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36-581: The park takes its name from a bend in Barren River where stands of beech trees are scattered throughout the area. The area was used for picnics as early as the 1880s. Charles Garvin purchased the park property in the early 1940s, adding amusements both rides and recreational activities over the years. The first ride was a pony ride, followed by a roller skating rink, dance hall, bowling center and swimming pool. Shortly after World War II, Garvin added mechanical rides to Beech Bend Park, beginning with

72-606: A Ferris wheel purchased from the Chicago World's Fair . Racing began about that same time with motorcycles . Auto racing began on a 3/8-mile (600 m) oval dirt track; that same track, now paved, is still in use today. A dragstrip was added in the 1950s. The 1960s marked the park's heyday. Gate admission was ten cents, with promotions known as "County Days," spotlighting a county within the Bowling Green, Kentucky area each week. Carnival-type rides were abundant, with

108-580: A Zamperla Twisting Wild Mouse coaster, Zamperla Steamboat ride and a drop tower called the Shock Drop for the 2005 season. In November 2004, during the IAAPA trade show in Orlando, Florida , Dallas Jones began discussions with Great Coasters International about constructing a wooden roller coaster at Beech Bend Park. On July 28, 2005, it was announced that the roller coaster would open in 2006, have

144-417: A height of 96 feet (29 m), an 82-foot (25 m) drop, a maximum speed of 47 miles (76 km) per hour, and that a contest would be held to choose the ride's name. On October 28, 2005, the park announced that the ride would be called Kentucky Rumbler . The roller coaster opened on May 6, 2006. The year 2007 brought permanent replacements for some of the older mobile rides. In October the park announced

180-604: A more modern ride of the same type dubbed Thunderbolt. The ride, a portable model like its predecessor, was relocated from Rye Playland . On February 25, 2023, park owner Dallas Jones died. Barren River The Barren River is a 135-mile-long (217 km) river in Southcentral Kentucky , United States, and a tributary of the Green River . The watershed of the Green River is the largest of

216-648: A result. As a result, IAAPA has asked the United States Congress to amend the Paycheck Protection Program to protect small businesses in the industry. The IAAPA Asia Expo had already been postponed by a year due to the pandemic, with the American expo presently staying on the books for November 2020. Founded in 1918, IAAPA is the largest international trade association for permanent amusement facilities and attractions and

252-581: A similar system for its members. IAAPA encouraged voluntary ride reporting by its global partners, supplying background materials. In 2007 the association opened a new office in Europe with expanded programs and services and increased collaboration with Europarks on ride-safety reporting, and held its annual senior-level training program (the Institute for Executive Education) to the Wharton School of

288-402: A variety of location-based entertainment facilities, including amusement and theme parks, family entertainment centers, arcades , museums , water parks , aquariums , science centers , zoos , and resorts . It also represents industry equipment manufacturers, distributors, operators, industry suppliers, and service providers. In 1976, Aaron Fechter brought the first full animated show to

324-526: A water play structure), a Zamperla family tea cups ride, a kids' quad runner and a new amphitheater, billed as the largest in Beech Bend's history and was to open in early May. The expansion was delayed by two months due to the 2010 Tennessee floods , and the water play structure and amphitheater did not open until the 2011 season. The first ride at the park, the Ferris wheel, was standing but not operating

360-668: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Warren County, Kentucky state location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in Kentucky is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions ( IAAPA ) represents over 6,000 amusement-industry members in more than 100 countries worldwide and operates several global attractions-industry trade shows. Its annual IAAPA Expo in Orlando, Florida ,

396-939: Is dedicated to the preservation and prosperity of the attractions industry. The association represents over 6,000 facility, supplier, and individual members in more than 100 countries. Member facilities include amusement and theme parks, water parks, attractions, family entertainment centers, zoos, aquariums, museums, science centers, and resorts. IAAPA is a nonprofit organization with its headquarters in Orlando, Florida and regional offices in Brussels, Mexico City , Hong Kong , and Shanghai . The association operates IAAPA Expo, IAAPA Expo Asia, and IAAPA Expo Europe. At each show, IAAPA offers educational, informational, operational, safety, and leadership seminars and behind-the-scenes tours of member amusement parks, theme parks, water parks, and family entertainment centers. IAAPA publishes Funworld

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432-435: Is recognized as the world's largest attractions trade show in the number of attendees and exhibitors and providing members insight into current amusement trends, laws, operations and industry methodology. IAAPA also helps to promote guest-safety and ride-safety guidelines in conjunction with ASTM International and assists its members to uphold the highest amusement-industry safety and professional standards. IAAPA represents

468-628: The 2016 year, Beech Bend invested in a multimillion-dollar expansion to the water park, involving four new slides manufactured by ProSlide. One slide, the Cyclone Saucers, is the first of its kind in North America. Because of the expansion, several rides had to be relocated. Spinning Out, a spinning family coaster, was also added in 2016, taking the place of the Dragon Coaster. In 2022, the park replaced it aging Flying Bobs with

504-424: The 73rd annual convention and trade show in Orlando, Florida had over 19,000 attendees. The IAAPA Expo was the largest amusement-industry exhibition in the world, offering trends in amusement and arcade equipment, food, beverage, park technology and entertainment. In 2000 the association worked to counter negative publicity following high-profile amusement-ride incidents and surrounding amusement safety, publicizing

540-776: The Asian Amusement Expo (AAE) in 2003, but canceled the event because of the SARS outbreak in Asia. IAAPA maintained its focus on industry safety that year, establishing an international standards harmonization group to implement universal ride-safety criteria. In 2004, it helped spearhead the adoption of the ASTM International amusement-ride design and manufacture standard and the European standard for amusement machinery and structures. Two years later, IAAPA joined

576-517: The Holiday Lights Spectacular that ran through January. The Kentucky Rumbler was operating along with other smaller flat rides open. In 2008, the park added a brand new Carousel, The Grand Carousel. A new show called "The Magic of Music" involved music from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. They also had Cirque Africa Show that ran June 16 through June 23. For the kids the park introduced a new park character show, "Singing with Sammy

612-575: The Industry Report" and "European Manifesto" were released. In September 2016, the association announced plans to move its headquarters from Alexandria, Virginia to Orlando in 2017 and to hold its expo in Orlando until 2030. During the COVID-19 pandemic , the themed entertainment industry faced significant new pressures. IAAPA was among a number of themed entertainment organizations whose members faced potential tens of billions in losses as

648-559: The Looping Star roller coaster, which was 31-feet tall and 1,202 feet-long. The Gold Rush Miniature Golf course was added to the park for the 2003 season. In late 2002, construction began on Splash Lagoon water park, which included the existing olympic-sized swimming and added the Ragin' Rapids Water Slides, and Lotta Wotta Island, a children's play structure. The water park was originally scheduled to open in 2003, however its grand opening

684-576: The Squirrel, and from July 14 through July 23 the park had a kids' festival. Thrill seekers received a brand new Scat 2. In 2009, Beech Bend debuted the Chance Rides Sea Dragon ride which was purchased from Michael Jackson 's Neverland Ranch and was alleged to be his favorite ride. The Looping Star Roller Coaster was removed at the end of the season. In 2010, Beech Bend opened a large waterpark expansion (wave pool, lazy river and

720-721: The Travel Industry Association of America to produce "The Economic Impact of Domestic and Overseas Travelers Who Visit Amusement/Theme Parks and Other Attractions in the United States" on the importance of amusement, theme parks and other attractions to U.S. tourism and its wider economy. The association extended membership to casinos and resorts, since a number of facilities had incorporated amusement and entertainment features. To promote park safety, IAAPA made its ride incident reporting system mandatory for U.S. members and supported Europarks' efforts to implement

756-687: The University of Pennsylvania . At its Attractions Expo, the association unveiled its institute for emerging leaders (later renamed the Institute for Attractions Managers) to recruit candidates for senior-level positions. The following year, IAAPA acquired the Euro Attractions Show (EAS). It held its first Middle East safety conference in Dubai in February, and had its inaugural Attractions Safety Awareness Week to enhance understanding of

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792-644: The association and the industry. IAAPA offers training in every aspect of the amusement-park and attractions industry and provides member facilities with opportunities to educate their personnel with workshops, on-site seminars, videotapes, manuals, webinars and services provided by institute programs, such as the IAAPA Institutes for Attractions Managers and Executive Education and the IAAPA Safety Institute. The association promotes amusement park safety standards to its members and maintains

828-525: The convention. In 1990, IAAPA established an international council in expand its global reach and give advice and direction about programs and services for members outside the United States. The council and its operations committee were instrumental in recruiting international members and developing quality products and services. IAAPA also established the IAAPA Hall of Fame, with amusement-industry pioneers its first class of inductees. The following year,

864-420: The famous Wild Mouse the most popular; midway games such as Skee ball and Fascination were a hit with guests. The campground grew over the years, with more than 1,000 spaces advertised at its peak, billed at one time as the world's largest. (The campground was home to the original store of what is now Camping World , a large camping supply retailer founded by David Garvin, Charles Garvin's son.) A small zoo

900-588: The industry's overall safety record. It established a ride-incident reporting system for its U.S. facilities with rides (releasing the initial results in 2003 through the National Safety Council ), and helped facilitate independent scientific reviews of ride forces in 2002-03 indicating the inherent safety of rides for the general public. In 2000, IAAPA opened its first full-time overseas office (IAAPA Europe) in Brussels . The organization acquired

936-675: The industry's safety practices and record in June. In 2010, the IAAPA Foundation was created as a 501(c)(3) organization to fund the development of education programs and information resources for the global attractions industry. The following year, the association implemented its certification program to help raise amusement-industry standards. Its Institute for Executive Education was revived in conjunction with San Diego State University , and IAAPA's first "Latin America State of

972-494: The official magazine for members, keeps its global membership informed about current and pending federal, state and local amusement-related laws and legislation and publishes "News Daily", a daily e-newsletter with industry news stories from around the world. The IAAPA Hall Of Fame was established in 1990 to celebrate achievements in and contributions to the growth and development of the amusement park and attractions industry. Its Service Awards honor members who excel in dedication to

1008-475: The older rides were repainted and rebuilt. In 2015, the park added 5 new rides. The Tornado and Sizzler rides were replaced with new versions. Power Surge was replaced by Air Race, as well as the park added a children's monster truck ride, and Bluegrass Breeze a Flying Carousel make their way to Beech Bend for the 2015 season. On August 15, a train on the Dragon coaster derailed, leading to the ride's removal. For

1044-469: The rest of the park, which had by then fallen back into nature. No work was done on the old park until the 1990s, when the Jones' began to clear out the park and renovate the campground. In 1998 the pool was reopened along with some new amusement rides being added to the park — much as Charles Garvin had done in the park's early years. It hosts the annual National Hot Rod Reunion . In 2001, the park introduced

1080-470: The river has a mean annual discharge of 2,501 cubic feet per second. 37°10′49″N 86°37′23″W  /  37.18028°N 86.62306°W  / 37.18028; -86.62306 This Allen County, Kentucky state location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Barren County, Kentucky state location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Monroe County, Kentucky state location article

1116-677: The twelve major river watersheds in Kentucky. The Barren River rises near the Tennessee border in Monroe County and flows into the Green in northeast Warren County . The drainage basin consists of Southcentral Kentucky and north-central Tennessee. Historically, this waterway was depicted as the “Big Barren River” in early surveys and documents to distinguish it from the Little Barren River. At Greencastle, Kentucky,

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1152-415: The whole season, and was removed for the 2011 season. In 2011, the old Haunted House ride was completely overhauled, with new effects and cars added to it. The Shock Drop drop tower was removed at the end of the season. The replacement for Shock Drop arrived in 2012, in the form of the 140-foot-tall drop tower named Zero-G, named by people who participated in a naming contest on Facebook. Ironically, Zero-G

1188-560: Was also added. In the 1970s, the park went into a state of decline, largely due to competition from theme parks such as Opryland USA in nearby Nashville, Tennessee . Garvin's health was also in steady decline. When he died in 1979, the park closed, though the racing facilities stayed open under a lease agreement to a third-party operator. The park was purchased by an ownership group that included country music singer Ronnie Milsap , which operated it in 1981 and 1982. Jim Varney 's first television commercial as character Ernest P. Worrell

1224-573: Was for Beech Bend. Varney's character was advertising an appearance by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders in 1980. The park closed again, with ownership reverting to Garvin's heirs. In 1984, Dallas and Alfreda Jones purchased the racetracks and began hosting national drag racing events sanctioned by the National Hot Rod Association . The racetracks did well, and three years later, the couple purchased

1260-574: Was made by the same manufacturer as Shock Drop was; ARM. As well as the park purchased new ThunderVolt Speedway Go-Karts. In 2013, the Park added the Vortex manufactured by Chance Rides . The Vortex is swinging pendulum ride that swings riders 60 feet into the air reaching a maximum swing angle of 240 degrees. Riders sit facing each other, and at the maximum height of the swing, riders are suspended upside down. In 2014, no new rides were added, but several of

1296-504: Was postponed, and Splash Lagoon opened on May 22, 2004. By 2005, Beech Bend Park had more than 40 rides, 500 campground spaces with modern amenities, renovated racing facilities, a water park and large picnic pavilions. The race tracks were hosting numerous Corvette racing events (the park is only a few miles away from the General Motors factory that produces the sports car ), plus the annual NHRA Hot Rod Reunion. The park opened

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