By John Dobberstein, Editor
City officials announced an agreement Tuesday for Bell’s Amusement Park, a long-time icon in Tulsa, to reopen in eastern Broken Arrow.
The park will be located on 102 acres along E. Kenosha Street just east of the Creek Turnpike.
Representatives from the City of Broken Arrow and the Broken Arrow Economic Development Corp. were in attendance.
The property is undeveloped and will require infrastructure, and the park will be built in phases over the next several years. Plans include a thrill park featuring Bell’s favorites such as Zingo, the iconic wooden roller coaster, the log ride, the Phantasmagoria and the Himalayan, as well as a kiddie park, high-speed go-carts, and a water park twice the size of any in the area.
Click here to watch video of announcement
Bell’s Amusement Park began as a hand-built kiddie park in 1951 at the 21st & Harvard Fairgrounds in Tulsa. Over the years, many adult rides were developed such as Zingo (white wooden roller coaster), White Lightnin’ (“log” flume ride), Himalaya, Chili Pepper Plunge, and Phantasmagoria (dark ride.)
After 56 years of business, the lease at the fairgrounds location was not renewed and Bell’s was forced to close and uproot the park. One Tulsan described the removal of Bell’s Amusement Park as, “Tearing a hole in Tulsa’s heart.”
Bell’s Amusement Park closed after the 2006 season at the Tulsa County Fairgrounds when the county didn’t renew the park’s lease after it operated there since 1951.
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In the last couple of years the family had been in negotiations over two sites.
Bell’s stated on its Facebook page last September it had secured a site for a new amusement park, a parcel that was “10 times larger” than its previous location and would allow the family to diversify into different activities.
Bell’s President Robby Bell III told Tulsa People Magazine in May 2020 he wanted it to once again be “a place where people make memories that last generations, just like my grandfather and my dad did before me.”
“Part of the reason why people feel the way they do about Bell’s is because a lot of what I call ‘mini milestones’ in life happened there,” says Bell III.
Mayor Debra Wimpee expressed her excitement for the new project.
“It’s new and exciting for the city,” Wimpee said. “It’s economic development that is going to generate jobs and a better quality of life for our residents.”
City Manager Michael Spurgeon reminisced about growing up in Tulsa and spending time at Bell’s Amusement Park.
“Some of my fondest memories were spent there on Zingo and to be able to make this announcement today is an absolute blessing,” Spurgeon said.
“There is a lot to be done here, and this will take a lot of work. This doesn’t happen overnight,” Jennifer Conway, Broken Arrow Chamber and Economic Development President said. “But the vision is absolutely phenomenal.”
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