From mini-trains to Zingo: the history of Bell's Amusement Park

3 years ago 326

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Back and acceptable to bring the household fun! Bell's Amusement Park is officially coming backmost to the area.

After Broken Arrow officials confirmed that a section household bought a conception of onshore successful eastbound Broken Arrow, Bell's Facebook page confirmed the announcement is astir details for the parkland to return.

Bell's was an amusement parkland that operated successful Tulsa for 55 years earlier closing down successful 2006.

The commencement of Bell's Amusement Park (1948 - 1997)

The amusement parkland had humble starts opening successful 1948. Robert Bell built a mini-train astir his location successful Tulsa. He besides ran immoderate children's rides at the Admiral Twin drive-in.

In aboriginal 1951, Bell started the beloved parkland astatine the Tulsa Fairgrounds successful Expo Square. The park, astatine the time, had a tiny postulation of rides and attractions that included the archetypal mini-train.

The archetypal big thrust added to the parkland was a bumper car attraction successful 1955, past a Tilt-a-Whirl and mini-golf people were added not agelong after. These additions helped turn into a family-friendly summation to the metropolis and the park's popularity kept growing.

The Wildcat Accident (1997)

On April 20, 1997, the Wildcat roller coaster astatine Bell's experienced mechanical failures that caused a car to disengage and rotation backward. The car ended up colliding with different one. The mishap killed a teen and injured astatine slightest six others.

The Oklahoman reported, astatine the time, the Wildcat had been a portion of the parkland since 1976. Robert Bell confirmed the roller coaster had gone nether inspection 2 weeks earlier by the Oklahoma Labor Department and approved for operation.

It is inactive chartless what caused the malfunction to occur. Shortly aft the accident, the Wildcat was disassembled and relocated to different amusement parkland successful Maryland.

Closing down (1997 - 2006)

Nearly a decennary aft the Wildcat accident, Bell's was forced to unopen down astatine the extremity of its 2006 play erstwhile Tulsa County did not renew its lease.

There were plans to determination the park, but yet Bell's ne'er rebuilt determination else.

Over the adjacent decennary and a half, the Bell household would effort to effort and reopen. Many locations crossed Green Country were considered to beryllium the caller tract for the amusement park, including Coweta.

Plans for the aboriginal (2006 - Now)

In September 2019, the Facebook leafage for Bell's garnered wide attraction erstwhile a caller illustration representation was uploaded that seemed to bespeak a instrumentality of the amusement park.

Two years aboriginal connected the aforesaid time successful 2021, Bell's updated their Facebook leafage and teased they began plans to commencement the process of rebuilding the park. Rumors sparked astir the anticipation of the parkland returning to the area.

After confirmation and years of waiting, the Bell household confirmed the parkland is returning to eastbound Broken Arrow. 102 acres are dedicated to the task with plans for things specified as:

A caller thrill park. It volition diagnostic Zingo, Phantasmagoria, and different instrumentality favorites but with caller rides too.
A kiddie parkland harmless for tiny kids.
A caller h2o park.
An indoor installation for Virtual Reality games.
Longer hours of operation.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, operation and different steps successful the process had to alteration oregon beryllium enactment connected hold. The amusement parkland manufacture has besides taken a deed which has contributed to the hold successful rebuilding.

At this time, it is unclear erstwhile Bell's volition reopen, but the household confirms that owed to the magnitude of prep enactment they've completed, operation volition beryllium capable to proceed rapidly erstwhile it begins.

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