Comments on Orange County Memories: Knott's Berry Farm

I remember going to Knotts for Thanksgiving in 196...

2010-12-18T20:27:52.641-08:00

I remember going to Knotts for Thanksgiving in 1963...in fact I have an original complete ticket book, "Entertainment Book" Knotts Berry Farm and Ghost Town...CHILD BOOK $2.00 with an Expiration Date of December 31, 1963

Hi everyone. All these memories are pretty cool to...

2010-11-03T12:14:37.196-07:00

Hi everyone. All these memories are pretty cool to read.

My name is Mark Ferrell, but I went by "Marco". I was the original DJ when the Cloud 9 Disco opened. Before that, when the Cloud 9 was a ballroom, I was the DJ at the Airfield Eatery and before that, I was a tour guide at the Haunted Shack. All between about 1976 and 1980.

We had a blast. The place was packed and pumpin'. And I got to work with some truly amazing people. Great memories!

I remember listening to Larry Geronca and his guit...

2010-10-25T12:19:55.592-07:00

I remember listening to Larry Geronca and his guitar. This was in the '80s. It was like a country fair. He was singing country songs. We danced to his music!

I was at Knott's Berry Farm in the early 90...

2010-10-24T17:19:39.997-07:00

I was at Knott's Berry Farm in the early 90's. I was there with my family from the East Coast. I had never heard of Knott's Berry Farm before but we were anxious to take it in before we left Californina. It was a wonderful, insteresting, fun and enlightening visit. It was a good "feel".
The most lingering memory was from the Old West Town. There was a saloon and, I think, in the back there was a sort of back lighted screen with a mural of camp fires, western figures etc. In the back and along the side of one of the authentic old Wagons there was a written note, under plexiglass, from a 10-11 year old girl. I "read" - We are out of water. There are sounds of wild animals etc. I wish I could remember. Thoughts of that note lingered for many months. It was an experience. I hope it it mostly the same. It was a treasure with the new and all the historic western buildings.

Reading everyone’s memories about Knott’s brought ...

2010-10-24T15:37:24.086-07:00

Reading everyone’s memories about Knott’s brought tears to my eyes. I feel like I was raised at Knotts, I know my kids were. I moved there with my parents (Buena Park) in 1966 and stayed until 1994. After I got married my husband and I bought a house across the street where we raised 3 children of are own. We lived so close that Knott’s gave my hole family annual passes every year for free, I think they said it was for putting up with all the noise or something. My kids went everyday during there summer breaks and we would all sit in the front yard in the summer watching the fireworks. My kids baby books is full of pictures of them at Knotts, people always say it looks like they were raised there! My husband was a contractor and I a Realtor (my office was across the street from Knotts on LaPalma at Century 21 Jim Hansen’s) we moved the kids to Arizona in 1994, I always wished we had stayed in Buena Park. We talked about Knott’s so much and after my 2 grandkids were born we decided to take a trip back there and spend the day at Knott’s during the month of Oct in 2007 (my first job was working at the Halloween Haunt at Knott’s) There were 9 of us (my husband, our 3 kids + 2 son-in-laws + 2 grandkids and myself) We arrive at Knott’s and find out that it is going to cost almost $450.00 for all of us to enter. (My mistake for not looking all the info up before hand or finding some coupons somewhere) I was so embarrassed that I didn’t have enough money for all of us to get in that it made me feel sick to my stomach. I paid for my kids and grandkids admission and said that I suddenly felt ill and wanted my husband to take me back to our hotel room. I convinced my kids to go in without us and they ended up having a wonderful day. I never told the kids why I didn’t really go with them that day, but I sure wish I could have seen my grandkids enjoying Knott’s Berry Farm like I used to when I was a kid. I haven’t though about Knotts Berry farm too much since that day 3 years ago, but it’s nice to hear that it still making memories for people. It was such a great place growing up.

kmbmnn@yahoo.com
753 S Blossom
Mesa, AZ 85206

OMG I LIVED @ 2127 W LINCION AVE AND USE TO GO TO ...

2010-09-06T13:33:38.485-07:00

OMG I LIVED @ 2127 W LINCION AVE AND USE TO GO TO KNOTTS EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK AND WOULD SNEEK IN ME AND MY BUDDYS WOULD SLIP RIGHT THREW THE BARS ON THE SIDE OF LAPALMA AVE.. AS SOON AS THE TRAIN PASSED WE WOULD MAKE OUR MOVE..IM SAYING IT WAS AT LEAST 1967 AT THIS TIM CAN YOU BELIVE IT 7 YEARS OLD GOING TO KNOTT WITH JUST A FRW KIDS ALONE AND NOT HAVEING TO BE WORRIED ABOUT BEING HURT BY SOMEONE.. EVERY WEEKEND CLOUD 9 AND THE SEALS AND THE PETTING ZOO, WE WOULD TELL THE PEOLE THE GOATS ATE OUT TICKET ..THATS WHEN YOU HAVE THE ONE TICKET...MABLE LIVED NEXT DOOR SHE SOLD THE LIL FISH LOL FOR THE SEALS.....FOR 10 YEARS I WAS ABLE TO FIT THREW THOSE BARS LOL...SO MANY THINGS THE JUNGEL ISLAND WAS THE BEST.. HIDE AND SEEK FOREVER IN THAT PLACE... WE STAYS ONE NIGHT HIDEING AND HAD TO LET THE COPS HELP USE OUT IT CLOSED JUST BEFORE DARK... WOW IM ALMOST 50 AND I AM STILL IN LOVE WITH KNOTTS ..OH WHAT ABOUT THE WAGON TALES WHERE THE GIRL SAYS BUT MAMA IM SO SO THIRSTY...AND THE GLOW MINE IN THE OUT SIDE OF KNOTTS BY THE SHOPS AT GRAND AVE?? ANYONE REMEMBER THAT??? SO MUCH I COULD TELL YOU I LIVED THERE REALLY FOR YEARS AND YEARS ....LINDA@ LOCAPEZ@AOL.COM

wow, what great memories They call it progress whe...

2010-08-23T13:49:41.675-07:00

wow, what great memories
They call it progress when something torn down, and re placed by something else. Is it progress what cedar fair has done to knott's? or did it really start with the knott family.
remember the lake across the street, where there was a little train ride, row boats, where you could go and feed the ducks. it was the knott family that remove it for a parking lot.
so the question who brought the end to the park that we all remember.knott family or cedar fair.
the seals were taken out by the knott family, replaced by a dance floor.
the animal farm was removed by the knott family, replace by another dance floor, and monty.
The park had history, it was the knott family that removed the first looping coaster the corkscrew for the boomerang.
The mule ride, that was fun to ride was removed by the knott family, for the expansion around the backside of the mine ride.
What was wrong with leaving the john wayne name on the building, once again the knott family.
Saw some great talent in the building, it was the knott family, that stop bringing big names to the farm, in favor of a ice show.
how many remember seeing tom jones,david brenner,phyllis diller,flash cadillac,beach boys, steppenwolf,to name a few plus evan the brady bunch.
it was the knott family that decided to build the ghost rider, which theres nothing against the ride, but certain things that were free to walk up, such as the bakery, the candy store, are now enclosed by the fence for the ride.
Yes cedar fair made a number of changes to the park
but so did the knott family.
it's called progress
it's a shame, that both the knott's and cedar fair hasn't done more to preserve some of the old that we remember so much.
And by the way, a poster said earlier the knott family has nothing to do with the park, that is not true, as the family has over two million shares in common stock of cedar fair, and they do still have a say on how thing are said and done, it was steve knott that recently veto the sale of cedar fair, which is one reason the sale never went through.

I lived across the street from the Buena Park mall...

2010-05-01T19:55:34.327-07:00

I lived across the street from the Buena Park mall. In the 60s my father was forman of the paint department at Knott's and during the summer he would take me and my sister to work with him. We would start with breakfast at Winchell's donut shop who had the best maple bars. Knott's was really more of a farm in those days and when you parked it was in grass and dirt under trees and chickens and roosters roamed around your car. We stayed the whole day there going on mine rides, mule, stagecoach and merry go round rides. We would meet up with our dad for lunch at the Chicken Dinner restaurant. I remember feeding the sea lions little fish and how loud they barked to get your attention. In those days you could be in grade school and go unsupervised. Knott's Berry Farm was our summercamp. Our family friend Tony put on puppet shows there. I new every square inch of the property and can't believe how fortunate we were to have had that opportunity. I love those memories and wish it was still the same beautiful farm today as it was back then.

I will always remember Knott's Dolphin and Sea...

2010-04-30T23:33:14.801-07:00

I will always remember Knott's Dolphin and Sea Lion show at The Pacific Pavillion. I was the first volunteer that the dolphin show had and years later I paved the way for many others to have the opportunity to work with these wonderful marine mammals. The volunteer program became such a hit it became a ROP class offered through a Buena Park school. I spent a few years there with Wally, Terri, Katie,(dolphins)& Miller, Kalani, Kalika, and Max (Sea Lions). I knew from here on I wanted a career working with animals...and followed my dream.

I worked at the Farm back in 81 through 88. I rem...

2010-01-26T23:01:56.442-08:00

I worked at the Farm back in 81 through 88. I remember Walter in his wheelchair pushed by his nurse strolling through the park before opening. That was a very cool place to work, then and now. I gave tours at Haunted Shack, busted kids screwing around in Bear-y Tales and had to kick down the peddles to release the lap-bars on the Corkscrew roller coaster as it came into the station. I don't remember what summer it was, but I and a couple other supervisors at Haunted Shack had the best crews that season. We probably got the most laughs from guests ever from our near "illegal" comedy at the Shack. We felt we had to make it funny because the Shack really didn't have to much else to lend. When Walter Knott bought out Hurlbut Amusement Co. and took over Mine Ride, Log ride and Fiesta Village (except for Zoom, I was on the first crew to penetrate the "good 'ol boys club" and learn to drive those trains. That was tough because not only were we learning to operate a very physical machine, but we were considered the "outsiders" taking over there little corner of the world! Why I say that is because this amusement company made its money off ticket sales and turnstile numbers. They would turn these in and get paid. Hurlbut hired their own engineers, mechanics, supervisors and ride operators. That all went away. They were now under Knott's rule in every way, including facial hair and clothing. So there was a little friction with every shift we worked there. The Log Ride crew was the same. After one year at Mine Ride, I was trained on Log Ride. These two rides were amazing. We had free rain inside the mountains of each. Yes, this was before women ever set foot on the loading docks, let alone inside these attractions. There was even one set of restrooms right next to the one set of lockers! But after my first year was complete, in 1982 I was placed on the Halloween Haunt crew. While in Ride Operations, we only had a small trailer next to Mine Ride as an office, no cafeteria to buy food and only $20.00 and all we could steel to decorate Bear-y Tales, Shack and Bumper Cars. When we acquired Mine Ride and Log Ride, Halloween Haunt was almost a Department on its own! I was one of the first to build "animated" monsters to place in the rides. I also trained 200 to 300 "talent" hired just to scare guests in these rides. They would use feathers, shaker cans or have a triggered light or specific motion to scare guests. No touching allowed! Ya right! It happened. I also have fond memories of when The park opened for Halloween Haunt and the next minute, the Twenties area electricity went out. That's when we found out that the contractor that built Bear-y Tales didn't install the generator. Ooops! The Ghost Town and Fiesta Village opened, but the Twenties was roped off until power came on. From the Bear-y Tales Balcony we watched a fire break out at Shack next. Wow! This site is bringing back a lot of memories! More to come later! BKM

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What a great blog! Thanks Steve! I too am a huge f...

2009-11-03T23:45:13.545-08:00

What a great blog! Thanks Steve! I too am a huge fan of the old Knott's Berry Farm. I recently stumbled on a wonderful book full of black and white images cataloguing the history of Walter Knott, his family and of course, the park. You can find this sepia-covered book at Borders Bookstore. It is called "Images of America: Knott's Berry Farm The Early Years" ISBN-13 978-0-7385-6921-5 or ISBN-10 0-7385-6921-6. For those who read the post from Linda Walker (April 8, 2006) her husband Harvey Walker is featured in this book on page 79. There are many other important people who contributed to the success of early Knott's showcased in this book as well - Paul Swartz, first art director for the ghost town;, Andy Anderson, creator of the hand-carved wooden figures in the ghost town; Paul von Klieben, replaced Swartz as art director and is responsible for much of the artistic detail in Ghost Town; etc. Great book and keepsake. I have many wonderful memories from Knott's, especially the little schoolhouse. I remember the first time I ever went inside, there was an actress posing as the school teacher...I felt like Laura Ingalls! :)

Hi all, There is a web site for all the entertain...

2009-10-18T16:43:34.476-07:00

Hi all,

There is a web site for all the entertainers (stuntmen, cancan dancers, singers etc) at Knott's Berry Farm from 1970 to 1980 at:

www.knottsghosttowntalent.com

It is awesome! It brings back so many memories.

Anyone class of '92? Grew up in Bellflower an...

2009-09-10T13:22:00.516-07:00

Anyone class of '92? Grew up in Bellflower and had annual passes a few different years. Would go after school even with the family. Then in the 90's with my friends. I still remember getting ticets for $11 thru the theater I worked at. I moved to Nebraska in 06 and there is a place called Roca Berry Farms and looks to be Knotts 50+ years ago. It's a live farm with small kids rides and shows and funnel cakes! What a cool site this is!

Wow, you're cool. I hope your simple minded co...

2009-09-03T14:40:05.532-07:00

Wow, you're cool. I hope your simple minded comment won't hinder people from returning to this site.

I remember smoking a lot of cloves and ph-ucking a...

2009-08-31T18:37:06.569-07:00

I remember smoking a lot of cloves and ph-ucking a lot of b-i-t-ches (and dudes) that I met at Studio K and Cloud 9.

Seems like I remember the horses name as "Ser...

2009-08-31T10:27:31.372-07:00

Seems like I remember the horses name as "Serrano" the worlds smartest horse. I think he was later boarded in Huntington Beach. (Newland / Heil.) Hope this helps.

I grew up near Knott's in the 50's & 6...

2009-08-29T17:31:45.696-07:00

I grew up near Knott's in the 50's & 60's. I remember turning off the devil in the glass case near the volcano by pushing a button on the side of the case. I also remember the cesspool in the parking lot near Western Ave.

2009-08-16T23:12:57.480-07:00

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2009-08-16T11:07:03.559-07:00

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2009-08-16T01:11:58.484-07:00

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In the mid 1960's we lived in Whittier Califor...

2009-08-07T12:26:19.801-07:00

In the mid 1960's we lived in Whittier California and went to Knott's almost weekly after church on Sundays. It was a fun and inexpensive (free) way for my family to spend a fun afternoon. Today's Knott's Berry farm just makes me sad for what it used to be, so even before I moved out of SoCal almost 10yrs ago, I avoided going there. I remember in the 70's when they build the 'Gypsy Village', and the 'Mexican Village' right near an artificial lake under the bridge from the ghost town. The stagecoach used to go across that bridge, a fun ride where 'bandits' would hold up the stagecoach and the drivers would throw them a bag of 'gold'. I believe the train is still there, I don't know if they still run it, or if they still stage a 'holdup'. I remember Knott's being very religious, as there were at least 2 churches on the grounds. Across Beach Blvd. there was auxiliary parking where there was another artificial lake where one could rent a rowboat by the hour, in the middle was a small island. Near that lake, was an area where you could hike thru a small wood and see wooden sculptures of somewhat fantastical creatures. I also remember a part just outside the Ghost Town where there was a miniature streetfront, miniature train and I believe mini cars you could drive, tho I may be mistaken about the cars. I've only occasionally eaten in the chicken restaurant, most recently on a trip home during my honeymooon 6yrs ago. I've memories of my Grandmother there, visiting out-of-town relatives, so many good times that just aren't possible anymore.

Does anyone remember the old prospector who had a ...

2009-07-30T17:48:03.546-07:00

Does anyone remember the old prospector who had a horse that could "predict" numbers and point them out with his hoof? This would have been in the early 1960's and I have been trying and trying to remember the name of that entertaining horse.

I wonder if Cedar Fair reads these comments. Do t...

2009-07-01T23:37:32.126-07:00

I wonder if Cedar Fair reads these comments. Do they understand they don't need anymore spectacular rides. Today everyone is looking for a little peace and reassurance in their lives, what better place than Knott's Berry Farm. How wonderful if everything was brought back again,all there, maybe in a different setting, but there, refurbished and waiting. Where else is there a Knott's Berry Farm. We don't need more roller coasters.

Wow. It is apparent by reading all of this that th...

2009-07-01T17:39:05.912-07:00

Wow. It is apparent by reading all of this that the "Old Knotts" is truly missed. Lucky that we still have the memories! It was great to see the effect Knotts had on people also. I feel fortunate that I was able to take in the park on a regular basis since the early 70's. I did especially like Ghost Town and all of the shows there. Having seen yearly all the Wild West Stunt Shows, I can say the new stunt show "Fools Gold"? doesn't compare to that of the original legendary show. After reading all the posts about the show, many have performed in the Stunt Show but only a handful really stand out. In my opinion the best of The Hollywood Stuntman "Bear " character was definitely Ciarfalio and Stambaugh. The best "Star" character was Tellez and Yohnka. Nobody was ever as good in The Medicine Show as the original Medicine Man Walker and a lot of the western nostalgia gone when Red Feather left. The Can Can Show is still entertaining as ever. Knotts is still one of the better amusement Parks around and still kicking and that is a good thing because it keeps all of the old memories alive and well.
ED