View allAll Photos Tagged santacruzbeachboardwalk
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (Rides Series#3)
Whether you call it a merry-go-round, carousel, or whirligig, visitors have always been enchanted with the Boardwalk's oldest ride. In 2009 the Boardwalk’s Looff Carousel reaches its 98th Anniversary at the historic amusement park, charming children of all ages with its magical horses and challenging ring game.
In August of 1911 one of the great carousel carvers of all time delivered the merry-go-round to the Boardwalk. Danish woodcarver Charles I.D. Looff had achieved success with his first complete carousel placed at Coney Island in 1875 and went on to create several more around the country, including Santa Cruz. Charles' son Arthur Looff later designed the Boardwalk's Giant Dipper.
According to his great-granddaughter, Charleen Cowan, Charles I.D. Looff was an immigrant to America as a young man when he chose his middle initials. Ellis Island officials told Looff he had to have a middle name "for his I.D." (or identification), so he chose "I.D." Looff's sense of humor and personality show in his hand-carved horses.
Several of the Boardwalk’s carousel horses display their teeth in open smiles; others are more serious, with a gentle demeanor and closed mouths. Each horse is unique, with colorful details, from swords at their sides to garlands of flowers around their necks. Real horse hair tails, muscular bodies, and decorative, jeweled trappings also add to the charm. In all, the carousel is home to 73 horses (71 jumpers and two standers) and two Roman chariots decorated with the heads of rams and cherubs.
It is also one of only a handful of carousels in the world still featuring a working ring dispenser. Rings were once hand loaded by "ring boys," as the young employees were called. The process was mechanized in 1950. Steel rings are used today, with brass plated rings added on special occasions. Riders on outside horses can grab rings from a dispenser as they spin, then toss them into a large clown's gaping mouth, rewarded by bells and flashing lights.
Music for the carousel is provided by a 342-pipe Ruth und Sohn band organ built in 1894. The German-made music machine is one of the last of its kind. In 2007, a rare Wurlitzer 165 Band Organ from San Francisco’s (now closed) Playland was purchased by the Boardwalk. In 2009, a new exhibit in the carousel building will showcase the Boardwalk’s rare antique band organs: a Wurlitzer 165 originally from San Francisco's Playland and the Boardwalk's original 1894 Ruth & Sohn organ which has played alongside the carousel since 1911.
With the passing of Looff and his peers, the art of carving carousel horses has almost disappeared. Due to scarcity, they have become collectible and increasingly valuable. The Boardwalk’s entire carousel cost $18,000 in 1911; now, a pair of the Looff horses are valued at more than that.
Carousel horses seem magical, ethereal, and even immortal; the reality is that these beautiful carved figures are sturdy but all too mortal. Over the years some of the Boardwalk’s Looff horses have been lost to the ravages of time and wear. However, the Boardwalk was able to reinstate its collection in 1978 with the acquisition of additional Looff horses from parks in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Belmont Park in San Diego.
At Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
Take a twirl past spectacular ocean views on the Boardwalk’s newest ride, Sea Swings!
Whatever your age, you'll feel like a kid when you swing out high over the beach with feet dangling and Monterey Bay glistening below.
Designed in Italy, Sea Swings features beautiful hand-painted images from the Boardwalk’s past.
Also known as a “carousel swing” it’s a perfect addition to the world’s best seaside amusement park!
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (Rides Series#5 )
The Boardwalk’s Most Popular Ride for Eighty Five Years - The GIANT DIPPER
The Giant Dipper roller coaster, complete with its landmark red and white structure, spectacular view of the Monterey Bay, and speedy successive dips and fan curves, keeps new and old generations coming back for more.
More than 55 million riders have enjoyed the classic wooden coaster which was built by Arthur Looff in 1924. The Giant Dipper is now the 5th oldest roller coaster in the U.S., continuously operating in its original location.
Looff’s love of amusement rides may have been hereditary. In 1911, his father, Charles I.D. Looff, delivered a new merry-go-round with hand-carved horses to the Boardwalk. The family’s ride legacies made history in June of 1987 when both the Giant Dipper and the antique carousel were designated National Historic Landmarks by the U.S. National Park Service.
According to Arthur Looff, he created the Giant Dipper envisioning a giant wooden coaster that would be, in his words, a “combination earthquake, balloon ascension, and aeroplane drop.”
The thrill ride, with speeds up to 55 MPH, proved to be all that and more. Before the Giant Dipper’s arrival, a visitor’s Boardwalk experience was limited to the L.A. Thompson Scenic Railway’s hills and valleys, tame by more modern standards.
The Giant Dipper was built in just 47 days at a cost of $50,000. Compare that to its $135,000 structural paint job in 2001. Labor and materials for merely cleaning and painting the Giant Dipper these days comes to well over $200,000!
It also now costs a little more to ride the classic coaster compared to May 17, 1924, when the Giant Dipper opened to the public. The fare then was 15 cents; today it’s $4.50 for a one-ride ticket.
One major characteristic that hasn’t changed, however, is the Giant Dipper’s excellent maintenance record.
Four full-time Boardwalk mechanics are permanently assigned to maintain and check the ride each operating day.
Approximately every two hours while the Giant Dipper is operating, these mechanics walk and inspect the half-mile track; they also work on the trains and replace portions of the structure and track annually. In addition, outside inspectors also check the Giant Dipper, including the use of such high-tech equipment as ultrasound to scan parts of the ride.
The Giant Dipper does look slightly different than in its youth. In 1976 the coaster station received a Victorian-style facade and structural paint job. Two new roller coaster trains, built by Morgan Manufacturing of Scotts Valley, replaced the old ones in 1984. The new trains were designed with the sleek-nosed “woodie” look of classic roller coaster cars.
The Giant Dipper also has become a media star. Its familiar red-and-white tracks can be seen in television commercials and videos for Mitsubishi Automobiles, the Ford Motor Company, Levi’s, Coors Light, the National Association of Credit Unions, Sony, U.S. Air, MTV, Yahoo, and many others.
Major motion pictures featuring the Giant Dipper include “Sting II,” “The Lost Boys,” “Dangerous Minds,” and Clint Eastwood’s “Sudden Impact,” as well as numerous television productions.
The Giant Dipper’s unique thrills and setting inspire excitement in all types of people. At past birthday celebrations the coaster received congratulations from VIPs, coaster experts, and such celebrities as veteran rider Vincent Price.
Legendary San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen often expressed his fond regard for the Dipper. Caen, whose 1997 death was widely mourned, once wrote, “...the great roller coaster arose amid screams above the golden strand of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk ... a tooth-loosener, eyeball-popper, and one long shriek.”
Those unique thrills continue in 2009 as the Giant Dipper keeps coasting along in its starring role at the West Coast’s only major seaside amusement park.
Have a blessed Sunday everyone!
After years of swinging through the jungle on vines, Tarzan discovered the comfort of moving from point A to point B while sitting. Much easier on the old body!
Santa Cruz, California 2012
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 35-70mm.
Yup - handheld on a 60th at 3,200 didn't really cut it in the sharp department!
Santa Cruz, California.
Santa Cruz, CA. May 11, 2023. Shot on a Nikon F6 and Kodak Ektar 100. Developed and scanned by The Darkroom. Metadata added using Meta35.
Watching the sunset from the bluff on the east side of the Boardwalk. The Giant Dipper was resplendent silhouetted by the setting sun.
View in Large
The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk closed and at night.
-
Today my photo Heading In... was featured on the Santa Cruz County Blog. So that was pretty cool!
Check it out! :)
I ♥ Santa Cruz, CA. It's small but steadily growing. There's so much to do.
We have lots of beaches including The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, lots of new and local restaurants, boutiques, etc...
Taken in the West Cliffs (past picture).
Nikon D60
"Don't grow up too quickly, lest you forget how much you love the beach.”