Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Dorney Park 1988

In wrapping up a weekend of paying tribute to Dorney Park's Laser, I thought it was only fitting to bust out a brochure where the guest of honor is featured prominently on the cover.


In case you didn't notice, Laser's color scheme was a bit more subtle back then.


So let's tally up the new additions for '88: Ten new rides, three new water slides, a new children's area, a new outdoor entertainment venue, "twice as much" entertainment, and oh my goodness the CARE BEARS!! Wow, did Donald Trump own the park back then?


The list of new additions just wouldn't fit on a single page. I doubt we would ever see such an ambitious agenda proposed by any of today's parks, but I don't think that's such a bad thing. They need to space these things out, lest we all be over stimulated!


Most of the rides featured in these photos still thrill visitors to Dorney Park today. The one exception is the Flying Dutchman (the steel coaster in the lower left-hand photo), which gave its last rides at Dorney during the 1988 season.


Now here we have a classic Laser photo, complete with those awesome retro trains that sported headlights as well as a couple of passengers who were obviously *way* too cool for their own good. I find it interesting that the steel structure forming and supporting the loops is slightly less "decorated" than that which appears in the cover photo. Those two photos must have been taken in different years.


Twenty years may have passed since this brochure was printed, but I must applaud Dorney Park for continuing to maintain and reinvent the same family-friendly atmosphere on which the pre-Cedar Fair owners prided themselves.

Remember when Thunderhawk--er, excuse me COASTER--was yellow? What individuality it has lost in color, it has gained (mercifully) in a new name. As a matter of fact, I believe 1988 was the last year it went by the "Coaster" moniker.


Seriously, how much do you love the old school map? It almost looks like somebody created a real mini-replica of the park and then took a picture of it. (Maybe they did! Anybody know?) If you zoom in, you will find that "Laser" was actually spelled "Lazer" back then. This begs the question: Was Dorney's management (a) desperately in need of spell check, (b) trying to be "cute", or (c) kickin' it Toys "R" Us style? [Man, this keyboard is defective...Where is my backward "R"?]


In conclusion, I would also like to thank Dorney Park for hosting such a wonderful farewell event for Laser on its last day of operation. Few rides (anywhere, ever) have been graced with such a tribute, and it speaks volumes of the park's management that they would recognize the significance of such an event to the multitudes of enthusiasts who live and breathe this stuff. Now that we have closure in our pockets, I hope you will join me in wishing the Laser well in her new home!