| Updated: 9/25/2011 9:43 pm |
Published: 9/25/2011 2:51 pm
|
Tulsa ---
A Tulsa icon is preparing for a re-birth in west Tulsa.
Bell's Amusement Park is opening in a few weeks after losing its lease at the Tulsa Fairgrounds in 2006.
Robby Bell tells FOX23 he will start off with two or three kiddie rides at the Saturday Flea Market in west Tulsa.
Bell says he hopes to keep adding rides to make it a full park eventually.
He is partnering with the owner of the Saturday Flea Market to give Tulsa an exciting new combination.
“We’ll make it very equitable for somebody to come out and have a full day of fun, and then mom can go shop while dad's watching the kids ride the merry-go-round,” says Bell.
He says people will even get to experience new rides never seen before.
"We'll probably go buy some new specialized kiddie rides that were never at Bell's,” he says.
We caught up with Wesley Cox at the park, and he says he can’t wait to bring his daughter Coco out for some fun.
"Now that it's coming back, I get to experience this legendary Tulsa theme park that is making this magical sphinx-type re-appearance,” says Cox.
Not only will this benefit families, but the goal is to breathe some life into Tulsa’s economy.
“By us partnering with them, we'll be able to have shopping and rides and entertainment for the kids,” says Saturday Flea Market owner, Jeff Schwickerath.
Besides rides, Bell has some other ideas up his sleeve.
“I’ll start dotting rides all around this area and put up some concessions stands, get the cotton candy machine and popcorn out and all that,” says Bell.
He hopes to have the first few rides active in a couple of weeks.
"We're just waiting on PSO to drop the power for us and then we'll get started,” Bell says.
Currently, there are 26 rides being stored all over the United States just waiting for a new home. All of them were former Bell's Amusement Park attractions.
“Everybody is excited and my phone has been ringing off the hook so it's been great, it's going to be a lot of fun."
So far, Bell is still determining the ticket prices.
