The Daily Herald from Chicago, Illinois • Page 30

A Midwest version of Disneyland set in Gurnee, III. relatively new. It already Is the third biggest recreational industry in the country. A survey just completed by C. S.

McKee Pittsburgh, says 55 million persons visited 22 major theme parks last year. Only horseracing, which drew 74 million; and the national parks, with 57 million, topped that. By contrast, college and professional football games combined dr.ew only 42 million, baseball 30 million and bowling 40 million. Curnee was selected as the ideal location for a theme park by a group of consultants called Economic Research Associates, the same firm that did the long-term feasibility planning for Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Within a 100-mile of Great America live some 12 mil- 'lion people, ERA found.

Great America was designed by movie set designer Randall Duel), who used to work for MGM in Hollywood, but lately has taken to designing theme parks. He is the artistic mastermind behind the Six Flags parks; Opryland in Nashville, Magic Mountain in Los Angeles and many more. Great America and others in the new generation of amusement parks are more than just oversized carnivals or state fair midways. Rides alone, nd matter how thrilling, are not enough today. Original musical reviews and shows are In five theaters and arenas located on the Great America park grounds.

Theatre Royale In Orleans Place head- fine 14 Warner Brothers cartoon characters In a combined electronic and live show. Marriott acquired rights to Warner Brothers' characters Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig et at and plans to use them as Disney does its Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Wilderness Theater In the Yukon combines the talents of elephants, dolphins, bears, chimpanzees and Zamba, a former MGM lion, in what is advertised as the first stage show to feature both land and sea animals. Grand Pavilion In the Great Midwest Livestock Exposition and County Fair puts on a turn-of-the-century circus. In Hometown Square's Grand Music Hall "Music! America!" is on stage.

And in the Klondike Cafe and Snowshoe Saloon slapstick comedy and un undeniably polite can-can will be presented. Clearly it's all intended to further Great America's theme park concept. If it overwhelms you, you can always take time out for some of the park's 31 rides. The most popular, shown by experience of other amusement parks, will be the two flume rides Yankee Clipper and the i i ride i five-passenger boats along an elevated trough of rushing wate'r. At the end of the ride, the boat drops 60-feet into a swirling lagoon.

The Turn of the Century Is a corkscrew-shaped roller coaster that spins rii ders completely upside down in two barrel-type loops. A second roller Willard's Whizzer, is designed with a seven-story drop and 60 banked turns of 70 degrees. Trains will reach speeds of 42 miles per hour in the German-designed roller coaster. The Skvwhirl is billed as the world's only triple ferris wheel, lifting riders 120 feet over the park grounds. The Yukon Yahoo has 16 bobsleds that accelerate in a circular motion, leaning further into the turns with each successive pass.

The biggest bumper car ride In the United States is the Rue le Dodge. A bumping area 134 53 feet is available for collision 1 Alpine-style cable cars, a steam engine train, that chugs the mile-long perimeter of the park, ferris wheels, a 1910 merry-go-round and kiddie kars are some of the other rides available for the more faint at heart. It has taken almost two years to build (Continued on Page 7) A crane stretches to the 10-story Columbia carousel.