22 Comments:

• My mom has told me about this store. When she was a little girl she got a glow in the dark angel that she always cherished. About 15 years ago our puppy at the time destroyed it during her chewing phase. My mom was so disappointed. She will be 60 in May and I am desperately trying to find one for her. Does anyone know if there are any vintage websites where one could be for sale? Any info would be wonderful!!! My email is ofoxyk@yahoo.com! Thank you!

  By  ofoxyk, at April 18, 2007 3:34 PM  

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• I remember the Art glow studio and I bought a glow worm too don't have have it anymore though. I can still go to Knott's for free in November because I am a Veteran so I go four times in November. I live eight miles from Knott's now .
  e mail me any time OCRON1945@AOL.COM
  I love talking or posting about Orange County
  I sure miss the Art low studio too.

  By  Ron Kimzey, at April 22, 2007 11:42 AM  

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• Oh, this site was like taking a ride down memory lane. I moved to Fullerton in 1958 and shared in so many of the melancholy remembrances I stumbled upon here! Thanks for the sweet memories!
  
  What I distinctly remember about the glow-in-the-dark items that were sold near the chapel by the lake was one in particular that I had as a little girl. Inside the cardboard flaps you could open up (like church doors, as I remember), there was a picture of Jesus that glowed in the dark. Though I suppose it was meant to be of comfort to me in the middle of the night when I was a little girl, I simply remember being scared by it! :-) Good luck on finding the item you're looking for!

  By  Robin Ogilvie, at April 28, 2007 7:59 PM  

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• Knott's Berry Farm's Chaple was marvelous, All dark and doors opened to Jesus glowing and speaking, at end doors closed and we were ushered through the gift Glow Show-- a shop of wonders.I worked as Jr. Hostess age 13yr.( bus girl ), then waitress as steak house and finally Can Can Dancer Calico Saloon before going to perform and sing with Frank Sinatra at Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. Have not seen any glow figures like we used to have, to bad. New book on Knott's recently out, author David Bourne who was Honky Tonk piano player and also one of the musicians in the Wagon Theater with Billy Beeman for years. I am photo included in the new book: Dave Bourne 888-382-1222. or saloonpiano@roadrunner.com Marvelous photos of the days from 40's through 60's. Jo Burdick-Gottlieb hightoss@msn.com

  By  Jo An Burdick-Gottlieb, at May 07, 2007 2:23 PM  

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• I remember the Art Glow Studio, use to go and buy the cross that glowed in the dark for anyone that had to be in the hospital. Don't have one anymore... but I do remember them.... wonder why someone has not gone into business and duplicated theproducts that the Art Glow carried. Coni Mahood (Woods), grew up in Anaheim.... and remember going to Knott's in the 40's..... worked there, and painted hand painted ties for Mr. Knott. My email is: cv76@adelphia.net

  By  coni mahood, at May 08, 2007 10:21 AM  

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• Art Glow Studios opened in the 1940s on the east bank of Reflection Lake, near the Little Chapel By The Lake.
  
  They sold luminous art, gifts, cards and novelities. It appears they also sold some non-glowing hand-painted ceramics.
  
  In Spring of 1956, Art Glow Studios was incorporated into a new larger shop called Inspiration House. This shop sold a variety of religious gifts and was operated by Marian and Clayton Riddlebarger.
  
  I'm unclear whether Inspiration House changed locations in the park during the 1980s.
  
  The business continued as part of Knott's until the Riddlebargers retired in 1994.

  By  Chris Jepsen, at May 11, 2007 10:51 AM  

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• HELP ---re: Knott's posting about the Glow Studio --- I listed an incorrect phone number --- ( look in OC Then under May 7th and where David Bourne phone is listed please change and correct to 818-991-2479 so sorry I made the error. Would appreciate help you can give on this. 818-991-2479 is the correct phone.

  By  Jo An Burdick-Gottlieb, at May 11, 2007 9:32 PM  

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• The name of the exhibit was Art-Glow studio. It was originally opened by my aunt, Lou Morris, and then taken over by the Olson family about 1952. My family (the Riddlebargers) opened the Inspiration House next door in 1955.
  
  My family closed the Inspiration House in January of 1994. My dad died in 1969 and my mom in 1992, and I had been running the store, but entered a new career.
  
  The Inspiration House was relocated to Grand Ave in 1984.

  By  Kim Riddlebarger, at May 16, 2007 5:33 PM  

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• Yes, I remember. I was about 14 when my parents took me there, and I bought a little plaque that said "Pray." My father, proud, said, why did you buy that one?" I said, "because it glowed the best."

  By  Merlinsguy, at May 17, 2007 6:54 PM  

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• ... and don't forget the chicken that played the piano :-) ahhh yes, memories.
  Sunny - 59 yrs

  By  circa1948, at May 20, 2007 12:03 AM  

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• Ahh, Serrano, the worlds smartest horse! When he wasn't at Knott's, you could see him way down Hyw. 39 near HB at his stable there. In those days, it was a great place to spend a Sunday with our young kids for free! Always had a cup of Mrs. Knott's ice cold boysenberry juice. Then we'd go across the street and ride the merry-go-round that still had the brass rings you could try and catch.

  By  Dick Gerber, at May 23, 2007 1:56 PM  

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• I grew up in the "San tract" near Knotts. My mom would give me 25 cents for the whole day at Knotts - I usually bought candy from the candy parlour :)
  
  Other Knott's memories:
  
  The organ grinder & monkey in Ghost Town (both were kind of creepy to a kid)
  
  The minah birds behind the Berry Shop on Grand Avenue
  
  The old Basket Shop with all of its rooms you could get lost in
  
  The California missions displays
  
  The quiet atmosphere in Fiesta Village pre Jaguar (so noisy now!)
  
  The bees and the rock room behind the Berry Shop
  
  The shootouts in Ghost Town (our out of town relatives loved it!)
  
  What fond memories of a nice place to grow up in!
  
  MV

  By  Anonymous, at May 24, 2007 11:36 AM  

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• What great fun to find someone else who remembers the Art Glow Studio at Knotts Berry Farm. My mother Olga Jennings worked for Lou Morris and I would spend hours playing on the grounds at Knotts and enjoying the Studio and all the wonderful little trains. Can any one tell me what ever happened to Lou. I have several item she made as well as a wonderful doll she gave me. I have the fondest memories of her and her mother, or was the mother Lou; and what was the daughters name? Did they go on to make more Pottery in California? Sincerely Karen Jennings Morlan

  By  Karen Morlan, at May 29, 2007 1:17 PM  

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• My first wife and I moved from Clovis Ca (near Fresno) to Orange in 1960. Her uncle was one of the founders of Denny's Coffee shops. They were called Danny's at that time. The first one was at Florance and Lakewood in Downey. Her uncle was in charge of the building part and I worked as a framer for them. I helped build three of them. One in Gardena,One in Lancaster, and one in San Bernadino. We lived on Pepper street in Orange. Danny's at that time had a little donut shop in the right hand corner where you could stop at a window and order Donuts or go inside to the coffee shop area. We didn't have much money in those days so we would go to Knott's berry farm because it was free and we could picnic on the lawn. Then the hippies started camping out there so they built a fence and started charging to get in. During that time for corporate reasons they changed the name to Denny's My wife's uncle was not only corporate but he and his wife owned the franchise for the one in Downey and also the one on White Lane in Bakersfield. Harold Butler was the main man I guess he was the CEO he even owned Ceasers Palace in Las Vegas for 48 hours in a stock manipulation. Those were the good old days. Ward Hollesen wardjh@hughes.net

  By  Ward Hollesen, at May 29, 2007 11:23 PM  

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• I have no clues as to where people who crave glow in the dark memorabilia can locate same but Knott's is a fond memory for me too. My dad was the chaplain there from about 1961 until his death in 1964. Mr. Knott would wander the grounds and all the tourists would be none the wiser. He used to treat our family to chicken dinners but for his dinner he ordered a peanut butter sandwich. However, the comment about "the hippies came in and they had to start charging money" was not 100% accurate. Actually, many parents dumped their kids on the grounds and assumed that the employees would tend to them...free babysitting. Add to that the almighty profit motive and the Knott kids put two and two together and voila...admission charges. Mr. Knott wanted it to be a family attraction and as close to free as he could get it. But dollars win. Again.

  By  Anonymous, at June 22, 2007 4:06 PM  

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• What a treat to read such similar memories! We moved to Fullerton in 1954 when I was 7 months old and my very earliest memories are of Knott's Berry Farm. My dad would drop off mom, my sister & I on his way to work and pick us up at night, where we sat waiting for him in one of the covered wagons listening to fiddle music. I still have my little free glow in the dark Jesus pamphlet from the chapel and it was spooky to a little kid back then to see Jesus' big eyes glowing in the dark! I have a picture of my mom & I, me in my coat and hat trying to eat a candy apple, she all dressed to the nines, sitting on a bench by the carousel. I always had to have a cup of boysenberry juice, it used to be the real deal, not some blend of juices like they have now. I miss the bee exhibit and those little square green vases you could get personalized. I haven't been to Knott's in about 6 years, I hope they still have the story of Cordelia crossing the desert with her family in a covered wagon saying "I'm thirsty!"!!

  By  Cindy, at July 18, 2007 8:10 PM  

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• To whomever was looking for Wagonmasters stuff, there is an album currently on ebay: http://item.express.ebay.com/WAGONMASTERS-Campfire-Favorites-LP-Knotts-Berry-Farm_W0QQitemZ4833745509QQihZ008QQtrZexpQQcmdZExpressItem

  By  Anonymous, at July 19, 2007 5:42 PM  

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• How cool is this! So many of the best memories of my life all under one roof. My Grandfather and I should have had our mail forwarded there since we spent so much time there. We lived in Cerritos. My fondest memories will alway be the merry go round, riding the burrows, the glow-in-the-dark card with the face of Jesus (in the light his eyes were closed - in the dark they opened), the piano playing chicken and frequent family dinners at the Chicken Dinner Restaurant. Above all, it was driving those old cars. They were slow but fun.. ahh, my first driving lessons. I credit them to this day. And last but not least, feeding the sea lions. No trip to Knott's was ever complete without a trip to the little shed where you bought a bag sardines and fed them as jumped up out of the pool for a tasty treat. And with no mess too! The little showers of water sprinkled into the pool to give your hands a rinse. :) After moving from southern Cali for many years, I revisited my favorite haunt at age 15 (I'm 49 now). We enjoyed dinner at the Chicken Dinner Restaurant but the seals were gone. They had been moved from thier home and the pool filled with cement. A 'sombraro hat ride' now filled the space of those dearest memories of my Gramps & I. :( I never returned. I prefer to remember how things once were. Peace and happy memories to you all. - wdc : Sonora, CA

  By  Anonymous, at November 20, 2007 8:38 PM  

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• My family moved to Buena Park in 1954 from L.A. We lived 2 miles from Knott's Berry Farm. The area we lived in was full of dairy farms and we had to drive a while to get to a grocery store.
  
  My family went there all the time just to walk around. We especially liked buying licorice in the Ghost Town stores. Sometimes as a child, during the day, my mom and I would walk around the church and lake area. Every time we went there my eye fell on a white ceramic kitten with a large red bow and large green eyes. Mom ended up buying it for me one day at a cost of $1.00. Of course it was a glow in the dark item from the Inspiration shop (before that it was Art Glow Studio).
  
  I'm 57 years old now and still have that ceramic kitten. I've kept it in a drawer or in a box or whatever. It's gone on all my moves and has developed some small chips and it doesn't glow anymore (maybe sort of like me). But it still has that $1.00 price penciled in on the back in very small letters as if someone put it there yesterday. It's the only thing I have from Knott's Berry Farm, but I treasure it a lot because it helps me remember those nice days long ago. The reason they fenced it in was for pure monetary reasons. The Knott's kids had taken over by then and I'm sure they had a future plan. I remember it being in the newspaper about their intentions and they wanted to make it an amusement park. Putting a fence around it was only the beginning of their plans. There were NO hippies in that area EVER so I think that is some kind of urban myth that got spread around. The real reason was MONEY. We visited the area in 2004 but went back home in Central California sayng we prefer to remember it like it was in the 50's and 60's. All of us who love those memories of growing up in Orange County in the 50's and 60's should always keep them close to our hearts and they will never get lost.

  By  Lorrie, at December 01, 2007 3:13 PM  

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• I would love to have the glow-in-the-dark Jesus pamphlet as I remember it from our trip in 1957. My bros and sisters used to expose it to our bedside lamp in the late evening and open the doors slowly to reveal Jesus' loving eyes. I'd be willing to trade or buy if anyone knows how I can get my hands on the pamphlet. It would mean so very much to me and my family. I can be reached at sellers@uta.edu if you have any ideas. My profound thanks!

  By  Anonymous, at February 11, 2008 12:05 PM  

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• Hi i'm am trying to find one or two or even three jesus cards from knotts berry farm. They were the cards that glowed in the dark so you could see his eyes. It was after you exited the church that you got them. If anyone has some i would love to buy them or if you feel generous give them to me. It would be for my mother and her sister. Please email at the_green_camel@yahoo.com if you have some or have any idea where i can find them!!!!

  By  Anonymous, at April 16, 2008 9:41 PM  

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• Loved it!!! I grew up in California about 30 minutes from Knotts Berry Farm. We used to visit there about 5 times a year when relatives came in from out of state. The Chapel was my favorite - and "The Moonlight Sonata" is still one of my favorite songs! I still have a pciture of the Jesus painting from the Chapel. It looks like the doors that opened. It opens from the center and on the inside is the face of Jesus (from the printing) which glows int he dark. the narative is written on both sides of the door insides. Great memories!!!!

  By  Anonymous, at June 19, 2008 2:53 PM  

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