Cheerful calliope music blared as the merry-go-round spun at Lakeside Amusement Park, harkening back to the sounds of an old-time carnival at this 116-year-old theme park just off the northwest side of Denver.
Screams from teenage thrill-seekers riding the Spider, the Scrambler and the Wild Chipmunk punctuated the music as they whirled, flipped and raced on the same rides their parents and grandparents enjoyed when they were young.
On this breezy late-June night, though, the park’s most famous attraction — the landmark wooden Cyclone roller coaster — sat idle. Its art deco entry was dark even as the merry-go-round’s neon shone against the setting sun. No one screamed ahead of the sharp turn where it feels like you just might be launched into Lake Rhoda. No one felt their stomach drop as the coaster skipped over a series of bunny hops.
State amusement park regulators ordered the Cyclone to close two summers ago after a woman was injured on the ride, and the coaster has been shuttered ever since as Lakeside’s owners try to determine out how to retain the ride’s historic charm while making it safer for passengers, who often ignore warnings to keep their arms and hands inside the cars.
Read the full story from our partners at The Denver Post.
Lakeside was at one time “The Greatest Park in the West," but perhaps the richest history on park grounds sits just to the south of the roller coasters and Ferris wheel – and it’s in danger of crumbling away. Watch a full Denver7+ documentary on Lakeside Speedway, once known as Denver's "palace," in the video player below: