at september 2012 pleasure pier bonus section

8/18/2019 At September 2012 Pleasure Pier Bonus Section

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www.amusementtoday.com

SEPTEMBER 2012 BONUS SECTION B

Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier a big succe16 rides are part of overall mix of offeringson $60 million pier

GALVESTON ISLAND,Texas — The city of Galveston,with more than 50,000 resi-

dents, have always dependedupon a mix of industries forits livelihood. Galveston Is-land certainly draws from thetourism industry bringingin visitors to relax along the beach and the various hotelsand resorts along the island’sseawall. For 2012 a new drawhas entered into that market,and the city leaders couldn’t be more pleased.

Landry’s Inc., a Houston- based conglomerate dedicat-ed to Dining, Entertainment,Hospitality and Gaming, hasexpanded its considerable rep-ertoire beyond the high endrestaurants for which it be-came known. Having acquiredcasinos, along with establishedhotels and resorts, the com-pany has recently dabbled inamusement rides. Houston’sDowntown Aquarium hasa handful of attractions sur-rounding the popular restau-rant. Kemah Boardwalk was amuch more successful blend ofrides and restaurants offeringan entire district of diversionsto bring people from centralHouston to an inlet along the

gulf to enjoy an entertainingtime away with several ridesand many dining options,along with shopping and thewaterfront atmosphere.

In May of 2012, Landry’sdebuted its rst location pri-marily dedicated to amuse-ment rides. While restaurantcomponents still exist at theGalveston Island HistoricPleasure Pier, the true draw isthe fun of the rides.

Tilman J. Fertitta, soleowner, chairman and CEO ofLandry’s, has a deeper connec-

tion to this project. He grew upin Galveston and during hisyouth was a lifeguard on the

pier at the new Flagship Hotel.While most successful busi-ness ventures are sure to befullling, restoring the historicpier into a true tourist drawmust bring about an internal-ized satisfaction.

“The city put the pier outfor sale about 12 years ago andwe acquired it. I lived rightdown 25th Street from Kinder-garten to Second Grade andremember them building theFlagship [Hotel] right afterHurricane Carla,” says Fertit-ta. “Whenever Hurricane Ikecame [in 2008] the whole thing just became destroyed and thelast remaining tenant was thengone.”

More than a century ago,amusements operated justtwo blocks from today’s pier, beginning in 1906. In 1940,the Galveston Pleasure Pierwas built, originally as a rec-reational facility for the U.S.military during World War II.During that decade it becamethe country’s largest — “TheConey Island of the South” —drawing America’s top dance bands inside the massive

ballroom and enticing gueststo enjoy a motion picture un-der the stars on an outdoorscreen. Hurricane Carla struckin 1961 and after decades of being a source of tourism,the pier would take on a newrole. In 1965, the Flagship Ho-tel opened on the previously-devastated pier. It would bea tourist icon for more than40 years, offering guests hotelrooms positioned over the wa-ter. Fertitta’s rst inclinationfor the pier was to restore theFlagship to a new grandeur.

Hurricane Ike in 2008 had dif-ferent ideas. With Ike’s furtherdamage, plans for the historic

pier would take a new turn. In2009, Landry’s, Inc. informedcity ofcials that the new di-rection would be to bring backan amusement pier to Galves-ton Island.

Construction on the piergrew in earnest following the January 2012 press announce-ment. The pier, which is 1,130feet long and 120 feet wide,was reinforced, and throughthe construction process, thedeck that people walk upontoday is actually 32 inchesabove the original pier, allow-ing for all utilities to be below.

Memorial Day weekendarrived and the pier was near-ing readiness. Mark Kane,regional director for KemahBoardwalk and the GalvestonIsland Pleasure Pier reects,“We operated at a reducedprice those rst days; 13 ofthe 16 rides were ready andwe felt that offered a goodenough product. We couldn’tmiss the opportunity to showoff the pier on a holiday week-end.” As it turned out, it wasa good call. Guests were readyand were coming in optimistic

numbers. Within a few weeks,all rides were installed and op-erational.

The Pier’s line-up ofrides features 16 attractionsfrom various manufacturers.Chance Rides provided fourof these — a 100-foot GalaxyWheel, Sea Dragon, Revo-lution and a 36-foot doubledecker carousel. The carouselfeatures horses, sea creaturesand chariots. The interestingpositioning of the Sea Dragonis quite dramatic as the ship

STORY: Tim [email protected]

4See PIER, page 2B

The $60 million Galveston Island Historic Pleasure opened Memorial Day weekend 2012 with amusemfood, games and entertainment. Above, Bubba GShrimp Company awaits guests outside the pier’s entrance. Below, the pier features 16 rides including StarFlyer ride from Funtime and Giant Wheel from ChRides, bottom photo.

AT/TIM BALDWIN and GARY SLADE, bottom photo


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2B AMUSEMENT TODAY SEPTEMBER 2012

Gary Slade, FounderPublisher and Editor-in-Chief (817) [email protected]

Stacey Childress / Childress MediaWeb & Graphic Design(817) [email protected]

John Robinson / W.H.R. Inc.Daily E-mail Newsletter

[email protected]

Tim [email protected]

Pam [email protected]

Scott [email protected]

Jeffrey L. SeifertEditorial / Special Projects

[email protected]

Sammy PiccolaAccounting / Circulation(817) [email protected]

Sue NicholsAdvertising(615) [email protected]

Bubba [email protected]

AMUSEMENT TODAY STAFF

Contributors: Galveston County Historical Association , Billy Hill, Landry’s, Inc., Andrew Mellor, Richard Munch, Adam Sandy

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PIER Continued from page 1B

swings out above the mid-way or out over the water.Ital International/Bertazzonsupplied a trio of rides thatinclude a Rock & Roll music-themed family ride, as well asa bumper car attraction. The bumper cars are divided into

two parts, with 18 vehiclesserving older folk and 10 carsgeared especially for youngerkids. The third ride is an un-dulating swing ride placed atthe front of the Pier, serving as“eye candy,” as park ofcialscall it. Rides 4U brokered threefamily rides for the pier — anSBF/Visa Airborne Shot (SkyShooter), and two children’srides: an S&S Frog Hopper andSBF Big Wheelin’ which fea-tures ve trucks that seat fourchildren each. A Zamperla TeaCup ride is also on offer forfamilies.

The other four rides rampup the thrill factor. Larson’sRing of Fire is dubbed Cycloneon the pier and boasts a newsleek “park model” giving theloop clean lines with no cables.Pirates Plunge, a log umesupplied by Interlink givesguests an opportunity to getwet as they scream down twodrops, as well as those alongthe midway in a specied“soak zone.” Two rides repre-sented by the Ride Entertain-ment Group are a Gerstlauervertical-lift Euro-Fighter roller

coaster (Iron Shark) and a 200-foot Star Flyer from Austria’sFuntime. Dubbed Texas Flyer,it is the tallest swing ride cur-rently operating in Texas andadds an extra thrill as ridersare whirled about high abovethe gulf’s waters.

The Iron Shark tends to be the favorite among thepark crowd as well as thestaff. Josh Hairgrove, assis-tant general manager of thePleasure Pier, denitely ratesit as his favorite. “People lovethe Iron Shark. They just lovesitting around watching that

rst drop.” Hairgrove alsosays the Pier is seeing the big-gest throughput on the rideas well. Three vehicles keepthe queue owing at heavierperiods. The restraint systemutilizes a lap bar allowing forunobstructed views as pas-sengers crest and pause at the

apex before plunging downa 97-degree drop. It is worthnoting that even though theacrobatic coaster contains fourinversions, the height require-ment is only 42 inches, whichhas been a very positive detailwith families Kane reports.

The exhilarating ride isn’tthe only thing that makes thiscoaster unique. “This took alot of specialized engineer-ing,” said Siegfried Gerstlauer,Gerstlauer Amusement Rides’managing director. “Due tothe unique nature of the pier,

we had very specic loading

and spatial requirements. Weended up custom-designinga steel base frame for thecoaster and only using a con-crete foundation under the lifttower. We were able to meetall of the hurricane wind re-quirements and produce anexciting coaster in a small foot-

print; needless to say we arevery happy with the result.”Because of the individualizednature to the support struc-ture, riders in the right-handseat are cantilevered slightlyover the water when they diveonto the brake run.

“We’ve divided the pier towhere every type of family hasan area to go to,” says Hair-grove. “At the front of the pierwe have a lot of the kids rides,and in the center we have alot of family rides. At the backof the pier you have the more

extreme rides and more of an

adult area.”Bob’s Space Racers pro-

vided eight different mid-way games of skill, all placedin the center of the pier. Awell-stocked gift shop, eater-ies, ample restroom facilities(very nice ones at that), a partyroom, and Stage 25 — a loca-

tion dedicated for live musicand shaded seating — roundout the Pleasure Pier’s com-ponents. “Pleasure Pier sou-venirs are going crazy,” smilesKane, pleased with the solidsales.

In true Landry’s fash-ion, just before guests musthave a wristband to enter thePleasure Pier, a large BubbaGump’s is located right at thefront of the property. Texas’rst Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. joins other tourist locales, suchas Santa Monica Pier, Navy

Pier and Times Square, in pro-

viding fresh seafood. Culy there are 33 Bubba Grestaurants, primarily in tourist areas. Admission Pleasure Pier is not reqfor dining and the 350-setaurant offers indoor sand outdoor decks for that prefer al fresco d

Of note, pier ofcials haluded to a 35 percent inof patrons at Fish TaLandry’s restaurant just the street from the pier.

Something unique tPleasure Pier, in controther U.S. piers is an asion charge. Those not cing to ride can purchgeneral admission wrist but all guests must hwristband to enter the Pidividual ride tickets are able for those patrons, aas an upgrade for all rid

4See PIER, pag

Top row from left, guests to the Pleasure Pier have a view of high energy attractiochoose from, including Sea Dragon (Chance Rides), Cyclone (Larson) and Pirate’s P(Interlink). Bottom row from left, this water test dummy (named Wet Willie) is always omove in the park becoming a favorite with guests for photos; Josh Hairgrove, assistanteral manager (left) and Mark Kane, regional director, lead the management team; andLandry’s as the parks owner, the pier always has many great food options to choose frAT/GARY SLADE AND TIM BALDWIN


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SEPTEMBER 2012 AMUSEMENT TODA

Proud to supply

with the Fire Ball: Cyclone

PO BOX 638 • Plainview, Texas 7907

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4/16


they opt to climb aboard withfellow family members. Thisgeneral admission seems to beworking, as it has kept the piervery family friendly and prob-lems have almost been non-existent.

The Galveston Island His-toric Pleasure Pier also requiresguests to adhere to a dresscode and code of conduct.

Shirt and shoes are required,and the dress code speci-cally states that no undergar-ments can be visible and pantsmust be pulled up fully to thewaist. The code of conduct re-quires no littering on or off thepier, no profanity, and smok-ing only in designated areas.“People have actually comeup to us and thanked us,” saysHairgrove. “They want a fami-ly friendly environment wherethey feel safe and feel that theycan have fun.” Kane also com-ments toward Landry’s havinga high set of standards withinits restaurant chains and thatthe Pleasure Pier aligns itselfto the company’s high hospi-tality standards. “It’s a totallycontrolled environment andthat’s the way I want it to go,”comments Fertitta. “Galvestonis a family friendly town.”

Kane reports that the pierreally hits its peak from about6:00 each evening. “We’resteady from the time we openat 10 a.m., but when the sunstarts to pass around 6 p.m.,we start to see a crunch. On

weekends, we stay busy allthe way up to midnight.” Pierhours closed during the sum-mer at 11 p.m. Sunday throughThursday and midnight on Fri-day and Saturday. Hours willadjust with the season throughfall and winter. Pier ofcialsalso admit that this rst sea-son is a period of observationto see where scheduling mightneed to be tweaked for thelong road.

A true picture of the fa-cility would not be completewithout mentioning the nightambience when the PleasurePier vividly comes alive. Ev-ery ride is adorned with LEDlighting (most of which wereprovided by Maxtron andRides 4U) and the entire prop-erty is visible for many blockson both sides down SeawallBlvd. Even the path of theroller coaster is traced intothe night sky. Both the LarsonRing of Fire called Cyclone(LED’s from Denny’s Electron-

ics) and Chance Wheel and radiate with mesming light patterns. All ithe night “vibe” never dark, only more colorful.

The Pleasure Pie brightly painted, and Kane’s goal to keep ething looking new. Wsolid lineup of rides in already, the new propertenjoyed a successful suso far. Expansion is notpossible, but seems very

able if Fertitta’s enthusiaany indication. As nal dare put in place, he expethe company to examincompleted product andwhat needs tweaking an justing, whether it be prschedule, aesthetics or tions. “I’m very happythe way it came out anvery happy with the buwe’ve done,” says Fe“Hopefully it will be themany, many years to com

An all-you-can-ride band to the pier is $21.children under 48 inche$26.99 for those 48 inchetaller. A general admonto the pier can be purcfor $10.00.

Debbie Furgeson Kingwood, Texas, a city 90 minutes from Galvsaid her family enjoyedouting there. “When wethe price, we weren’t sit was going to be wortsaid Furgeson. “But we over three hours there anloved it. It was worth penny.”

PIER Continued from page 2B

The Pleasure Pier has a wideassortment of merchandiseto choose from at the park’s

main gift shop, located atthe park’s main entry area.AT/GARY SLADE

Bob’s Space Racers delivers pier’s gam

Bob’s Space Racers was selected to provide eight games on the main midway. Shownare clockwise from top: Tub Toss, Vertical Water Race, Ring Toss and Whac-A-Mole asat night under the LED overhead lights.

AT/GARY SLADE

Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier2501 Seawall BoulevardGalveston, Texas 77550

(409) 766-4920 www.pleasurepier.com

Owner/Developer:Landry’s Inc.

Houston, Texas

Pier Facts:Pier was originally constructed in 1940 as an amusementarea with some fishing. The pier suffered a major blow in

1961 from Hurricane Carla. In 1965 the pier would be rebuiltand house the new Flagship Hotel which would operate

for 40 years. In 2000, the city of Galveston sells the pier toLandry’s who planned to refurbish and operate the historic

Flagship Hotel once the current tenant’s managementcontract expired. In 2008, Hurricane Ike damages the hotel

beyond repair. In 2009, Landry’s informs city officials of plansto demolish the hotel, rebuild the pier into one with amuse-

ment rides. Memorial Day weekend 2012, the $60 millionpier reopens with rides, games, shops, food outlets and a

Bubba Gump restaurant.

Pier Size/Construction:Pier is 1,130 feet long by 120 feet wide. It is constructed ofall reinforced concrete deck and supports, with some new

steel supports added in key ride areas.

Key Management:Mark Kane, regional director for Landry’s theme park

division and general manager of the Pleasure PierHeather Wilson, brand marketing manager Josh Hairgrove, assistant general manager

Mike Martorella, amusements general managerMichael Maney, maintenance manager

Joe Zdunek, admissions & cash control managerSteven Winters, F&B manager

Toni Rivera, retail/warehouse managerStephanie Maxwell, sales

Kristin Payne, guest relations Jennifer Fiesel, human resources manager

Joel Smith, security chief Jonathon Greene, development dept. /project manager

Operating Hours

Daily beginning at 10 a.m.; closing times are 11 p.m.Sunday-Thursday, Midnight on Friday and Saturday

Ticketing/AdmissionAll Day Ride Pass

•$26.99* for adults (48” and up)•$21.99* for children (under 48”)

Valid for all rides (good for day of purchase only)

Family Four Pack •$89.99* includes four all day ride passes (two adultpasses 48” and up/ two children passes under 48”) •Additional adults/children must purchase ticket

at regular price

Pier Pass (Walk-on) •$10* for adults (48” and up)•$8* for children (under 48”)

•Pass required for admittance to pier; ride ticketssold separately at booths/kiosks(good for day of purchase only)

Individual Ride Tickets

•Starting at $4.00* per ticket•Must purchase a walk-on pass to gain access to the pier

* Plus tax

Source: Landry’s Inc.

FAST FACTS


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Pleasure Pier by day...

Sixteen rides are just part of the new Pleasure Pier experience. Shown here are (top row from left): Texas Tea (Zamperla); Double Deck Carousel (ChRides) and Texas Flyer (REG/Funtime). Bottom row from left: SkyShooter (Rides-4U/SBF); Frog Hopper (Rides-4U/S&S Worldwide) and Pier Pileup (Iternational/Bertazzon).AT/GARY SLADE; TEXAS FLYER/JEFFREY SEIFERT

Pleasure Pier at sunset...The Texas Gulf coast offers

some beautiful sunsets ascaptured here by photogra-pher Billy Hill, shooting for

parent company Landry’sInc. In the right photo the

Cyclone (Larson), Pirate

Plunge (Interlink) and SeaDragon (Chance rides) areclearly seen. In the far rightphoto the twisted and com-pact ride layout for the IronShark (REG/Gerstlauer) is in

full view.COURTESY LANDRYS INC/

BILLY HILL

Pleasure Pier by night...

This night view, taken from a fishing walkway, shows the pier with all it’s beauty from the thousands of LED lights draped throughout the park and its Maxtron/Rides-4U provided the LED light package for key rides like the Iron Shark, Texas Flyer and Galaxy Ferris wheel. AT/JEFFREY SEIFERT


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Pleasure Pier by night...Top to bottom, The Pleasure Pier rides come alive at nightbeginning with the Gulf Glider (Ital International/Bertazzon)at the front of the park; the Rock & Roll (Ital/Bertazzon) andCyclone (Larson Intl.); Sky Shooter (Rides-4U/SBF) and SeaDragon (Chance Rides); while the Galaxy Wheel (ChanceRides) anchors the ocean end of the pier. AT/GARY SLADE


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Interlink’s new Pirate’s Plunge soaking riders on pieGALVESTON, Texas — The France/U.K.-based water ride

specialist Interlink was called upon to supply the two-lift LogFlume, Pirate’s Plunge, to Galveston Island Historic PleasurePier on the Texas Gulf coast. Installation of the ride commencedat the end of 2011, with the opening taking place during the Me-morial Day weekend.

The ume is approximately 280 meters (918 feet) in lengthand features two drops, one of six meters (19.5 feet) and anotherof 12 meters (39 feet), the latter affording excellent views acrossthe Gulf for patrons as they travel around the highest pointon the attraction. Riders are seated in ve seater boats/logs ofwhich there are a total of seven.

Pirate’s Plunge is positioned along the left hand edge of thepier as viewed from the landward end and the turnkey projectproved a challenging installation for the Interlink team due tothe location and the limited access available.

“The Galveston Pier project has been an interesting and

testing one for us to do,” said Interlink Managing Director JohnHudd. “Building the ride onto a pier structure was itself verydifferent to installing on land, while the limited access availablealso brought its own set of challenges which I’m pleased to saywe successfully overcame.

“The Pleasure Pier owners have obviously invested a greatdeal in the redevelopment of the pier and Interlink is verypleased to have been chosen as one of the suppliers who havecontributed towards the regeneration of what I’m sure will be ahugely popular and successful attraction for Galveston Island.”

Riders enter the ride through a Pirate Ship built by the park.Throughout the ride’s lower level, guests will nd pirate themedprops and various posed pirates. The ride delivers a soakingsplash that spills over into the pier’s main walkway creating a“soak zone” that lets non-riders cool off from the hot Texas sun.

—Andrew Mellor

Beachgoers to Galveston Island are no stranger to the water, and now guests at thePleasure Pier won’t have to take a dip in ocean to get wet. They only need to take a ridthe new Pirate’s Plunge, supplied by Interlink, or stand on the midway in the “Soak ZoAT/GARY SLADE

Gerstlauer-built Iron Shark strikes Galveston PiePopular Euro-Fighter firstfor any Texas park

GALVESTON, Texas — Visitors walking the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier stoand watched in awe the afternoon of June 1. saw Iron Shark, the pier’s newest attraction (tom-designed Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter roller er), climbing 100 feet into the sky. In a matter onds it took eight guests straight into the air anddropped them back down to the pier at 97 degr

The coaster, which features four inversion1,246 feet of track, has forever changed the lothe pier. Its gray columns and blue track higthe Euro-Fighter’s signature lift and a 97-degredrop. From there guests are sent upside downin matter of seconds. An Immelman leads into ing loop, which leaves riders wondering whicis up. The vehicle then ies through the struand heads through two more inversions, a toand vertical loop. The last surprise is the brakwhere the cars are held over 30 feet above the poing surf, making for a great visual.

In addition to a lot of design work on the

layout, Gerstlauer went back to the drawing bwith their classic Euro-Fighter vehicles. TheEntertainment Group handled the sale andect management. Adam Sandy, their sales tor, noted “The lap bars were very well-receivDare Devil Dive at Six Flags Over Georgia lasand we were excited to introduce them on the seater this year. They offer an open ride expeand great airtime on that devilish rst drop. We been thrilled with the result.”

—Adam S

Above two photos, The Iron Shark by day and thenby night with its impressive LED lights that fol-low the ride’s 1,246 foot-long circuit. Bottom twophotos, the Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter steel coasterbecame the first such ride at any amusement facil-ity in Texas when it debuted in early June at thePleasure Pier. AT/GARY SLADE


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SEPTEMBER 2012 AMUSEMENT TODAY


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Galveston Island, Texas enjoyed early day amusemenSTORY: Scott Rutherford [email protected]

GALVESTON, Texas —With all the focus on the open-ing of the Landry’s HistoricPleasure Pier in Galveston, itmight be easy to forget its

many area predecessors thatpaved the way.

It’s hardly a secret thattraditional amusement parksare an endangered species. Itis estimated that 1,500-2,000such places once operated inNorth America alone. Sadly,that number has dwindled toa mere fraction. Rarer still areseaside parks and those thatextend out over the sand andwater on wooden or concretepiers. The U.S. was once hometo an impressive collection ofcoastal and pier parks.

Like Coney Island,New England and SouthernCalifornia, Galveston, Texaswas — on a somewhat small-er scale — once a microcosmof the amusement industry.Perhaps it was the cool breezesoff the Gulf of Mexico duringthe hot Texas summers thatdrew the crowds, or maybeit was simply the hunger forfrivolity in an island setting.Whatever the case, the concen-tration of amusement parks inthe coastal island town wasimpressive and unique butoften short-lived thanks to a

seemingly endless processionof storms that ravaged theGalveston area.

Richard Munch, histo-rian for the National RollerCoaster Museum & Archives,explains how Galvestongained its amusement resortstatus. “American amusementpark history, with its roots inConey Island, stretched as far

as Galveston over 100 yearsago. What we do know is thatall major cities had establishedparks. In fact some very largeparks were built in Dallas,Lake Worth and Houston.Actually, Galveston could beconsidered an early leader

in the field. Unfortunately,it would take one very largenatural phenomenon to bringamusements to the city. OnSeptember 8, 1900 Galvestonwas pummeled by a majorhurricane, which left a barrenisland strewn with flattenedhomes and cottages, andwhere countless lives werelost (estimates are up to 12,000died as the storm approachedwithout warning). At thetime, the Great Storm (or the‘Galveston Flood’ as it would be called), was considered the

worst natural disaster in U.S.history. No doubt Galvestonneeded something special inits attempt to rebuild the cityafter this devastating event.”

The first step in thisrecovery was the building ofa seawall, which was begunin 1902. Upon completion,two of Galveston’s early parksincluded:

Electric ParkInspired by Coney

Island’s legendary Luna Park(1903) and Dreamland (1904),Electric Park was built to

give weekend passenger trainexcursionists from the upstatearea a reason to spend thenight on the island. Openedin May 26, 1906, Electric Parkwas located along SeawallBoulevard and featured all theattractions popular during thisera such as a Figure-8 woodenroller coaster, Traver AerialSwing, carousel, Ferris wheel,

bathhouse and bandstand. Ofcourse, one of the park’s mostoutstanding features was thesheer number of electric lights— more than 6,000 in total— that allowed the park tooperate late into the eveninghours. The park prospered for

a few years, even adding newattractions such as the Ticklerin 1908.

Chutes Park

Chutes Park opened justwest of Electric Park in 1907and was most likely financed by Captain Paul Boynton inChicago. Included in its ridelineup was a smaller versionof the larger and more famil-iar Shoot the Chute found atmany northern parks. Various storms and hur-ricanes eventually took their

toll on the barrier island, and both Electric Park and ChutesPark disappeared — mostlydue to a 1909 storm that dam-aged most of the structuresand necessitated the rebuild-ing of the seawall.

“After 1910 there would be little left, but Galveston’stourism would continue tothrive with the addition of theCrystal Palace Pavilion (1911),which reportedly built theGiant Roller Coaster in 1920,”added Munch. “Anotherpark, Joyland, opened in 1919,and Charles E. Barfield would

add a scenic railway in 1920. Itis possible that these two rideswere actually the same ride,and also likely the famousMountain Speedway.”

Joyland ParkLocated in the 2100 block

of Seawall Boulevard from1919 to 1929, Joyland’s found-ers were J.E. Stratford and R.S.

Lindamood. In August 1919,Daniel W. Kempner sold thepark’s property to the twomen for $35,000. Stratfordand Lindamood established

the Galveston PlayhouseCorporation to operate Joyland Park.

It seems Joyland wasdeveloped in two phases.The initial opening offeredthe Orpheum theater, Ferriswheel and a carousel. Duringthe next phase (1920-22) theOrpheum became a dancehall while a Great AmericanRacing Derby and an airplaneswing were added.

By the late ‘20s, Galvestonwas in need of more upscalehotel rooms and it was decid-ed that the land on which

Joyland was situated was theperfect place to build. Thepark’s rides and attractionswere needlessly moved toother locations or destroyedin preparation for a hotel thatnever made it past the plan-ning stages.

Mountain SpeedwayLocated approximately

one block inland next tCrystal Palace and in the ow of the Buccaneer Hthe magnificent MouSpeedway wooden

coaster was designed and by The Ingersoll AmuseCompany of PittsbThe expanded side-friFirgure 8 style ride open1921 and reigned for n40 years as the area’s est coaster. Standing 6tall with 3,600 feet of Mountain Speedway wmarvel for its time. At the structure was ouwith brilliant electric lwhich drew throngs of sptors as well as riders.

Pleasure Pier

Postcards of Galveoriginal Pleasure Pier, wopened in 1943, showpark featured rides, arcan aquarium, and a fipier. It was severely dam by Hurricane Carla in 19

Though many Galvparks have come and the island seems to lesemi-charmed life. LanHistoric Pleasure Pier, buthe site of the original PlePier, is but the latest in aline of amusement veHopefully, the region’smous tropical storms wilclear and allow this nventure to prosper and tain the visitors like all that came before it.

Memories of ElPark, Joyland and some island’s other venues arealive through photos, mapother artifacts preserved Rosenberg Library’s Galvand Texas History Centethe Galveston County HisAssociation.

This historic postcard view shows Galveston’s $1.5 mPleasure Pier in its heyday. The pier would be construc1940 and would see the rides and other attractions ato the pier in 1943. Though it is unclear how long the amments operated on the pier, it is known that Hurricane delt a severe blow to the pier in 1961, causing the pier though redevelopment.COURTESY GALVESTON COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

Opening on May 26, 1906, Electric Park was located along Seawall Boulevard and featured such big ticket items as a TraverAerial Swing and Figure-8 side friction coaster (see image above left) as well as a carousel, Ferris wheel and bathhouse. In1908, The Tickler ride (above right) was added. The park was best known for its sheer number of electric lights that lit thepark at night, thus gaining its name, Electric Park. COURTESY GALVESTON COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION


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THE LISTName/Ride Type Supplier Height Fast Facts Restriction

Iron Shark/EuroFighter coaster REG/Gerstlauer 48" 3 vehicles, 8 passengers per vehicle; 100 feet tall,1,246 feet long, 52 mph; vertical lift, vertical loop,Immelman loop, top hat and airtime hop, LED light

throughout ride circuit

Texas Flyer/Vertical swing ride REG/Funtime 48" 12 swings, 2 passengers per swing; 200 feet tall; 90 foot swing diameter; LED lights on tower

Galaxy Wheel/Galaxy Wheel Chance Rides 42" 20 carriages, 6 people per carriage; 100 feet tall, ride is decked out with LED lights on both

sides of wheel

Revolution/Revolution 20 Chance Rides 48" 5 arms of 4 seats, 20 total passengers; 60 feet tallat peak arch, nine revolutions per minute

Sea Dragon/Pharaoh's Fury Chance Rides 48" 10 rows seating 40 adults or 60 children per ride; boat swings 50 feet tall at maximum height

Carousel/36 Foot Double Decker Chance Rides 42" 17 animals, 2 chariots on lower level; 8 animals,2 chariots on upper level; horses, sea creatures allfeatured on this chariots double decker carousel

Cyclone/Fire Ball Larson Intl. 48" 20 passengers per ride, 60 feet tall, 25 mph; This redesigned FireBall (Super Loop) is now a

park model, thus removing all the cables and otherequipment needed for portable models;outfitted with LED lights from Denny's Electronics

Pirates Plunge/log flume Interlink LG Ltd. 36" 7 boats, 5 passengers per boat; two drops of 40 feetand 22 feet, 900 feet long

Gulf Glider/Swing Carousel Ital International / 44" Mix of double seats (16) and single seats (32) swingBertazzon 3B Ltd. riders 22 feet high as ride elevates and rotates

Rock & Roll Ital International / 48" 16 vehicles seating 2 passengers each Bertazzon 3B Ltd.

Pier Pileup/bumper cars Ital International / none 2 rides with18 adult vehicles/10 kid vehicles themed asBertazzon 3B Ltd. Old Timer and Chevy Classic Cars

Sky Shooter/Airborne Shot Rides 4U/SBF 42" 10 swinging arms seating 2 passengers each

Big Wheelin' Rides 4U/SBF 36" 5 trucks seating 4 kids per truck

Frog Hopper Rides 4U/S&S 36" 7 people per ride; 22 feet tall

Texas Tea/tea cup ride Zamperla USA 36' 6 oversized twirling cups seating 4 passengers per cup

OTHER:

•Bob's Space Racers provided 8 midway games including: Whac A Mole, Vertical Water Game, Long Range Basketball, Balloon Dart, Ring ToLucky Duck, Tub Toss and Short Range Basketball

•Maxtron/Rides 4U, provided the LED light package for selected rides

•Other key suppliers include: Ashley Nostalgia, old time photography; Dippin' Dots, frozen ice cream; Siriusware, Inc., admissions/ticketing systCoastal Amusements, Electronic Hi Striker and Guess Your Weight; Hi Striker, Winner Every Time Kiddie Hi Striker; Dumor Site Furnishing, tables, benctrash cans; Ultra Signs of San Diego, park's main entrance sign; Sparkle Sign of Houston, Bubba Gump signage, illuminated signs on pier; Intex UnitedHouston, all ride and directional signage

SOURCES: Landry's Restaurants/Pleasure Pier/Amusement Today

Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier | Galveston Island, Texa


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Landry’s Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.opens first-ever Texas locationThemed eaterymakes its debuton Pleasure Pier

GALVESTON, Texas —

Galveston has joined theranks of great tourist destina-tions such as the Santa Moni-ca Pier, Navy Pier and TimesSquare all of which boast aBubba Gump Shrimp Co. res-taurant.

Landry’s Inc. has openedTexas’ rst Bubba GumpShrimp Co. on the GalvestonIsland Historic Pleasure Pier.The fresh seafood concept,uniquely situated on the icon-ic Pier, seats 350 people offer-ing both indoor and outdoorpatio seating.

Originated in California,Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.opened its rst restaurant onCannery Row in Monterey,Calif. in 1996. Bubba GumpShrimp Co. has 36 restaurantsprimarily in tourist-oriented,highly desirable locations in-cluding iconic destinationssuch as Universal CityWalk,Hollywood, Calif.; SantaMonica Pier in Calif.; TimesSquare in New York City;Navy Pier in Chicago; NewOrleans’ French Quarter andSan Francisco’s Pier 39. In-ternational locations include

Bali, Hong Kong, Cancun andTokyo among others.

The popular concept cap-tures the charm and Americanspirit that made ParamountPictures’ “Forrest Gump” asmash hit featuring a down-home atmosphere reminiscentof the movie’s setting in Ala- bama. Today, Bubba GumpShrimp Co. remains the rstand only theme restaurantchain based on a motion pic-ture property.

“Bubba Gump ShrimpCo. is well known for their en-

tertaining atmosphere, fami-ly-friendly service and qual-ity seafood,” said Jim Dufault,COO of Bubba Gump ShrimpCo. “We are delighted to in-troduce Texas to Bubba GumpShrimp Co. and all of our deli-cious offerings.”

Recognized for outstand-ing seafood, Bubba GumpShrimp Co. makes shrimpthe star, offering 19 differentpreparations. The menu alsooffers an exciting variety ofsh entrees, crisp salads, funchildren’s meals, creative des-

serts and award winning ribs.The Galveston Island His-

toric Pleasure Pier has alsoopened a quick service ver-sion of the popular restaurantnamed Gump on the Run.This eatery will feature someof the same delicious foodsyou can get at the sit-downrestaurant but with an em-phasis on offerings geared to-wards visitors looking to graba quick bite on the go.

Bubba Gump ShrimpCo. Texas and Gump on theRun is located at 25th Streetand Seawall Boulevard onthe Galveston Island HistoricPleasure Pier. The restaurantserves lunch and dinner andthe bar is open late.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.is open Sunday to Thursdayfrom 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. andFriday to Saturday from 11a.m. to 11 p.m.

The 350-seat Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restuarant as seen atthe entry of the new Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier,both by day and at night.AT/TIM BALDWIN

Amusement Today talks withLandry’s Tilman J. Fertitta

HOUSTON, Texas — Amusement Today’s Tim Baldwin recently sat down with Landry’sInc. President & CEO Tilman J. Fertitta at thecompany’s headquarters in Houston for a briefQ&A:

Restaurants don’t always align them-selves with rides. What made you expand inthat direction with the Kemah facility?

It just works for us. You have to know whoyou are and who you customer is and how to mix things. It different than the Aquariums and the restaurants we’ve dwherever you have people wanting to spend money on etainment they also want to eat.

Was there sincere intention to renovate the old FlagHotel before the Pleasure Pier project, and what prompthe switch?

The city put the pier out to sell about 12 years ago we acquired it. But we had a tenant — which was the geman who had owned the Flagship and had a lease with theSo, yes, I looked at taking the Flagship and turning it inunique hotel when the tenant was gone — more of a “boutchic’” hotel that you’re seeing out there. But Hurricane Ikand pretty much destroyed everything. Then I started thinabout Galveston and tourism and how unique that would ba pier and how successful we are with restaurants on the M

terey Pier and Chicago Pier and restaurants on the boardwaAtlantic City.

How many road trips did you take to investigate opier properties?

Believe it or not, not a lot. Most of them are still not doa master plan way. In most piers one person will operate gaone person will operate rides, and another person runs a resrant... I kind of knew how I wanted to do it. We could mafeel special by theming all the things the same.

When selecting rides for the pier, you strive for the mix of family rides with thrill rides. Who was involved inselection?

Me and Jeff Cantwell, head of development, Mark KKeith Bidler...we just kind of know the mix. That roller coassomething, the way it takes you straight up.

You know, from the first time I thought it about being aand the way it laid out with the restaurant up front, it is kinwhat I wanted all along.

Kemah and the Pleasure Pier are relatively close to other. Was this ever a concern?

Yeah, but it didn’t affect it at all. Zero.How has the economy affected the restaurant indu

and how would you describe the health of Landry’s?Landry’s is in good shape. We made more money in th

cession than we did before. We run a tight business. We 50,000 employees. The whole retail industry is a little slowretail division does a hundred million in revenue.

What opportunities can you foresee in the future of bining restaurants with amusement rides?

The two have always gone together. It is always going tobetter if you own them both. But very seldom do you have ason that operates rides know how to run full service restaurThat makes us very successful.

About Landry’s:

The company operates more than 400 properties istates and over 30 international properties. Landry’s is one of the country’s largest employers with over 50,000 aemployees. Landry’s owns and operates several notabletaurant chains including McCormick & Schmick’s, Chart HoLandry’s Seafood House, Rainforest Café, Saltgrass SteakhoBubba Gump Shrimp Company, Claim Jumper as well asSignature Series: Morton’s Steakhouse, Oceanaire, Vic &thony’s, Brenner’s Steakhouse, Grotto, La Griglia and WillieLandry’s also operates numerous gaming, hospitality and etainment venues including the Golden Nugget Hotel and Cain Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nevada and Atlantic City. The KeBoardwalk, the San Luis Resort, Inn at the Ball Park, DowntAquarium Denver and Houston and the Towers of AmericSan Antonio, Texas are just a few of Landry’s projects.

—Tim Bald

Fertit


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