I worked part time at Joyland in 1967 and 1968, while was was stationed at McConnell AFB. I have many pleasant memories of this grand Wurlitzer and Louie. Stan and Margaret Nelson were great folks to work for. Being a little older than most of the high school kids who worked there, I was usually the relief operator, moving from ride to ride so the regular operators could go on break. When I wasn’t relieving, I could most often be found on the Ferris wheel or the train. It’s so sad that Joyland is no more. Wichita was fortunate to have had such a place for clean, wholesome fun.
Sad to see the old place so empty now. Spent many a summer having fun there as a kid. Never really knew about all the interesting old history behind some of the attractions until reading about it years later. Makes me want to be able to go back and visit it again that much more.
This is tearing me apart, how could this happen to Joyland, a wonderful part of my childhood where most of the days i went there i would say to myself "this is the happiest day of my life" as the wind rushed through my hair on the swing ride. It took me a long time to summon up the courage to ride the wacky shack for the first time, and even though i rode it multiple times, i still shut my eyes tight and plugged my ears most of those times haha. I loved getting soaked on the log jam.
I hate that we lost Joyland to people wanting to go when it was shut down and tear it up. Joyland was a very cool place when I was young to go to and I also remember having some nice times with my children there. I'm 45 and my children are 24, 21, 19 and they have all had good times there. Wichita lost a lot when it shut down I just wish someone that had some money would open it back up.
And heck, even as a classic amusement park devotee that went about a month ago to pay my respects to what's practically a religious shrine to a classic amusement park nerd as a stop on my cross country move, I couldn't even get mad at kids for grafittiing up the midway (I mean, they weren't arsonists. Just local kids still getting joy out of Joyland). It's so torn up that it has to be repaved anyways. All that's left now are the ruins of the coaster after the 2016 tornado, the slide (not accessible to ride with the lower steps removed), and the log jam. I hope there's more in storage like classic flat rides, Wacky Shack ride components and props, trains from the coaster, boats from Log Jam, ect. so it could be brought back one day. If I ever make it big I'll buy it and bring it back. If not though, I hold with me the symbolic seed to the coaster's potential rebirth, a piece of wood from what the tornado destroyed, so no matter how much arsonists attack the park, I will keep its memory alive.
i wuold really love to see joyland come back i am in my 30s and i wish joyland was open for my kids to have fun like i did in my younger years. if some one thought about it, updating the park would bring jobs to wichita as well as good income. people would not have to drive out of town to go to an amusement park
i agree, but i think things might be turning for the better for Joyland. I hope they can get Louie and the organ back. I don't know if that's possible, but i hope so.
Even though Louie the clown scared me, i still can hear his music throughout the park. I remember riding the train around the park. I'm so glad that Alex East is trying to buy it and fix it up and expand it. I'm gonna go with my brother in september and october to help clean it up.
I heard it is still owned by Margaret Nelson-Spear, the present owner of Joyland, but nobody knows 100% where it is, but the clown on the other hand was found in 2015.
Where is it now? I heard the one in American treasure tour is a DeKleist as a normal wurlitzer 160 would have the glass windows in front of the brass horns and the roll frame. The one at ATT has no glass windows nor does it have the roll frame at the front.
@Wurlitzer146-A It had its own 160 scale. The one that's American treasure tours, seen on my page had a few hundred pipes removed and converted to 165 rolls, most likely by Wurlitzer. When the current owner got it, he had Joe Hilferty slowly convert it back to the 160 scale, and all the missing pipes were replaced. This brought up to 486 pipes. They also built a 160 roll frame and had a few rolls cut. Then they added midi and now have about 60 songs made by Mikey Mills
Ufortunately it is not... This organ is still in the park. The clown that played the organ is missing, as are some of the brass pipes. With this being one of only two working Wurlitzer 164 organs in the world, it is worth quite a bit of money.
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I worked part time at Joyland in 1967 and 1968, while was was stationed at McConnell AFB. I have many pleasant memories of this grand Wurlitzer and Louie. Stan and Margaret Nelson were great folks to work for. Being a little older than most of the high school kids who worked there, I was usually the relief operator, moving from ride to ride so the regular operators could go on break. When I wasn’t relieving, I could most often be found on the Ferris wheel or the train. It’s so sad that Joyland is no more. Wichita was fortunate to have had such a place for clean, wholesome fun.
Do you have any idea if Margaret Nelson has the Wurlitzer organ?
No, the first song is "The Candyman Can." The second is, as creequeally correctly stated, "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing."
Sad to see the old place so empty now. Spent many a summer having fun there as a kid.
Never really knew about all the interesting old history behind some of the attractions until reading about it years later. Makes me want to be able to go back and visit it again that much more.
This is tearing me apart, how could this happen to Joyland, a wonderful part of my childhood where most of the days i went there i would say to myself "this is the happiest day of my life" as the wind rushed through my hair on the swing ride. It took me a long time to summon up the courage to ride the wacky shack for the first time, and even though i rode it multiple times, i still shut my eyes tight and plugged my ears most of those times haha. I loved getting soaked on the log jam.
wish Wichita could bring Louie and the organ back together in a public place...he was my fav attraction at Joyland as a kid...
Jerry Ottaway was still there when I worked there in '74. He was a real pleasant guy.
2nd song is The Candyman from the original Willie Wonka film.
Nice behind the scenes video. Hey the guy in the tan hat and jacket looks like my old boss Stan Nelson!
@OrganRally Wurlitzer modified this organ at NY in 1915. The organ has just been sold last month and isn't at Joyland anymore.
I hate that we lost Joyland to people wanting to go when it was shut down and tear it up. Joyland was a very cool place when I was young to go to and I also remember having some nice times with my children there. I'm 45 and my children are 24, 21, 19 and they have all had good times there. Wichita lost a lot when it shut down I just wish someone that had some money would open it back up.
And heck, even as a classic amusement park devotee that went about a month ago to pay my respects to what's practically a religious shrine to a classic amusement park nerd as a stop on my cross country move, I couldn't even get mad at kids for grafittiing up the midway (I mean, they weren't arsonists. Just local kids still getting joy out of Joyland). It's so torn up that it has to be repaved anyways. All that's left now are the ruins of the coaster after the 2016 tornado, the slide (not accessible to ride with the lower steps removed), and the log jam. I hope there's more in storage like classic flat rides, Wacky Shack ride components and props, trains from the coaster, boats from Log Jam, ect. so it could be brought back one day. If I ever make it big I'll buy it and bring it back. If not though, I hold with me the symbolic seed to the coaster's potential rebirth, a piece of wood from what the tornado destroyed, so no matter how much arsonists attack the park, I will keep its memory alive.
i wuold really love to see joyland come back i am in my 30s and i wish joyland was open for my kids to have fun like i did in my younger years. if some one thought about it, updating the park would bring jobs to wichita as well as good income. people would not have to drive out of town to go to an amusement park
i agree, but i think things might be turning for the better for Joyland. I hope they can get Louie and the organ back. I don't know if that's possible, but i hope so.
Even though Louie the clown scared me, i still can hear his music throughout the park. I remember riding the train around the park. I'm so glad that Alex East is trying to buy it and fix it up and expand it. I'm gonna go with my brother in september and october to help clean it up.
is their an out of tune clarinet , or did Squid worth sneak in there? :)
I think I read in the newspaper that this or the clown was stolen or broken, but dont remember exact article.
Thank you, where is it now.
I heard it is still owned by Margaret Nelson-Spear, the present owner of Joyland, but nobody knows 100% where it is, but the clown on the other hand was found in 2015.
i would bwt those guys took louie and his organ from joyland. i want joyland back.
Where is this 160 now?
Just realised the first song is the Candy Man Can from Willy Wonka :)
Itsa Wurlitzer 160 not a 164. This model 160 had lots of the pipes removed, (mostly the brass) and was converted to 165 rolls
Where is it now?
I heard the one in American treasure tour is a DeKleist as a normal wurlitzer 160 would have the glass windows in front of the brass horns and the roll frame. The one at ATT has no glass windows nor does it have the roll frame at the front.
@wurly164 what type of scale did the Wurlitzer Mammoth originally play?
@Wurlitzer146-A It had its own 160 scale. The one that's American treasure tours, seen on my page had a few hundred pipes removed and converted to 165 rolls, most likely by Wurlitzer. When the current owner got it, he had Joe Hilferty slowly convert it back to the 160 scale, and all the missing pipes were replaced. This brought up to 486 pipes. They also built a 160 roll frame and had a few rolls cut. Then they added midi and now have about 60 songs made by Mikey Mills
Ufortunately it is not...
This organ is still in the park. The clown that played the organ is missing, as are some of the brass pipes.
With this being one of only two working Wurlitzer 164 organs in the world, it is worth quite a bit of money.
Where would this organ be at now it’ll be very hard to find
Where is this organ now?
They moved the hands of the clown that operated the kehyboard.