Jack Williams Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Carol L. Voss Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Rolland Meyers Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Thanks Carol. I remember the Merry-go round
> > but
> > > for me it has been 40 years since I have
> > visited
> > > the boardwalk. Probably would not recognize
> it
> > > now. Is the old wooden roller coaster still
> > > there?
> > > Rolland
> > Yep, still going strong and just celebrated
> its
> > 100th anniversary. Carl and I started riding
> it
> > when we were in grammar school and about 3
> years
> > ago totally blew our grandkids away by riding
> it
> > once more---------HOWEVER, for the last time
> since
> > all of that tossing around and banging into the
> > sides of the cars is a bit much for these aging
> > bones!!
> > And the merry-go-round is still going strong
> after
> > 100 years as well.
> > C.
>
>
> The 1924 Giant Dipper roller coaster is the older
> of the two large, wooden scaffolded roller
> coasters remaining on the West Coast.
>
> The Giant Dipper, which is located between
> walkways 3 and 4 at 400 Beach Street in Santa
> Cruz, California, was designed by Frank Prior and
> Fred Church, with a double out and back layout
> similar to the Mission Beach Roller Coaster built
> in 1925 in San Diego, California. The Giant Dipper
> was built by Arthur Looff (1888–1970) in 1924 in
> just 47 days at a cost of $50,000. It replaced the
> much tamer miniature railway ride designed by
> LaMarcus Adna Thompson. Looff described his plans
> for the coaster as a, "combination earthquake,
> balloon ascension, and aeroplane drop."[2] Looff's
> father, Charles I. D. Looff, built the carousel on
> the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in 1911; both
> attractions continue to operate today.
>
> Jack
> Sparks, NV


Thanks for the clarification-----the Boardwalk celebrated it's 100th a couple of years ago and the carousel just a year or so ago but I thought the Giant Dipper was in that same vintage. Guess it has 11 or so years to go to the century mark. Nonetheless, it is still going very strong!
C.