Back in the 90s, my family hosted a foreign exchange student from the Netherlands. On one of her first days in our home, she and other foreign exchange students went to Worlds of Fun.
She came home sick to her stomach and with an awful pain in her neck, but she was deliriously happy. She had discovered the Zambezi Zinger and had done nothing but ride the roller coaster an estimated 62 times and eat corn dogs, a delicacy new to this European teenager.
We lost touch with our foreign exchange student over the years, but we’ve thought about how much fun it would be for her to return to Kansas City this summer for the 50th anniversary of Worlds of Fun and the return of the Zambezi Zinger.
It’s a celebration for fun lovers from literally around the world.
Worlds of Fun was Lamar Hunt’s idea. In partnership with Jack Steadman, his original plan was 500 acres, a park that might rival Kansas City’s other inspirational genius – Walt Disney.
They broke ground in 1971 and on May 26, 1973, Worlds of Fun opened with 20 rides. Today, the park is 243 acres and has 64 rides. The original Zambezi Zinger operated until 1997 and was sold to an amusement park in South America.
The Zambezi Zinger returning to thrill us this summer is the same design, but bigger and badder. The original was 57 feet high and riders sat single file in a bobsled-type cart. The new Zinger is 74 feet tall, 2,482 feet long and goes 45 mph. Riders sit side by side.
Janet Scott Canseco, who now lives in Parkville, was a senior at Truman High School in Independence when Worlds of Fun opened. Although she already had a part-time job, she thought it would be great fun to work the summer at this new place.
“I loved working the Zinger because where I stood was under a canopy so it was shaded and cool,” Janet says. “After we got off work, we just stayed and rode rides until the park closed. It was the best job ever.”
Despite her cool, shady space working at the Zinger, Janet realized that working in ticket sales allowed her to work in an air-conditioned space, so that’s where she spent the summer of 1974. Now she takes her grandsons to WOF and is looking forward to riding the Zinger with them when they are tall enough.
Terry Hurley was also a senior in high school in 1973 when he saw a call for auditions for performers in Worlds of Fun’s new theaters. At the time, Terry’s dream was to make it to Broadway, singing and performing in musicals. He made the cut — one of only two teenagers to be chosen for a musical review called Twentieth Century Sing at the Tivoli Playhouse.
“It was a very heady experience for me,” says Terry, now retired as an in-house attorney for the Sprint Corporation and living in North Carolina.
“It was a lot of fun that first summer because everything was new and somewhat experimental and we had to figure things out on the fly,” he says. “That job helped me grow up a bit and develop confidence that has helped me all my life.”
One of the highlights of the summer was a visit from Lamar Hunt. “He came backstage and shook each of our hands and I remember him being very gracious.”
Lisa Mall has a Lamar Hunt story, too. The Clay County woman worked from 1988-91 at Worlds of Fun. One night, as she was loading guests on the Zinger, two men appeared in line in suits, which was kind of weird. As a safety precaution, it was her job to make sure guests stayed behind the yellow line.
She made the announcement several times, speaking more firmly each time. Everyone obeyed, except for the two men in suits. They just smiled and kept talking.
“I yelled at Lamar Hunt and Jack Steadman,” laughed Lisa. “I didn’t know who they were, but I hope he was impressed at my efforts to ensure safety.”
Lisa continues to visit Worlds of Fun on a regular basis and cherishes the memories from her favorite job ever.
“To this day, I can’t stand the smell of funnel cakes or hot asphalt, thanks to my time at Worlds of Fun,” laughed Laura Watilo Blake, a 1988 Oak Park High School graduate who worked a variety of WOF positions from 1984-87, as did her sister Lenore, who now lives in Maui.
Laura now lives in Ohio, not far from Cedar Point, owned by the same parent company as Worlds of Fun. Her 9-year-old daughter is finally tall enough to ride the coasters at Cedar Point, but Laura has not taken her.
“Kinley’s first theme park and roller coaster experience is going to be Worlds of Fun and the Zambezi Zinger,” Laura said. They’ll be visiting Kansas City this month.
And in one of those twists in life, Laura’s daughter is adopted from Colombia and Laura, a travel writer, has contributed to the Lonely Planet guidebook covering the country. She plans to take Kinley to ride the original Zambezi Zinger now located in Quindío, Colombia.
Worlds of Fun’s 50th – truly a celebration around the world.
Summer Highlights
50 Nights of Fire
For 50 nights straight, starting June 24 and ending Aug. 12, Worlds of Fun hosts a fireworks display that includes drones and original music created for the anniversary season.
Worlds of Fun 50
Visit the lobby of the Tivoli Theater for a temporary museum installation on the history of WOF. From the drafting table the park was designed on to the original lead car from the Orient Express and lots of memories from guests and employees, there’s a fun story.
For more information, visit worldsoffun.com/entertainment