Camden Park

Photo courtesy of Tyler's Coaster Page

Travelling along U.S. Hwy 23 in northeastern Kentucky is a very strange experience. This stretch of road hugs the Ohio River which separates Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. It is a very isolated part of the country, and it is impossible not to see American industry taking advantage of it. Because of its isolation from any major cities, poverty in this area would be a foregone conclusion were it not for the industrial plants that have set up shop up and down this stretch of the river. Huge smokestacks spew God knows what into the air, and their strategic placements at river's edge can't be for the pretty view. There's little doubt these plants were allowed to set up shop at bargain basement prices thanks to county boards desperate to provide economic relief for their people. The industrial age is alive and well in this part of the country. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful area, albeit a strange one. There are certain customs and assumptions being made here that left this northerner scratching his head and wondering how Cindy Stout, Jeff Cook and Todd Long turned out to be so liberal. We rounded a bend and came upon a small town with a huge billboard entrance that said "Welcome to Russell, what have YOU done for the Lord today?" Another odd custom is the practice of putting candles in the windows. House after house, block after block and town after town, everybody had at least one lighted candle in their window, even during they day, and many houses had candles in all of their windows. Are they holding a vigil? And then there are the yardballs. Cindy told me about a practice people have of putting large pedestals in their yards that have big, brightly colored metallic balls on top. When I first saw them I thought it was a joke, but Cindy said no, they're for real. I have never seen or even heard of them before - I can't imagine anyone doing this in Minnesota - but Cindy said they're quite common throughout West Virginia and Kentucky. It's strange driving through a beautiful area such as this and seeing so many dichotimies. A gorgeous river drive being polluted by heavy industry. Incredible landscapes dotted with huge dumping grounds. Charming little towns that quickly roll up the welcoming mat for jews, blacks and gays. It's the kind of area that reminds you what an unusual country America really is, and the fact that we've managed to incorporate any kind of diversity into our country at all is a major social achievement. Cindy prepped me on what to expect from West Virginia. I think maybe she prepped me a little too well! I get the feeling West Virginians like to put down their state. She didn't tell me that in spite of some of the harsh realities I've already mentioned, West Virginia is also an incredibly, breathtakingly beautiful state. The people I encountered there are enormously friendly, considerate, and down to earth. Huntington is one of the most attractive college towns I've ever seen, and Marshall University, Cindy's alma mater, has one of the prettiest campuses. Oh yeah, and Camden Park is as much fun as you could possibly have at any amusement park. Everything I had heard about Camden Park was negative. That it was dying, decrepit, weird, scary, on it's last legs, get there while you can before it closes for good. Well, I'm here to tell you none of that is true! Camden is awesome! On the day I visited, a weekday mind you, the park was full of people, kids and adults, and the park looked great. Now admittedly when we first pulled into the parking lot my first thought was "uh-oh." That may have been because the first words out of Cindy's mouth were "I hope you're not too disappointed in this place." Or it may have been because of the sight of an Arrow shuttle coaster that clearly looked as though it had been inoperative for years. The coaster runs along the entire back side of the parking lot. It seemed terribly out place, but what I didn't know was that behind it lies a wonderful addtional section of the park! Before we got to Camden the weather had been terrible. It rained nearly the entire time we drove, from just south of Columbus, OH all the way to Huntington. And yet the moment we entered the parking lot, the rain stopped. The skies soon cleared and for the rest of our time in the park we were treated to partly sunny skies and a wonderful time. In many ways Camden Park reminds me of a successful Whalom. It is an old, traditional park, with obviously not a lot of financial backing to support it, and possessing a unique character that some might not fully appreciate. But to say it's decrepit is simply not true. The roofs over many of the rides - the Whip, Big Dipper, Dodgems, etc. are made of corrugated tin. However all of the stucco interiors have been freshly painted, as have all of the queue and hand railings throughout the park. A *beautfiul* ring of fully blooming red rose bushes wraps all the way around the Tilt-a-Whirl. Pretty planters full of panzies decorate three sides of Camden's impressive cafeteria. And a wonderfully sculpted garden graces the entrance to the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper is probably the most notable area needing improvement, and really all it needs is a fresh coat of paint. The very back seat is empty and roped off, and I'm not sure if this is because of the forces generated or simply that the NAD train needs work. Whatever the case, the backseat is the place to be on this ride. There is a wonderful pop of airtime after the first turnaround! The coaster also has a unique tunnel that runs the entire length of the final turnaround and ends with a large drop! The Big Dipper is a lot of fun, more fun than I expected, and I would love to see the park spruce this up to make it something the townspeople can point to with pride. The Little Dipper was a huge surprise for me, and a source of controversy between Cindy and I. Cindy says it's a kiddie coaster while I contend that it's too big to be called a kiddie and that it's closer to junior coaster status. I think the fact that both Cindy and I could fit into the same seat is evidence enough, but you can't tell a native West Virginian anything about their precious home park! Another big surprise for me were the bathrooms! As some of you know, one of my goals in life is to visit all 50 states, and I do not consider my visit official until I have peed in it. And so when I entered the bathroom to "mark the occasion" on this, my 43rd state, I was both surprised and very amused to see pay coin boxes on the stalls! What kind of a place is this! It costs nothing to park, barely anything to get in, but when I want to hold a small ceremony in a bathroom stall, THAT'S when they're going to charge me? Camden Park is a kid's paradise. There are some wonderful rides for toddlers here, but also the other rides - Big Dipper, Little Dipper and all the wonderful flat rides, are just perfect for kids. The log flume *looked* great - and very wet - and one of the most vivid memories I'll take from this park is seeing two little boys sitting on a concrete edge, dangling their feet into the log flume's reservoir. If I were a little kid I would think Camden Park was the best place in the whole world. The most outstanding flat ride at Camden is the Monster. This Monster is the greatest Monster I have ever ridden! Cindy and I spun so much that our car continued to spin for well over thirty seconds after the ride had come to a complete halt! We must have spun continuously for well over a minute at one point. It's one of the best flat ride experiences I have ever had! I also enjoyed their Haunted House. This is exactly the same kind of ride as Dr. Moriarity's Wild Ride at Conneaut Lake Park. Camden's is even better, really well themed and executed, and just a great old- fashioned dark ride. Camden's flat rides are the best thing about this park. They run their rides FOREVER! And not out of boredom, either, out of kindness! Our ferris wheel operator yelled out to us "just let me know when you want to stop!" The Hot Cat operator is possibly the best ride op I've ever seen. She clapped her hands in the air along with the music, then tried to high five the riders each time they made their way past her. I saw her as we were exiting the park and told her what a great ride op I thought she was. Unfortunately it was within earshot of the Round Up ride op who looked hurt and yelled "Hey! What about me!" I can't say enough about Camden's flat rides except to say there's not a single flat ride at Cedar Point that I enjoyed more than Camden's. Camden has at least three or four concession stands and all but one of them were open. Cindy and I got a pronto pup, painted with mustard. A pronto pup is like a corn dog only with a thicker, but lighter tasting batter. I was also very impressed by Camden's cafeteria. It is huge considering the park's relatively small size, and the number of food items they carry really surprised me. One oddity I found particularly amusing were their "potato smilies." These are round, deep fried potatoes that look exactly like a 70s smiley face! Like Lakeside in Denver, I really don't think the locals truly appreciate just how special this park is. Our ride operator on the ferris wheel told us "they outta take out all these rides and put in some some good ones!" I couldn't disagree more! I didn't say anything at the time other than "these rides are great!" I really hope my experience at Camden wasn't a fluke. Instead I hope the bad rap on this park is a thing of the past and that Camden's recovery is taking place. It really only needs three things to make it truly appealing: get the shuttle coaster running, and paint the Big Dipper and pink stucco concession stand. Other than that it just comes down to whether or not this kind of park is your cup of tea. It certainly is mine. As we got in our car and pulled out of the parking lot, the rain that had earlier threatened to ruin our day resumed. I guess the big clown standing guard in the parking lot was looking out for us. Before we exited West Virginia, we stopped for dinner at Rocco's. Rocco's is located in Ceredo, right next to Huntington, and it is one of the best Italian restaurants I've ever been to. They have THE best blue cheese dressing IN THE WORLD! I haven't had anything on lettuce that comes even close to being that good! I'm not kidding, I would have been happy just to eat it with a spoon, it's THAT good! Rocco's is an Italian restaurant steeped in tradition, with dark lighting, intimate table settings, traditional Italian decor and the obligatory "That's Amore" type music which, for my money, seems cheesy in a sophisticated Italian restaurant such as this. Their meat sauce is perfection, on the same order as their blue cheese dressing! I would have been happy just to have two bowls, one with meat sauce and one with their blue cheese dressing. Just keep bringing those baskets of piping hot italian bread and I would have been dipping all night! No future visit to Camden Park will take place without an accompanying dinner at Rocco's! And I will definitely visit this place in the future. There are some places in America that are out of the way and seem to suffer for it. This is clearly one of those areas that is easily ignored and requires a concerted effort to get to. Camden Park is a wonderful little place that deserves every bit of support it can get. For me a return visit would not be an obligation. It would be a priviledge.