The buildings were torn down, leaving behind concrete foundations, ditches, dikes, and the tide gate. Under the Cascade Head Scenic Research Area Act, the Forest Service was mandated to restore the Salmon River estuary, which included the Pixieland site. Forest Service purchased it and the Pixieland property. The RV park stayed in business until 1981, when the U.S. Parks left the business by 1977, and the abandoned buildings slowly collapsed into the invading Himalayan blackberries. The pared-down Pixieland operated for a few months, but the new rides were not enough to save it. Miniature whale boats were planned for a manmade lake. He opened it again in May 1975, with about 40 percent of the attractions, which now included a new Ferris wheel-the largest manufactured in the United States-and other “thrill” rides such as the Looper and the Tilt-o-Wheel. Parks sold Little Pixie and the Log Flume Ride in 1974 to the Lagoon Corporation in Salt Lake City and closed the park for the winter. In addition, the drizzly coastal weather had mandated a short operating season, and upkeep was constant due to the corrosive damp. The park had never shown a profit, Parks said, even from the 121-unit mobile home park that had been the financial mainstay of the business. Pixieland began to collapse financially in 1973, and Parks solicited offers from out-of-state buyers. The ride, which had eight boats, was designed specifically for Pixieland and cost $200,000. Visitors in “log” boats were carried thirty-five feet above the theme park before descending a waterslide into a long splash basin. The Log Flume Ride, the only such amusement ride on the West Coast at the time, was perhaps the best-known attraction. The track required some 46,000 pounds of rail, and the train reportedly used 700 pounds of coal and 300 gallons of water each operating day. Little Pixie-a three-car, 1890s-style steam locomotive originally named Little Toot-took passengers on a mile-long ride atop the dike that surrounded the park. Scones were sold at Fisher’s Scone, a round building topped with a Scottish tam made of fiberglass and measuring thirty-two feet in diameter. In addition to the Darigold Barn, where ice cream was sold, attractions included Arcade Amusements, the Blue Bell Opera House, the Phillips Candy Kitchen, and the Franz Rest Bread Hut, where visitors could watch the Log Flume Ride. Governor Tom McCall dedicated the park on June 28, and a plaque reading “Dedicated to the families of Oregon” was erected on the park’s main street. Pixieland, which Parks described as a “Fairytale Story of Oregon,” opened on May 15, 1969. The final cost of the park was an estimated $2 million. To finance the project, Parks received a $250,000 Small Business Administration loan and offered 500,000 shares of stock at a dollar a share, which sold out in an in-state offering in three weeks. He hired two people who had worked at Disneyland to help design and build the park and to oversee its operation. In 1966, he told the Lincoln City News Guard that Pixieland would include “pioneer-type buildings,” train rides, and a larger restaurant. He purchased 57 acres of Salmon River wetlands in 1964 and spent $300,000 diking, draining, and filling the land. The Pixie Kitchen was so popular that Jerry Parks decided to build an amusement park. The restaurant’s slogan was “Heavenly Food on the Oregon Coast.” Placemats folded into pixie hats, the menus had pixies scampering over the page, and there were surprise candy treats for children. Funhouse mirrors framed the entrance, and the dining room’s large windows looked out on the Pixie Garden, a fantasyland of pixies in a motorized diorama. Under the Parks’ management, the restaurant became a well-known coastal eatery that focused on affordable meals and a fairytale-themed décor. Gallagher, who had opened it in 1948 as Pixie Pot Pie, a take-home pie service. Jerry and Lu Parks opened the restaurant on May 21, 1953, purchasing it from T.C. Pixieland grew out of the success of the Pixie Kitchen, a seafood restaurant on Highway 101 in Wecoma Beach (now part of Lincoln City). The park, which operated from 1969 to 1975, was a major regional tourist attraction known for its colorful décor, fun rides, and other amusements that catered to children. Pixieland was a short-lived but popular amusement park on the Oregon Coast northeast of Lincoln City, between the Salmon River and Highway 18.
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