Enchanted Forest Theme Park Turns to Fans for Help to Survive

© Enchanted Forest

The current pandemic has hit Oregon's Enchanted Forest theme park especially hard, having to stay closed for most of the year.  When it was allowed to open, it had a maximum capacity of only 250 people, including employees.  Needless to say, this year has been a huge financial drain on the park, and it's now turning to its fans to help it survive into 2021.

Enchanted Forest is a family owned and operated fairy tale themed park, with three generations of family members currently working at it.  The park will celebrate 50 years of operations in 2021 and are doing whatever they can to make it to that season.  The park went into 2020 with no debt, but due to the pandemic they are now taking on more and more debt and things are getting worse for them.

© Enchanted Forest

To that end they've started to hold online auctions of memorabilia and original creations by the park's founder Roger Tofte, and also holding a gofundme effort.  The gofundme has already raised more than $300,000 for the park, and even the official gofundme team made a donation to their efforts.  The park has set of goal of raising $500,000, which would carry them through the winter months and hopefully allow them to open for their 50th anniversary season on March 19th, 2021.

© Enchanted Forest

Ride fans may know the park for being home to the Ice Mountain Bobsled roller coaster, a bizarre but very interesting ride that was mostly created in house.  The ride's cars of coverings with holes in them that remind me of a pet carrier... but the ride certainly seems like a treasure.  The park has plenty of other offerings, including attractions and rides for kids and families.

Hopefully the fundraising efforts will continue to pay off and Enchanted Forest will be able to once again open to families in 2021!

From The Vault: Enchanted Forest Brochure 1995

This brochure, from Enchanted Forest in Salem, Oregon, is undated but was sent to me in 1995.  The park was a labor of love for the man who created it, Roger Tofte, and when it finally opened in 1971 after many years of hard work, the twenty wooded acres soon became a haven for families in the area.

Oregon isn't exactly the land of massive theme parks, and Enchanted Forest is about as unique and opposite the big themers as it gets.  The tagline for the park on the cover here, "Oregon's Most Unique Land of Fun and Scenic Beauty" is not only a mouthful, but also a different way of spelling things out.  The park features many fairy tale themed attractions, all created specifically for the park over a long period of time.

There are only a handful of actual rides at the park, but plenty of interactive activities and displays to check out.  Here you can see the giant Witches Head that you can enter, and you can also see Humpty Dumpty perilously on the edge of that wall...  The Fantasy Fountains were originally a big draw for the park when they opened, but do not go expecting a World of Color sized production! The Haunted house is a walk through style that's three levels, though I doubt that there are any real intense scares in there since it is aimed at kids.

The center of the brochure features a map of the park, which is very simple but gets the job done.

In the upper right corner is a drawing of the Ice Mountain Bobsleds, one of the weirdest coasters I've seen.  The oddness of it makes it quite interesting, though, at least to me.  Check out this point of view video and you'll see what I mean.

If you study the rest of the park you'll see that there aren't many rides around, mostly static displays and buildings to explore.  There's the Three Bears House, Alice in Wonderland, a Castle and the Seven Dwarf's Cottage, for example.

Since the time when this brochure was printed the park has kept expanding.  Shortly after the Big Timber Log Flume opened, which is also quite unique and has a large coaster like drop out of the water.  More recently a handful of more traditional kiddie rides were added, and a large shooting style dark ride, named the Challenge of Mondor. The ride uses neat trackless vehicles that send riders around the show building.

For more on this interesting little park, check out their official webpage.  The history section on there is very detailed and worth a read.

Weekly Rewind 2.6.10

Resorts World Sentosa has posted a great new photo album on Facebook which showcases the brand new Universal Studios Singapore theme park. An official opening date has yet to be announced, but the park certainly looks ready to go!

While you're on Facebook, you might want to check out Six Flags Great America's page as well. They've posted a batch of fun winter photos, including some shots of the Little Dipper trains which are now on site.

As it struggles to negotiate funding streams from new investors, Freestyle Music Park has announced that it will close its business offices and lay off its current staff until a deal has been reached. While General Manager Steve Baker remains confident that this will happen soon, I think we can all predict the outcome if it doesn't.

Like sister park Carowinds, Kings Dominion has announced that it will be auctioning off the first rides on its towering Intimidator 305 coaster, which is scheduled to open on April 2. You can place your bid online through March 25. Proceeds will benefit the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Greater Virginia, Challenge Discovery Projects Inc. (Richmond), and the USO of Hampton Roads.

Speaking of Carowinds, the Intimidator of the Carolinas successfully completed its first test run this week. Watch it for yourself in the video embedded above! (Warning: May cause drooling.)

Cedar Point's Shoot the Rapids isn't quite ready for a test run yet, but construction has officially gone vertical. You can check out the progress in the park's latest construction photo album.

The trains which will run on the world's first "psychoaster" have been revealed on the official TH13TEEN blog. If you're psycho enough to subject yourself to "psychometric testing", an "interrogation interview", "rollercoaster endurance", and "midnight bootcamp", you could be one of the first people to sit in them. Visit the TH13TEEN web site for more information on how to apply.

The closure of Kentucky Kingdom is sure to drive would-be visitors to other parks in the region, including Holiday World and Beech Bend. Perhaps in an effort to better compete with its northern neighbor, Beech Bend has begun advertising that it, too, will offer free unlimited soft drinks starting this year.

Just when you thought you had ridden a roller coaster in every possible position, Vekoma is asking you to kneel. Well, sort of anyway. Among other innovations, their newest concept in coaster design is a family flyer called the "Dragon Fly", which you ride in a kneeling position. (The phrase "have mercy" comes to mind.)

Following on the heels of a successful campaign to retain their Cobra roller coaster, Paulton's Park is now seeking permission to retain their Disk'O, The Edge, as well. The park's troubles began back in August, when it was discovered that both rides had been built without the required planning permission.

Back in December, Enchanted Forest's Facebook page revealed that a "top secret" project was taking place in Western Town. This week, they hinted that the project involves the resurrection of a former park attraction. The only thing that's clear at this point is that it isn't a ride!

If you're a frequent visitor to Kings Island and don't feel like paying an additional 3% admission tax and 5% parking tax, the park encourages you to voice your opinion at the Mason City Council meeting on Monday, February 8. In case you need an additional incentive, Kings Island will be sponsoring a Tax Vote Tailgate Party, complete with complimentary food and soft drinks, in the park's International Restaurant prior to the meeting. Who said politics can't be fun?

Weekly Rewind 1.24.10

Something is afoot at Disney. The Orlando Sentinel reports that the Mouse's charges are hard at work on a "NextGen" technology project which promises to fundamentally alter the Disney theme park experience. But don't expect details to be forthcoming in the near future; the project appears to be shrouded in a heavy duty veil of secrecy.

The last hurdle standing in the way of a Demon Dropping in on Dorney Park this summer has been crossed. This past Wednesday, South Whitehall Township gave the park the green light to proceed with construction of their hand-me-down first generation freefall ride--which is fortunate, considering all of the ride parts have already arrived! Site preparation is scheduled to begin in the coming weeks, so we'll keep you apprised of the progress. A June debut is expected for the ride.

According to the Branson Tri-Lakes News, Herschend Family Entertainment is no closer to deciding the fate of the former Celebration City site than they were when the park closed its gates for good in October 2008. They're hoping to establish some sort of family attraction and have begun to explore their options, but a park spokeswoman has stated that they are still in the "initial stage" of the process. There's still no word on what will become of the famed Ozark Wildcat coaster.

Amusement industry enthusiasts aren't the only ones who have been following the retheming of Alton Towers' Spinball Whizzer coaster with interest. "Gamer" web site 1up.com has also taken notice, and reports that the newly rechristened "Sonic Spinball" will open to the public on February 13.

While most parks have long since announced their plans for new 2010 attractions, some are still holding out...and teasing us to boot! Enchanted Forest in Turner, Oregon posted a mysterious status on their Facebook page back in mid-December which hints at a "top secret" project that is currently underway in Western Town, but they have yet to reveal any further details. Likewise, Magic Springs recently tweeted that "big news" is coming soon. We'll be keeping a close eye on these two!

One park which will not be getting a new ride in 2010 is Lagoon. Despite sightings of what appeared to be coaster track back in October, the local news reports that economic factors have forced park management to forgo plans for a major new attraction this year.

I'm ashamed to admit that I never did get around to entering Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's baby giraffe naming contest. (There was research required, and I'm a bit maxed out on time these days!) Fortunately, more than 650 fellow giraffe lovers did take the time to submit entries, and five finalists have been selected. You can vote for your favorite name on the park's web site through January 29. The winner will be announced on February 1.

Here at NPN, the worst news we'll ever have to deliver is that a park or a beloved ride is being demolished. But as sad as those events may be, there are many people in this world who have real problems, and PARC Management is making it easier for you to help some of them. By making a donation to the PARC Foundation, you can make a difference in the lives of those affected by the recent earthquake in Haiti. As Magic Springs and other PARC properties have been announcing on Facebook, an anonymous individual has generously offered to match all donations up to $10,000 which are made through February 5, which means your contribution will go even further! If you haven't already, please spare what you can to help our brothers and sisters in Haiti.