...CONTINUED (1965-Present)
1965 - Lagoon’s original Wild Mouse opens where the Jet Star 2 is now located.
- The Julian M. Bamberger fountain is built at the north end of the midway.
1966 - 8-track tape players debut.
1967 - Terroride opens.
1968 - Robert Wilson helps to found the Lagoon Opera House. Restaurants & an outdoor dining area open also to create Opera House Square.
1969 - The Patio Gardens building is turned into a Roller Skating Rink.
- Woodstock Music Festival in New York.
- Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin land on the moon.
1970 - Lagoon starts weekly Saturday Night Rodeos in the fall.
- What remains of Saltair is demolished by a fire in November.
- The microprocessor is invented.
1971 - The Lagoon Campground opens on the south side of the park. Guests begin pedaling Water Skeeters around Lagoon Lake.
1972 - The 1st commercially successful video game, Pong, is released. It was created by Nolan Bushnell, a former manager of Lagoon’s Games Department.
1974 - The Sky Ride begins transporting guests across the Midway.
1975 - Vietnam War ends.
- Lagoon buys Pioneer Village from the Sons Of Utah Pioneers & begins moving the buildings to the east side of the park.
1976 - Jet Star 2 & Pioneer Village open at Lagoon.
- First satellite television delivery begins.
- First VHS video recordings.
1979 - Tri-Star opens & the Stagecoach begins traveling around Pioneer Village.
1980 - The Tidal Wave opens at Lagoon.
- Eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington.
1981 - Carousel Plaza & Carousel Stage are built.
- IBM personal computer debuts.
1982 - Lagoon begins selling All-Day Passports instead of individual ride tickets. The UFO opens for one season at Lagoon.
1983 - Mudslides and flooding of Farmington Creek force Lagoon to open later than planned.
- After traveling Europe in a carnival, the Colossus Fire Dragon opens permanently at Lagoon.
- Invention of Compact Discs.
1985 - Puff The Little Fire Dragon opens & Mother Gooseland becomes Kiddieland.
Photo courtesy of John Sturm1986 - The Flying Carpet soars over the North Midway. Lagoon’s oldest ride, the Rockets over the lake, close at the end of the season.
1987 - The Million-Gallon Swimming Pool opens for its last season. Turn Of The Century swing ride is built in the Rockets old location & the Centennial Screamer is also added.
1988 - Sun & Fun Theater opens with a high divers & sea lion show.
1989 - Lagoon-A-Beach opens where the Swimming Pool was located. The Wild Mouse closes and is torn down the next year.
- Berlin Wall is torn down.
1990 - The Ferris Wheel ends its last year.
1991 - The 147-foot Sky Scraper observation wheel opens. Its lights can be seen from Bountiful to Layton.
1992 - The Midway is widened and ride entrances are made more accessible to those in wheelchairs.
1993 - The Carousel is given a full restoration for it’s 100th Anniversary. Yearly park attendance reaches 1 Million for the first time.
1995 - Sky Coaster opens on the North Midway.
1996 - Top Eliminator Dragsters are the 2nd ride of its kind to be built. It opens in late August.
- Digital Video Discs (DVD’s) are put on the market.
1997 - Lagoon opens its most expensive ride ever, Rattlesnake Rapids, in Pioneer Village. The total cost was over $7 Million.
1998 - A new Steel Wild Mouse opens in the wooden Mouse’s old spot on the South Midway.
1999 - The new Rocket is installed, stretching Lagoon’s skyline to over 200 feet.
2000 - Double Thunder Raceway opens & joins Top Eliminator & Sky Coaster to become the X-Venture Zone. The Samurai opens in July where Flying Carpet closed after the previous season. Speedway, Sr. closes after its 40th year.
2001 - Cliffhanger is the 1st of 2 rides to replace the old Speedway. It opens in late May.
- The Farmington Star website is launched on 11 July.
2002 - The Catapult, an X-Venture Zone attraction, flings Lagoon guests higher than ever before. The Roll-O-Plane breaks down & ends its 48-year operation on 30 June.
2003 - The Spider is completed west of Cliffhanger.
2004 - Two new rides are added to Kiddieland & the area is redecorated. A new interactive fountain is installed in the center of the Midway.
