Halloween Haunt from the Past

"Scratches on the old wooden railings, shrills and shrieks in the night, and a thick layer of fog that envelopes Ghost Town. These are the images, sights and memories that fans of Knott's Berry Farm's world famous Halloween Haunt call up year after year."

This quote openned my coverage of Halloween Haunt 2007 back in the bear-ytales.net days. Life changes and 2007 was the last Haunt I've been able to attend. However, some great pictures and fantastic memories are contained in the images of those days, images that haven't been online for a few years.

Over the next short while, I'll be revisiting my coverage of the Haunt from 2007 back to 1997 or so. Image quality will deteriorate noticeably as I go back in time, but such is the case of digital photography. Haunt is a tough monster to photograph, and when digital photography was in its infancy, the quality of images were nothing like what we have today.

That said, I thought it better to revisit what I have, no matter what the quality. Not all coverage is equal. Some years I was able to do more than others. But at the end of the day, something is better than nothing. I hope you agree.

I'll start with Halloween Haunt 2007. Other years will be posted as I get the opportunity. I hope you enjoy!

Knott's Icon Bud Hurlbut Dies

It is with great sorrow that I report on the passing of Knott's historical ride designer, Bud Hurlbut. I think back to the time when I worked at Knott’s in the mid to late 1990s. I saw first hand now the Log Ride and Mine Train made a day at Knott’s something special for the guests. Young and old would line up to ride them, as they appealed to kids and adults of all ages. Even in these days of digital entertainment and complex themed attractions, the simple scenery in both rides are classic and timeless gifts that will never be outdated.

I never met Bud Hurlbut, but having known people who knew Bud, and owing a big part of my love for the theme park industry to his work, it’s easy to know what a talented and unique individual he was. Without Bud’s vision for quality themed entertainment, the industry we love so much might look totally different today.

May Bud's impact always be felt at that little berry farm in Buena Park.

Windseeker Moved to Fiesta Village

Very interesting news coming out of Knott's Berry Farm - it appears that the new Windseeker attraction, originally slated to replace the Sky Cabin will be placed in Fiesta Village instead. To tell you the truth, I'm scratching my head at this decision. The Sky Cabin is in desperate need of repair or replacement as it has not aged gracefully. Also, an attraction like Windseeker seems like a more natural fit for the free-wheeling, thrill-heavy Boardwalk area, vs. the Aztec themed and more sedated Fiesta Village. However, with the right style of theming, the ride could do very well in Fiesta Village.

I'm very curious to see how this one will pan out.