A-Z Coaster of the Week: Corkscrew

   

© Jon Roost

I have a little story to go with this week’s A-Z Coaster of the Week, so go along with me here:

In the mid 1970’s, you’re a representative of Arrow Dynamics and you’re approached by a man who asks you about building one of the brand new Corkscrew model roller coasters at his park.

You say, “What is your park?”

He says, “Deer Park Funland up in Muskegon, Michigan.”

You’ve never heard of it and ask him what kind of park it is.

“It’s mainly a petting zoo right now, but I do have a few rides including a Scrambler, Tilt-a-Whirl, Spider, Mutley’s Putt-Putts, and a couple others.”

“And you want to spend roughly $1,000,000 on a roller coaster that we’ve only installed at a few, more popular parks?”

“Yep.”

   

© Jon Roost

That man was Rodger Jourdan and in 1979, he opened Corkscrew, the first roller coaster at then Deer Park Funland. People in the industry thought that this guy was crazy for opening this kind of roller coaster at a petting zoo, but it was the beginning of the largest amusement park in the state of Michigan. At a height of 70 feet with a drop of 62 feet at 45mph and featuring 2 interlocking corkscrews on 1250 feet of track, this ride may be short, but with a height limit of 48 inches, it’s a great starting roller coaster for kids who want to move up to something bigger but not quite ready for Shivering Timbers.

   

© Jon Roost

Many of these Corkscrew models were built by Arrow, but this is currently the oldest model operating in its original location. When Cedar Fair purchased Michigan’s Adventure in 2001, they painted Corkscrew to the colors it is today.

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