29yrswithaGApass Posted May 16, 2011 Report Share Posted May 16, 2011 Click here to see the whole Spotlight! Comments and discussions are welcomed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Csogi Posted May 16, 2011 Report Share Posted May 16, 2011 Nice job. I always found it amazing the number of people that used to scoop up the change that people threw into the fountain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Justin Posted May 16, 2011 Report Share Posted May 16, 2011 Why did the Park Remove the Fountain to build a New Fountain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted May 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2011 The original fountain was simply too big. It created bottlenecks near the entrance and also did not match the scale and scope of the new Main Street area and shops that were built in 1994. You can read all about it when we roll out the Main Street Fountain Spotlight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yankees99 Posted May 16, 2011 Report Share Posted May 16, 2011 What a pleasant surprise. And some very classic photos, especially the one taken from the Skyride where you can see the Little Wheel in 1982. There were a couple of times when we first started going there where either the lines were too long for the flumes or they were not operating (there was no Roaring Rapids at that time, either). So, we used to bob our heads into the fountain for a few seconds and cool off. Nobody cared as long as you didn't go around splashing the other guests. I'm surprised it took so long to install those railings to prevent people from going in there more often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted May 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2011 Prior to the fence during the heat of the summer the Fountain would turn into a giant swimming pool without life guards. The biggest concern was that the guests would get close to the jets where all the electrical equipment and lights were located. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Hot Dog Posted May 16, 2011 Report Share Posted May 16, 2011 What?! That's crazy. I never noticed that the fountain had changed. That's interesting information that I'll bet most other people never noticed either. The last time I was in the park, my girlfriend and I were talking about the fountain. She said that whenever her family would take a trip to GA, the fountain would serve as the designated meeting place in case they got lost or separated from the group. (Of course, this is before cell phones were around.) It was funny to hear because that was always our plan too... meet at the fountain. It always made me wonder if half the kids hanging around the fountain because they had gotten lost and were waiting for their parents. We never actually had to use that plan, but it was a good idea just in case. I had to laugh when I saw the picture of the lone kid wearing one shoe in the spotlight -- if he was one of those kids who got lost, his mom is going to be furious when she finds him standing in front of the fountain wet, shirtless, and shoeless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daved Thomson Posted May 16, 2011 Report Share Posted May 16, 2011 Prior to the fence during the heat of the summer the Fountain would turn into a giant swimming pool without life guards. The biggest concern was that the guests would get close to the jets where all the electrical equipment and lights were located. Another great spotlight about the magical part of Great Adventure that so many of us remember from our childhood! Just some thoughts and a "crazy" moment I experienced with the fountain... During my first season working in food service at Great Adventure (1981), one very crowded day while walking past the fountain to go to employee dining, a group (the unruly, "city" type crowd) of guests began to go after GA employees (in uniform) and would do their best to throw the employees in the fountain. Unfortunately, I was amongst five (three other girls and another guy) of the employees that they actually succeeded in landing in the fountain. It was funny in that normally Security would always have someone in the area of the fountain to prevent people from "swimming" in it on especially crowded/hot days, but not that hot/crowded August day... After chasing one of the guys that threw me in the fountain (the other male employee also chased after someone) all the way to the exit gates, I finally was able to catch him at the exit as he ran right into a security guard. The park actually wanted me to press assault charges against the guy, but I was fine with the park just removing him from park property and signing a "do not return" agreement. Personally, the sound and sight of the original fountain and its pool were very impressive. It was incredible how loud the sound of the fountain was especially when the park was closed. As an employee, I remember you could actually hear it as far away as the Bumper Cars II when the park was closed and it was on. It's power really was quite impressive, even after they changed it from the single 150' jet to a single, smaller jet with the ring of eight smaller fountains circling it. It really was unique and something that immediately caught your eye as you entered the park from the entrance gates. The new fountain (changed during the Time-Warner years), definitely has proven better at allowing for a better flow of traffic, especially on crowded days. Unfortunately, at least from my perspective, it now simply blends in, is not at all impressive, and doesn't really make any kind of statement about the park. The jets are only a trickle of the power that you could feel and hear from the old fountain. I agree, that the new fountain probably fits better with the areas theming, but I'm not sure that it really needs to "fit-in." The old fountain, again, was one of the park's real icons that has been lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafreak Posted May 16, 2011 Report Share Posted May 16, 2011 for years after they changed the fountian i didnt realize it, but ialways thought it looked alot smaller,lol, i think it was 2 years before it hit me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbolt Posted May 17, 2011 Report Share Posted May 17, 2011 I will admit to taking a dip in the old fountain on a hot summer day. In hindsight, it was a dangerous and stupid move. The ignorance of youth! Once Great Adventure installed those shower heads, the enticement was eliminated on those oh so hot days of yore! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted May 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 I remember a troop of security guards surrounding the fountain, turning off the jets, and rounding up everyone out of the fountain. There were also tons of people who use to sit on the wall with their feet in the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafreak Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 i reckon i puy my feet in there once or twice,lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
29yrswithaGApass Posted August 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2020 Jordan Horowitz sent us this great image of the park's original fountain. The lady in the photo is Jordan's late Grandma Chaja. Looks like she was having fun and had the park to herself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daved Thomson Posted August 19, 2020 Report Share Posted August 19, 2020 Fantastic picture and the only view of the fountain that I have ever seen with Pretty Monster clearly visible to the right in the background. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.