Fireworks planned for Giant Dipper’s 100th anniversary at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
SANTA CRUZ — The Boardwalk’s historic wooden roller coaster the Giant Dipper will celebrate its 100th year in operation this May and the milestone will be marked with some special events and celebrations that include a fireworks celebration.
“The Giant Dipper is one of the most iconic and recognized landmarks in all of Santa Cruz,” said Kris Reyes, Boardwalk spokesperson. “This classic wooden roller coaster has thrilled over 66 million riders during the past 100 years and we are excited to celebrate the Boardwalk’s crown jewel with an amazing fireworks show in May and other fun events throughout the year.”
Bay Area News Group file
Sign for the Giant Dipper roller coaster at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Saturday, May 3, 2014. The venerable Giant Dipper will celebrate its 90th anniversary soon. (Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group)
Construction workers building the Giant Dipper in the spring of 1924. It was built in 47 days at a cost of $50,000.
Clarence Leibbrandt – in the dark outfit to the right of the second post
Guests disembark inside the Giant Dipper’s station in this 1948 historical photo. The coaster recorded their 50 millionth rider this week. A National Historic Landmark, it’s the oldest wooden coaster on the West Coast and the seventh oldest in the nation. It’s half a mile long, 70 feet high, and it reaches a top speed of 55 mph. A ride last 1 minute 52 seconds. Recieved May 23, 2002
Basketball great Wilt Chamberlain rides the Giant Dipper in 1963. Chamberlain’s nickname was the Big Dipper.
(The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: A Century By the Sea by the Santa Cruz Seaside Company. Santa Cruz Seaside Company.)
The Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, California. (Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk)
View from the “Big Dipper” roller coaster at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. (Patrick Tehan / Mercury News)
Riders on the Giant Dipper roller coaster at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk exult in the largest downhill plunge of the ride. More than 66 million riders have ridden the coaster since it was built in 1924, and it remains the most popular ride at West Coast’s only major seaside amusement park. According to Arthur Looff, he created the Giant Dipper envisioning a giant wooden coaster that would be, in his words, a “combination earthquake, balloon ascension and aeroplane drop.” The ride which boasts maximum speeds of 46 mph, is the fourth-oldest coaster continuously operating in its original location in the United States. It was built in just 47 days at a cost of $50,000 and the original fare to ride it was 15 cents. Major motion pictures featuring the Giant Dipper include Jordan Peele’s 2019 blockbuster Us, the 2018 Transformer spinoff Bumblebee, vampire cult classic The Lost Boys, Michelle Pfeiffer’s hit Dangerous Minds, and Clint Eastwood’s Sudden Impact. (Shmuel Thaler – Sentinel)
A summer day draws a crowd to Main Beach as visitors enjoy the Giant Dipper Roller Coaster and other rides at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. According to the Boardwalk’s website, “The Giant Dipper is the fourth oldest coaster in the U.S., continuously operating in its original location. Built by Arthur Looff in 1924, Looff’s love of amusement rides may have been hereditary. In 1911, his father, Charles I.D. Looff, delivered a new merry-go-round with hand-carved horses to the Boardwalk.” (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)
The snow dusted peak of Loma Prieta at the Santa Cruz County summit rises above Main Beach and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalkâ€s Giant Dipper roller coaster early Sunday morning. (Shmuel Thaler — Santa Cruz Sentinel)
The Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, California. (Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk)
Extras rehearse their roles as roller coaster riders on an actual ride on the Giant Dipper as a film crew prepares to shoot a scene of Paramount Pictures’ ‘Transformers’ spinoff ‘Bumblebee’ at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk last year. (Shmuel Thaler — Santa Cruz Sentinel file)
The Giant Dipper roller coaster at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Saturday, May 3, 2014. The venerable Giant Dipper will celebrate its 90th anniversary soon. (Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group)
In this 2006 file photo, Casey Tainter, 13, left, and Rebecka (cq) Joshua, 14, both of Half Moon Bay, ride the Giant Dipper, and get a bird’s eye view of the Boardwalk. (Karen T. Borchers/Mercury News)
Shmuel Thaler/SentinelThere are few, if any, landmarks as iconic to Santa Cruz as the Giant Dipper rollercoaster.
Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel fileGiant Dipper riders scream down the roller coaster’s initial plunge.
The renowned roller coaster has been thrilling riders in its original location since May 17, 1924. The structure is the fourth oldest coaster in the country and one of the oldest in the world, and in 1987 both the Giant Dipper and the Boardwalk’s carousel were made historic landmarks by the National Park Service.
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The Giant Dipper is not only locally famous as the historic ride has been seen in numerous television commercials, shows and movies such as “Us,” “Bumblebee,” “Dangerous Minds,” “Sudden Impact,” and of course the 1980s cult classic “The Lost Boys.”
To celebrate the historic structure’s centennial, the Boardwalk has received the go-ahead to put on a once-in-a-lifetime, 100th Anniversary Fireworks Celebration at 9 p.m., May 18. In addition to the display, the first 200 riders on the Giant Dipper that day will receive a commemorative 100th anniversary pin.
The Boardwalk will all commemorate the occasion with “Dipper Days,” which will allow patrons to ride the iconic coaster for just $1 every Wednesday from May 29 to Aug. 7. On Aug. 17, or National Rollercoaster Day, the first 100 Giant Dipper riders will receive a Boardwalk souvenir cup.
For local artists, young and old, A fan art contest centered around the Giant Dipper will take place from May 17 to Aug. 16. The contest welcomes artworks from all mediums such as paintings, drawings, photos or Dipper-inspired sculptures. Prizes include swag, Boardwalk cards and ride wristbands.