OK, I was at another forum, and the history of Lion Country Safari came up.
Well, the last little bit of the Entertainment area of the land now has an official closing date.
Gwen Stefani, former Anaheim resident will get the honor of officially closing the venue. (a week after Jimmy Buffett last performance at IMA) on October 29th and 30th.
The former venue has always been own by the Irvine Company, and made a deal 40 years ago to allow the land to be used as an entertainment area, in a deal similar to Magic Mountain, which would bring in folks who weren't planning to buy to see the area, and hopefully make the property in general more popular.
So Lion Country Safari opened and was a popular place to begin with.
http://www.yesterland.com/lioncountry.html
Alas, due to many issues, at first they sub-leased the area that became the Amphitheater (many people knew it as the Verizon Amphitheater).
Then they decided to close it down, and converted much of it to the Wild Rivers water park, and the remaining part as Camp Frazier (named for a popular Lion that passed on) and then Camp James, basically a summer day camp facility. Irvine Company bought back the lease in 2011 to the 2 areas (but not the Amphitheater who held out) in 2011, and built the largest Apartment complex in the USA (1,750 units).
So the Amphitheater lease ends at the end of the year, so two months to get all they can off the property (Live Nation, yes the House of Blues owner). And in this day and age, let alone the easy stuff, such as kitchen equipment, cash registers/computers/etc. but even things like Hot Air dryers from the restrooms and metal scrap like copper.
And 2018, more apartment/condos are coming....
So that news made me think of other former Amusement sites and upcoming changes in the area. And that would be the Japanese Deer Park, which become the Movieland Wax Museum, and now about to become the Butterfly Pavilion on Beach Blvd. in Buena Park.
https://orangecountytribune.com/2014/08/10/life-and-death-of-japanese-deer-park/
Then you have another park from my youth that I loved, and had a great Monorail ride.
http://laist.com/2009/07/18/laistory_busch_gardens_in_van_nuys.php
And of course, Marineland that is now the Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes.
And a few more to bring back memories...
The Pike in Long Beach, never got to visit it before it closed, but have a great photo of my former dog, Deogee sitting in one of the coaster cars. (may he rest in peace)
https://photos.smugmug.com/Theme-Pa...yclone-Racer-71506/i-k5vhs9h/1/O/DSCF4996.jpg
And a place I went to many times as a kid, Marshall's Scotty's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?annot...&feature=iv&src_vid=g1neOvJG0HI&v=skkcQCctomQ
Guess that is why I have a soft spot for Adventure City here in town (And it is weird, which town, the parking lot is in Anaheim, but the park itself is in Stanton).
Using "coaster terms " I call Belmont Park in San Diego my home park, it was my main park of my youth, and a lot different than today's version. And I miss version 1.0, tacky dark ride, and sliding wooden wax disk attraction and fun house included.
Another one is Castle Park in Riverside, the park Bud Hurlbut built. I have a few items of his I got after he passed, some conception art, but my favorite is a photo showing the park from an aerial view that hung in his personal office next to Knott's. Amazing to see what the 91 freeway looked like, and ALL the empty land looked like back in 1976. (now in my home office). Original frame and all. (and if you could see all the "expensive" artwork in my house, Lisa and I still like the more basic stuff, such as a Snoopy lithograph instead of the stuff that is worth more than the house itself. (Long Story how I gathered much of it, but trust me, I didn't pay what it is worth today, not even close). Yikes, when I found out a piece of art that was me as a kid posing, that was a gift to my Mom for her BD one year, is worth well, let's say somewhere in the low six figure range, well, I still can't believe that something that some folks would like to use as a dart board is worth that much, it is just wow. (and the story is, while I posed for quite a few hours, and did get fidgety and he used photos when I wasn't around, and then changed the color of the shirt I was wearing..) And it isn't me that is truly worth the price, it is the artist that did it, a family friend. (And it is in our guest room, so I don't have to see it on a daily basis... YIKES!)
Well, the last little bit of the Entertainment area of the land now has an official closing date.
Gwen Stefani, former Anaheim resident will get the honor of officially closing the venue. (a week after Jimmy Buffett last performance at IMA) on October 29th and 30th.
The former venue has always been own by the Irvine Company, and made a deal 40 years ago to allow the land to be used as an entertainment area, in a deal similar to Magic Mountain, which would bring in folks who weren't planning to buy to see the area, and hopefully make the property in general more popular.
So Lion Country Safari opened and was a popular place to begin with.
http://www.yesterland.com/lioncountry.html
Alas, due to many issues, at first they sub-leased the area that became the Amphitheater (many people knew it as the Verizon Amphitheater).
Then they decided to close it down, and converted much of it to the Wild Rivers water park, and the remaining part as Camp Frazier (named for a popular Lion that passed on) and then Camp James, basically a summer day camp facility. Irvine Company bought back the lease in 2011 to the 2 areas (but not the Amphitheater who held out) in 2011, and built the largest Apartment complex in the USA (1,750 units).
So the Amphitheater lease ends at the end of the year, so two months to get all they can off the property (Live Nation, yes the House of Blues owner). And in this day and age, let alone the easy stuff, such as kitchen equipment, cash registers/computers/etc. but even things like Hot Air dryers from the restrooms and metal scrap like copper.
And 2018, more apartment/condos are coming....
So that news made me think of other former Amusement sites and upcoming changes in the area. And that would be the Japanese Deer Park, which become the Movieland Wax Museum, and now about to become the Butterfly Pavilion on Beach Blvd. in Buena Park.
https://orangecountytribune.com/2014/08/10/life-and-death-of-japanese-deer-park/
Then you have another park from my youth that I loved, and had a great Monorail ride.
http://laist.com/2009/07/18/laistory_busch_gardens_in_van_nuys.php
And of course, Marineland that is now the Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes.
And a few more to bring back memories...
The Pike in Long Beach, never got to visit it before it closed, but have a great photo of my former dog, Deogee sitting in one of the coaster cars. (may he rest in peace)
https://photos.smugmug.com/Theme-Pa...yclone-Racer-71506/i-k5vhs9h/1/O/DSCF4996.jpg
And a place I went to many times as a kid, Marshall's Scotty's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?annot...&feature=iv&src_vid=g1neOvJG0HI&v=skkcQCctomQ
Guess that is why I have a soft spot for Adventure City here in town (And it is weird, which town, the parking lot is in Anaheim, but the park itself is in Stanton).
Using "coaster terms " I call Belmont Park in San Diego my home park, it was my main park of my youth, and a lot different than today's version. And I miss version 1.0, tacky dark ride, and sliding wooden wax disk attraction and fun house included.
Another one is Castle Park in Riverside, the park Bud Hurlbut built. I have a few items of his I got after he passed, some conception art, but my favorite is a photo showing the park from an aerial view that hung in his personal office next to Knott's. Amazing to see what the 91 freeway looked like, and ALL the empty land looked like back in 1976. (now in my home office). Original frame and all. (and if you could see all the "expensive" artwork in my house, Lisa and I still like the more basic stuff, such as a Snoopy lithograph instead of the stuff that is worth more than the house itself. (Long Story how I gathered much of it, but trust me, I didn't pay what it is worth today, not even close). Yikes, when I found out a piece of art that was me as a kid posing, that was a gift to my Mom for her BD one year, is worth well, let's say somewhere in the low six figure range, well, I still can't believe that something that some folks would like to use as a dart board is worth that much, it is just wow. (and the story is, while I posed for quite a few hours, and did get fidgety and he used photos when I wasn't around, and then changed the color of the shirt I was wearing..) And it isn't me that is truly worth the price, it is the artist that did it, a family friend. (And it is in our guest room, so I don't have to see it on a daily basis... YIKES!)
