Just showed my dad this video. He was ten when this was filmed, and he remembers all of these rides. Brought back some cool memories. Thanks for sharing! :)
I don't know who took it or posted it but I'm the little girl in the white midriff top in the back of the boat. In the 2nd half of the clip. I also see a quick glimpse of my Grandmother in it at 2:33 into the clip sitting on bench. You probably won’t believe this but I remember this being taken what are the odds of me ever seeing it 50 years later. I'm posting this from my daughters account. I can't believe I ever saw this home movie.
Amazing video. It's hard to find old pictures much less a video of Waldameer. Most interesting is seeing some of those rides in operation today. It always made me chuckle when some older grandma or grandpa would come up to me operating these rides saying, "I remember when I rode this as a child."
@amyphelps100, that little girl's name was Suzie, and that's her brother "Smokie" ringing the bell so enthusiastically up front (that's probably why those bells are no longer there, they wore out). Suzie and Smokie were neighborhood friends from Pittsburgh. By weird coincidence, we accidentally ran into them at Waldameer Park that day, on vacation the same as us!
@jeffery2343 No not really. You can see they had a cool tracked electric car ride for the kids back then. You couldn't control the direction as it was on a track, but the kids did have control of the throttle (on/off pedal switch to the motor). To prevent crashes at the end of the ride, the brake was the operator manually grabbing and stopping the cars if the kid didn't let go of the pedal. Of course there were inevitable crashes on the track. Maybe that's why it's not there anymore.
@jeffery2343 No not really. You can see they had a cool tracked electric car ride for the kids back then. You couldn't control the direction as it was on a track, but the kids did have control of the throttle (on/off pedal switch to the motor). To prevent crashes at the end of the ride, the brake was the operator manually grabbing and stopping the cars if the kid didn't let go of the pedal. Of course there were inevitable crashes on the track. Maybe that's why it's gone?
hand cars are still there. they area not the original ones though. The electric autos were removed for the addition of waterworld. around 1980. The kiddie train was removed in the late sixties as I do not recall riding it in '69/'70.
@SouthSierraHikers It threw me for a loop when you said you thought the girl was Suzie, I thought you would have always wondered who the girl was. (I knew you would not say it was your daughter.) I am grateful to you for posting the clip as I got to see my late Grandmother Marie Sopp briefly in it and My Great Aunt Amelia.) After watching it the memory of that day came to me and I’m still sure I am the girl. Did you ever live in Erie? Thank you so much for the memory. Beth
@jeffery2343 Some other cool rides that are gone include the old diesel train ride that would track through the Ravine Flyer II area, and also another tracked train ride that used manual "hand power" to move the little train cars.
@SouthSierraHikers oh i remember that manual train ride it used to be my favorite ride when i was younger :) when did they take it out? bcause i remember seeing it last year
@amyphelps100 We were staying on vacation at the Kelso cottages just west of the park (they're still there by the way, even the one we stayed at). A couple years later my parents bought a summer mobile home at Baer's Trailer Park (nearby, but long since gone). We spent every summer in Erie. Click on my name and see some of my other Erie videos from the 60's.
My favorite place as a kid,this is priceless to see
I'm an old man now. Still one of my favorite places to go in the Summer ;-)
Just showed my dad this video. He was ten when this was filmed, and he remembers all of these rides. Brought back some cool memories. Thanks for sharing! :)
i was -4 that year.
I don't know who took it or posted it but I'm the little girl in the white midriff top in the back of the boat. In the 2nd half of the clip. I also see a quick glimpse of my Grandmother in it at 2:33 into the clip sitting on bench. You probably won’t believe this but I remember this being taken what are the odds of me ever seeing it 50 years later. I'm posting this from my daughters account. I can't believe I ever saw this home movie.
Ah, nostalgia. I showed this to my father-in-law. He loved what he saw, and told me he rode some of the rides shown in the video.
Omg I was born in 74 and I think I recall going their.
Amazing video. It's hard to find old pictures much less a video of Waldameer. Most interesting is seeing some of those rides in operation today. It always made me chuckle when some older grandma or grandpa would come up to me operating these rides saying, "I remember when I rode this as a child."
@amyphelps100, that little girl's name was Suzie, and that's her brother "Smokie" ringing the bell so enthusiastically up front (that's probably why those bells are no longer there, they wore out). Suzie and Smokie were neighborhood friends from Pittsburgh. By weird coincidence, we accidentally ran into them at Waldameer Park that day, on vacation the same as us!
@jeffery2343 No not really. You can see they had a cool tracked electric car ride for the kids back then. You couldn't control the direction as it was on a track, but the kids did have control of the throttle (on/off pedal switch to the motor). To prevent crashes at the end of the ride, the brake was the operator manually grabbing and stopping the cars if the kid didn't let go of the pedal. Of course there were inevitable crashes on the track. Maybe that's why it's not there anymore.
@jeffery2343 No not really. You can see they had a cool tracked electric car ride for the kids back then. You couldn't control the direction as it was on a track, but the kids did have control of the throttle (on/off pedal switch to the motor). To prevent crashes at the end of the ride, the brake was the operator manually grabbing and stopping the cars if the kid didn't let go of the pedal. Of course there were inevitable crashes on the track. Maybe that's why it's gone?
hand cars are still there. they area not the original ones though. The electric autos were removed for the addition of waterworld. around 1980. The kiddie train was removed in the late sixties as I do not recall riding it in '69/'70.
Nice!
@SouthSierraHikers It threw me for a loop when you said you thought the girl was Suzie, I thought you would have always wondered who the girl was. (I knew you would not say it was your daughter.) I am grateful to you for posting the clip as I got to see my late Grandmother Marie Sopp briefly in it and My Great Aunt Amelia.) After watching it the memory of that day came to me and I’m still sure I am the girl. Did you ever live in Erie? Thank you so much for the memory. Beth
@jeffery2343 Some other cool rides that are gone include the old diesel train ride that would track through the Ravine Flyer II area, and also another tracked train ride that used manual "hand power" to move the little train cars.
Looks like nothing has changed.... lol No shock..
@jeffery2343 I don't recall seeing that there for many years? Believe it had the same issue of rear ended collisions as the electric cars.
@SouthSierraHikers oh i remember that manual train ride it used to be my favorite ride when i was younger :) when did they take it out? bcause i remember seeing it last year
did all the rides back then just spin in circles lol
It's there. There I am riding it at 2minutes 49 seconds.to 2min 58 seconds.
@amyphelps100 We were staying on vacation at the Kelso cottages just west of the park (they're still there by the way, even the one we stayed at). A couple years later my parents bought a summer mobile home at Baer's Trailer Park (nearby, but long since gone). We spent every summer in Erie. Click on my name and see some of my other Erie videos from the 60's.
Basically the ONLY thing that still exists in waldameer is THE BOAT RIDE IN KIDDY LAND!
You forgot the spaceship ride and pony karts are also still there.
Here's a link to the pony-cart ride 2:49
@SouthSierraHikers haha maybe
So ... what the heck? Is the little girl Suzie or is it Beth?