Action Park Water Slide Loop - A Wild Ride Remembered
For many who grew up in the New Jersey area, and for thrill-seekers far beyond, there was a place that stirred up a mix of excitement and maybe a little bit of dread. This spot, known as Action Park, truly stood out for its unique approach to amusement. It was a place where the lines between fun and outright danger seemed, well, just a little blurry.
Among the many attractions that drew people to this unusual park, one particular ride captured imaginations and sparked countless stories. This was the Action Park water slide loop, a structure that defied what many thought possible for a water ride. It wasn't just a simple slide; it was a ride that sent you through a full circle, something pretty unheard of at the time, actually.
The tales surrounding this particular water slide, a true piece of local lore, continue to be told even now. People still talk about its brief moments of operation, the experiences of those brave enough to try it, and what it meant for the park's overall reputation. It's a story that, you know, just keeps on giving, painting a picture of a very different time in amusement park history.
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Table of Contents
- The Legend of the Action Park Water Slide Loop - What Made It So Notorious?
- Crafting Chaos - How Was the Action Park Water Slide Loop Built?
- Riding the Edge - Personal Accounts of the Action Park Water Slide Loop
- Beyond the Loop - Action Park's Wider Reputation
- Why Do Stories of the Action Park Water Slide Loop Still Circulate?
- Is There a Future for the Action Park Water Slide Loop?
- The Enduring Legacy of the Action Park Water Slide Loop
The Legend of the Action Park Water Slide Loop - What Made It So Notorious?
The Cannonball Loop, as it was properly called, was a water ride with a twist, or rather, a complete circle, that gained quite a reputation. It was a looping water slide, and for a very short time in Action Park's story, it was open to those brave enough to try it. People talked about it a lot, and it quickly became one of the most talked-about features at the park, really.
This particular water slide was a fully enclosed tunnel that, in its path, included a full, upright loop. Stories from those who rode it often included descriptions of ending up with things like bloody noses, and other sorts of scrapes. It was, so, a ride that left a very clear impression on its riders, both good and, perhaps, not so good, in some respects.
Many folks have said that the water slide, the one we are discussing here, felt like something out of a strange, unsettling dream, almost. It was a structure that, to look at it, might take your mind a few moments to truly grasp what you were seeing. People even joked that if there was a "god" of Action Park, that entity had, well, passed away inside that very ride, which just goes to show how wild its reputation was, you know.
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Crafting Chaos - How Was the Action Park Water Slide Loop Built?
There are many tales about how this looping water slide came into being. Some people say that the entire thing was designed on something as simple as a paper napkin, which is, honestly, a pretty wild thought. Others suggest that it was put together using old pipes, perhaps left over from other projects, or just whatever was around, apparently.
The park's owner, Gene Mulvihill, apparently had a big idea for this ride, a kind of personal challenge he wanted to conquer, almost like a sailor chasing a legendary creature. He didn't bring in engineers or people who usually work on amusement park attractions. Instead, he put together his own group to build this water slide that went upside down, which, you know, is a pretty unique way to go about things.
Before it opened to the public, volunteers were actually offered money to give the slide a try. These trial runs, it is said, would sometimes leave the people who tried it with cuts and other marks on their bodies. This practice, basically, speaks volumes about the kind of ride it was, and the lengths the park went to get it tested, in a way.
Riding the Edge - Personal Accounts of the Action Park Water Slide Loop
The Cannonball Loop is widely known as what might have been the very first, and perhaps only, water slide to feature an upright loop that was open for people to ride. This particular feature, a loop that sent you completely upside down, was quite a bold move for any attraction, let alone a water slide, you know, it truly pushed the limits of what was considered possible at the time.
The enclosed water slide, with its disorienting upright loop, was, as Gene's son Andy, who is now 58, mentioned, a ride that really stuck with you. It was designed to flip the bird, as some might say, at the usual rules of how things move, in a way. This kind of ride was open only for very short periods, probably because it was just so extreme, very, very extreme.
People who experienced the Action Park water slide loop still remember it clearly. Eric Fiorito, for example, has clear recollections of visiting the park in the 1980s as a young person. He even recalls the time he got a broken nose on the Cannonball Loop, that water slide that went in a circle. It’s a memory that, you know, probably stays with you for a long, long time.
Beyond the Loop - Action Park's Wider Reputation
Action Park had a reputation for being run, well, a bit loosely, with what seemed like the bare minimum attention paid to safety rules, by both the people who worked there and the people who visited. This approach, or lack thereof, meant the park was linked to a very high number of hurts and several confirmed instances of people dying. If you were around back then, you probably remember this, too, it's almost a part of the local history.
The park offered more than just the looping water slide. Back in 1982, a pair of slides called Human Cannonball opened, standing 15 feet tall and stretching 200 feet long. Beyond that, the park was set up with different sections: Waterworld, Motorworld, and Roaring, which gave visitors lots of choices for their adventures. Some of the water slides were simply placed on the side of a hill, while others, like the river rides, looked almost like natural streams, just filled with plastic, basically.
Action Park, which some people jokingly called "Accident Park," really had it all, including many instances where people sued for personal hurts. Unlike other places where you go for fun, Action Park had a collection of rides and features that really upped the chances of someone getting hurt. It was, in short, a place where risks were pretty common, in some respects.
Why Do Stories of the Action Park Water Slide Loop Still Circulate?
Perhaps no ride at Action Park has more urban legends, those widely told stories that may or may not be entirely true, than the Cannonball Loop. People talk about the slide being drawn up on a napkin, or built from old pipes. These stories, you know, just add to the mystery and the wildness of the place, making it even more memorable.
If you go back and look at a picture of the Cannonball Loop water slide, Andy Fiori, who hosts a radio show and tells jokes, has talked about it. The image itself, people say, is so odd that your brain might take a moment to truly understand what you're seeing. It was a ride that, many agreed, was just too much, even for a place like Action Park, which was known for its extreme attractions, very, very much so.
The park has even been the subject of a short film made by Porges, which helps keep its memory, and especially that of the looping water slide, alive. Action Park is known for its really dangerous rides, making it one of the most talked-about amusement parks in New Jersey for all the wrong reasons. The Cannonball Loop might have been the very first water slide to send someone upside down, which is, well, quite a claim to fame, actually.
Is There a Future for the Action Park Water Slide Loop?
There's talk that a water park in North Jersey, one with a rather well-known reputation, might be bringing back one of its famous attractions from the 1980s. This attraction is, of course, a water slide that goes straight up and then loops, the kind that makes you wonder how it even works. The idea of the park getting ready to bring back its famous Cannonball Loop is something that has certainly caught people's attention, you know.
For a period, the park was known as Mountain Creek, but for a year or two, they changed the water park's name back to Action Park. This was, it seems, done as a way to get people talking, and it appears to have worked, drawing eyes back to the place. Now, it's gone back to being Mountain Creek again for the last couple of years, but the memory of Action Park, and its unique rides, still lingers, so.
The Cannonball Loop was, for Gene Mulvihill, the park's owner, something he really wanted to achieve, a kind of personal quest. This water slide, which was enclosed and ended with a loop that could make you feel quite turned around, was, as his son Andy explained, a ride that truly stood out. It remains a unique piece of history in the world of fun parks, a reminder of a time when rules seemed, well, just a little different, in some respects.
The Enduring Legacy of the Action Park Water Slide Loop
The Cannonball Loop holds a special place because it is commonly thought of as the first, and possibly the only, water slide to have an upright loop that was open for people to experience. This distinction alone gives it a lasting presence in discussions about amusement park history. It was a ride that, you know, just broke the mold.
The fact that Gene Mulvihill hired his own crew to build this looping slide, without the usual input from trained engineers and park experts, speaks to a daring, perhaps even reckless, approach. This lack of outside, professional oversight is a big part of what makes the Action Park water slide loop so infamous, and why its story is still told today, very, very often.
The Action Park water slide loop stands in stark contrast to the safety standards we expect from amusement parks today. It serves as a kind of relic from a past era, where the idea of a thrilling ride might have outweighed concerns about bumps and bruises, or worse. This difference, basically, is what makes its story so compelling to many people, even now.
The park itself, with its water slides placed on hillsides or supported by wooden structures, and its river rides that looked like natural streams, was a product of its time. The Action Park water slide loop, in particular, really captures the spirit of a place that pushed boundaries, sometimes to dangerous extremes, but always, in a way, made for a memorable time, that.
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