Part 1
Spadola also recreated images from the children's book "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendack. The building itself was covered with lumpy celastic over chicken wire and painted to look like rock outcroppings. Roger Fortin, supervisor at the park for nearly forty years, was the third man responsible for the construction of the dark rides and fun houses. He clearly recalls one day when he was building the rock surface with Spadola. It was November of 1963, and it was bitterly cold. The temperature seemed more extreme because they had to soak the celastic in acetone to make it pliable, Another worker walked over to them about 4:00 in the afternoon to tell them that John F. Kennedy had just been shot. Seven years before that, Kennedy had celebrated his 39th. birthday at Lincoln Park. |
Then he re-created the bas-relief in fiberglass on the new car. "On a busy, busy day" said Fortin of the cars, "You could have them all going on the track..... it was timed perfectly". As far as my memory can recall, the circuit began with the car curving to the right and slamming through a set of heavy wood doors.
The car immediately turned to the left and after a few yards slammed through a set of heavy wood doors. The car immediately turned left and after a few yards slammed through another set of doors with a tiger painted on them. The car would then turn sharply right 90 degrees and begin heading uphill. The first stunt was on the right. The car swung again to the right, about 90 degrees, passing an emergency exit and continuing uphill. Another stunt was on the left. Another right turn, about 90 degrees, was met with the next prop on the right. The car would then turn 180 degrees to the left. Another stunt would be on the right. Then after turning 180 degrees to the right and passing a stunt to the left, the car leveled off. It would slam through a set of doors, then another set, travel out onto the overhang, pass by a stunt of a cave type person at the center of the overhang, swing around to the left 180 degrees past a Tiger stunt and then slam back through another set of doors. |
Then the car swung 180 degrees
to the left, passed by a stunt on the left and leveled off. A 90-degree
right turn revealed a stunt on the right. The car was then
traveling at the far right end of the building. Then another 90-degree
turn to the right was met with another set of doors. After passing
through them, the car was traveling in a sort of tunnel. Looking to the
left, you could see the station and the midway. looking to the right,
you'd see an animated stunt. Originally, it was a caveman dunking a
cavewomen into a big pot. The last operational stunt was a
Frankenstein, which bobbed up and down behind a stone wall.
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The former Mountain Park Dinosaur Den Cars are now running at
Nightmare Manor, Casino Pier, Seaside Heights NJ.
The Former Mountain Park Dino-Den cars were
masterpieces that are still,
to this day, fondly remembered for the
"Monster" looking faces
on the fronts as well as their comfortable ride!
To Continue your ride:
Dino Den -- Part 2 !
EDITORS NOTES: Mountain Park Memories 1 & 2 -- About the Author
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