Americana

[ZosoBeast]

I would have to believe both men, Kevin Miller, and Bill Ware took their pictures from nearly identical spots.

Ok, maybe something like that COULD happen, but alot of those pictures would have to be taken at the very same second as well. Case in point:

MY picture:

And now that Americana Website's picture:

See the people riding? They are the very same people in each picture. In the very same position in each picture. Kevin would have to be standing next to me and have taken the picture at the very same time as I did, which he was not.

I know nearly with complete certainty that the pictures on the Americana site, were taken my Kevin Miller!

I know with complete certainty that the pictures on the Americana site, were not! Not trying to sound like a mean person here, that really isnt my thing. But I did feel like I had to defend myself on this one.

Thanks for reading.

[The Interpreter]

Yep...some mistake has been made here, I hope. Not only are they your pictures, but they are great ones. Do know that the "Americana" website is not in fact the park's...

[Gordon Bombay]

I recently had about 89 pictures stolen from me and used without credit. I think Kevin Miller has a bit of explaining to do!

[ZosoBeast]

Yep...some mistake has been made here, I hope. Not only are they your pictures, but they are great ones. Do know that the "Americana" website is not in fact the park's...

Thanks for the kind words there! Really means a lot!

As for Kevin Miller, I really do not have any ill-will against him. I just hope it was an oversight that gets cleared up. When someone starts to wonder who is the true owner of a picture and my name comes up, I feel like I have to speak up! Kinda makes me look bad.

[TOPGUN1993]

Thanks for clearing this up Bill

[pkitrumpet08]

ALRIGHT so I think it's time we moved past the pictures here.. Bill you did a fantastic job with them and I agree that this Kevin needs to do some explaining but let's get back to the actual park.

I was thinking about it, from those extraordinary pictures it seems that Americana was alot like Coney Island, I mean correct me if I'm wrong, but if this is so why didn't Americana continue to carry on and Coney does? I mean seems like Americana even had some more rides than coney does.

Just trying to figure this out here..

[The Interpreter]

You and me both. It gets more complicated when you know that at one time, the same company owned both, and chose to keep Coney and divest Americana...especially since Coney floods and Americana doesn't. One factor is that access to and from Americana is difficult compared to Coney Island. It's not exactly on the way to most things or a major thoroughfare that many people use in the Cinci metro. The railroad tracks between the parking lot and the park are also not a major plus, to put it mildly.

[WhoDeyForever]

I remember going but I don't remember anything about it..I was only a few years old when i went

[Gordon Bombay]

In my humble opinion, Americana surely trumped Coney (maybe not in the past, but definently in coneys current state). Al Couch did try to run the park and took his time getting it back open. When it finnaly did re-open after Park River Corporation (Coney's parent company) closed it, the management company Couch had hired brought in several new rides and really spruced up the place. Granted coney's python and Americana's Serpernt have the same layout, the screechin eagle is/was a fantastic coaster and there were many, many other great rides and aspects that made the park enviroment wonderful. However, due to poor attendance and the crooks that Pugh Management were the park was forced to close down again. Everyone likes to blame Al Couch and accuse him of being a crook, he is not the viliain people make him out to be, his business is in RV"s not amusement parks.

Would you like to see Americana in its current state? Well then I think you may wanna stay tuned to PKIC......we like to make magic happen and have friends in high places...so keep close track of this site in the coming months for an exclusive historical update you wont want to miss.

[Steveo3631]

I recall Coney only being associated with Americana for a few brief years. When Americana didn't improve it was closed. I remember the coaster being in terrific shape. It had had several years of refirbishment byt I believe Charlie Dinn's company. It's a shame it is sitting idle now.

[Gordon Bombay]

^Yeah, I believe Coneys parent company (Park River Corporation) only ran it for one year.

[Cory Butcher]

Ok, first off there are so many facts wrong in this post...

Obviously, Bill, the photos are yours, I dont know why Kevin Miller was given the credit for them, However Kevin Miller is like me, simply a contributor to the Americana site. Scott Fowler is the owner of the site and president of the Southwest Ohio Amusement Park Historical Society. There is no person by the name of Kevin Fowler...It is Scott Fowler and Kevin Miller.

Now that we have that cleared up...the owner of Lesourdsville lake's name is NOT Al Couch, his name is Jerry Couch!! The management company did not bring in the rides either...the rides were purchased by Jerry Couch himself! Attendance was fine to support the park, what forced its closing was the poor running of things by the Pughes. They refused to pay wages and electrical Bills, and one day just ran from things and declared Bankrupcy. This left Jerry to either run the park himself, find a new management team quickly, or fold the park for the rest of the year. As history has told us, he chose the latter. Also, Jerry Couch was forced to devour the back payments by the Pughes since they were under contract with him....and all the rides that Jerry himself purchased were repossessed!

I hope this post clears up any confusion regarding the history of LL...If anyone would like to know more...this is the one park that I happen to know much regarding its history!

[Gordon Bombay]

^Yes, my bad for the mispelled names. But I'll have you know Cory, that Jerry Couch is not the crook the SOAPHS sets out to make him seem. Their site about Lesourdsville also has many wrong facts and large amounts of stolen and un-credited phtographs. Like I said within the coming months, PKIC will have something very interesting to show regarding Americana.

Cory, since your a contributor there, maybe you could remind Kevin or Scott that the photos that are actually bills still need to be properly credited. I as well as Bill have asked them both very poitely and they've never responded and have just closed the topicwe created to notify them of the mistake.

[TOPGUN1993]

Bill's Pic

Pic on Kevins site

How hard is it to remove a watermark from a picture?

[Dane]

If you know what your doing and have a very light watermark like that Bill has, very easy.

[Cory Butcher]

Ronny, at your request I will try and find the matter of the photo discrepancies!

However, I have not seen any permanent declarations of Jerry being a "crook" on the site! Now, in the forums, which are by no means completely permanent... There have been references to Jerry being a "crook" on the forums, however those as I have attempted to do on here, are usually readily cleaned up by those of us on the forums who know the man that Jerry truly is...a hardworking business man! I have many times on the site, as have many others, openly criticized Jerry on what he could have done differently, however these are on the scale similar to that of the attack that Paramount has received on these boards for the last year!

In the links to history, rides, and other applications opened on the SOAPHS site you will see no negative references in regards to owner Jerry Couch made by any of the quality contributors to the site or site webmaster and park enthusiast Scott Fowler! Scott I may also mention, stands on very firm ground with the Jerry Couch, and I believe at one time Scott worked for or in conjunction with Mr. Couch, however I remain uncertain on the exact status of their relationship! As you can see there is no reason for INFORMED members of the SOAPHS site or historical society to post such references as to Jerry being a "Crook" and thus other than by a few members in the forums you will find no such references!

I at one point in regards to seeing some pictures of Fantasy Farm (which lies adjacent to the park) that had only a few buildings still standing and the rest nothing but rubble playfully stated "At least the big bad wolf hasnt blown these buildings down [in reference to those still standing]" This statement was and will remain a cynical take on the feelings that I and others have inside them for such losses. Contribute this same statement as telling your mom when you were younger that you hated her after you got in trouble! You don't really hate your mom, but the intense emotions get the best of you and you state things that can be regrettable, but are an accurate portrayal of your intense feelings.

You will see mostly things of that above mentioned nature, and that is all!

I will attempt to resolve this picture matter! I am also sure however that, any factual errors on the site are very few and far between and on par with the factual errors that one may find on PKIC; as with history, truth, and matter of fact, there will always be discrepancies and errors; and such is the nature of the conveyance of truth and the communication of that history between peoples!

Thank you all for your time!

[Gordon Bombay]

Thanks for the help Cory!

[bsktgrvy]

I have some great memories of Lesourdsville Lake / Americana.

My family went there several times when I was young along with Fantasy Farm which was right next door to it.

I always liked the haunted house at Lesourdsville, and the Paratrooper ride.

One of my biggest memories is when I participated in the WKRQ Giant Jello Jump contest in the late 70's. The prize was a Pontiac Firebird (oops - Trans Am) (if I remember correctly) tricked out like the Indy Pace car for that year.

My girlfriend (now my wife) and I were on the sky ride when my name was announced. I had to make my way to the podium where I soon jumped in a big dumpster full of green jello. There was plastic fruit with a paper inside with a number on it. It was cool and rainy that day and I spent the rest of the day a cold, sticky mess!

I had to come back the next day and trade my paper with the number on it for a key - which I got to try in the car. No luck - I did not win.

Edit - I just followed the link to the Americana website and look what I found! I thought it was put on by WKRQ but I guess their personality was just the emcee.

Dive for car keys at Americana Park

Middletown Journal

May 21, 1979

Americana Amusement Park will open the 1979 season on Memorial Day weekend with 300 contestants jumping into 880 gallons of green (lime) Jello in a contest to win a special edition 1979 Pontiac Trans Am valued at $13,000. Keys will be hidden in pieces of plastic fruit at the bottom of the Jello but only one key will fit the new car’s ignition. Contestants will jump in groups of 100 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All contestants will get a chance Sunday to try their key on the Trans Am.

All contestants will receive a t-shirt and free admission to the park for the event.

Patrons can register today at the park for next weekend’s jump.

The Giant Jello Jump, as it is billed, will launch Americana Amusement Park into its fulltime, seven-day-a-week schedule that will continue through Labor Day.

A new attraction this year is “The Great American Thrill Show,†a 70mm motion picture production filmed aboard stunt airplanes, helicopters, roller coasters and hang gliders.

Patrons can also enjoy the animated Country Bear Jubilee, the antics of seven bears performing in a show seen previously only in Walk Disney parks.

Three times each Saturday, Sunday and holidays, and twice each weekday, Tommy Hanneford will present the Hanneford Circus International, featuring acrobats, aerialists, elephants, tigers and clowns.

Park patrons can also bring their own picnic basket and eat in the Americana picnic grove.

Cost of admission is $6.50 for adults, $2.50 for person over 60, $1 for 4 and 5 year olds and free for children 3 and under.

http://www.americanaamusementpark.com/1979%20articles.htm

[DeLorean Rider]

Wasnt it a pay per ride park in its last year? I remember paying admission but I'm positive my family and I got wristbands to ride the rides. That is except my mom, she just got a couple tickets to ride screechin eagle and was good with that.

[ZosoBeast]

Yep! Your right! And this can be confirmed by looking at this picture, another one that I took, below:

[CoastersRZ]

Granted Coney's Python and Americana's Serpernt have the same layout, the screechin eagle is/was a fantastic coaster and there were many, many other great rides and aspects that made the park enviroment wonderful.

Ronny, the Serpent at Americana is NOT the same layout as what the Pepsi Python is. They are very similar, but they are NOT the same layout. There are subtle differences in the layout. Besides, I believe that the Serpent was manufactures by SDC. While the Pepsi Python was manufactured by D.P.V. rides by Daniel Pinfari. Here is the manufacturer`s page for the Pepsi Python model.

[CoastersNSich]

At LeSourdsville in 2002, they charged $4 for parking, and around $5 for gate admission. If you wanted to do the rides, you had the choice of a all-day wristband or pay-per-ride tickets.

I remember that after Jerry Couch bought the park, he originally wanted it to be free admission so it would be easier to bring in grandparents who wanted to spend time with grandkids there, but not ride the rides.

That IMO would have been a better operating model because the couple of times I went there, I had to wait at one of two open booths to pay a gate fee enter the park. It was nice to see that park open one more season, but I was none too impressed with that park's operation that year (charging for tap water, ride operators smoking on the job). It was a good place to go for a family looking for fun on a budget, but to me, did not encourage repeat visits, unlike Coney or Kings Island, which offer(ed) season passes. Plus, Coney did not (and doesn't) charge a gate admission fee (other than parking).

[Gordon Bombay]

RZ, I know the manufacturer's are different but dont they follow the same galaxi type layout? My mistake on that error, is there any diagram out there? My apoligies.

[CoastersRZ]

While both rides feature a figure eight layout, there are differences. For example, the lift on the serpent runs along the edge of the layout. While on the Pepsi Python, the lift runs through the layout. I also believe that the Python is slightly smaller in size compared to the Serpent.

Serpent

Pepsi Python

[Gordon Bombay]

^Ah, I see. Thanks for clearing that up.

[The Interpreter]

And, as much as I adore Coney Island, and I do...one park had a smooth as glass delightful little Galaxi type coaster, whereas the Pepsi Python is one mean son of a gun....

[b4kdm]

There are several photos on the Americana web site belong to Bill Ware. I just learned of the mistake.

I sent Scott Fowler a disk several years ago of my pics from the park in 2002. I did not know myself that the pics posted were not mine. I took a very large number of pictures in 2002. I just had a talk with my kids about what they can and cant do with my computer on the web. Bills photos were mixed into mine. I burned a disk to contribute to the site. Scott thought that all of the pics were mine. I did not know that they were not.

I appologize to Bill and will work to fix the problem in any way I can. I understand the concern. I would not like it if my work was stolen. As for the watermark? I have no idea. The pics I found on my computer did not have the watermark. As for the other guy with the 89 photos stolen. I do not have them. I do not even know where to go to see them. Where are the illegally posted? I hope this clears the matter up. Like you folks I love our parks. I try very hard to contribute to sites and preserve the memories. Kevin Miller

[Cory Butcher]

There are several photos on the Americana web site belong to Bill Ware. I just learned of the mistake.

I sent Scott Fowler a disk several years ago of my pics from the park in 2002. I did not know myself that the pics posted were not mine. I took a very large number of pictures in 2002. I just had a talk with my kids about what they can and cant do with my computer on the web. Bills photos were mixed into mine. I burned a disk to contribute to the site. Scott thought that all of the pics were mine. I did not know that they were not.

I appologize to Bill and will work to fix the problem in any way I can. I understand the concern. I would not like it if my work was stolen. As for the watermark? I have no idea. The pics I found on my computer did not have the watermark. As for the other guy with the 89 photos stolen. I do not have them. I do not even know where to go to see them. Where are the illegally posted? I hope this clears the matter up. Like you folks I love our parks. I try very hard to contribute to sites and preserve the memories. Kevin Miller

And I told him about it for you all! LOL. As I stated to some of you earlier the photo credits are being changed as the discrepencies are worked through. I hope that all of you will take a look at the americana site there are a lot of truly unique photos taken by not just Kevin but obviously Bill, Scott and park archives. Also there is a forum dedicated to all of Southwestern Ohio's defunct and current running parks where you can find out more information on some of the other great parks of Ohio's history! I also urge you to check out the SOAPHS site, which has actual informative write ups on most of the parks discussed.

Happy hunting, and heres to you rediscovering the parks of yesteryear!

Cory Butcher

[Gordon Bombay]

When I was referring to my 89 pictures being stolen, I was referring to an incident on another site that happened to me, it had nothing to do with SOAPHS or Americana.