1982 World’s Fair, Part Two

It’s time to finish the saga that was The 1982 World’s Fair Trip™!  After thinking through it, I probably could have just added this post to the original one because there’s not much to it.  But I couldn’t think of the name of the waterpark featured in this post at the time, and I wanted to go on and publish what I had.  It had been lingering out there for a couple of weeks.  This memory has nothing to do with Girl Scouts, so feel free to skip it unless you’re interested in another probable self-absorbed post.

(h/t to Will & Emily for giving me the name of the waterpark!)

So after the excitement of the World’s Fair was over, we visited Ogle’s Waterpark in Pigeon Forge, TN.  Apparently Ogle’s is no longer in existence and was razed for a shopping center (isn’t everything?) a while back.  That’s what Dollywood will do to you.  On a side note, I wonder if Dollywood is open 9 to 5?

And so begins my string of getting hurt and/or sick on GS Trips.

I don’t remember much about Ogle’s, but there are two things that stick out in my mind – the first being the wave pool.  Looking back, I’m assuming I wasn’t by myself and was with other troop members during all of this because I don’t remember any parents being around.  But it was the 80s, so who knows.

We were in the deep end of the wave pool and had gone through a couple of rounds of waves.  During one of the lulls, I decided to get out, so I swam over to the ladder in the deep end instead of swimming all the way back to the cement shore.  Right as I started to climb up the ladder, the horn sounded and the wave cycle started back up pretty quickly.  It became extremely difficult to get up because the waves started crashing into the ladder and therefore crashing me into said ladder.  I’d like to note this happened right under the watchful eyes of one of the lifeguards.  I have a feeling the lifeguard was thinking about the awesome kegger he was going to that night rather than the eight year old girl getting thrashed against the ladder.  I bet it was one of those crazy keggers that could only have happened in the 80s.  After a few knocks to the head, I fell back into the wave pool and gurgled for a bit before finally managing to sputter out a weak “Help!”

The lifeguard pulled me out by one arm, and I sat down completely bedraggled and embarrassed. I was on the neighborhood swim team, and I hoped this incident didn’t get back to everybody in Cedar Creek.  The lifeguard asked me a few quick questions and then went back to wondering who was going to be at the party that night.

Will told me he almost drowned in the wave pool as well and that it was pretty much a rite of passage for those living in the area.  It sounds like someone could have made a killing off “I Almost Drowned in the Wave Pool at Ogle’s and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt” merchandise.

Later, a couple of us wanted to go on one of the bigger slides together.  You could ride three to an inner tube if I remember correctly.  Jenny was probably there!  She’s in most of my stories!  We climbed aaaaaalllllll the way to the top.  We waited for the uninterested teen lifeguard (whose mind is also on the kegger) to tell us we can go.  GO!  We hopped on the inner tube and away we went!  I was in the back.  Down and ’round the corners and where we stop, nobody knows – except us, who came to a halt about 5 feet from the end of the slide.  We scooted along with our legs and behinds, hoping the water would eventually catch and push us out into the pool.  We were painfully making our way to the exit when it suddenly occurred to me that I hoped the uninterested lifeguard hadn’t let the next person go.  I look back into the tunnel and  – WHAM!  – all four of us come tumbling out of the tube.  The offending party hopped up and quickly took off.  In my dazed and confused state, I vaguely remember my parents and Mrs. Vickers running up to see what happened while the lifeguards hauled us out of the water. I think I mumbled something about feet being the last thing that I saw.  My parents were pretty irate as you can imagine.  I’m sure these days we would be swimming in the dough from a lawsuit, but it was the 80s and an apology sufficed.  I believe that wound up our visit!  And I bet the guy that hit me told all of his friends about it at the kegger that night!

So ends the saga of Amy Moore and Ogle’s Water Park.  May it rest in peace.