Knotts Preserved: What it took to get me there, pt. 4

After dinner, there was some time to snoop around Ghost Town again, which a group of us bloggers did. Again, Tokyo Magic pointed out all the spots I had missed before so that I could get some good shots. This Pepper’s Ghost effect was great; sure do love stuff like this!





And a lot of these fun carved wooden characters inhabit the Ghost Town; one of the most infamous is Sad Eye Joe:



Whatever you do, watch out for One-Eyed Ike:



You can feel safe knowing that these fellers are protecting Ghost Town:



A detailed view of the poster on the wall above them, honoring Max Barlow (the Marshal of Ghost Town):



Here’s Hop Wing Lee, perennially cleaning clothes:



These fellers have been in the barber shop for a loooooong time:





I have no idea where this guy came from:



Back to the Bird Cage and on with the show:



A few interior shots of the lobby:





EVERYONE knows about Steve Martin performing at The Bird Cage; but what about “Love Boat” alumni Lauren Tewes?



The lineup for the 2nd presentation was a theme-park blogger’s dream:



Left to right: Chris Crump and his father, Rolly, Chris Merritt, and Knotts publicity guru Dean Davisson.



Eddie Soto, Rick Campbell, Eric Lynxwiler, and John Waite:



It was a spirited discussion and fantastic to hear first-hand from some of these creative genius' who they crafted some of the most beloved aspects of Knotts. Especially cool was the rapport between Chris Crump and his dad. Rolly was obviously a great mentor to his son. It was fascinating listening to them talk about their dark ride, Bear-ry Tales, which (sadly) is no longer at Knotts. In fact, it almost didn’t even make it in the first place, thanks to an arsonist who struck a few months before it was set to open. Undaunted, the Crumps trudged on and christened the attraction on time.



Dean’s memories of John Wayne (“he was big!”) and the Knott family dividing up the profits around the family dinner table had everyone in stitches (“One for you, one for you,...”).



What a great day. I can’t thank all of the people enough who put this event together. Readers: if you get the chance, visit Knotts. Although much has changed since its glory days, much remains. Check it out! Hope you’ve all enjoyed this deviation from my regular Disneyland posts.

See more Knott’s Berry Farm photos at my website.