Ghosts? The Nortons owned and operated the park through 1985 and were able to restore some profitability and raise attendance. . Its mostly guards that work over night or off-season that have seen/heard things. Julio Ruiz, 21, who also does groundskeeping for the park, was working near the brothers early Wednesday, close enough to see them but not under the coaster with them. We were there yesterday.my daughter & husband went to go on the boulderdash and when they were near the covered bridge in line my husband heard a mans voice speaking frantically in his ear.but he couldnt understand what was being said..there was no man standing near him. I have also been to lake compounce and i have never see a ghost or anything creepy? It's one of the best places for a summer day trip in Connecticut. > (Saturday, May 15, 2004) - At a carnival in After all, havent there been just as many death reports for places like Six Flags? Green Lady Cemetery Seventh Day Baptist Cemetery. Opened in 1846, it is the oldest continuously operating amusement park in the United States. Attendant struck, killed at Lake Compounce BRISTOL -- While cutting weeds underneath the Boulder Dash wooden roller coaster early Wednesday morning, Eli Baez saw Many fond memories from the late 50s and early 60s of Lake Compounce. Dark shapes and spirits have been seen in and around the ballroom, strange music and the disembodied voices of revelers past have been heard, and there are reports of inanimate objects moving and lights turning on and off of their own volition. (men, women, and children) We brought the camp about a week ago. "It was clearly an accident," said Florence Sinow, spokeswoman for the state fire marshal's office. Never knew these kinds ofNever knew these kinds of stories existed in Lake Compounce. I think the nuttiest story I heard was from a guard whos worked there since the new ownership in 96. These same factors had similar effects on other parks in the New England region, such as Canobie Lake Park and Riverside Park. Accept Read More, Tolland Man Faces Charges for Shooting Ghost, UFO Sightings Continue to Skyrocket in Connecticut. See the article in its original context from. Neither of which are haunted.. The coaster was torn down in 1927 to make room for the Wildcat, a wooden coaster designed by Schmeck and built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. But they didnt die because the park is haunted! Robert F. Lang, 47 , died unexpectedly on January 18, 2023 in Orlando, FL. [3] The park was acquired from Kennywood Entertainment Company by Palace Entertainment, the U.S. subsidiary of Parques Reunidos. its not haunted. This park was also the site where on July 21, 1989, as Milli Vanillis Rob and Fab were performing, their music started skipping, exposing the fact that they were lip-synching and unleashing the public ridicule that followed. I told them I had to use the bathroom and I went as I was peeing the hand dryer turns on and on the ladies bathroom so does the sink as I heard both of them at the same time I ran out there like no tomorrow. These incidents could easily have happened by accident. Located on the Bristol-Southington town line, the park is hosting ESPN's X Trials this weekend. Can things get any worse? It was finally purchased by Kennywood Entertainment Co. of Pennsylvania in 1996, and has enjoyed extensive renovations and expansions to become the family-friendly destination it is now. > Just when I thought it Could not get Worse My e-mail address is:bent4500@aol.com, I visited there since I was a child and now I bring my family for years. The man is an employee of Coleman Brothers Shows of Middletown, Connecticut. But last year, I worked at the front of the haunted maze in Starlight Theater. I will be keeping a closer eye on what the ride ops are doing as well. 197 Likes, TikTok video from Thrill Nation (@thrillnation): "Have you visited this lovely park!? how did you know this shadow was of a 6 year old boy? Claim: Child on amusement park ride is fatally bitten by snakes lurking within. Another instance was in the waterpark where I worked. What really happened? I have been going once every summer for quite a while. The casino was expanded with a dance floor. > fell from his seat on a Yo-Yo ride. In addition to the 14th oldest wooden roller coaster in the world, Wildcat,[4] its newer wooden roller coaster, Boulder Dash, has won the Golden Ticket Award for the #1 Wooden Coaster in the World for five consecutive years. The stage will be roughly 50-to-70 feet from audiences on the shore depending on the water level. Literally hours and hours, all day and into the evening. We all didnt understand what we heard at first. > drunk and refused to cooperate with investigating Bisi described the morning coaster check. funny. Can. I worked at lake compounce one summer (around 2003) and I worked in the candy store. Enjoy a day of thrilling coasters and rides at Lake Compounce! From thrilling roller coasters, family I dont know why he commited suicide, he was so young. When I was about 15 or 16, two of my neighborhood friends and I one Saturday morning went on a Wildcat ride. Lawton Lang; his son Alexander Lang; his daughters, Chantel and Valerie Lang. Small scale bumper cars themed as animals which seat up to two riders. Witnesses who say the park is haunted have described shadowy figures in or near the ballroom, unexplained music and sounds of parties, objects that move by themselves and lights that go on and off on their own. TikTok video from not you (@nunyabusniz): "#lakelanier". This is the first that i have heard of ghosts at the lake. The accident comes at a particularly bad time for Lake Compounce, the nation's oldest amusement park. And yes, EVERYTHING was checked in attempts to debunk the paranormal. haunted. The park reopened for the 1994 and 1995 seasons. He was born on December 31, 1975 in New Port Richey, FL. Were hoping that people are going to be pretty happy with some of the acts that we have coming in," Winters said. Oh, a final note: Possibly the most tragic death of all happened at the park on the night of July 21, 1989 its the night that marked the extinguishing of the bright light that was Milli Vanilli as Rob and Fab were performing live on the stage at Lake Compounce when their record started skipping. > Manchester, Connecticut, a three-year old boy Friends and neighbors said Martinez was a quiet, hardworking man with a lot of friends. > apparently became afraid and wanted to escape. She told me no the event had closed for the night, and it was quiet time. He said he couldn't comment further on the incident. One of the main culprits behind the growing opioid epidemic are synthetic opioids like fentanyl. I don't want to be the junior ride police but something has got to give here. When I say this I mean a little more than the standard little blurbs that the ops gives before each train departs. Wearing a bikini and had 5 children with her. Most of them, however, have been caused by people not paying attention to any signs or anything. A review of documents and handbooks found no mention of the high-risk areas known as red zones where the groundskeepers had been ordered to trim grass. . We were going up the first incline and as we reached the very top where you could get a wide view of the park and lake, leaning against the four foot wooden handrail on the right was an old man with a green vest and brown baggy trousers smiling at us as we were right at the pinnacle about to descend. Many "ghost hunters" have been arrested because they failed to contact property owners and/or local authorities ahead of time. Lights Out (Formerly) Storm Surge (Current), Closed in 2019. The land and what was left of the rides and buildings was sold to a previous owner, Stephen Barberino. Reopened in 2022 after a refurbishment and added VFX, Wooden roller coaster that was replaced by the. Nationally, the death rate from these drugs has increased by In 1993, Funtime Parks, which owned the now defunct Geauga Lake near Cleveland, Ohio and Darien Lake near Buffalo, NY, among other parks, became Barberino's management partner. The park was cited by the The park saw success as a picnic park through the post-American Civil War era. Do you think we will see this and if so if what form will the parks try to raise awareness? The Wildcat roller coaster and other rides became nonoperational by 1991. 5K Likes, 303 Comments. But if you do go, avoid the water parkit is disgustingly scary and full of very large people. Sure, in the past there were a few accidents, but every park has some. More attractions were added, and the park grew in stature during its heyday in the 1940s, famous big bands came to play Lake Compounces Starlite Ballroom, including Tommy Dorseys band featuring a young Frank Sinatra. In 1911, a carousel was built, followed by a roller coaster in 1914. The Lake Compounce accident is unfortunate, but really unrelated to amusement park rides. I told the person I was closing with and she went to investigate and found no one there! If You Go: Lake Compounce is located in Bristol, and chances are if youve grown up in Connecticut, youve probably already been there! His brother was working under a lower section of the coaster, he said, when tragedy struck. He was one of those off-season guards who sit in a hut and watch video cameras from all over the park and periodically does a walk-around. Baez said he and Martinez were close, playing basketball, going to clubs and other things brothers do together. At the end of the 1991 season, Joseph Entertainment Group filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and did not open the park for the 1992 season. He is survived by his mother, Janet Lang; his brother, Rev. In his deposition, however, Fitch, the mechanic at the controls of the Boulder Dash, said no protocol existed to check for the presence of groundskeepers along the mountainside coasters 4,600 feet of track. A few nights later I see the boy again (this time its 12 am and I was getting rid of the garbage outside) I see other employees leaving for the night the little boy ran laughing right by them.. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. The history of Lake Compounce can be traced back to 1846, when Gad Norton opened the area to the public. It is our intention to vigorously defend our position, said Richard Bisi, a park spokesman. 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