Gilroy Gardens is open weekends from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM in November. For more information, see the operating calendar: http://www.gilroygardens.org/calendar.html
Buy four tickets for only $49.99 using this printable coupon (PDF file): http://gilroygardens.org/fall_anniversary.pdf

Coming up in December, the Gilroy Gardens Holiday Lights special event returns. For full details, see: http://www.gilroygardens.org/holidaylights/index.html

Buy your 2011 Gilroy Gardens membership and get the rest of the 2010 season included, along with many other benefits. For information, see: http://www.gilroygardens.org/tickets.html

Gilroy Gardens
web site: http://www.gilroygardens.org/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gilroy-Gardens/122943674395623

— photo: Steven Wilson

Highlights at Playland-Not-at-the-Beach (PNATB) for November include a book signing on the 6th and 7th by Jim Smith featuring his new book San Francisco’s Playland at the Beach: The Early Years. For all the special activities at PNATB this month, check out: http://www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org/calendar_01.html

Playland-Not-at-the-Beach nonprofit Museum of Fun, open to the public every Saturday, Sunday, and school holiday. Open evenings for private events 365 days a year. 10979 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, CA 94530 (510) 592-3002. http://www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org . Admission $10 for kids (to 13), $10 for seniors (55 and up), and $15 for general admission. Admission includes 34 free pinball machines, penny arcades, carnival games, treasure hunts, miniature dioramas, and surprises around every corner. ACE members receive a $5.00 discount on admission upon presentation of their ACE membership cards.

Playland-Not-at-the-Beach
web site: http://www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Playland-Not-At-The-Beach/99162687027

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s rides are open weekends in November as well as Friday, 26 November. See the park’s calendar for full details:
http://www.beachboardwalk.com/calendar/2010/november.html
Enjoy special winter pricing on ride and attractions combos, unlimited rides wristbands, and parking. See: http://www.beachboardwalk.com/01_coupons.html

Buy your 2011 Season Pass now and get the rest of the 2010 season for free! See: http://www.beachboardwalk.com/01_tickets.html

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
web site: http://www.beachboardwalk.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SantaCruzBeachBoardwalk

— photo: Steven Wilson

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is open weekends in November as well as Friday, 26 November, which is the first day of Holiday in the Park. For more info, see:
http://www.sixflags.com/discoveryKingdom/events/HolidayinthePark2010.aspx

Buy your 2011 Season Pass now and get the rest of 2010 included along with lots of other benefits. Buy and process your pass before January 2nd and you’ll also receive a free ticket for a friend to attend Holiday in the park. For details, see: http://www.sixflags.com/discoverykingdom/tickets/seasonpass.aspx

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
web site: http://www.sixflags.com/discoveryKingdom/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/discoverykingdom

photo: Steven Wilson

Welcome to the October 2010 edition of ACE NorCal News!

In this issue:
Giant Dipper Car Arrives at Playland-Not-at-the-Beach!
California’s Great America, October 2010 update
Gilroy Gardens, October 2010 update
Playland-Not-at-the-Beach, October 2010 update
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, October 2010 update
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, July 2010 update

— Steven Wilson

The vintage Arrow Giant Dipper car travels to Playland!

In 1984 the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk announced that it was planning to replace the roller coaster cars on its world famous Giant Dipper, the historic wooden coaster built by Arthur Looff. ACE members Nancy Redden and Mike Chew immediately rented a truck and headed down the coast to try to get one of the cars.

The old Arrow cars of the historic red and blue trains (the original colors: they’d been painted green and yellow by 1984) were going to be upgraded with new Morgan trains. For $200, Mike and Nancy bought a middle car of the old red train. Weighing about 800lbs, the coaster car strained the forklift and barely made it into the truck.

Nancy Redden and Mike Chew brought the Giant Dipper car to Oakland, CA, where they have stored it for the last twenty-five years. “We had a great time with it in the front yard!” Redden says. “My family, my neighbors…even my pets have been in it and had their pictures taken.” The enormous double car sat on the street, protected by tarps. For over two decades Redden and Chew periodically washed and waxed it. The Giant Dipper car survived numerous El Niños and even a run-in with an East Bay Municipal District truck, which backed into it, causing some minor damage.

The car traveled the Giant Dipper track from 1955 to 1984, and still sports the original foot brake. “I used to put people in it and pull the bar down for kicks!” Redden laughs. “They couldn’t get out because the brake release is outside of the car!” She fondly remembers rides on the Giant Dipper — dashing into the initial tunnel and then creeping up the lift hill in it and feeling giddy anticipation of the first drop.

On Friday, September 17th 2010 the old Arrow car took the first step to being put back into service. A team of ACE members and Playland-Not-at-the-Beach volunteers went to Oakland and uncovered the tarps from the car and loaded it onto a forklift truck to begin its journey to El Cerrito, just ten miles away. The new home for the car is Playland-Not-at-the-Beach, the museum of fun. “We are very excited about what will become our newest attraction -– Roller Coaster Rampage!” explains Master of Fun Richard Tuck . “For nearly five years Nancy Redden and I have been discussing bringing the roller coaster car to our museum. At long last we have it on the premises. Now the fun can really begin.”

The Giant Dipper car is here!

ACE members will get their first opportunity to experience Roller Coaster Rampage at the annual Yuletide Party at Playland-Not-at-the-Beach held the first Saturday of December.

The arrival of the Giant Dipper car further cements the relationship between the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Playland-Not-at-the-Beach. “Charles Canfield and his team have been wonderful to us,” enthusiastically says Frank Biafore . “Last year they gave us a set of Fascination games. Then, last month they gave us an antique Ferris Wheel seat. But the Giant Dipper coaster car is the best of all. Guests to our museum of fun are going to be overjoyed at the surprises we have in store for them.”

The Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz has been in operation since 1924. ACE designated it a coaster landmark in 2007.

Frank Biafore with the Giant Dipper at Playland.

— Richard Tuck
— Photos courtesy of Playland Not at the Beach

California’s Great America’s Halloween Haunt!

Click on the image for more information!

Click on the image for more information!

California’s Great America is open weekends in October for regular operation. The park’s Halloween Haunt is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights in October. For hours, see: http://cagreatamerica.com/visit/visit_calendar.cfm

Buy your 2011 Season Pass now and get the rest of the 2010 season included. For details, see: http://cagreatamerica.com/shop/shopping_season_pass.cfm

California’s Great America
web site: http://www.cagreatamerica.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cagreatamerica

Gilroy Gardens Special Weekend offer

Gilroy Gardens is open weekends from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM in October. To double check hours before heading to the park, see the operating calendar: http://www.gilroygardens.org/calendar.html

Buy your 2011 Gilroy Gardens membership and get the rest of the 2010 season included, along with many other benefits. For information, see: http://www.gilroygardens.org/tickets.html

Gilroy Gardens
web site: http://www.gilroygardens.org/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gilroy-Gardens/122943674395623

— photo: Steven Wilson

Things are hoppin’ at Playland-Not-at-the-Beach in October! There’s too much to describe it all here, so just go right now to http://www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org/calendar_01.html
for the whole scoop!

Of special note, however, is the event this Saturday at Playland presented by our own ACE members, the Laschkewitsch family:

Saturday, 9 October
Learn to Discover — Robots, Robots, Robots

On Saturday only, October 9th, a local nonprofit named Learn to
Discover will be on hand to show kids cool things robots can do,
including playing Sumo, following lines, “dancing”, and more. They will
display robots built with LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT, and show kits offered by Parallax, Vex Robotics, and others. Visitors will be given an
opportunity to remotely control the robots, as well as learn about how
to program them to run by themselves.

Learn To Discover, a nonprofit corporation, offers technology classes
for kids from pre-school through high school and beyond. They have
developed over 50 courses in areas including robotics, simple machines, computer programming (PC, MAC, XBOX and Android-based smartphones), electronics, animation (2D, 3D and clay), roller coaster & theme park design, forensic science, innovation, career simulations, environmental stewardship, digital arts, and much more. STEM is their passion.

Check out their website, give them a call at (800) 527-3582, or drop them an e-mail.
We are thrilled to feature their debut at Playland-Not-at-the-Beach!

Don’t miss this fun event!

Playland-Not-at-the-Beach nonprofit Museum of Fun, open to the public every Sat, Sun and school holiday. Open evenings for private events 365 days a year. 10979 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, CA 94530 (510) 592-3002. http://www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org . Admission $10 for kids (to 13), $10 for seniors (55 and up), and $15 for general admission. Admission includes 34 free pinball machines, penny arcades, carnival games, treasure hunts, miniature dioramas, and surprises around every corner. ACE members receive a $5.00 discount on admission upon presentation of their ACE membership cards.

— Thanks go to Frank Biafore for contributing this article.

Playland-Not-at-the-Beach
web site: http://www.playland-not-at-the-beach.org
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Playland-Not-At-The-Beach/99162687027

Best Seaside Park!

Congratulations to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for winning the Golden Ticket Award for best seaside park for the third year in a row!!!
Read more about it: http://beachboardwalk.com/03_drive_2010_goldenticket.html

October events at the Boardwalk include:

Hot Rods at the Beach classic car show, 9 and 10 October
http://hotrodsatthebeach.com/

Chili Cook-Off, the Boardwalk’s first ever! 23 October
http://www.beachboardwalk.com/chili/

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk’s rides are open weekends in October. See the park’s calendar for full details:
http://www.beachboardwalk.com/calendar/2010/october.html

Buy your 2011 Season Pass now and get the rest of the 2010 season for free! See: http://www.beachboardwalk.com/01_tickets.html

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
web site: http://www.beachboardwalk.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SantaCruzBeachBoardwalk

— photo: Steven Wilson