventually go ahead with that idea then a proper master plan could incorporate a better suited entrance that would pull away traffic from Grand.

I am actually surprised if Cedar Fair has not already considered modifications to the entrance area. A good chunk of the entrance is blocked off already with barriers for security purpose. This creates a holding pen with guests that can get pretty cramped during some Holidays and special events. The ticket booths are sandwiched between the gates and the metal detectors which is all cramped together and surrounded by security barriers leaving only a narrow walkway between them Grand. Removing Grand would allow them to create a better crowd control area.

Another possibility that would possibly not need to include city planners would be to only eliminate a portion of Grand. divert Grand so that it goes below ground and emerges right in front of the Knott's chicken building.

 

[cmwade77]

One thing that they should get rid off is the drop off zone right next to the gates. What used to be a drop off zone has now become a waiting zone with cars lining up and parking while they wait for their kids to come out. I have seen that area used as a food pick up zone. car pulls up, family members run out of the car they head into park then come out 3o minutes later with food boxes from the deal plans. The driver switches seat, person runs in then walks out 30 minutes later with food.

what happen with security, allowing cars to sit there and wait not only causes bottleneck of cars parked along the property line, eventhough the curb is painted red, but is also a possible security issues?

speaking of homeless, this Saturday there was a man right on the sidewalk heading to the gates. I felt bad for the man, he was wearing some sweat that looked like they had been urinated on for months and sadly the smell was very bad. The guy had this full beard and large mustache and was saying something to the guests as they walked by. all i could think off was him looking like one of those strange looking animatronics inside the log ride. I told my friend, hey look new addition for the anniversary.

The problem is the drop off zone is needed for those with disabilities since there is no shuttle service from the parking lots., but I would hope that maybe a better system could be implemented. At bare minimum, they should have security there making people circle like at the airport until the person they are picking up is there.

There actually is already an entrance to the eastern parking lot off Beach Blvd without the need to access Grand if coming from the south. The Grand entrance is only for traffic coming from the North.

It would be possible to divert traffic from being so close to the entrance but they would have to work in conjunction with the city to possibly widen a small portion of Beach Blvd to create a turn lane.

If i remember correctly Knott's has been in he planning for years now the possibility of actually removing the Eastern flat surface parking lot that serves both the theme park and waterpark and actually building a parking structure. If they did eventually go ahead with that idea then a proper master plan could incorporate a better suited entrance that would pull away traffic from Grand.

I am actually surprised if Cedar Fair has not already considered modifications to the entrance area. A good chunk of the entrance is blocked off already with barriers for security purpose. This creates a holding pen with guests that can get pretty cramped during some Holidays and special events. The ticket booths are sandwiched between the gates and the metal detectors which is all cramped together and surrounded by security barriers leaving only a narrow walkway between them Grand. Removing Grand would allow them to create a better crowd control area.

Another possibility that would possibly not need to include city planners would be to only eliminate a portion of Grand. divert Grand so that it goes below ground and emerges right in front of the Knott's chicken building.

This is why I would hope a better system could be implemented for those that need to be dropped off, as eliminating Grand Avenue would actually be a wise choice fro a variety of reasons. It would free up some real estate to do some kiosks similar to those seen at Downtown Disney. They could even add back in some outdoor dining for the Chicken Dinner To Go restaurant. You wouldn't have cars coming near as close to the entrance. If done properly it could even eliminate the need for the tunnel to/from the one parking lot, making it more ADA friendly.

I would think they could eliminate Grand and not need to involve the City Planners at all, just change how the parking lots are loaded to be done the same way they were during the tasting events, remember Grand Avenue was closed throughout all of those.

A parking structure would work as well, as then they could free up the land used for the other parking lots for expansion.

Something they do need to do is switch away from metal detectors and to the Evolv scanners that Six Flags, Disney World and a few others are using: https://www.evolvtechnology.com/

Just hopefully they do theirs properly to allow wheelchairs, ECVs and Strollers to go through them, as they are designed to allow for this, but Disney still makes people get out and walk through or wand them. This alone would go a long ways towards improving security while making it faster to get people into the park.

As for the ticket booths, given how much is done online these days, I would think they could remove all but one or two booths so that any issues can be handled there.

None of this fully solves the drop off problem though.