Canobie Lake Park is an amusement park in Salem,

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

, located about north of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. It was founded as a

trolley park Trolley may refer to: Vehicles and components * Tram, or trolley or streetcar, a rail vehicle that runs on tramway tracks * Trolleybus, or trolley, an electric bus drawing power from overhead wires using trolley poles ** Trolleytruck, a trolleyb ...

on the shore of Canobie Lake in 1902. Three local families currently run the park, which draws visitors from throughout the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

and Mid-Atlantic regions. Canobie Lake Park's age and history inspired author Stephen King to use rides and elements from the park in his '' Joyland'' novel. It is one of only thirteen

s still operating in the United States as of 2021. The park originally featured

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

s, with few amusement rides. After the

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarde ...

became the most popular mode of travel in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, the trolley line serving the park was closed. Attendance in the park declined until it was purchased by Patrick J. Holland. He installed a

wooden roller coaster A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also ...

named Yankee Cannonball in 1936, a ride which was designated as an ACE Roller Coaster Landmark by American Coaster Enthusiasts in 2013. The park recovered, and the

Arrow Development Arrow Development was an amusement park ride and roller coaster design and manufacturing company, incorporated in California on November 16, 1945, and based in Mountain View. It was founded by Angus "Andy" Anderson, Karl Bacon, William Hardiman ...

designed Canobie Corkscrew was installed in 1987, after being relocated from the

Old Chicago Old Chicago was a combination shopping mall and indoor amusement park that existed in the southwest Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook, Illinois from 1975 until 1980. It was billed as "The world's first indoor amusement park", and it was intended to ...

amusement park in Illinois, where it was named the Chicago Loop. Untamed, a Euro-Fighter coaster, is the only coaster with an inversion.

History

Canobie Lake Park opened on August 23, 1902, as a

for the Massachusetts Northeast Street Railway Company.Seed, Douglas, & Khalife, Katherine (1996). ''Salem, NH. Volume II - Trolleys, Canobie Lake, and Rockingham Park'', Images of America. Arcadia Publishing. . In its early years, the park was known for its flower gardens, promenades and gentle attractions. After the decline of trolley as a mode of travel, the park declined in popularity, culminating in the park's closure on St. Patrick's Day in 1929. In 1931, the park was auctioned off with the intent to subdivide the land into residential lots. Patrick J. Holland, a construction contractor from Ireland, bought the property for US$17,000. He and his workers restored the park with new gardens, attractions, and modern

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as describ ...

. In 1932, the park reopened, three years after its initial closure. Its popularity recovered, and the Yankee Cannonball was installed, becoming one of the park's most popular attractions for decades. Holland died in 1943, leaving the park with his wife and son, who continued to own the park until 1958. The park is now currently owned by three families; they purchased the park in 1958, continued operating the park ever since, and still operate the park today. Some films and novels have used Canobie Lake Park as a setting or filming location. Stephen King, an American author of horror novels, based the amusement park in his novel ''Joyland'' on Canobie Lake Park. A resident of the nearby state of

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

, King visited after searching for a park "that was nice and clean and sunlit, but wasn't too big". During a visit in 2012, King took photographs inside the dark ride attraction, "Mine of Lost Souls", because he wanted to incorporate a haunted dark ride into his novel. The park was also used as a filming location for the 2013 film '' Labor Day'', based on the novel of the same name by

Joyce Maynard Daphne Joyce Maynard (born November 5, 1953) is an American novelist and journalist. She began her career in journalism in the 1970s, writing for several publications, most notably '' Seventeen'' magazine and ''The New York Times''. Maynard contr ...

. It also appeared in two

live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...

children's TV shows on PBS Kids that were produced by PBS-affiliate WGBH Boston; it was featured in an episode of '' Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman'', as well as in the season 6 opening intro to the show ''

Zoom Zoom may refer to: Technology Computing * Zoom (software), videoconferencing application * Page zooming, the ability to magnify or shrink a portion of a page on a computer display * Zooming user interface, a graphical interface allowing for image ...

''.

Rides and attractions

Canobie Lake Park features a variety of rides and attractions. The Yankee Cannonball, a 1930s-era

, is one of the park's best-known rides. The park was home to a looping, steel roller coaster named the Canobie Corkscrew, designed by

Arrow Dynamics Arrow Dynamics was an American manufacturing and engineering company that specialized in designing and building amusement park rides, especially roller coasters. Based in Clearfield, Utah, the company was the successor to Arrow Development (194 ...

. Originally manufactured in 1975, the Canobie Corkscrew operated at

from 1975 to 1980 as the "Chicago Loop", at the Alabama State Fairgrounds as "Corkscrew" from 1982 to 1986, before moving to Canobie Lake in 1987. The Canobie Corkscrew was one of the first steel looping roller coasters manufactured in the world and was part of a series of Arrow corkscrew models produced from 1975 to 1979. It was removed in 2021. Other thrill rides in Canobie Lake Park include Starblaster, an S&S

Double Shot A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * Th ...

, which replaced a ride called the Moon Orbiter in 2002. The park also features a

rotor Rotor may refer to: Science and technology Engineering * Rotor (electric), the non-stationary part of an alternator or electric motor, operating with a stationary element so called the stator *Helicopter rotor, the rotary wing(s) of a rotorcraft ...

ride named "Turkish Twist", and a shoot-the-chutes ride named "The Boston Tea Party". The park has one

dark ride A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride on which passengers aboard guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music and special effects. Appearing as early as the 19th century, su ...

, "The Mine Of Lost Souls". Passengers board mine cars and venture into the depths of a haunted mine. Another flat ride at the park is the "Psychodrome", a scrambler ride located in a dome, with lighting, music and special effects. In 2005, the park opened Castaway Island, a small water park consisting of a water play structure. In October 2017, the park announced an expansion to the water ride complex, including a lazy river and a series of water slides. The park once had a simulator ride named "USA Missile", built early in the

Space Age The Space Age is a period encompassing the activities related to the Space Race, space exploration, space technology, and the cultural developments influenced by these events, beginning with the launch of Sputnik 1 during 1957, and continuin ...

by John Taggart and Sam Daugherty. Passengers sit facing the nose of the rocket, which is then inclined. A movie is shown on a screen at the front as a simulation of space flight. While at Canobie Lake Park, it was repainted to mimic the markings used on such launch vehicles as the Saturn rockets. In 2011, the park added Untamed, a

Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter The Euro-Fighter is a type of steel roller coaster developed by Gerstlauer. First launched in 2003, the trademark feature of the roller coaster is its beyond-vertical drop, which reaches an angle greater than 90 degrees. Although the majority of E ...

320+ model. This is the fourth Euro-Fighter to be added in the United States, the only one in the Northeast, and the first roller coaster to be opened in Canobie Lake Park since the Canobie Corkscrew in 1987. The following year, the park added Equinox, a ride that lifted and spun riders on a giant mechanical arm. Despite the ride's popularity, it was shut down in 2014 after persistent mechanical problems left the ride operating "sporadically". The park has stated that safety was not an issue.

Roller coasters

Thrill rides

Family rides

Water rides

Children's rides

{, class="wikitable" , - ! Name ! Ride type ! Year added , - , Alpine Swing , Children's swing ride , , - , Autobahn , , , - , Boats , , , - , Fire Engines , , , - , Flower Power , Children's whip ride , , - , Helicopters , , , - , Jeeps , , , - , Jump Around , Children's Wave Blaster , , - , Jungle Bounce , , , - , Junior Sports Cars , , , - , Kiddie Canoes , Children's Boat Ride , , - , Kiddie Carousel , Children's carousel , , - , Mini Dinos , , , - , Mini-Skooter , Children's bumper cars , {{N/A, Late 1980s , - , Pony Carts , , {{center, 1954 , - , Sea/Land Rescue , , {{center, 1989 , - , Sky Fighters , , {{center, 1954 , - , Tanks , , {{center, 1954

Former rides

Roller coasters

{, class="wikitable" , - ! Name ! Ride manufacturer ! Year added ! Year retired ! Notes , - , Mammoth Roller Coaster ,

Frederick Ingersoll Frederick Ingersoll (1876 – October 23, 1927) was an American inventor, designer, builder and entrepreneur who created the world's first chain of amusement parks (known collectively as "Luna Parks" regardless of their actual name) and whose man ...

, {{center, 1902 , {{center, 1935 , Sometimes referred to as Figure 8 roller coaster, although that name was likely descriptive. , - , Jr. Roller Coaster ,

Allan Herschell Company The Allan Herschell Company specialized in the creation of amusement rides, particularly carousels and roller coasters. The company manufactured portable machines that could be used by traveling carnival operators. It was started in 1915 in the ...

, {{center, 1970s , {{center, 1984 , A kiddie coaster next to the dance hall , - , Rockin' Rider , SDC , {{center, 1970 , {{center, 2004 , Originally called Galaxi at Canobie before being rebranded/renamed; replaced with "Xtreme Frisbee" , - , Wild Mouse , B. A. Schiff & Associates , {{center, 1962 or earlier , {{center, 1973 , Used wood supports and steel track. The Paratrooper replaced the Wild Mouse and was later replaced by the Skater attraction. , - , Canobie Corkscrew , Arrow Development , {{center, 1987 , {{center, 2021 , Two back to back corkscrew inversions removed due to mechanical issues. , -

Rides

{, class="wikitable" , - ! Name ! Ride manufacturer ! Year added ! Year retired ! Notes , - , Bowling alley , {{N/A} , {{center, 1902 , {{center, 1960s , After purchasing the park in the 1960s, the owners burned all the pins from the bowling alley to keep warm during their first winter. , - , Calypso , Mack , {{center, 1975 , {{center, 1988 , Replaced with the "Moon Orbiter" , - ,

Equinox A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun crosses the Earth's equator, which is to say, appears directly above the equator, rather than north or south of the equator. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise "due east" and se ...

, KMG , {{center, 2012 , {{center, 2014 , A twisting, spinning and flipping ride. Removed due to mechanical issues. Replaced with "Ice Jet". , - , Fascination , {{N/A, Unknown , {{center, 1930s , {{center, 2001 , Replaced with the "Jackpot Casino" , - , House of Seven Gables , {{N/A, Unknown , {{center, 1938 , {{center, 1978 , A walk-through haunted house , - , Kosmojets , SDC , {{center, 1967 , {{center, 2003 , Replaced with "Wipeout" , - ,

Matterhorn The (, ; it, Cervino, ; french: Cervin, ; rm, Matterhorn) is a mountain of the Alps, straddling the main watershed and border between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large, near-symmetric pyramidal peak in the extended Monte Rosa area of the ...

, SDC , {{center, 1987 , {{center, 2006 , Replaced with a concession stand "Hotdog Diner" , - , Moon Orbiter , {{N/A, Unknown , {{center, 1989 , {{center, 2002 , Replaced with the "Star Blaster" , - , Ocean Trip , SBF , {{center, 2001 , {{center, 2008 , Replaced with Boston Harbor Patrol , - ,

Paratroopers A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World ...

, {{N/A, , {{center, 1974 , {{center, 2006 , Replaced with "Skater" , - ,

Petting zoo A petting zoo (also called a children's zoo, children's farm, or petting farm) features a combination of domesticated animals and some wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. In addition to independent petting zoos, many genera ...

, {{N/A} , {{N/A, Unknown , {{N/A, Unknown , , - , Round Up , {{N/A, Unknown , {{center, 1980 , {{center, 2007 , Replaced with "Zero Gravity". , - ,

Roller skating rink A roller rink is a hard surface usually consisting of hardwood or concrete, used for roller skating or inline skating. This includes roller hockey, speed skating, roller derby, and individual recreational skating. Roller rinks can be located i ...

, {{N/A} , {{center, 1930s , {{center, 1978 , Used to house ScrEEEmfest haunts , - , The Swamp , Pretzel , {{center, 1930s , {{center, 1985 , A

that was replaced with the Can Alley game and employee center building. , - , Swimming pool , {{N/A} , {{center, 1912 , {{center, 2007 , Removed during the construction of a larger main entrance , - , Tiki-Maze , SDC , {{center, 1965 , {{center, 2016 , Formerly the Crystal Orbiter, on broken motor-driven platform , - , USA Missile , {{N/A, Unknown , {{center, 1971 , {{center, 2011 , A missile ride. Removed to make room for Untamed. , - , Vertigo Theatre , {{N/A, Unknown , {{N/A, Unknown , {{center, 2009 , Replaced with Autobahn to make room for "Wave Blaster" , - , The Whip , {{N/A, Unknown , {{center, 1950s , {{center, early 80s , Was replaced with Matterhorn, then Equinox, until the latter ride was removed , -

Events

Canobie Lake Park holds many events in the park throughout the year, including live performances and fireworks shows. The park has multiple venues for live entertainment, including the Country Stage, Midway Stage, and Dancehall Theater. The park's Dancehall Theater has hosted performers such as Duke Ellington,

Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair f ...

, Frank Sinatra, and

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

. The Canobie Ramblers occasionally perform at the Log Flume Gazebo. On certain weekends in September and October, Canobie Lake Park holds ScrEEEmfest, a Halloween event that they first did it in 2008. run in the afternoon that features Canobie's most popular rides plus five walk-through haunted attractions. Past "haunts" have included ''Merriment Incorporated'', ''The Dead Shed'', ''Black Hollow Cove'', ''Head Hunters at Cannibal Lake'', ''Cannibal Island'', ''Demons of Darkness'', and ''Virus''.{{cite web, url=http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/10/17/canobie-lakes-screeemfest-provides-halloween-scares/, website=CBS Boston, title=Canobie Lake's 'Screeemfest' Provides Halloween Scares, date=17 October 2015 In 2020, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the park did not host Screeemfest for the first time since its inception. Instead, the park hosted a "food truck festival" within the closed for the season Castaway Island. This hosted trolley carts from around New England serving various foods and beverages to guests. The park hosts performances from impersonators of various celebrities, such as

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

and

Tim McGraw Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has released 16 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, four for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those album ...

.{{cite web, url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/11/amusement-parks-in-boston_n_919425.html, website=The Huffington Post, title=Amusement Parks Near Boston: A Huffington Post Travel Guide, date=August 11, 2011, access-date=June 30, 2017 The Canobie Critters are the park's mascots. There have been several live shows starring the critters such as Critters Live: Surprise Party, Critters Live: Beach Bash, Critters Live: Halloween Show, the short-lived Critters Live: You're on Mute and the most recent and current Critter show, Critters Live: Dance Party.

Incidents

*On July 27, 2001, five people riding the Yankee Cannonball roller coaster were injured when two of the ride's trains collided.{{Cite web, url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/travel/leisure/2001/2001-08-10-amusement-park-injuries.htm, title=Rides have stranded or injured passengers, date=June 1, 2002, publisher=USA Today, access-date=January 25, 2017 *On July 1, 2014, a family of five attacked police officers after they were told they could not carry weapons in the park. Three of the family members were charged with felony riot. *On August 6, 2016, a stuntman rolled off of a safety net during Canobie Lake Park's "Rocket Man: The Human Cannonball" performance. The stuntman was unharmed, but was taken to an emergency room for an evaluation.{{Cite web, url=http://www.wmur.com/article/canobie-lake-stuntman-rolls-off-net-falls-20-feet/5213752, title=Canobie Lake stuntman rolls off net, falls 20 feet, publisher=WMUR, date=August 6, 2016, access-date=February 13, 2017

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

* {{Official website *{{RCDB, 4602 {{Authority control Salem, New Hampshire Amusement parks in New Hampshire Water parks in New Hampshire 1902 establishments in New Hampshire Buildings and structures in Rockingham County, New Hampshire Tourist attractions in Rockingham County, New Hampshire

History

Rides and attractions

Roller coasters

Thrill rides

Family rides

Water rides

Children's rides

Former rides

Roller coasters

Rides

Events

Incidents

See also

References

External links