Wendell “Bud” Hurlbut, a man who changed the future of theme park attractions, was celebrated in grand fashion on what would’ve been his 100th birthday, Wednesday, June 13th. Former colleagues, friends, and admirers alike gathered at Castle Park, a family-friendly amusement park in Riverside, CA, to perform and share stories in honor of the late visionary’s life and career.
Bud established Castle Park in 1976. However, he is best known for creating the Calico Mine Ride (1960) and the Timber Mountain Log Ride (1969) at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA. In these rides, he used innovative, immersive designs and impressive attention to detail to tell the stories of gold rush miners and lumberjacks.
“In 1960, when the mine ride opened, there wasn’t anything like that immersive environment. Maybe back in the ‘50s they had those love tunnels and those kind of things, but never anything like that, where it literally immersed you in something that seemed like the real deal,” said keynote speaker Garner Holt, founder of world-leading animatronics company, Garner Holt Productions.
By introducing the art of storytelling to his rides, he greatly influenced ride designs that followed. Walt Disney, himself, gained inspiration for his own park attractions as he frequently visited Bud’s work on the Calico Mine Ride. Decades later, the Calico Mine Ride and Timber Mountain Log Ride remain two of Knott’s Berry Farm’s most popular attractions.
“When you do something like that and Walt Disney comes out to see it thinking about what he’s going to put in his park, that’s pretty special,” Holt added.
After Hurlbut’s passing in 2011, Garner Holt Productions worked on many updates to the Timber Mountain Log Ride in 2013 and the Calico Mine Ride in 2014.
Castle Park’s special event was the kick off of a summertime celebration in honor of Bud and all his creative pursuits. The theme of the celebration is “Honor the past, inspire the future.” Accordingly, many children also took to the stage to honor Bud’s legacy and to show off their creative talents. During this special time, a scavenger hunt and an on-site museum are just a couple ways you can learn about Bud’s life and legacy when you visit Castle Park this summer.
