Tiny Bubbles
I really loved working at Idora Park. You just never knew what was going to happen when you went to work.
It didn't happen too often, but sometimes, we’d get a slow day. On those days, the workers needed something to do to blow off a little steam. People would ride the rides because who wouldn’t want to take a ride on the Jack Rabbit or the Wildcat? I would ride them constantly. Kids would ride the Flying Cages and see how many times they could go around until somebody puked.
We were always trying to outdo each other. The people who ran the games would practice trick shots, like throwing the ball backwards and throwing up behind their backs. The kids who ran the Skee-Ball would throw the balls through the metal fence to see what kind of score they could get.
At the Cheyenne Shootout, they’d try trick shots like shooting backwards over their shoulders. We would go from one game to the other to see what other kids could do on their games, and then we’d try to do the same tricks. Sometimes people who made fries would practice tossing fries at each other to see if they could catch them in their mouth. Everybody was doing something.
It was just kids having fun, playing where they worked. We didn't cause any trouble, and the people in charge didn't seem to mind. Honestly, I think they really liked watching the show. But we were always waiting for something big to happen, something that would catch the eye of everybody.
Then one day—the type of bright, sunny day you expect a lot of people to show up but then hardly anyone does—it happened. Legends were told about how somebody poured bubble bath into the Lost River ride, but I’d never seen it. I was beginning to doubt the truth of that legend, and then the screaming started.
We were just standing around practicing our trick shots when we became aware of a commotion. First, we heard a lot of screaming and laughing, and then we saw Mr. Duffy come flying out of his office, his bright red face making a sharp contrast to his shocking white hair as he tore down the Midway looking for someone to yell at. Of course we followed him, and that’s when we saw the bubbles. Someone had put an entire box of Mr. Bubble into the Lost River ride, and bubbles were coming down the falls, all over the elephant, and pouring out onto the Midway.
Turns out, the Lost River was the perfect place to make lots of bubbles because of the way the water ran down the steps to make a waterfall. That day, though, the waterfall was a “bubblefall” that would have made Lawrence Welk proud. All those bubbles glistened and sparkled in the bright summer sun, and of course we all wanted to ride the Lost River Bubble ride. Mr. Duffy wouldn’t let us, though. I don’t remember why, but I believe the words “safety hazard” were used, and something about us all getting soap in our eyes.
Of course, the guys who ran that ride got reprimanded quite strongly, but they did it again the following year anyway, and pretty soon it was an Idora Park tradition.
The Legend of the Bubblefalls on the Lost River is a true story. And kudos to the guys who ran the Lost River ride for going the extra mile to get their ride squeaky-clean.