From The Vault: Dorney Park's 1982 Brochure

© Dorney Park

1982 was a wonderful year, but I may be biased because that's the year I came into being.  But it was also the year that Dorney Park debuted a brand new log flume attraction named Thunder Creek Mountain.  Happily, the ride is still entertaining guests at the park today - not a small feat since many log flumes of that era have already been retired.

It's been ages since we had the time to feature park memorabilia like this brochure but suddenly there seems to be a lot more hours in the day!  Granted life will eventually go back to some sort of normal but for now while there is time let's dig in!

© Dorney Park

Dorney Park in the early '80s still was all about Alfundo, and you can see the park's famous mascot clown in the lower left of this image.  And yeah, he's pretty scary as far as clowns go, but we still love him.  Zoorama was still at the park, which is why you see a tiger's face (not something you would associate with modern day Dorney Park!) and there's even a photo of a Fish and Chips stand, something I didn't know was at the park but suddenly miss!

© Dorney Park

Several goodies can be found in this photo montage, and I don't mean those hunky country folk singers at the bottom!  Two of the park's long gone dark rides, the Bucket O' Blood and Journey to the Center of the Earth are prominently featured here - and rightfully so.  There's also newer (for the time) rides such as the Sea Dragon and the Flying Dutchman coaster.

© Dorney Park

Another batch of eye candy can be found here.  This panel shows that variety of offerings that Dorney Park had, not only rides but also live entertainment and goats!  Thunderhawk, just called The Coaster at the time, shows up here as well, along with the splash section of Journey to the Center of the Earth, the park's classic bumper cars and even the new log flume, which was record breaking when it opened.

© Dorney Park

I truly love older amusement park maps, and I'm so grateful that many of Dorney's old brochures feature these beauties.  From the rainbow colored umbrellas that dotted Totspot to the newish Roaring 20s Midway, there's a lot of interesting items on here for fans of the park.  Not all rides are labeled on the map, which almost makes it a bit more fun to try to find them and recall what they all were.

© Dorney Park

And of course since these interwebs didn't exist back in 1982 people had to rely on paper (yes paper!) to know when the park was going to be open and how much it would cost to get in.  The park opened in late April, earlier than they do now, but was closed for the season already by the middle of September.  While an all day ride pass would set you back $8.50 you could hit the park after 6 pm and only pay $6.00 for everything!