Tag: History

Knott’s Berry Farm Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary With Grand Summer-Long Celebration

On By TimothyIn Knott's Berry FarmLeave a comment

In 2020, Knott’s Berry Farm will present “A Knott’s Family Reunion,“ a summer- long event paying tribute to the Knott family’s transcendent history by celebrating the last 100 years of memories in the making.

Ghost Town Main Street 1967-OC Archives

The Knott family’s American dream began in the berry fields of Buena Park from a curbside berry stand in 1920 and grew into the world-renowned theme park it is today. What started with a humble farm evolved into a premier destination that has come to witness 100 years of historical and timeless memories shared among friends, neighbors and families from around the world.

To commemorate Knott’s Berry Farm’s milestone anniversary, the park will present “A Knott’s FamilyReunion,” a summer-long event paying tribute to Knott’s history and legacy of family fun. Guests will be immersed in a once-in-a-lifetime celebration featuring festive park décor, themed food items, unique entertainment, exclusive merchandise and special surprises along the way, all paying homage to the nostalgia that surrounds the historic theme park. Details about the exciting 100th anniversary celebration festivities will be announced in the coming months.

Berry Stand c.1920

Background
Nearly 100 years ago, the Knott family settled in the community of Buena Park and began farming 20 acres of land on Highway 39, now known as Beach Blvd. Around 1930, Walter and Cordelia Knott came upon what eventually Walter named the boysenberry – a cross between a loganberry, red raspberry and

blackberry – a new hybrid originally developed by Rudolph Boysen, for whom the berry got its name. While Boysen had no luck bringing the berry to market, Walter did, acquired it from Boysen and today, the roots of the boysenberry can be traced back solely to Knott’s Berry Farm.

Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner
To make ends meet during the Great Depression, Cordelia Knott started selling jams and jellies madefrom Walter’s boysenberries and in 1934, served her first chicken dinner meals on her very own wedding china, charging just 65 cents. Through word of mouth, locals and visitors from around the state began stopping by to enjoy the famous fried chicken dinner meals. To entertain the hundreds of customers lining up at the restaurant for a chicken dinner meal, and to pay homage to the pioneering spirit of his grandparents along with his love of the Old West, Walter built a working Ghost Town, eventually becoming the first of Knott’s Berry Farm’s four themed areas. Slowly Walter brought in relics from other deserted ghost towns and Knott’s Ghost Town as it exists today emerged, becoming the heart and soul of the park. The Knott’s vision and imagination led to the creation of the themed areas that celebrate California’s vast history and landscape. Through hard work and dedication, Walter and Cordelia, along with their four children, created a special place for families to come together to build lasting memories. The “Knott’s Family Reunion” will be the biggest celebration the park has ever hosted to date.

ghost town

“The Knott family vision and values led to the birth of Knott’s Berry Farm, and through this milestonecelebration it is our opportunity to honor the last 100 years of remarkable memories that have shaped our history,” said Jon Storbeck, General Manager of Knott’s Berry Farm. “The 100th-anniversarycelebration embraces the farm’s rich history and signifies the importance of the Knott family’scommitment to building a place for generations of guests to create lifelong memories.”

The best way to enjoy all of the fun offered during the 100th anniversary celebration at Knott’s along with all of the other exciting Seasons of Fun events is with a 2020 Season Pass. A Regular Season Pass includes unlimited admission in 2020 to Knott’s Berry Farm with no blackout dates, and a Gold SeasonPass includes unlimited admission in 2020 to both Knott’s Berry Farm and Knott’s Soak City Waterpark with no blackout dates. Knott’s Season passes are now available at the best offer of the year. Regular Passes are $99 or eleven easy payments of $8.00 after an initial payment and Gold Passes are $120 or

eleven easy payments of just $9.50 after an initial payment. These offers end on October 27, 2019. Applicable taxes and fees apply. Payment plans are only available at knotts.com.

For more information about next year’s milestone celebration and Knott’s Season Passes, please visitknotts.com. Join the conversation about the newly announced event at Knott’s this year by using #Knotts100 or #AKnottsFamilyReunion.

About Knott’s Berry Farm and Cedar Fair Entertainment Company:

What began as a roadside berry stand and chicken dinner restaurant in the 1920s has evolved intoKnott’s Berry Farm, one of Southern California’s most popular theme park destinations combiningworld-class thrill rides with traditional family favorite attractions and entertainment. Knott’s is also home to Knott’s Soak City Water Park, Knott’s Marketplace, and the full-service Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel. Knott’s Berry Farm is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company (NYSE: FUN), one of the largest regional amusement-resort operators in the world, is a publicly traded partnership headquartered in Sandusky, Ohio. Focused on its mission to make people happy by providing fun, immersive and memorable experiences, the Company owns and operates 11 amusement parks, four outdoor water parks, an indoor water park and resort accommodations totaling more than 2,300 rooms and more than 600 luxury RV sites. Its parks are located in Ohio, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, Texas and Toronto, Ontario. It also operates an additional theme park in California under a management contract.

Knott’s Berry Farm’s Timber Mountain Log Ride Celebrates 50 th Anniversary!

On By TimothyIn Knott's Berry FarmLeave a comment

The Timber Mountain Log Ride opened at Knott’s Berry Farm on July 11th, 1969,as one of the first flume rides in the U.S. Designed and created by theme park pioneer, Bud Hurlbut. The ride’s legendary theming and finale drop were credited as the first of its kind when it debuted back in ’69 and raised the bar forthemed attractions across the country. The Log Ride has delighted guests for 50 years, with a splash worthy adventure through a 330-foot long mountain that houses a 19th-century lumber camp. In 2013 the Log Ride underwent an extensive restoration which included new audio-animatronics created by Garner Holt Productions. In celebration of the 50th anniversary, the Log Ride will be debuting two new animatronics which will be installed by July 11th. To honor this impressive milestone, the park will be selling exclusive Timber Mountain Log Ride anniversary merchandise featuring limited edition t-shirts, pins and one-of- a-kind signed artwork pieces created by artist Jeff Delgado (a limited run available), from July 10th – July 14th available at a booth located next to the ride. Also, on July 11th, guests entering the park will receive a commemorative button to mark the special occasion, while supplies last.

 

Fun Facts about the Timber Mountain Log Ride:

  • Cordelia Knott Christening Log Ride
  • Opened on July 11, 1969. Christened by Cordelia Knott with a bottle of Boysenberry Juice.
  •  The first rider was screen legend and friend of Walter Knott, John Wayne
  •   The ride is 330 feet long
  •   8 stories high
  •  42 foot drop into a heart-pounding splash
  •   Reaches 30 miles an hour

Check-in to The Queen Mary’s MOST HAUNTED Cabin Stateroom B340 Room Reservations Open Friday, April 13

On By TimothyIn Halloween, Queen Mary's Dark Harbor, The Fright ZoneLeave a comment

The Queen Mary, dubbed one of the “Top 10 most haunted places on Earth” by Time Magazine, is pleased to announce the notoriously haunted Stateroom B340 will once again be available for overnight guests starting Friday, April 13th. Featured on SYFY Channel’s  Ghost Hunters and the British TV series Most Haunted, room B340 offers thrill seekers and scare enthusiasts the unique opportunity to spend the night in the axiom of all alleged paranormal activity at the Queen Mary. Room reservations will be available at 877-342-0742.

 

“Several of the cabins onboard the Queen Mary are considered haunted. But, the stateroom with the most infamous reputation is room B340,” said Stephen Sowards, General Manager of the Queen Mary. “The last time the room was occupied by a guest was in the 1980’s. For decades we’ve had thousands of visitors request to occupy the room, and after 30 years, we are excited to once again extend the offer to our guests.”

 

Stateroom B340 has a large volume of recorded paranormal activity with many stories of haunted encounters noted in the ship’s logs. Reports date back to the final ocean voyage in 1967 and include complaints from guests staying in B340 claiming that someone was knocking on the door in the middle of the night. Other complaints include bathroom lights turning on by themselves, the sink faucet turning on and off on its own, and unexplained bathroom doors shutting. Some guests have reported the covers of their bed being pulled off while asleep and waking to see a dark figure standing at the foot of the bed.

 

During voyage years, the space encompassed three third class staterooms, and has since been remodeled to become one large guest room suite. A perfect blend of authentic style and modern amenities, B340 is larger than the average cruise ship cabin. Featuring operable portholes and offering all the modern conveniences of a contemporary hotel, the famously haunted stateroom offers a true ocean liner experience. In addition to standard hotel room amenities, B340 will supply a chest with unique items available for guests to amplify their overnight haunt experience, including a Ouija board, tarot cards, crystal ball, and ghost hunting equipment.

 

The Queen Mary’s year-long haunted attractions and tours continue to draw thrill-seekers of all ages in 2018 with continued updates and enhancements. Since its soft opening in winter of 2017, the re-inspired Ghosts and Legends Tour has added more frights with a new scene, more ambient lighting, and elevated scare factors all in hopes to strengthen the presence of the Queen Mary’s resident ghosts. Additional haunted attractions offered onboard the Queen Mary include Paranormal Shipwalk, Dining with Spirits, and Paranormal Investigation. The Paranormal Investigation tour invites guests to join ship para-investigator and ParaXplorer Project founder Matthew Schulz as he leads visitor investigators into the depths of the RMS Queen Mary’s purported active locations.

 

Cabin reservations for stateroom B340 will be available for booking Friday, April 13, 2018 and start at $499 per night. Reservations are available at 877-342-0742.  Check-in is at 3 p.m. and check-out is at 11 a.m.  For more information, or to purchase tickets for the haunted attractions and tours, please visit queenmary.com

 

####

 

About the Queen Mary

Located in the Port of Long Beach, the Queen Mary features a rich maritime history, authentic Art Deco décor, and stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and Long Beach city skyline. At the time of her maiden voyage in May of 1936, she was considered the grandest ocean liner ever built. The Queen Mary’s signature restaurants include the award-winning Sir Winston’s, Prom Café, and Chelsea Chowder House & Bar as well as a weekly Champagne Sunday Brunch served in the ship’s Grand Salon. History buffs enjoy the ship’s museum and Glory Days tour, the Churchill Exhibit – Their Finest Hours, Ghosts and Legends, and the ship is currently featuring the renowned Diana: Legacy of a Princess exhibit and Titanic in Photos Exhibit. The Queen Mary features event space in 14 remarkable Art Deco salons and award winning staff to create innovative banquets for groups ranging from 10 to 5,000. The Queen Mary boasts 346 staterooms including nine full suites. For more information or for reservations, see www.queenmary.com or call (800) 437-2934. The Queen Mary is located at 1126 Queens Highway in Long Beach.