Folks have so many options now when they want to get away from the rat race and take the family on vacation. They can go to central Florida and chose from several theme parks including the Mouse House and a park based on movie themes. There is a Six Flags theme park in at least two states and that goes the same for Busch Gardens. Then you got the whole Eastern Seaboard with destinations such as Myrtle Beach, Daytona, Miami, and Duck.
Growing up in the 60's our theme park destinations were limited yet just as exciting and I dare say a little more personal than today's parks. After watching television shows like the Rifleman, Gunsmoke, F-Troop, and Daniel Boone we were always geared up to save a damsel from an "Injun" party with our shiny new cap pistols. We knew that when summer came we were going to get our chance. We lived in Charlotte when I was a kid and our local CBS channel WBTV had a Saturday show that came on with our host Fred Kirby and his trusty horse "Calico". Fred would wear his Marshal outfit and would have kids in the studio with him. In the summer you could find Fred making guest appearances as the Marshal of Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Tweetsie was our big theme park when I was growing up. Tweetsie is a steam locomotive that ran a route in the early 1900's in the High Country of North Carolina and Tennessee. The rail line was called East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Rail Road which was abbreviated as ET&WNC or as the kids would say "Eat Taters and Wear No Clothes".
The train was a cheap mode of transportation for the people of such communities as Newland, Boone, Montezuma and Johnson City. In fact the train went right through the front yard of my mother's childhood home in Montezuma until the "Great Flood" of 1940 when most of the track was either damaged beyond repair or just gone. Later the train was moved to Blowing Rock and a theme park was born. The park was designed to look like an old west town with stores, a jail and a depot for the train. There were hitchin posts and an old saloon with the swinging doors. Right before the train would fill up with tourists, the Marshal would come out of the bank with the cash box to put on the train. Out of the saloon would come several bad guys who wanted the box and Marshal Kirby would tell them to move on. Well, as a kid you knew it wasn't going to be that easy. The next thing you know one of the bad guys would draw his gun and after a volley of extremely loud gunfire and smoke Marshal Kirby would still be standing and the Cashbox made it onto the train. You couldn't get more authentic than standing there right in the middle of the action.
We then would board #12 and take the 3 mile loop around the mountain. The route took us by a mock Indian village and by a Fort that came under attack while the train was sitting still. The Indians would come onto the train yelling and running through the cars scaring us pretty good. Of course Marshal Kirby and his deputy would fight off the Indians along with a pose that would show up just in time. We would arrive safely back at the depot and would exit the train. There also was Tweetsie Palace where you could get a cold root beer and watch the magic show and the "Cancan Girls". One could get their picture taken on a life size statue of a horse or in the jail behind bars. You then could take the chair lift to the top of the mountain and would get off of the lift in the large Castle. On the south side of the castle was the home of the "Sleeping Giant". He was a larger than life figure that was asleep in his oversized bed. You could hear him snoring and if memory serves me correct, either his feet or his head would move also as he slept. On top of the mountain there was a carnival atmosphere with rides such as a small motor boat carousel in a tank of water that kids could sit in and steer the wheel. I believe this was actually a place where parents got a chance to sit on a bench and rest their feet while the kids rode with glee.
It was always a day of fun and excitement when visiting Tweetsie and as you lay your head down that night you could still hear the whistle and the bell of the train. I you just happened to be standing too close to the gunfight earlier that day you also may still hear a ringing in your ear. The actors would use a regular 44 caliber hand gun and use blanks. That didn't do anything to muffle the noise from those huge guns. After a couple of trips to Tweetsie, I started to keep an eye on the bad guys and would cover my ears during the battle. I wasn't as gun shy after those fights. I guess I took a certain pride knowing that as a kid my Mom would watch Tweetsie roll through her yard and she would get to hear that sharp "Tweet", the whistle made and later became the namesake as the kids would call it "Tweetsie". The name stuck and the rest is history. Well, until next time keep your six guns loaded with caps and remember to feed your horse.
Stan The Ramblin Man
Growing up in the 60's our theme park destinations were limited yet just as exciting and I dare say a little more personal than today's parks. After watching television shows like the Rifleman, Gunsmoke, F-Troop, and Daniel Boone we were always geared up to save a damsel from an "Injun" party with our shiny new cap pistols. We knew that when summer came we were going to get our chance. We lived in Charlotte when I was a kid and our local CBS channel WBTV had a Saturday show that came on with our host Fred Kirby and his trusty horse "Calico". Fred would wear his Marshal outfit and would have kids in the studio with him. In the summer you could find Fred making guest appearances as the Marshal of Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Tweetsie was our big theme park when I was growing up. Tweetsie is a steam locomotive that ran a route in the early 1900's in the High Country of North Carolina and Tennessee. The rail line was called East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Rail Road which was abbreviated as ET&WNC or as the kids would say "Eat Taters and Wear No Clothes".
The train was a cheap mode of transportation for the people of such communities as Newland, Boone, Montezuma and Johnson City. In fact the train went right through the front yard of my mother's childhood home in Montezuma until the "Great Flood" of 1940 when most of the track was either damaged beyond repair or just gone. Later the train was moved to Blowing Rock and a theme park was born. The park was designed to look like an old west town with stores, a jail and a depot for the train. There were hitchin posts and an old saloon with the swinging doors. Right before the train would fill up with tourists, the Marshal would come out of the bank with the cash box to put on the train. Out of the saloon would come several bad guys who wanted the box and Marshal Kirby would tell them to move on. Well, as a kid you knew it wasn't going to be that easy. The next thing you know one of the bad guys would draw his gun and after a volley of extremely loud gunfire and smoke Marshal Kirby would still be standing and the Cashbox made it onto the train. You couldn't get more authentic than standing there right in the middle of the action.
We then would board #12 and take the 3 mile loop around the mountain. The route took us by a mock Indian village and by a Fort that came under attack while the train was sitting still. The Indians would come onto the train yelling and running through the cars scaring us pretty good. Of course Marshal Kirby and his deputy would fight off the Indians along with a pose that would show up just in time. We would arrive safely back at the depot and would exit the train. There also was Tweetsie Palace where you could get a cold root beer and watch the magic show and the "Cancan Girls". One could get their picture taken on a life size statue of a horse or in the jail behind bars. You then could take the chair lift to the top of the mountain and would get off of the lift in the large Castle. On the south side of the castle was the home of the "Sleeping Giant". He was a larger than life figure that was asleep in his oversized bed. You could hear him snoring and if memory serves me correct, either his feet or his head would move also as he slept. On top of the mountain there was a carnival atmosphere with rides such as a small motor boat carousel in a tank of water that kids could sit in and steer the wheel. I believe this was actually a place where parents got a chance to sit on a bench and rest their feet while the kids rode with glee.
It was always a day of fun and excitement when visiting Tweetsie and as you lay your head down that night you could still hear the whistle and the bell of the train. I you just happened to be standing too close to the gunfight earlier that day you also may still hear a ringing in your ear. The actors would use a regular 44 caliber hand gun and use blanks. That didn't do anything to muffle the noise from those huge guns. After a couple of trips to Tweetsie, I started to keep an eye on the bad guys and would cover my ears during the battle. I wasn't as gun shy after those fights. I guess I took a certain pride knowing that as a kid my Mom would watch Tweetsie roll through her yard and she would get to hear that sharp "Tweet", the whistle made and later became the namesake as the kids would call it "Tweetsie". The name stuck and the rest is history. Well, until next time keep your six guns loaded with caps and remember to feed your horse.
Stan The Ramblin Man
