Staff Photo by Margaret Fenton Lake Winnepesaukah maintenance workers put together the conestoga wagon ride Tuesday morning near the entrance to the park. The maintenance schedule includes putting various rides into storage for 6 months out of the year and bringing them out again each spring.
Not every family’s spring cleaning requires renting a 165-foot construction crane, pressure washing giant worms and packing parachutes.
That’s normal fare, though, at family-owned and family-friendly Lake Winnepesaukah amusement park as it’s is being spruced up for its April 18th opening and an 84th season.
The 21 Six Flags theme parks, including the one near Atlanta, are struggling and in Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but Lake Winnepesaukah continues to draw new and old fans from the tri-state area and beyond.
“The beauty of the park is that we have rides for young children, for families and for grandparents. We have thrill rides for all ages,” said Talley Green, who serves as operations manager for the park. “You never outgrow Lake Winnie.”
First known as McAfee Lake, then Green’s Spring Lake, Mrs. Green said this Catoosa County landmark was renamed Lake Winnepesaukah when her grandparents opened the park in 1925 as a place for boating, swimming, fishing and picnicking 84 years ago.
Top Rides
* The Cannon Ball, a wooden roller coaster ranked among the nation’s best by enthusiasts. In operation since 1967, it’s is 2,272 feet long, climbs to 70 feet tall and reaches speeds of 50 mph.
* The Boat Chute built in 1926 is the oldest mill chute water ride in America. Famous for the “Tunnel of Love,” then a climb and a boat hurtling drop to a splash landing in Lake Winnie.
* The only Eyerly Fly-O-Plane still in operation. Cockpit-like cars rotate and spin.
That changed in 1926-1927 with the addition of the Boat Chute, an amusement park ride that is perhaps the oldest mill chute water ride in the United States. It remains one of the park’s most popular rides and is Mrs. Green’s personal favorite.
“Even thought the concept is extremely simple, it is always a thrill,” she said. “I wish I had time to at least to ride one ride a day.”
Workers assembling the Conestoga wagon ride on Tuesday paused to get out of the rain and talk about the park.
James Edwards, 30, said he has spent “half my life” working at Lake Winnie and finds it to be a special place.
“Other parks don’t seem as family friendly,” Mr. Edwards said, adding that Lake Winnie is where he met the woman he married.
James Stiltner, 34, said he too met his wife while working at the park, and they both still visit the park — even on days off.
“Our kids like coming where I work,” he said.
Work goes on year-round for a full-time staff of about 35 who maintain the grounds and rides that have served three or more generations of visitors.
“The park may close, but the work never ends,” Mrs. Green said, watching workers pressure wash and paint and prepare for state safety inspections next week.
Attendance was good last year and is expected to remain strong this season, she said.
Lake Winnie “takes you away from the day-to-day doldrums,” Mrs. Green said. “We offer affordable fun.”
She said fees are unchanged and discount offers abound.
“There are not many places where you can have 12 hours of fun at one place for one price.”
Some of the park’s 35 rides have minimum height restrictions: “36 inches or with adult” for the Boat Chute or Frog Hopper, “36-48 inches with an adult” for the Ferris wheel and “54 inches” for the Fly-O-Plane.
That Eyerly Fly-O-Plane is the last still operating in the United States and is among the park’s most unique rides.
Other notable attractions are a Philadelphia Toboggan Co. hand-carved carousel built in 1916 and a classic John Allen wooden roller coaster, The Cannon Ball.
“These are not just museum pieces, this is top-notch equipment,” Mr. Edwards said. “Bring on the crowds.”
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