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18 GREGORY STONE

EXHIBIT 4 Missouri Entertainment Attractions
Name Address Facility Type Attraction Description

Carousel Park 3834 W. Amusement This is a family fun park for young and old. Park features
7th Street Park dozens of amusement rides, two 18-hole miniature golf
Joplin, courses, multispeed batting cages, the fastest go karts in the
MO 64801 area, water-spraying bumper boats, an exciting indoor
arcade, indoor and outdoor birthday party areas.
Silver Dollar 399 Indian Point Theme Park Park for all ages combines the wholesome family fun of a
City Road Branson, major theme park with the timeless appeal of crafts and a
MO 65616 dedication to preserving 1880s Ozarks culture.
Six Flags P.O. Box 60 Theme Park Six Flags St. Louis is a major amusement park featuring
St. Louis Eureka, eight themed lands of adventure. The six flags that fly over
MO 63025 the park represent the countries and states that have influ-
enced St. Louis history—France, Spain, Great Britain (which
at one time had jurisdiction over the area), Illinois, Missouri,
and the U.S.A. The park features more than 40 attractions
and game areas, more than 25 food outlets and gift shops,
live shows, and a tropical paradise water park called
Hurricane Harbor.
Worlds of Fun 4545 NE Worlds Theme Park The park is themed around the Jules Verne book, Around
of Fun Drive the World in Eighty Days, and is divided into five major
Kansas City, sections—Scandinavia, Africa, Europa, the Orient, and
MO 64161 Americana. Rides, attractions, shops, shows, and restaurants
are named according to the area theme. The park also has an
attached water park called Oceans of Fun.

theme parks, however, offered highly attractive water parks, modern steel coasters, entertain-
ers, and an endless array of promotions, discounts, and family fun “packages” that made it
worth the several-hundred-mile drive to be thrilled and entertained (see Exhibit 4).
Merryland’s lack of marketing and promotion in lieu of higher ticket prices further
contributed to its own declining backyard patron interest. Alan and Samantha, unlike the
previous owners, were far removed from the changing needs, wants, and desires of a new
generation of amusement park children, teens, and adults that began to take shape in the
early 1990s. Customer demographics had shifted, and Merryland didn’t shift with them.
The Steinbergs initiated a lawsuit against the interim operators. In the lawsuit, they
listed Louie the Clown as one of the items damaged or taken from the park. The interim
operators all said they knew nothing about the missing clown’s whereabouts. The
Steinbergs were also attempting to collect $450,000 in back rent and damages, but the
former operators have said that they don’t owe anyone any rent for anything.

Merryland’s “Screamer” Roller Coaster
For residents of Kansas City, there was only one reason to go to Merryland—the roller
coaster! Some people nicknamed it the “scream machine” and with good reason. The history
of the “Screamer” reflected a constant search for greater and more death-defying thrills.
Merryland Park’s Screamer roller coaster was a product of the Philadelphia
Toboggan Company and one of the last surviving original wooden coasters designed by
Herbert Paul Schmeck. Along with the Screamer, another of the trademark attractions was
the park’s Wurlitzer organ with Louie the Clown in front of it.
Patrons always loved the wooden coaster and would swear they noticed a big differ-
ence in the ride of Merryland’s over others. Although it wasn’t all that tall and not as fast
as those in other parks, Merryland’s made up for all those shortcomings with its sway—
the back-and-forth motion that created the “out-of-control” sense of pending disaster,
especially on the curves. That was due primarily to the Screamer’s state-of-the-art wheel
technology.