Bell's Amusement Park

Bell's Amusement Park

Location	Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Opened	1951
Closed	2006
Owner	Robert Bell
Operating season	March through September
Attractions
Total	17
Roller coasters	1 John Allen Wooden Out-and-Back
Water rides	1 Log Flume, 2 Water Slides
Website	http://www.teamled.com/bells This is the current website

Bell's Amusement Park was a small amusement park located in Tulsa's Expo Square, part of the Tulsa County Fairground in Oklahoma. The park was founded in 1951 by Robert Bell with a small collection of rides and amusements including a three car train and a Shetland pony ride. This would later grow into third generation controlled family amusement tradition with over 50 rides and attractions.

In April 1997, 14-year-old Patrick Kurek was killed on the Wildcat roller coaster from a car malfunctioning and catapulting Kurek to his death. The ride was later removed from the park.

The park was forced to relinquish its position at the Square at the end of the 2006 season when the county did not renew its lease. The reason given for the park's removal was nonviable business plans even though the 2006 season was the most successful the park had seen for years and expansion plans were underway. The park paid $135,000 to the Expo in 2006 and a total of $12.5 million since 1951.

The park has announced plans to move elsewhere, but as of fall 2007 the amusement park rides sit in a warehouse. Many locations around Northeast-Oklahoma have been surveyed for the new home of Bell's, but as of November 2007 there has been no official word as to when an announcement will be made in regards to an official location for the park. Their website has been taken down and rumors are that the park will not reopen. As of November 2008, no future plans for the park have been announced, after Sally Bell's loss when she ran for County Commissioner (which oversees the fairgrounds that removed her family's business). Bell's Amusement Park is now a defunct amusement park with no address.

The county of Wagoner has worked a deal with the Bell Family to potentially place the park in Coweta, Oklahoma. On May 25, 2010 Robbie Bell signed a 50-year lease with a 25-year option with the county. This deal depends on the voters approving a quarter-cent tax increase to finance building the park; it goes on the ballot in July 2010. As of August, 2011, no plans to relocate or re-open the park have been announced.

Impact to the 2007 Tulsa State Fair

Following the closing of Bell's, the 2007 Tulsa State Fair saw a 7% drop in attendance and a 29% hit on midway ticket sales. Vendors told the fair board that the board's decision not to renew Bell's lease is the reason for the drop. The Fairgrounds CEO said that they did not have any theories at the time to account for the drop. But some people have indicated that they boycotted the 2007 Tulsa State Fair in response to the county's decision. The midway for the Tulsa State Fair was provided by Jerry Murphy, Bell's main competitor. The attendance was up in the recession of 2008 from 2007 according to the Tulsa World. Jerry Murphy was not a competitor, he occupied a different niche and had a working cooperation with the park. Jerry Murphy owned Murphy Brothers, which was a traveling carnival. Jerry Murphy made his money with traveling around the country and placing his equipment at various local fairs throughout the country.

Wildcat roller coaster malfunction

On April 20, 1997, mechanical failures on the Wildcat roller coaster caused a car near the top of a chain hill to disengage and roll backwards, colliding with another car. The accident killed a fourteen-year-old and injured six others. The Wildcat was disassembled following the accident.

References

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External links

• "Bell's Amusement Park". Archived from the original on 2006-08-21. Retrieved 2007-08-11. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 2007-01-09 suggested (help)