Arts & Entertainment

Love Affair With Dark Rides Takes Him to Coney Island Restoration

George LaCross of Barrington chronicles complete reconstruction of Spook-a-Rama after it was devastated by Superstorm Sandy.

Barrington’s George LaCross, considered one of the world’s authorities on “dark rides,” continues his love affair with the amusement-park attractions.

LaCross and his partner, Bill Luca, have just finished chronicling the restoration of one of Coney Island’s most iconic dark rides on their Laff in the Dark website. It’s the latest edition to a website that can give you a close look at their weekend hobby.

LaCross and Luca took another look at Spook-a-Rama at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park for their latest attention because it was hammered by Superstorm Sandy last fall.

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“Initial reports said the ride was trashed,” said LaCross. “We were really concerned.”

Indeed, the ride needed a complete restoration.

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“It was devastation,” said Deno John Vourderis (better known as DJ), son of park owner Steve Vourderis, according to LaCross. “There was five to six feet of water inside. Everything from the ghosts and goblins to the (wood) floors themselves were ripped apart. Not one stunt remained in working order. We were able to refurbish five or so, but all needed work and extensive rebuilds. All the electrical, sheet rock, framing… it all had to be redone as well.” 

It wasn’t the ocean that slammed Spook-a-Rama, said LaCross, it was Coney Island Creek, an inlet to New York City, which buried the ride under 6 feet of water.

“It was one of the gold standards of dark rides,” LaCross said. “It was built in 1955 by the former Pretzel Amusement Company in New Jersey, which invented dark rides.”

LaCross, of course, was very familiar with the ride; he’d ridden it numerous times in doing separate stories on Spook-a-Rama in 2001 and 2005 for its 50th anniversary. 

The owners said they planned to restore the ride immediately, and they went to work right away, said LaCross. Palm Sunday – the traditional start-up of the Coney Island season each year – was their goal. And they hit the mark.

Click here for an up-close look at the ride and its restoration on their website

And click on two video clips below to give a better idea of LaCross’s love affair with dark rides.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2ASzwztY90

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IssoB7sMlU

 


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