|
|
Jazzland History |
|
Batman The Ride |
Amusement parks in New Orleans have a deep-rooted history. From the mid-1800s until 1939, patrons would visit a spot on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain called "Spanish Fort." Coined the Coney Island of New Orleans, Pontchartrain Beach had it all: restaurants, hotels, bandstands, and of course amusement shows and rides. After soon becoming too large to continue growing at its current location, the owners moved the amusement park to a larger plot of land. In 1939, the Batt family moved the amusement park to the reclaimated lake front property on the perch of Elysian Fields Ave (Milneburg). This revelation spun the creation of such classic beach rides as the "Zephyr" and the "Haunted Mansion." In 1983, after much public outcry the Beach closed forever. Throughout the past 20 years, some of the old beach still lives on in parks and museums around the city. Maybe the most significant is the crest of the lift hill from the Zephyr, which has since been residing in the park near Kenner City Hall. The remains that are still on the property fade more and more everyday, from the Rajun Cajun loading platform, to the subtle speakers still hanging in the palm trees that used to entertain with the background music and announcements throughout the park. The following Pontchartrain Beach rides still give enjoyment to amusement park patrons today at the various parks in the US:
Ø Arrow Corkscrew - The Great Escape Ø Log Flume - Indiana Beach Ø Music Express - Joyland Texas Ø Sky Glider - Joyland Texas
Since the closing of the beach in 1983, a group of individuals tried desperately to convince various amusement park companies that New Orleans was starved for their kind of entertainment. Financing was difficult and with the oil bust of the 1980's, it seemed all hope was lost. In 1998, an amusement park master plan was devised for the tract of land between the I-10 and I-510 at the eastern edge of the city. The plan would call for a rebuild of the original park, but for a new venue, to be named Jazzland. This plan brought in Ogden Entertainment - a somewhat newer player in the amusement industry. The company obtained the financing and the support for the 80 million dollar construction project (which ended up costing $120 million). Construction began almost immediately and the park was on schedule for a 2000 season debut.
Just before the grand opening of the park in May of 2000, Ogden entertainment sold the park and all of its other amusement properties to the Alfa Alfa Group – a consortium of international investors. After an outstanding opening season, Jazzland let patrons know it planned to add a new roller coaster into the mix for the next season – even advertising season passes under this premise. As the 2001 season came and went there was no new roller coaster. The first attempt to bring a new coaster to Jazzland after the inaugural season was a Vekoma SLC. The order was cancelled due to Vekoma's bankruptcy. Some track had been fabricated, but the bankruptcy also created other problems and delays leading to the cancellation of the ride. In addition, the consortium’s different cultural and continental backgrounds may have been a barrier in their ability to manage the park, as Jazzland would sometime close early (seemingly on a whim), while some patrons felt the food was sub-par even for an amusement park. Along with these disappointments came the obvious decline in attendance, but the park posted profits through most of the season.
With the advent of the 2002 season on the horizon, the park once again announced that they would have the new roller coaster at the park for opening day of the 2002 season. Unfortunately, the coaster failed to appear. The second attempt to bring a coaster to Jazzland, an S&S Thrust Air, was also cancelled by the park following the ongoing problems coming out of PKD in regards to their Thrust Air operation. The park soon after declared bankruptcy, but secured finances well enough to open and operate the park for its opening date. For the second time, the park was not totally at fault here for not being able to get a coaster installed.
In July of 2002, Six Flags struck a deal to purchase the park. The park, now renamed Six Flags New Orleans, is now under the management of one of the largest amusement park operators in the world. A $30-million investment in 2003 brought new flat rides, new tress, additional fixed shading, two coasters*, and a second chance for success to this promising park. *“Batman” -- a Bolliger and Mabillard inverted coaster (relocated from Japan) and “Jester” -- a Vekoma backwards running multi-inversion coaster (relocated from Six Flags Fiesta Texas).
Written by: Douglas Todd (www.sixflagsneworleans.com)
|
