However, in the summer of , Joyland was opened so that the railway could have a permanent home. The site initially chosen for the park was East Central in Wichita, but it soon moved to its permanent home at South Hillside.
As the popularity of the park grew, the Ottaways filled it with a wooden roller coaster ride and 24 other attractions. Lester Ottaway passed away in the mids, and his sons took over the amusement park as a family business. The three of them ran it successfully until they sold Joyland on in the early s to Stanley and Margaret Nelson. For the next 30 years, the Nelsons worked hard to make the park a success. They added numerous new rides such as the Whacky Shack dark ride which was installed in The miniature train was retired when the Ottaways sold the business, and instead, the Nelsons installed the first-ever CP Huntington miniature train built by Chance Rides.
She fell nine meters 30 feet from a Ferris wheel that had been in operation since the park opened in Following this incident, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission conducted an investigation and identified some more safety issues at the park. It was anticipated that the new owners would rebuild the park and its attractions, making it possible to open the attraction to the public once more.
Some renovations were carried out in , but mainly with a view to making the park look better rather than addressing any safety concerns. However, the promised reopening never came. Instead, Joyland was left to slowly decline. The Log Jam had one drop at the end that was exciting yet small enough that younger guests were permitted to ride.
You were bound to get at least a little wet on this ride, making it a popular choice on hot days. The Nelsons also brought a new train to the park, manufactured by Wichitan Harold Chance. He delivered his first-ever CP Huntington train, emblazoned with the number one. Just over 10 years later, in , Chance officially incorporated a new business, Chance Rides.
The Wichita-based company would manufacture more CP Huntington trains and other rides over the next several decades. Today, there are nearly CP Huntington trains in operation, each of them manufactured right here in Wichita. Porky holds a special place in the hearts of many Wichitans. He was the coolest trash can in town. Porky was not unique to Joyland and could be found in several locations across the country.
Porkies came in a variety of designs. Some of the trash cans in other locations were housed in barns and others in brick houses, but Joyland's Porky was quirkier than most, residing in a mushroom. His head stuck out of the front, and his mouth which was a vacuum! Generations of children were amazed by his ability to suck the trash right out of their hands!
The Nelson family owned and operated the park until it closed in Joyland reopened briefly, but permanently closed its doors in We were just making a living," Roger Nelson said. Serving our community with 57 cumulative years of service, Joyland brought good times to generations of Wichitans, though attendance tapered off over the years. After the park closed, the Nelsons tried unsuccessfully to sell the park twice.
The first potential sale was to a former park employee who walked away in the middle of a lease-to-own process. The sale agreement allowed the new owner a period of a few months to come back, so until that time had passed, the Nelsons were unable to do anything with the park. The second sale ended similarly. In the process of trying to sell the park, it was plagued by theft, vandalism and even arson.
Incidents like this happened nearly every night, making it very difficult for the Nelsons to maintain or even sell the property. Banks were reluctant to invest in the refurbishment and restoration of the park, leaving the Nelsons with few options.
It takes total dedication, " Nelson said. The property on which the park once stood was declared a flood zone by the city after nearby water retention work had stopped, allowing the excess water to pool on the Nelsons' land. This added an additional obstacle to the task of selling the park.
There were efforts by the community to save the park and restore it to what it had once been, including a Save Joyland Facebook group that currently sits at over 5, members. But despite attempts to recover what Wichita had lost, the years had not been kind to Joyland.
The Nelson family suffered great loss after the park closed. Plagued with break-ins, burglaries, and vandalism, the park had simply fallen into an irreparable state. When the park closed, Louie the Clown was nowhere to be found. Mayes pleaded no contest in the case in October of , though he was already serving a sentence for unrelated charges.
According to the Wichita Police Department's Sgt. Nikki Woodrow, Louie was returned to the Nelsons. Mayes had stolen several things from the park in addition to Louie, including items such as Porky the Paper Eater's face and signs that hung above the Wurlitzer organ.
These items were recovered from his basement with Louie in Today, they sit in a warehouse that holds many of the park's remnants. Mayes was also involved in a civil suit in February of pertaining to the Wurlitzer organ, which he had agreed to purchase from Margaret Nelson-Spear years before.
Further details on the case have yet to be released. Many of the park's remaining items sit among shelves and boxes in a warehouse, buried under layers of dust. From dozens of original drafts of Joyland posters to ticket boxes and cars from kiddie rides, these pieces were recovered from the park by Roger Nelson. Others kept in the warehouse are those that were recovered from Mayes's residence by WPD in Some park decorations, like hand-painted signs and backdrops by Wichita artist George Bellis, hang on the warehouse's walls.
The roller coaster remained standing as one of the last Philadelphia Toboggan Company coasters in existence until the spring of when it was partially blown down by a storm. Shortly thereafter, the remainder of the coaster was demolished.
After the park had suffered years of exposure to the elements with no maintenance and countless instances of vandalism, the Nelson family was simply ready to move on to the next chapter. Marta Williamson recalls finding her own fairytale at Joyland. Our fairytale love story began at the employee party the last night of the season. The couple now have three children and three grandchildren. My parents used to take me when report cards came out. A variety of other park promotions brought guests to the park, too.
Jaqueline DeFever remembers visiting the park during a Beech Aircraft promotion night. We would go all the time! Super scary! First birthdays for my boys, company picnics, my niece thinking the witch in the Whacky Shack was me, the caboose that I could not get my youngest away from, Louie, the go-karts, the rickety roller coaster!
So much more, I really miss that place, great times, great memories! Roger Spawn, who runs the Save Joyland Facebook Group, remembers a special community that existed within the park.
Collette Wenrich Fees, a former Joyland employee, was also eager to reminisce about her days at the park. I started when I was 14, in , so they had to let me off by a certain time. There was another guy that also was When we got off, we would get together and run the park. It was a lot of fun! During my 2nd year, I was moved to games and tickets.
I got a lot of interaction with other workers, and customers. I loved the ticket booths, they were air conditioned! Joyland may be gone, but it will not soon be forgotten. A significant part of Wichita history, the park is remembered in many locations across town. Churn and Burn owner Christian Shomberg came by the treasured pieces of the park in a roundabout way.
Churn and Burn also has a display case filled with Joyland tickets, brochures, VIP cards, party tickets and more. The cabinets are also filled with dolls from the park, hand stitched by Margaret Nelson-Spear. Other local groups and establishments have preserved pieces of Joyland, including the Donut Whole with a few Joyland items, and the Historic Preservation Alliance, which purchased the Joyland caboose, a horse and buggy ride and a few other items.
The carousel will be fully restored and displayed in a pavilion in the garden, a project that should be completed in Get quality printing and fulfillment services help and spread the word today!
The carousel is currently undergoing careful renovation. Wichita-based carousel restoration artist Marlene Irvin is seasoned in her craft, with 40 years of experience with both old and new carousels. I imagine I have ridden every horse several times during my lifetime. The problem with restoration of decades-old carousels, Irvin says, is that repairs made over the years were intended to keep the ride running, not taking into consideration the value of the ride decades down the line.
Because amusement operators purchase and run rides as a way to make a living, little thought is given to the historical value of their original rides, not just for Joyland, by for any park. Joyland had a carousel that always looked great. They maintained the ride well, repainting when necessary and tightening loose joints. The 36 horses on the Joyland carousel saw tremendous amounts of wear and tear during their 57 years of dutiful service.
It takes Irvin hours, at the very least, to restore a single animal. Stripping the paint alone can take between 30 and 70 hours. By the time the process is complete, the result is will be a beautiful, like new piece. When Margaret Nelson-Spear donated the carousel to the Wichita Gardens, she hoped to have the carousel fully restored for all our community and future generations to enjoy. Botanica is taking steps to make that possible within the next few years. Once completed, the complex will feature the fully restored carousel and horses, and a custom design of the organ, which will feature music reels from the original Wurlitzer organ at Joyland.
The Nelson family wanted to see the carousel, an integral part of the park, remain close to home and continue to bring good memories to local families for years to come. Investigate TV. Submit Your Photos and Videos. Dismiss Weather Alerts Alerts Bar. Wichita City Council clears way for redevelopment of Joyland property.
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