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Pretzel Amusement Ride Company

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The Pretzel Amusement Ride Company was an amusement ride manufacturer that produced a variety of rides, including an early dark ride known as The Pretzel, the company's namesake. It built over 1400 rides for carnivals and amusement parks.

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15-540: The company took its name from its trademark dark ride, The Pretzel, so called because of its track's winding, pretzel-like layout. It may also have been influenced by the comment of someone who rode the ride's prototype: "It felt like I was turned and twisted like a pretzel". The company was established in 1928 when founders Marvin Rempfer and Leon Cassidy patented a single-rail dark ride they built in Tumbling Dam Park on

30-528: A bowling alley, baseball fields, and concession stands. Notable celebrities of the time visited Tumbling Dam Park; among them were the Wright Brothers and Annie Oakley . The park was damaged during the Flood of 1934 but was repaired, only later to fall into disrepair in the 1950s. The park was eventually torn down and the land sold to developers who built houses on it. A derecho storm on August 13, 2011, caused

45-450: A famous one for Coney Island . Leon's son William Cassidy ran the company after his father. He sold the rights to build the rides in 1979. Pretzel rides were usually themed. They included The Caveman, Haunted House, Lost Mine, Gold Nugget, Thunderbird Jr. Ride, Toonerville Trolley , Whirlo, Kiddie Circus, Devil's Cave/Pirate's Cove/Bucket O' Blood (the same ride rethemed), Devils Inn, Winter Wonderland, Orient Express , Mad Giant, Laff in

60-512: A small portion within the Bridgeton city limits. The lake was created by damming the Cohansey River less than one mile upstream from the river's head of tide. The dam is located next to Park Drive, a major roadway that cuts throughout the city's park system and connects with Route 49 . Originally, the lake was known as "Tumbling Dam Pond". The neighborhood of Sunset Lake is to the northeast of

75-533: The Bridgeton Park System). Sunset Lake was once the home of Tumbling Dam Park, situated at the southeast corner of Sunset Lake in Bridgeton. The park was located on the shore of the lake and started out as a boat rental and pavilion area for picnics during the Victorian era . Eventually the park evolved to include early amusement park rides, like the one built by the local Pretzel Amusement Ride Company , with

90-609: The Dark, Laff in the Dark with spinning cars, Laffland, Pirates Cave, Pirates Den, Paris After Dark, Arabian Nights Tunnel of Love/Casper's Ghostland, Treasure Island, Spook-A-Rama , Le Cachot/Safari/Zoomerang, and three versions of Dante's Inferno. Tumbling Dam Park Sunset Lake is a medium-sized reservoir located in and near the city of Bridgeton in southern New Jersey ( Cumberland County ). The reservoir lies mostly in Hopewell Township and Upper Deerfield Township , with

105-520: The banks of Sunset Lake in Bridgeton, New Jersey . The company remained in Bridgeton throughout its existence. A large heavy pretzel design was originally affixed to the front of each car to prevent it from flipping backwards. In 1929, a standard Pretzel ride had five cars, 350 feet of track, a riding time of one and a half minutes, and sold for $ 1,200. Portable pretzel rides for carnivals weighed about 9 tons. They were transported on huge moving vans. For

120-422: The first three decades, Pretzel rides were single story. Beginning in the 1950s, two-story "double decker" rides were also made whose cars were hoisted to the second story by a lift chain during the ride. Leon Cassidy was not in favor of the double-decker version. The Mad Giant was 17 tons, 40'x 8' on trailer, and 70'x30' when opened, and took about five hours to set up. Pretzel also made spinning rides, including

135-453: The front of each car to prevent it from flipping backwards. In 1929, a standard Pretzel ride had five cars, 350 feet of track, a riding time of one and a half minutes, and sold for $ 1,200. Portable pretzel rides for carnivals weighed about 9 tons. They were transported on huge moving vans. For the first three decades, Pretzel rides were single story. Beginning in the 1950s, two-story "double decker" rides were also made whose cars were hoisted to

150-681: The lake and carry their boats across the road to the lake's outflow, the Cohansey River. Another canoeing option is the Raceway, a 19th-century earthen structure that was created as a mill race but since has been converted to recreational use. The Raceway meanders through the Cohanzick Zoo and dead-ends near Downtown Bridgeton (near the Nail House Museum). There is also a stream that one could take that feeds from Mary Elmer Lake (a nearby lake also in

165-621: The lake in Upper Deerfield Township. Sunset Lake is home to canoe rentals and a swimming beach (Stony Point Beach) operated by the City of Bridgeton Department of Recreation. The lake also offers picnic areas, a boat ramp (public access to Sunset Lake is provided from the Bridgeton City Park, just off County Road 607) at Piney Point (a peninsula that juts out into the lake), and opportunities for fishing. People can kayak or canoe in

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180-599: The lake to rise and overflow its banks. Since the storm the spillway dam has been repaired, and the lake is now open and stocked with fish. Sunset Lake is inhabited by various species of wildlife. Many turtles reside in the lake's waters, including snapping turtles . Geese , ducks , and seagulls are the primary avian residents of the lake area. Aquatic residents include sunfish , catfish , and fresh water clams along with leeches . The city of Bridgeton hosts events from time to time at Sunset Lake: Pretzel Amusement Ride Company The Pretzel Amusement Ride Company

195-404: The ride's prototype: "It felt like I was turned and twisted like a pretzel". The company was established in 1928 when founders Marvin Rempfer and Leon Cassidy patented a single-rail dark ride they built in Tumbling Dam Park on the banks of Sunset Lake in Bridgeton, New Jersey . The company remained in Bridgeton throughout its existence. A large heavy pretzel design was originally affixed to

210-717: The second story by a lift chain during the ride. Leon Cassidy was not in favor of the double-decker version. The Mad Giant was 17 tons, 40'x 8' on trailer, and 70'x30' when opened, and took about five hours to set up. Pretzel also made spinning rides, including a famous one for Coney Island . Leon's son William Cassidy ran the company after his father. He sold the rights to build the rides in 1979. Pretzel rides were usually themed. They included The Caveman, Haunted House, Lost Mine, Gold Nugget, Thunderbird Jr. Ride, Toonerville Trolley , Whirlo, Kiddie Circus, Devil's Cave/Pirate's Cove/Bucket O' Blood (the same ride rethemed), Devils Inn, Winter Wonderland, Orient Express , Mad Giant, Laff in

225-408: Was an amusement ride manufacturer that produced a variety of rides, including an early dark ride known as The Pretzel, the company's namesake. It built over 1400 rides for carnivals and amusement parks. The company took its name from its trademark dark ride, The Pretzel, so called because of its track's winding, pretzel-like layout. It may also have been influenced by the comment of someone who rode

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