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Annually, our school has the privilege of spending a day at Lagoon. Lagoon is an amusement park, and the trip takes place Wednesday, May 18th. There is many eligibility requirements, fees and other information that you will be able to find in the SaJHS Newsletter in April.
Lagoon has very deep history, that not many people know. For instance, it opened over a hundred years ago (1886). There was many features to the park; roller skating, water sports, a bowling alley, a merry-go-round and many more. In 1899 it moved to the location that is is standing today, in Farmington Utah. With this addition more features were added for thrill-seekers.
In 1906, a ride was added to the collection. This was a Victorian-era Carousel, the crazy thing is that this carousel is still in operation today with 45 handcarved characters. Lagoon also hosts one of the oldest operating wooden roller coasters in the world, it was built in 1921. This coaster speeds up to 45 mph, with 60 foot tall tracks. In 1927 there was a million-gallon, filtered swimming pool installation. Much later in 1989, Lagoon-A-Beach water park replaced the original pool.
A fire hit Lagoon in 1953, burning down much of the park. Half of the Roller Coaster was burnt. Scorch marks on the carousel are still visible today. In 1954 Lagoon was rebuilt with new attractions coming up everywhere. A well known civil rights advocate, Robert E. Freed, stood up against town ordinances from banning African-Americans from the park. This allowed Lagoon to be entered by any race.
People Magazine has recognized the park, when the mentioned Colossus the Fire Dragon when they named the top 10 roller coasters in the country. There has also been many celebrities that have performed at the park, for example The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.
Lagoon is a great way to have fun. Summer Wilde, and eighth grader that loves the experience to Lagoon reports her opinion on the park. She states,”I enjoy the variation of rides that they have and the many different sections for rides (Kiddieland, Pioneer Village, etc.)”. Many of the students enjoy Lagoon and we are all stoked to make the trip this year.