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NEW YORK |
Magic Forest
Lake George, NY |
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Magic Forest opened in 1963 and I assume these figures were created then. Although they may have been brought from another fairy tale park. Note the similarity between these figures and the cavepeople at Prehistoric Forest in Onsted, MI. They may have been created by the same artist around the same time. Magic Forest has many other statues including these. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. There is also a great chapter about Magic Forest in this book.
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Enchanted Forest
Old Forge, NY |
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The Enchanted Forest (originally Enchanted Forest of the Adirondacks) was designed by Russell Patterson and opened in 1956. Built on 80 acres of swampland, it was conceived of as a small theme park "for the Young and the Young at Heart. The Paul Bunyan, the Crooked House, the Peter Pumpkin Eater Pumpkin, and Ali Baba's Cave are just some of the original features. In the 1960s, the park hosted the Great Wallendas high wire act, Tarzan, clown and circus shows, and lumberjack contests. Circus and high wire acts are still featured today.
In 1968, the arch from the 1964 New York World's Fair was installed in the parking lot out front for use as a sign. The Sky Ride was built in 1969 with balloons added in 1970. The popularity of kiddie rides led to the development of "A Step Beyond" which had bumper cars, a Scrambler, etc. The Hansel and Gretel gingerbread house was designed by Jack Molesky and built in 1985. In 2005, a Museum of Enchanted Memories was built to diplay many old photos and artifacts from the early days of the park.
Today, top-billing is really given to the Water Safari portion of the park. The park's first water slide, "Wild Waters" opened in 1984 (replaced in 2002 with "The Shadow"). This development expanded with "Raging Rapids" in 1986 and "Water Safari" in 1987 which had 16 water rides with an African safari theme. Attendance increased over 70 percent. There are now 31 water rides at the park. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. There is also a great chapter about the Enchanted Forest in this book.
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More NY Fairy Parks:
Storytown U.S.A. (Lake George, NY) [open; now part of Great Escape]
Central Park Zoo (New York, NY) [remodeled]
Land of Makebelieve: 1, 2, 3 (Upper Jay, NY) [gone]
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