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Dodgem
Location: Main Midway - exact location unkown
Installed: 1940
Removed: Possibly 1953 (burned down in fire)
Manufactured By: Dodgem Corp
Lagoon’s Dodgem simply put was a bumper car ride. It’s unclear where the ride sat while it was in operation and at one point the ride was actually removed.
Like most bumper car rides, this one consisted of several small electric cars that got their power from an electrified overhead grid which was only active while the ride was turned on. Power is provided to the car through a pole that extends from the car to ceiling and has an antennae that is scraped across the grid as the car is in motion. The cars run around on a metal floor that is sprinkled with graphite to reduce friction during the course of the ride.
A rubber bumper surrounds each vehicle, and drivers are permitted steer the car anywhere they like The entertainment of the ride comes from seeing how hard one can smash into another. The controls consist of a steering wheel and an accelerator and each car can be made to go backwards by turning the steering wheel far enough in either direction. Backing up is necessary due to the frequent number of pile-ups that occur.
Lagoon’s Dodgem started out with big and bulky ride vehicles that were common in many of the Dodgem rides of the 1940’s. Over the years the ride vehicles began to be shaped more and more like actual cars. Lagoon received “modern” cars for their Dodgem ride in 1951.
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