Knott’s Berry Farm has been around for more than a century and during most of that time somebody named Palovik has been on the payroll.
Allen Palovik has worked at Knott’s for 51 years and is just one of more than a dozen Paloviks who have been employed at the Buena Park theme park over the last 75 years.
“It is home to me,” said Palovik, 67, of Anaheim. “It’s been a part of my life my whole life.”
Palovik wasn’t born at Knott’s, but you might think so after glancing at his birth certificate.
In 1957, California Public Health Department birth certificates asked for the father’s place of work and occupation.
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Palovik’s dad Charles listed his employer as Knott’s Berry Farm on his son’s birth certificate.
“That’s evidence that I was born to work here,” Palovik said during a video conference call from the park.
Knott’s Berry Farm has been a big part of the Palovik family history and the Paloviks have been a big part of Knott’s history.
Palovik’s grandfather Frank was the first member of the family to land a job at Knott’s Berry Farm in 1951 as a stagecoach driver after relocating from Oklahoma.
“He had a farm in Oklahoma,” Allen said. “They used horses and wagons to gather the wheat and stuff. That’s how he got the job driving the stagecoach.”
A few years later, Palovik’s dad Charles landed a job at Knott’s in 1956 as a night janitor and went on to work at the park for 28 years.
In the 1960s, young Allen spent as much time as he could at Knott’s Berry Farm riding attractions with the ticket books employees got for their families.
“As a kid raised right here in Buena Park we could easily ride our bikes down Western Avenue to Knott’s,” Palovik said. “We spent lots of time here.”
His dad used to come home in the middle of his overnight janitorial shifts to eat breakfast at 5 a.m.
“A lot of times on weekends or during the summer,” Palovik said. “I would get up and come back out with him for the second half of his shift.”
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One of Palovik’s favorite stops on his dad’s janitorial rounds was Mrs. Knott’s chicken dinner restaurant.
“We would walk through the kitchen and Mrs. Knott would be in there overseeing preparations for the day,” Allen said. “She would give me biscuits to eat as we went through there.”
The Knott family children were neighbors of the Paloviks. As a kid, Allen delivered the Orange County Register to their houses on his paper route and mowed their lawns.
As soon as he could, the 16-year-old Palovik followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and father and got a job at Knott’s cleaning up Ghost Town as a sweeper.
Before long, he moved over to the stroller rental shop where he quickly made friends with his coworkers.
“We were a very tight group,” Palovik said. “A lot of times, even on days off, I would come back in and spend time with the guys in the stroller shop. We would just sit in the back room and talk.”
Palovik soon got promoted to the Ghost Town retail shops where he met his future wife, Diane.
“Her brother had worked with me in the stroller shop,” Palovik said.
Allen and Diane’s first date was at a Knott’s employee banquet.
Palovik transferred to the Knott’s print shop in 1981 and has been there ever since. Today he’s the manager of the department.
All of Palovik’s siblings — Eugene, Janice and Laretta — got jobs at Knott’s when they were old enough.
Eugene worked in the Knott’s bank where the day’s receipts were tallied. Janice was a waitress at Mrs. Knott’s chicken dinner restaurant. Laretta had the most interesting gig of them all — working with the costumed Peanuts characters in Camp Snoopy.
The list of Paloviks that have worked at the park is way too long for Palovik to count, including nieces, nephews, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.
Palovik’s son Andrew became the fourth generation of Paloviks to work at Knott’s in 2004 when he got a job on the carnival midway games.
Palovik’s grandchildren — ages 2, 4 and 7 — are still too young to apply at Knott’s.
“They’re not ready to work here yet,” Palovik said with a chuckle.
It would be a long commute anyway — the grandkids live in Texas.
“Maybe eventually they will work for Six Flags,” Palovik said. “There are Six Flags parks in Texas.”
Early in his career, Palovik worked alongside many of the children and grandchildren of park founders Walter and Cordelia Knott.
“The Knott family always treated their employees as part of the family,” Palovik said.
Palovik accompanied Marion Knott on her last visit to the park for the 75th anniversary of the Ghost Town & Calico Railroad.
Palovik’s long association with the park has made him the unofficial Knott’s Berry Farm historian.
“Growing up here, I experienced it,” Palovik said. “I lived the history of Knott’s.”
Next month, Palovik will switch to a part-time schedule for the first time in decades as a Knott’s employee. He’s hoping to slowly wind down his career rather than suddenly stop.
“It’s actually a very stressful time for me as I think about leaving,” Palovik said. “This is a part of my daily routine. What’s after this is kind of scary to think about.”