Story by Rick West

The story of Knott's Preserved goes back decades. Even more than the 15+ years that the press surrounding its release will have you believe. The seed that would eventually grow into the greatest book ever written on the history of Knott's Berry Farm actually was planted deeply when Chris Merritt's father, Rob Merritt, was taken to the theme park during his youth. The impression left on Rob instilled the desire to take his own children to Knott's Berry Farm and give them some of the same experiences and memories he'd cherished and enjoyed himself as a kid.

That is the beginning of Knott's Preserved; or at least, it's as far back as we need to go in this case. Along the way, there were different plateaus that Chris reached as a fan as well as eventual historian that awakened the urge that any writer feels when he or she is suddenly moved to create something that others can learn from and appreciate. There were early trips with his family, and undoubtedly, many chicken dinners to follow. Perhaps dates as a teen, wandering the Farm from ride to ride being loud and as obnoxious as anyone that age let loose in a theme park.

My own love affair with Knott's Berry Farm shares very much the same roots as Chris' - my family began visiting Knott's Berry Farm decades before I ever existed, and I have wonderful black and white photos from the '50s to reflect on - my grandmother and aunt posing with Handsome Brady and Whiskey Bill outside of the Gold Trails Hotel in Ghost Town, or an unintended amazing historical shot of the original Pan for Gold area. Later, there would be photos of a young Rick West visiting the Farm way before my own memories would begin kicking in - riding the Tijuana Taxi with my mother, who is all decked-out in post-'60s/early '70s attire; sitting in a coin-operated vehicle in Fiesta Village; posing with my grandfather as the Calico Mine Train mountain looms behind us.

Finally, my own memories take over - standing in the El Cinema Grande, watching a POV roller coaster movie; petting critters in the Animal Farm; racing in the brand-new Soap Box Racers attraction as the fireworks factory exploded all around me; being numb with terror as my Sky Jump cage rose higher and higher over Buena Park; being startled by the bandits as we rode the gorgeous train around Knott's; my first looping coaster experiences on Montezooma's Revenge and The Corkscrew.

And at one magic moment, in the very early 1980s, our young paths crossed at Knott's when a church group from Irvine would include both Chris and me together on an outing to something called "Halloween Haunt". I don't have many specific memories from that trip, although I know we were all together as friends in our small group. However, I do know that trip with Irvine Presbyterian had a major impact on both of us - for two kids who were already growing up loving Knott's, visiting the Haunt was pure crack! Chris became obsessed with documenting the event in the years to follow, borrowing my VHS camcorder to record the mazes and I... well, my interest in Haunt has led to a few things here and there as well.

The really cool thing about Chris and me sharing a love of Knott's Berry Farm, is that it doesn't stop with us. Or our families. Reading this article, other fans and visitors will relate to these memories and think, oh yeah - I totally remember that! The collective love that we as a group of fans and generations of visitors share for Knott's Berry Farm is the single main reason that Knott's Preserved is a book that we've all been waiting for - it not only is beautifully-written and put together; it is a piece of our own childhood and memories that we finally can savor and pour over in the comfort of our reading chairs, beds and even bathrooms! Wherever we find a moment of privacy to indulge in reading about the Farm's history or marvel at the book's never-before-seen images, this labor of love is a treasure trove of emotions - one that's taken much longer than 15 or 20 years to create. Knott's Preserved is a story generations in the making - and I'm not alone in being so thankful and excited that Chris saw this project through.

I remember very early on, when Knott's Preserved was in its infant stages - way back when Theme Park Adventure was a print publication (The Brake Zone) and I was doing all of its layout on my Amiga computer. Chris came over one day and asked how I thought he should go about laying it out, etc. That was in the mid-'90s, when the book was mostly a really impressive history of the Roaring 20's area at Knott's, thanks to Chris' friendship with Rick Campbell and Eddie Sotto. Chris then went on to work with some folks that were much better and more versed in laying out books than I was at Walt Disney Imagineering, including the late Dave Mumford and also late Bruce Gordon, probably most noted for their impressive Disneyland project, The Nickel Tour.

Months and years passed and as Theme Park Adventure chugged along, so did Chris' history project. With time, it continued to grow and on many occasions, Chris would confide in me that it was massive - and he was not sure what to do with it because it was so big and getting out of control. I'd laugh and say keep going - and that was the extent of my involvement, although it seemed to be enough in Chris' mind to warrant a mention in the beginning of Knott's Preserved, which flatters me to no end. I honestly don't feel that I deserve the mention, considering the names mine is in company with on the page. But it was a very pleasant surprise to be included in such a historically-important work such as Knott's Preserved.

Our paths in life veered off and Chris and I went about our own journeys. But since we are old friends, we did keep in touch over the years. That's how I knew that his book was still in the works and still on the horizon. And then, some time within the past year, Chris told me that he'd finally found a publisher and that Knott's Preserves (the long-working title of the project) was finally going to come to be. It was an awesome moment - not unlike a woman telling her girlfriend that she is going to have a baby; only, in our case, it was two theme park geeks and the gestation period had been much longer than 12 months!

Chris knew that he'd have the full support of Theme Park Adventure when the time came - and in turn, other sites and entities online throughout the fan community have fallen into place on this as well, including MiceChat.com and The Season Pass podcast. It doesn't matter if a particular group is into Disney, roller coasters, haunted attractions or whatever else - everyone has come together to celebrate the arrival of Knott's Preserved.

And the celebration exploded on April 18th, 2010 at Knott's.

It's extremely difficult to explain just how incredible this event was without you actually being there, but I'll give it my best shot.

The day began early at Knott's Berry Farm, as fans arrived to take special historical tours of the Farm, hosted by historians Phil Brigandi and Chris Jepsen, of the Orange County Archives. Groups were limited and the tours ranged in scope and topic, depending on what part of Knott's was being showcased. These awesome tours gave guests much information and really seemed to go over well; so well in fact, that many people commented throughout the day that Knott's should offer these types of historical tours to regular guests.

As the tours continued, a line began forming outside of Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant for the book signing event, which began at approximately 10:30 A.M. The line stretched down the sidewalk, toward GhostRider and was filled with eager fans from all walks of life - some young, some not so young, even many current and former employees of Knott's Berry Farm. It was a who's who, for sure; those with keen eyes could even spot industry legend Bob Gurr in line to get a copy of Knott's Preserved!

Inside, there was a flurry of activity as the signing table was prepared and the "VIP" guests took their seats, ready to autograph scores of Knott's Preserved. Seated at the signing table were Co-Author J. Eric Lynxwiler, Walt Disney Imagineering Legend (and author of the book's Foreward) Tony Baxter, Walter and Cordelia Knott's grandson Steven Knott, and Chris Merritt.

As the door opened and eager fans spilled in to the CDR, their copies were bought and another line formed inside to have it personalized at the signing table. Everyone was in great spirits and the operation went very smoothly, from what we could tell. The wait was definitely sizeable, as once at the signing table, fans were speaking to each VIP individually as their books were autographed. Naturally, a favorite was Tony Baxter, pulling his own draw of Disney fans to the event, likely to have the opportunity to gather his signature and take a picture with him at the table; this is inevitable, and if it sold copies of Knott's Preserved, it was a brilliant plan by Chris Merritt to have Tony there - because it worked!

I've personally had Tony at two signings of mine - one for my old Pirates of the Caribbean book release in Los Angeles and another for the release of TPA's Tarzan's Treehouse issue as well. Each time, people came out of the woodwork - yes, they were enthusiastic about my books, but they absolutely had stars in their eyes when they were able to meet and chat with Tony Baxter one-on-one, if even for a moment or two!

It is absolutely critical to have a strong signing table at an event like this, and Chris Merritt nailed it. Major props to him for thinking carefully about that and making it happen - it was a thrill for everyone.

Just when it couldn't get any better for those enduring the wait in the Knott's Preserved signing line, two more VIPs showed up and plopped themselves down in the Chicken Dinner Restaurant alongside the signing table and began autographing for fans as well - Rick Campbell, who was the art director of the Knott's Roaring 20's area and Dean Davisson, the head of Knott's Berry Farm Public Relations from 1958 to 1976. There was already so much history gathered in one spot, it was hard to wrap our heads around it! We'd all died and gone to Knott's Heaven!

Meanwhile, the line outside the CDR continued to grow at a steady pace. It was obvious that the lucky VIPs at the table would get no break - people were waiting, eager and there was cash exchanging hands at Knott's - the book machine was on a roll! The wait didn't bother anyone we spoke with or observed, which is amazing to me. People tend to get grumpy after waiting more than three minutes or so in line at the grocery store - here, the wait was well over an hour! The fans in line simply sucked it up, mingled and shared their own stories and memories of Knott's Berry Farm as they slowly shuffled forward; it was awesome.

To my own surprise, I spotted my old friend, William Simpson in line. In 1988, William was my trainer when I was 18 years-old on Pirates of the Caribbean when I went to work at Disneyland! I'd go on to work other attractions with William while I worked at Disneyland, but our fondest memories always fall back to Pirates. The fun thing about this story, is that while I was being trained, random guests would come up to William and ask, "Are you Whimsical Will?" He'd always reply that he was, and the guests would squeal with delight and have him sign their autograph books and take pictures with them. It left me scratching my head, until a week or so later, one of my other colleagues at Disneyland would explain that William was a very popular radio personality on the famed Dr. Demento show in Los Angeles.

As I approached the table with William, I mentioned to Chris that he was my trainer at Pirates, and instantly, Chris became excited. "Are you Whimsical Will?" he asked. Delighted and geeked-out, Chris jumped up out of his seat and I took a photo of them together. Chris had remembered me telling him way back in the day that Whimsical Will was my co-worker at Disneyland; growing up on Dr. Demento as many of us did, Chris totally remembered all these years later and was thrilled to finally meet him! It was hilarious and unexpected! The whole day was peppered with little occurrences such as this, with people saying, "Oh! I know you!" left and right. It was pure magic, folks; to the point of almost being tangible.

Another familiar face popped out of the book signing line at me - Bob Barber, who was one of the very first folks to work on Theme Park Adventure with me in the '90s. Bob is the owner of Beary-Tales.net, which has taken on new life as a blog. Bob and I covered many stories at Knott's over the years for TPA, so it was a great treat to have him show up at the Knott's Preserved signing - it had been a few years since we'd seen each other, and it was great! Early contributions to Theme Park Adventure from Bob include the construction of Jaguar at Knott's, the building of Indiana Jones at Disneyland and of course, several years of Halloween Haunt assistance!

Craig Harreld, the Area Manager of Park Shows at Knott's Berry Farm showed up near the end of the signing, along with co-worker and long-time Knott's employee Jannes McElroy, to have their own books signed by the VIPs on hand. And in the case of Jannes, when I say long-time employee, I mean it; she was the young lady who took the very first paid ticket into Knott's Berry Farm when it became a gated theme park in 1968! Craig himself is also a Knott's icon, being one of the original Ghost Town monsters during the Halloween Haunt event that would develop the art of "sliding" - a scare tactic that would become an industry standard today.

Once the signing concluded, I requested that everyone gather for a group shot. In almost 16 years of running Theme Park Adventure, I know that moments like this are precious and rare - and that this particular group of individuals would never be at the same place at the same time ever again. Getting this shot was of paramount historical significance. Easily, it is one of the most important pictures I've ever taken; to make sure we got the shot, I had TPA co-owner Johanna Atilano snap away with her camera, too. The result is a group shot with some wandering eyes - unsure of which camera to look at. But who cares? They're all there, and that's the important thing! Much, much, much praise to Chris again for managing to assemble this group of individuals at the Knott's Preserved signing event. It was amazing.

Guests attending the event were also free to roam the theme park at will, taking in both classic and modern thrills whenever they wanted. However, while most were playing, one individual was hard at work in front of the Bird Cage Theatre - Doug Barnes, the owner of The Season Pass Podcast. With his mobile setup fired up and ready, he was catching VIP guests at the event like flies in a spider's web, and the result would be hours of incredible recordings that he will be presenting as two separate episodes of The Season Pass.

As we approached the table, we found Doug interviewing three individuals at once - Bob Gurr, Rolly Crump and Chris Crump. My head exploded. Rolly Crump is an industry legend as well, most notable for his contributions to early Disney animated films such as Peter Pan and Sleeping Beauty, as well as theme park attractions such as It's a Small World and The Haunted Mansion. However, the reason for having Rolly present at the Knott's Preserved event was that he served as the main designer of the beloved Knott's Bear-y Tales attraction, which won the hearts of countless Knott's Berry Farm guests from 1975 to 1986, when the attraction was replaced by Kingdom of the Dinosaurs. Chris Crump also assisted his father in creating Bear-y Tales, and has worked within the themed entertainment industry since.

Seeing Doug interviewing such heavy-hitters was absolutely fantastic - and he carried conversations with them and others throughout the day and night like a pro. There is no way he wasn't completely geeking out inside, but he remained calm and cool always - it was wonderful, and what a huge boost to an already-awesome podcast! Be sure to search for the two Knott's Preserved Season Pass Podcasts on iTunes (they are scheduled for release shortly after this story first debuts on Theme Park Adventure, so stay tuned for them to come online in the weeks to come).

After a short break, it was time to head in to the Bird Cage Theatre for a stunning 90-minute historical presentation given by Chris Merritt on the early years of Knott's Berry Farm. It was a packed house, and only those with tickets to the sold-out event were allowed inside. Again, it was a who's who of familiar faces, industry legends and Knott's royalty. As the house lights went down, the presentation was unexpectedly interrupted by a couple of Knott's Berry Farm Ghost Town lawmen. They swore in both Chris and Eric before Marty Keithley, General Manager of Knott's Berry Farm Resort made his way to the stage. Marty discussed how wonderful it was to have such a labor of love come to fruition and how thankful he is personally to Chris and Eric for breathing life into Knott's Preserved. He then gave Chris and Eric each a custom-framed collection of mini attraction posters, which visibly moved both authors emotionally. It was a tender moment, and the cherry on the cake for Marty, who was celebrating his 35th anniversary as a Knott's Berry Farm employee on that same day!

Once the presentation resumed, we were treated to an incredible display of multimedia images - slides as well as video - much of which had never before been seen in public. The images depicted the early years of the Knott family, as well as many historical shots of the theme park from its inception as Knott's Berry Place. The audience was mesmerized and at one point, as Chris loaded the second part of the presentation from his computer, someone in the darkened theater shouted out, "You're doing a great job!" which prompted a huge round of much-deserved applause.

One of the coolest things about the presentation was that each time a really neat or iconic image came on the screen, everyone would cheer, as if seeing their favorite celebrities in the spotlight - but in this case, the celebrities were old attractions, and those who designed them. The crowd in the Bird Cage was all on the same page, and it showed; again, it was pure magic at work.

As Chris crossed over from the late '60s into the early '70s, one of the first images on the screen was the first-year flyer for Knott's Halloween Haunt. The sudden whistles, cheers and wild applause were deafening - the audience definitely was filled with Haunt fans, yours truly absolutely adding in to the cheering! Time forced Chris to gloss over Haunt, but he assured everyone that the night's discussion panel would have oodles of Haunt memories and information. And I could tell, the crowd was planning on holding Chris to his promise! We wanted HAUNT!

Another '70s subject that received a huge round of cheering and applause was Knott's Bear-y Tales. When the first images of that came on the screen, the crowd erupted and the love being demonstrated throughout the theater - was undeniable. For many, Knott's Bear-y Tales remains the undisputed greatest dark ride of all time, and definitely the best attraction that's ever graced Knott's Berry Farm. Just knowing that both Rolly and Chris Crump were there, hearing all of the whistles and cheers for this attraction gave me goose bumps the size of Boysenberries! It was a wonderful moment, and like with Haunt, Chris assured us all that there would be much, much more about Bear-y Tales later on that evening.

The presentation concluded and after a brief question and answer period, everyone in the theater gave Chris and Eric a long, standing ovation that brought the roof down. It was emotional for me, as I am so very proud of Chris and this book - and I knew that this presentation had been in his heart and on his mind for a long, long time. And in the blink of an eye (trust me - an hour and a half flew by), it had come and gone - the moment that Chris had undoubtedly daydreamed about on many occasions, was over. How utterly satisfying - I speak for many people when I say we could have easily sat another two hours and listened to the rich history of Knott's Berry Farm from Chris. In fact, the presentation originally was three hours in length; the version we all were treated to at Knott's was 50% shorter. I can tell you that several people immediately said to us afterward that they wanted to hear and see the full version. That likely will never happen - but just knowing that people would have happily sat for much longer must make Chris feel very accomplished. As well he should. Bravo! BRAVO, Chris!

After the mental overload that was Chris' amazing presentation, we all had time to head back into the theme park for a cool-down break and dinner. For those that bought tickets to the Knott's Preserved event, it included dinner at the Chicken Dinner Restaurant. In all honesty, I have never been a huge fan of the CDR, so we opted to eat elsewhere and then spend some time sitting in on the Season Pass recording, which was still going strong in Ghost Town.

As we recorded, I explained that this event was an absolute anomaly. In almost 16 years of doing this, I have been to my share of media events and have rubbed shoulders with plenty of celebrities and VIPs. I've also had the pleasure to become friends with many of the people that Theme Park Adventure interviewed or followed in the past 15+ years we've been in operation, from Tony Baxter and Bob Gurr to other industry icons such as Marc and Alice Davis, Don Dorsey and more. In a nutshell, I've been around the block - a lot. It's next to impossible to get me to geek out and be overwhelmed at any media event, etc. However, by the afternoon of the 18th, I was walking on air and my head was in the clouds, I was so high.

It's hard to explain, but try to imagine looking to the left in Ghost Town, seeing Tony Baxter, Bob Gurr and Rolly Crump walking by, deep in conversation no doubt "talking shop". Then you look to your right, and there is Steven Knott, John Waite (one of the very first people to start the Halloween Haunt event at Knott's) and Rick Campbell. In the middle is a host of Knott's management and other various industry folks. It was literally almost too much to process. And the fact that this was at Knott's Berry Farm, which hardly ever sees events with industry legends - made it even more unusual and over-the-top. I can honestly say that looking at this incredible collection of people gave me a lump in my throat on several occasions throughout the event. This type of thing just doesn't happen. It took Chris' book and this occasion to get all of these individuals to Knott's Berry Farm. Make no mistake - it was not Cedar Fair's efforts that made this at all possible; they simply run the park and facilitated this event. It was Chris and his sincere, honest connections with these people that paved the way for such an enormous happening to occur.

I say quite openly that in all my years at the helm of Theme Park Adventure, I have never been to an event of this historical magnitude. And we never will be again - this type of thing just doesn't happen, as I keep saying. Even if you're not a big fan of Knott's, there is no way to deny that this gathering of collective history was anything less than monumental. For those in attendance that are hard core Knott's fans and history buffs - it was sheer bliss. Nerdgasm. Total geekfest. Whatever you want to call it - it not only was about bringing history together one more time at Knott's Berry Farm; this was history being made and those of us lucky enough to be there were all witness to it.

The Season Pass was able to grab so many people to interview throughout the day and night that it's mind-numbing. I do not envy Doug - he has a ton of editing to do in preparing their upcoming episodes for everyone.

As we continued recording, I noticed a familiar face walking casually through the crowd. It was Charlene Parker, who can often be found at the loom in Ghost Town, just around the corner from Goldie's Place. Charlene, dressed in period clothing, is a warm, friendly woman that has a kind word for everyone and loves to chat with Farm guests as she weaves from her porch in Ghost Town. If only guests knew who they were dealing with! Each October, Charlene becomes the Green Witch of Halloween Haunt! She is a Scary Farm icon, and has terrorized countless visitors to Haunt in her more than 25 years as a Ghost Town monster. Charlene sat with us and interviewed with Doug for a while about being a long-time member of the Haunt family; just one more awesome part of the Season Pass to listen to! Once she was done reminiscing with us about scaring the hell out of people, she smiled sweetly and went on her way - blending in and disappearing into the crowd.

Another individual joining The Season Pass all day was Bob Coker, owner of ThrillRide.com. Bob's been a friend of Doug's for a long time and has been a huge supporter of The Season Pass since way back. His site, ThrillRide.com, has been around for a long time too - it was the first time I've ever met him in person, which was great, especially since I've known about his site for eons online. It's always great to meet the folks behind the sites that our readers follow and enjoy so much. Throughout the day and night, Bob assisted Doug and added great insight and content to the podcast recording - he was a great pal and support to Doug, for sure. Best of all, Bob was just as freaked out and geeked out as I was about all of the history walking around us and past us at the event; I wasn't alone! It was a true pleasure getting to know Bob and record the show with him; I hope we can do it again soon.

One of the most fun moments of the day came as dusk swept through Ghost Town. The Season Pass was joined by Imagineer Josh Shipley (Creative Show Director of the updated Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln show at Disneyland), Imagineering Legend Tony Baxter and Dave Cobb of Thinkwell Design & Production. We all laughed and chatted about our own favorite Knott's memories. Josh and Dave seemed to be on the same page with everything, and Tony openly discussed the huge impact the Calico Mine Ride had on him as he went about paying homage to it with his own creation, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland. At one point, Tony started humming the tune to Bear-y Tales and I led the way into geek overdrive mode by singing the song as Josh and Dave joined in. Whether or not that makes it into the final version of The Season Pass - only time will tell! But it was a fun, spontaneous moment that I know I'll cherish for the rest of my life. Sitting around the podcast table, it wasn't about industry prowess or credentials - we were all on a level playing field, simply sharing and openly adoring our own memories as fans of Knott's.

Once night fell on the Knott's Preserved event, the guests made their way once more to the Bird Cage Theatre for what promised to be the mother of all panel discussions: Chris and Eric sitting in with Rolly and Chris Crump, Dean Davisson, Eddie Sotto, Rick Campbell and John Waite. The discussion would introduce each individual and along with accompanying slides, Chris would explain their significance and role played in the history of Knott's Berry Farm.

Public Relations guru Dean Davisson spoke candidly about his days working for Walter Knott and how the family would go about deciding on how to market the theme park. Dean talked about the Knotts participating in the Tournament of Roses Parade for several years, special events at the theme park and how the family meetings to discuss the business were conducted at home. It was wonderful listening to Dean talk about his time at the Farm. I particularly loved hearing about all of the wild ideas and things they came up with on the fly - so refreshing and fun compared to the way corporate America operates these days, including most theme park PR teams. Back then, it was wild and wooly - almost anything went, when it came to drumming up buzz or attention. Today, corporations are completely wrapped up in public perception, political correctness and most of all, whether or not each marketing effort or project with an outside company such as Theme Park Adventure is feasible, and whether or not it will add to their bottom line or simply is a waste of time. Hearing people like Davisson makes me ache for days long past, when everyone was just more relaxed; when it was all about zany fun to drum up public discussion and enthusiasm, rather than every single project, event and press release being analyzed to death until the heart and soul is completely gone. Having Dean share with all of us was a thrill and a treat, and I could tell that he had a hell of a good time on stage talking about his time at Knott's.

The moment many of us were waiting for finally came as John Waite began discussing the very first Halloween Haunt event at Knott's and how it came to be an annual tradition. To accompany John's awesome trip down memory lane, Chris showed images of Haunt in its infancy - several shots I had never seen before. The cheering from the crowd as this part of the discussion began made it literally loud and clear - there were lots of Scary Farm fans in the theater. Having the opportunity to hear John's first-hand recollections was a rare thrill and treat for many of us. Hell, those of us there that love Halloween Haunt would be more than happy to sit and listen to John discuss Haunt for hours, so the few minutes he was allotted seemed to zip by. John spoke of early costumes, props, scaring guests and how popular their early efforts were with the public. For this Haunt fan, it was a highlight of the day - and would be continued later on that evening.

Rick Campbell and Eddie Sotto discussed their work respectively on the Knott's Roaring 20's area. Rick served as the art director for the entire area, and Sotto is credited for converting the infamous Motorcycle Chase into the Wacky Soap Box Racers in 1980. Theme Park Adventure's been a long-time fan of Eddie's, as we often followed his work as an Imagineer - especially back when Adventureland was re-envisioned as Indiana Jones came on the scene. He's a wild, funny and obviously brilliant designer; it was great to see and hear him participate in the panel discussion. During their time in the spotlight, Rick and Eddie discussed how the concept of the Wacky Soap Box Racers came to be, and different aspects of the development of that particular attraction. I remember the Racers quite well, as I am sure many of our readers do. It was a charming, exciting ride that absolutely made an impact on me as a kid. As the two spoke, images and concept renderings splashed across the screen. It was a wonderful chat and everyone in attendance remained captivated. There is no mistaking that the Wacky Soap Box Racers holds a very special place in the hearts of Knott's fans everywhere.

The biggest and brightest moment of the panel discussion came when Rolly and Chris Crump discussed at length, the creation of Knott's Bear-y Tales. It was a light-hearted, interesting discussion about arguably, the best attraction that's ever been at Knott's Berry Farm. Wonderful slides accompanied their stories of building the Chug-A-Chug, the various scenes and effects throughout the ride, and how... challenging it was that Marion Knott (Walter Knott's daughter than ran the company for years after his death) kept changing her mind throughout the process, giving Bear-y Tales its rather odd mix of themes. Rolly spoke of the fire that swept through the attraction - allegedly set by disgruntled union workers just prior to the ride opening in 1975; something that I had forgotten about and something that many Knott's fans don't even know took place. The fire was major - it destroyed 75% of the attraction, a devastating blow to Knott's. However, the attraction was rebuilt and opened a few months later, going on to become an industry icon. One of the more candid and amusing moments of the discussion came when Rolly was asked to talk about the great hand-painted signage throughout the Bear-y Tales attraction. Rolly smiled and said, "Oh, well that went back to my marijuana poster days..." The crowd erupted in laughter and applause (Rolly's colorful life and reputation obviously precedes him and is adored by his fans) as Chris Merritt smiled, closed his eyes and shook his head. I looked back over my shoulder at Marty Keithley - he obviously was amused, but also kind of on the spot about how to react, as a corporate figurehead of Cedar Fair. In the end, it was all good fun and Rolly went on to share a treasure trove of stories and information with the audience. Good times!

In the end, the discussion panel was overwhelming and wonderful - the amount of information, history and love had sent most fans into emotional and mental overload. I'd taken so many photos that the batteries in my flash finally died and I had Johanna finish up the evening for us, photo-wise. For everyone, the event was quickly wrapping up and winding down. Guests poured from the Bird Cage excitedly talking amongst themselves and reflecting on their very special time at Knott's Berry Farm.

I returned to the Season Pass table outside of the theater where Doug and Bob were still interviewing people - it seemed it would never end! I believe the final person on the show was Jeff Tucker, Supervisor for Park Shows Entertainment Division. Jeff's always a delight and a hell of a nice guy - it was the perfect way to end the recording, as he spoke of Knott's as a large, closely-knit family and his own memories of the Farm.

Truly, it was emotionally exhausting. The entire day and night had just been one incredible moment after another. My camera was dead, hundreds of shots had been taken between Johanna and me. Doug was finally told he had to pack it up so Knott's folks could go home. It was the end of an incredible journey for all of us. We shouted good night to Chris Merritt as he and his family slowly left the theater and walked away. I was and am so proud of him.

There was one more piece of magic left for me. As we said goodnight to Doug and Bob, I noticed another lone figure leaving the Bird Cage; it was Haunt legend John Waite. I had not had the opportunity to even approach him all day - and there he was, alone, walking through darkened Ghost Town. I seized the opportunity and for the next 15 minutes or so, walked slowly with John through Knott's, reminiscing about my own Haunt experiences, asking him about his own and laying the foundation for perhaps what lies ahead for Theme Park Adventure and its readers in the months to come.

Knott's Preserved day was all about celebrating the history of Knott's Berry Farm. It was all about honoring the legends that were there (and not - Chris had wanted to surprise everyone with Bud Hurbut joining the panel, but Bud was not feeling well); the only person missing from this mix was Marion Knott herself. And, it was about the fans. Because the fans - not the corporate side of Knott's - were the ones that truly appreciated and understood what was going on. It was the fans that snapped images, recorded interviews and shot footage of the event from beginning to end to preserve. It was the fans - not Knott's. This isn't a slam on the park, but it was sad to me that there wasn't enough interest in its own history to have anyone from the company there to shoot images or at least video of the panel discussion, etc. Because the moment's gone, and it will never come back. Thank God for the fans. And thank God for Knott's Preserved.

The flame burns brightly and is carried on by all of us for generations to come; and now Chris' labor of love stands as a testament to the American dream and spirit of innovation and adventure that is the Knott's Berry Farm story.