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Niagara Falls, Ontario company Enter-Tech (formerly Waxattract) has been discussed in great detail on this site, even getting a rare special article which can be read here . They were by far one of, if not the most important companies in the development of the Canadian amusement industry as we know it today, and the worldwide industry in general. It's tragic then that most, if not all historians in the amusement history corner of the internet have never heard of them. In brief summary - I first dug the name out of the copyright archive around 5 years ago when researching Niagara's legendary Castle Dracula, and instantly got a feeling that this company was much, much bigger than just that. After years of research, browsing newspaper archives, and interviewing members of the sole family who ran the company, my suspicions were confirmed. They were hugely important to the industry - from designing and building scenes for the majority of Niagara's many wax museums, haunted attractions, and exhibits, to being innovators in early lightshow and projection technology, to pioneering the first electronically programmable animatronics outside of Disneyland for The House of Frankenstein in 1971. By 1980, the company had rebranded from Waxattract to Enter-Tech to reflect changes in the industry as the company's animatronic technology got more advanced, and animated shows became the forefront of the business. The company's Hillbilly Bear Jamboree show at Maple Leaf Village in Niagara Falls, early-80's. Credit: Dunham family archives. Even after learning so much about this company and their vast portfolio, I still can't shake the feeling the company was bigger and more influential than even those involved with it know. One thing that stood out to me when I interviewed members of the Dunham family (who ran business), was that their work didn't stay local to Niagara Falls - far from it. The company built displays and exhibits across Canada, and more importantly than that for today's topic, sold pre-built haunted walkthrough attractions, stage shows, displays and figures to attraction operators at trade shows in the States. That's the work that to this day, remains mostly lost to time. A 1980 newspaper article states that by that point the company was producing "around 60 figures a year", which would have made them one of the largest animation companies in the world at that time, certainly the largest in Canada. Where all those figures went, the ones that didn't end up in iconic Niagara Falls attractions at least, remains largely a mystery. There's tidbits of information buried out there - people remember a "Boris Karloff Wax Museum" in Wildwood, NJ that was likely one of their pre-built haunted attractions, a newspaper article mentions they built an animatronic W.C. Fields for a bar in the States, and they had some sort of work relationship with Creative Presentations out of Schaumburg, IL, possibly even doing early commissions for them until Creative Presentations began building their own shows. But several recently uncovered photos and anecdotes in corners of the internet may just shine some light onto where at least some of this work that has been sadly lost to time was located. Circus Time Pizza newspaper ad, 1983. Credit: Tumblr user smthngstrangehppnd. Exhibit A gives us Circus Time Pizza in Flint, Michigan, and actually connects back to a strange newspaper article covering the Hillbilly Bear Jamboree show. The article on the Hillbilly Bear Jamboree's construction in 1982 shows a photo of a panda bear in front of a circus backdrop, stating he is "Big John" who leads Enter-Tech's Hillbilly Bear Jamboree. However, what limited footage and photos of the Hillbilly Bear Jamboree exist show a different large bear leading the band, who is presumably Big John. The panda bear seems to be totally absent from the show, unless it was outfront the attraction in the hallways of the mall, or on a side stage, which the show doesn't seem to have had. It also doesn't seem the mysterious panda's outfit or circus backdrop match the woodland theme of the Hillbilly Bear Jamboree. What the panda does match however, both in style and theme, is an illustration of a bartender panda character in the above newspaper advertisement for Circus Time Pizza. Circus Time Pizza opened in 1983 and unfortunately only lasted until 1984. It's possible that upon visiting Enter-Tech's studio to report on the construction of the Hillbilly Bear Jamboree, the reporter also photographed other works in progress, which Circus Time Pizza's show would have been at that time. It's possible the newspaper's editors then used the incorrect photo assuming he was part of the Hillbilly Bear Jamboree, or even possible that he shared the named "Big John" for the Circus Time show if it's a name Enter-Tech enjoyed using, adding to the paper's confusion. You can faintly make out the words "Bear Jamboree" on the panda's hat however, furthering this mystery. The dapper panda proclaimed to be "Big John" for the Hillbilly Bear Jamboree show by the Niagara Falls Review, however this may not be the case. The mysterious panda isn't the only piece of evidence here tying this show to Enter-Tech. The company frequently blended art styles even within the same show, usually creating a varied cast of characters instead of all the characters in a show being done in the same art style. Some characters would have sculpted latex masks, whereas characters right next to them would have foam sculpted heads done in a more plush style similar to the animatronics found at Chuck E. Cheese's. This is a distinct feature of Circus Time, which actually had multiple shows. The main stage consisted of the aforementioned panda bartender, a drumming rabbit, a tiger vocalist, a bear on guitar and a saxophone-playing elephant. The guitar-playing bearded circus performer who covered Kenny Rogers songs in a separate room from the main band. Credit: Tumblr user smthngstrangehppnd. Side lounge rooms contained side-shows (pun not intended), one being a circus performer who was a spoof of Kenny Rogers, and the other being a panther in a cage alongside a clown named Jell E. Bean, the restaurant's mascot. These characters, specifically the panther, match the contrasting character styles of Enter-Tech's shows. While no photos exist of the main stage, the circus-themed stage the mysterious Enter-Tech panda figure was photographed on appears to be larger than what's seen in the photo, alluding to him being part of a larger show. This is all speculation, but it's very possible this character was on the main stage at Circus Time Pizza. It's also possible, of course, that the panda was somehow part of Hillbilly Bear Jamboree after all or a different restaurant/stage show entirely, and that Enter-Tech was involved in Circus Time Pizza, but this panda figure was not. Finally, there's the possibility this is entirely coincidence, and they weren't involved in the restaurant at all, but with nobody online having a clue who produced the Circus Time Pizza shows, and Enter-Tech's work being as vast as it was, it's a strong possibility. Jell E. Bean and the panther next to the attraction's owner. Credit: Tumblr user smthngstrangehppnd. Next we have the ultra obscure Pizza Planet of Buffalo lore. Another spot just across the border, the only evidence of it's existence is a 1984 commercial that went viral for it's low-budget production and unsettling narration, as well as the nightmare-inducing Peppy Roni walk around costume. No other photos, videos, and only a handful of vague newspaper articles featuring the attraction exist, leaving little tangible record of it. Coupled with the fact that the fictional arcade restaurant in Toy Story shares the same name, this means any browser search for this place turns up completely empty, except that commercial. What that commercial does feature however is a brief clip of the restaurant's animatronic band in the background of a birthday party. The figures on this stage bear striking resemblance to Enter-Tech's work, specifically the mechanical shapes of their "All Star Mouse Review" show, the only show of Enter-Tech's that is *quite literally*, lost. As in, it was never installed and nobody knows where it went or what happened to it. You can read more about that fascinating story here . The art style on these panda characters is also extremely similar to the panda figure discussed above. The restaurant opened in 1983 and lasted until around 1985, so the timeline also lines up. You can watch the hallowed advertisement here, which apparently aired on Southern Ontario TV back in the 80's too. Exhibit C brings us to Paul E. Parrott in Pheonix, AZ. This is definitely the biggest speculation in this post, as the band featured at this F.E.C. is totally lost. No photos or video exist of this band or the interior of this restaurant at all. All we have to go off is detailed illustrations of the characters in a newspaper advertisement, and while they do look strikingly similar to Enter-Tech's art style, it's hard to say based off illustrations alone. The restaurant was also located on the opposite side of the U.S. from where the bulk of Waxattract/Enter-Tech's confirmed or suspected works abroad ended up. Their influence can be found mostly along the East Coast due to the company owning and operating attractions in Lake George, Myrtle Beach and Panama City Beach, with some more of their confirmed commission work found in the North half of the country. An animatronic toucan is seen in an early 80's Enter-Tech IAAPA brochure, and is the only figure seen in the brochure who's purpose hasn't been made clear, however the species of bird doesn't match. While it does prove they produced a bird mechanism, any relation stops there, and until photos surface of Paul E. Parrot and friends, we'll likely never know. When the short-lived Paul E. Parrot went into bankruptcy early on, this is the only trace it left behind, along with an auction listing. Finally, and most excitingly, we have the only find in this post that without a shred of doubt, proves the existence of a previously unknown and lost Enter-Tech show. Huckleberry Junction Playhouse Theater, also located just outside Flint, Michigan, needs no introduction when it comes to animatronic pizza restaurants. The attraction has been around since at least 1982 or '83, and is still going strong to this day. The attraction now features the popular mass-produced "Daniel and the Dixie Diggers" animatronic show built by the legendary Sally Corporation, which can be found at various amusement parks and restaurants across the world along with their side-stage counterpart, Jethro P. Hogg. However fans of the attraction's 80's glory days remember a different band there, that up until recently, we've had no photos of. These images were recently brought to my attention of the illusive "Animal Krackers" show, which operated at Huckleberry Junction from opening day until it was replaced in 1994. Apparently, fans of animatronic shows have been searching for the manufacturer of this show for as long as it's been mentioned on the internet, with theories ranging between everything from the band being created as a project by a local career skills college to being produced by Dave Thomas, former lead artist at Creative Engineering, who built the animatronics for the giant Showbiz Pizza chain. The truth however, is that this show was made right here in Canada by Enter-Tech. Let's take a deep-dive into why. One of the sole surviving images of the elusive band. Credit: Tumblr user dreamsdntcry. First of all, the art style is instantly familiar, but upon closer inspection, these characters seem to be direct retrofits of Enter-Tech's other confirmed works. The dog (or lion?) at the piano, the female singer sitting on the piano, the moose drummer, and the mouse railroad conductor all appear to be direct cosmetic makeovers of characters from the Mouse Revue, with the conductor even using the same face mask with different coloured fur surrounding it. The dog on guitar has a similar posture and art style to all of Enter-Tech's confirmed works, but the biggest tell is the panda bear on the stand up bass. He seems to be an almost exact copy of Beverly Bear, the seated fiddle player from the Hillbilly Bear Jamboree, his fiddle has just been swapped for a bass and his fur is a different colour. This incredibly unique and specific character design in particular, when put together with all the other evidence presented here, proves almost without a doubt that this show is the work of Enter-Tech. While most of the band seems to re-use the mechanical structures of Enter-Tech's other known works, two elements so far unique to this show are the singing moon on the wall in the lop-left corner and the singing face on the drum kick. There were allegedly two more characters over the pizza pickup window, presumably calling out orders ready for pickup, but no photos of them have surfaced. It's a shame the Animal Krackers have been largely lost to time, but at least another piece of Enter-Tech's history and the Dunham family's story has been preserved in at least some form. It's a great example of how this company was far bigger and far reaching than anyone realizes. Even with this find and these other leads, I still have that feeling that these will be far from the last pieces of this puzzle to fall into place. We will probably never know the true scope of their work, but I have a feeling we'll track down a lot more of it in the future. Huckleberry Junction newspaper ad from 1984 featuring the Animal Krackers. It appears the show had recently got new showtapes when this ad was run. Credit: Facebook user Pasq Notrook. Special Thanks to: The Dunham Family Animatronic Appreciation Blog on Tumblr Pasq Notrook on Facebook

When I rarely have a few minutes of downtime every few months, I'll check YouTube for any recently uploads of under-the-radar vacation footage of Canada's various amusement areas (Niagara, Wasaga Beach, Yonge Street) in hopes to find footage of some obscure long-lost attraction, or even better, something I've been after for years. Yesterday, this paid off big time. This incredible video was uploaded to YouTube recently, showcasing the Niagara region in 1994. After a brief shot of the abandoned bridal path, turned miniature go-kart track, turned walking path, at the 10:04 mark the cameraman enters the Skylon Tower's legendary amusement park, of which very little is actually known. This is despite it being one of the most popular amusement attractions in The Falls from the 1970's to 1990's, and although limited photos exist, establishing the layout of the vast indoor park has been next to impossible until now. This clearly shows the location of the Shooting Gallery, Miniature Golf Course, Bumper Cars, Go Karts, Carousel, the famous Bavarian Nut Shop, and most importantly, where all this was located in relation to what's there today. The cameraman enters the doors on the West side of the building just off of Murray Street, near where the bridge across the street to Fallsview Casino is today. This entrance to the complex remains, and while the amusement park has been gone for nearly 25 years now, the extensive arcade that filled every other square inch of the basement is still there, although massively downsized. One cool thing in this footage is seeing the original facade of the Adventure Into the Unknown dark ride that was designed by legendary Italian artist Armando Tamignini for manufacturer Bertazzon, imported to Canada, and re-assembled by park staff. The facade would be opened up a very short time after this to include a load station and 2nd floor balcony visible from the outside, however originally it looks to have been contained within the walls of the attraction, adding to the "Unknown" theme. A coffin scene outside the attraction looks to be a static prop, but may have been Tamignini's Dracula in a coffin figure he used in many of his attraction, just shut off. The Dracula figure was definitely a part of this attraction as it's in the auction listing after it closed, but where it was located in the attraction is fittingly, unknown. Mural along the front of "Adventure Into the Unknown" that was removed a short time later. There's some great footage here of the shops on the second floor during better days, but sadly the cameraman doesn't visit the Skylon's undocumented and unfortunately now-abandoned third floor which contained the roller rink and potentially the ever-mysterious World a Million Years Ago attraction. There was a Star Trek Exhibit which opened in the Skylon around this time, however if replaced World a Million Years Ago, the Potvin Miniatures Museum (theorized to have been in the basement next to the amusement park), or neither, is unknown. On the escalator back down into the amusement park, a small shooting gallery-type attraction immediately to the left of the escalators near the Capcom bowling lanes can be seen that appears non-functional, however looks to be the same manufacturer as Dazzleland 's mysterious "Fire Department 911" water gun shooting gallery game. The mystery game in question can be seen at the bottom of this screenshot. At 42:22 there's some brief but cool Clifton Hill footage showing the exteriors of several attractions including Dazzleland, Castle Dracula , Dinosaur Park, and Movieland , however the footage isn't anything groundbreaking at this point compared to some of the more-depth videos of The Hill that have surfaced in recent years. What is groundbreaking however comes at 48:40 when the cameraman enters the Minolta Tower . After a journey to the Pinnacle Restaurant, observation deck, and top of the tower gift shop, the cameraman journeys to the basement. Now if you know the tower's history you know the basement was home to one of Niagara's previously "lost" attractions - one that had next to no documentation. A legendary arcade operated here from the 1970's to sometime in the early 2000's. Here it is in all it's glory, complete with footage of an attempt on it's 90's crown jewel that makes documentation of this arcade so sought after in the classic arcade community - Galaxian 3. If you know what that is, you probably just got goosebumps, if you don't, let me give you them. Galaxian 3 is the 5th title in Namco's popular Galaxian/Galaga series (don't ask why it's called Galaxian 3, the series' naming order has always been beyond confusing). This game completely overhauled the gameplay style of the classic vertical shooting games in the series that came before it however, and introduced a 3D, first-person rail shooter style that would end up setting the precedent for the genre later popularized by games like Star Fox and Time Crisis. The game was originally developed as an interactive theme park attraction in Japan that held 28 people, however Namco had the foresight to also market it as a 6-player sit down arcade machine inside a massive cabinet for arcades with the cash to buy one. The plot features you piloting guns on the ship "Dragoon" against an army of alien-bug attackers as per the series' theme, but this time the threat is much larger. The aliens have a superweapon named the "Cannon Seed" which threatens Earth, and you must fly your way in to the core of this weapon through a tunnel and destroy it's reactor. If this sounds a little familiar narratively speaking to a certain film franchise, that's actually deliberate. When Namco's Kazunori Sawano first designed the original Galaxian back in 1979, he wanted to make a Star Wars game, but licensing issues and technological limitations prevented this. The film's presence in the Galaxian series is felt heavily in everything from the ship in Galaxian resembling a Star Wars Y-Wing, the Galaga ship clearly being modeled after the iconic X-Wing, and the symphonic theme music introduced in Galaga and carried throughout the series. A Galaxian 3 cabinet as seen on KLOV (Museum of the Game). If you're a retro arcade fan and a Star Wars fan (those two things seem to go hand in hand), this game is a masterpiece. It's incredible music, technology, and thrilling narrative are a love letter to the previous games, the sci-fi genre, and the original vision of the series' creator years prior. This game has been deemed "lost" due to its obscurity, with several locations destroying them after they were decommissioned due to their high repair costs, easy conversion into other attractions, and the amount of arcade floor space they took up. While a small handful of these machines are owned by private collectors allowing it to be documented, and there's fairly decent documentation of the Japanese theme park ride version, this footage may very well be the only footage of the arcade machine on-location at an arcade. The game's climactic battle. The footage of the rest of this arcade doesn't disappoint, featuring a plethora of 90,s arcade staples including Konami's 8-player widescreen X-Men game, Final Lap 2, and more. Perhaps the coolest thing here is the giant blacklight mural on the ceiling resembling the Tron game grid. It also appears there was some sort of small non-mechanical zero gravity ride here that required an attendant to operate. Just a year after this footage in 1995, a section of the arcade was leased to Cybermind, a Canadian company that imported "Virtuality" VR arcade machines to Canada and started a short-lived chain of attractions in various major Canadian cities and tourist areas. It's unknown how much of the traditional arcade remained after this, but Galaxian 3 certainty lasted until the basement's closure. The arcade's awesome ceiling that looks straight out of the 1980's. The biggest highlight of this video to me however comes right after exiting the Minolta in the form of footage of Waltzing Waters , the dancing fountain lightshow that ran next to the Minolta Tower from 1962 to 2000. This attraction was one of the earliest amusement projects by Robert Dunham, who would go on to start the Waxattract company and work on some of Niagara's most iconic attractions like The House of Frankenstein , Movieland, Circus World, and the Boris Karloff Wax Museum. It was his first amusement attraction in Niagara Falls proper, with his only other attraction at the time being Fantasy Land at the nearby Crystal Beach Amusement Park. The impressive programmable computer technology that ran the fountain was lightyears ahead of its time, and foreshadowed the company's invention of early programmable animatronic figures for the House of Frankenstein less than a decade later. The lightshow concept would re-surface again with a horror theme in Dunham's beloved Castle Dracula chain of haunted attractions with locations in Niagara Falls, Myrtle Beach and Panama City Beach. The Myrtle Beach location even featured a Waltzing Waters style fountain in it's lightshow room, although if the Niagara location's lightshow had a water component is unknown. Waltzing Waters was expanded and updated in the 1970's, resulting in the version seen in this footage. The show used a switchboard so the operator could customize certain elements of each show, encouraging return customers and no two shows being exactly alike. Until now the only brief footage of Waltzing Waters in action has been on silent 8mm reels. This high-quality VHS footage complete with sound is an incredible window into an iconic gone but not forgotten attraction. Huge thank you to Bryce Barnett for taking, preserving, and uploading this footage to YouTube. Please support his channel and like this video.

The store's chase light adorned sign that also contains the last mentions of the sorely missed Rock Legends Wax Museum, which closed in 2019. December 1st will be a sad day for both heavy metal fans and the Niagara Falls tourism landscape. Rockworld, the souvenir and merchandise store that has sat on Centre Street half a block past where it becomes Clifton Hill for nearly half a century, will close permanently. The store has been a staple of the top of Clifton Hill since it opened in 1983, and is predeceased by the iconic Rock Legends Wax Museum which the same owners operated upstairs from 1997-2019. The wax museum's collection had been sculpted entirely by the owner, Pasquale Ramunno, who coincidentally wasn't even a rock music fan and allegedly had an ear for opera. Thankfully, he had an eye for art, and apparently for business as well, as Rockworld became a legendary pit stop for Ontario metalheads, punk rockers, and classic rock fans alike for generations. A section of the store named the "Niagara Souvenir Centre" offered more generic Canada and Niagara Falls themed items. When the wax museum was added upstairs in 1997, it greatly helped further the identity of the more thematically darker attractions in the up and coming "top of the Hill" area that was becoming popular with teenagers and young adults, joining Alien Encounter, The Criminals Hall of Fame, and the Screamers haunted attraction chain (Rockworld was actually neighbors with the short-lived 3rd Screamers location named "Horror Manor"). The museum's giant neon guitar and wall of musician's faces on the front of the building became a staple sight of the area. Rockworld, Rock Legends Wax Museum, and the iconic neon guitar. After years of success, the wax museum's visitor numbers unfortunately started slowing down in the mid-2010's as the Niagara Falls tourism landscape (and greater amusement industry as a whole) went through a turbulent period. By 2014, all the attractions I listed above that used to rub elbows with Rockworld were gone. With mounting pressure from record labels and their exorbitant licensing fees, the decision was made to close the museum in October 2019, allegedly (according to a conversation I had with the owners some years ago) due in part to YouTube's infamous copyright algorithm flagging vlogs of the museum for use of music, thus alerting media companies to the museum's existence. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic less than 4 months later essentially halting the entire tourism industry for two years, it appears the decision may have been the right one. The incredible and impressive Locomoland, a model train attraction that replaced the wax museum upstairs and was operated by a third party, also unfortunately closed down this past summer (stay tuned for more on that). This also decreased traffic through the store as the wax museum formerly let out into Rockworld, therefore Locomoland did as well after it. The store was carried on for years by Ramunno's children Nick and Maria, but they've decided it's finally time to retire. I was a regular at the store, not for the reasons I'm a regular at most Clifton Hill area attractions, but as a heavy metal fan. The store was well known in the metal scene (allegedly even "back in the day") as a place to get rare and imported merchandise, and as Ontario's other rock stores, headshops, and other headbanger hangouts closed throughout the 2000's and 2010's, the king of them all stood strong. Nowadays, you have essentially three options to buy music merchandise. If you're looking for merchandise from an A-list band (Metallica, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, etc.) you might be lucky enough to find something at a run of the mill mall store like Hot Topic or Spencer's, but don't expect them to be quality, or anything other than the most basic designs. If you're a fan of more obscure bands like me, you could order them online directly from the band or an online merchandise store, but as a Canadian, expect shipping costs as high as the price of the item you're buying. The third option is buying merchandise at a band's concert, if you're willing to pay an arm and a leg, and if you're willing to wait for the band to roll through a city near you, which is especially problematic if a band usually only tours Europe or even worse, no longer exists. Rockworld was the only place left you could buy an officially licensed Razor, Destruction, or Mercyful Fate shirt in person and for a decent price, examples I use because this is probably the only excuse I'm going to have to mention those names on this website. Not only that, they carried and variety of items you simply don't see anywhere anymore like patches, flags, pins, and a variety of spiked/studded accessories. The best part? The store didn't charge the city's infamous "tourist tax", and proudly displayed that above the door. It'll be sad to see the store go, but the owners definitely deserve a good rest after everything they've done for both the Niagara Falls and metal communities. The store is currently on massive discount and getting more and more picked over by the day, so if you were a regular here or even want to squeeze in your first visit before it's too late, I suggest you make the voyage as soon as you're able. For die-hard rock fans or attraction operators, the museum's impressive collection of over 70 figures hand sculpted by Pasquale Ramunno (including the ones that were relocated to the store after the museum's closure), are in storage and still up for grabs, but expect to pay what these works of art are worth. If you've ever wanted an identical replica of Alice Cooper in your living room, Gene Simmons in your basement, or Iron Maiden's mascot Eddie in your Halloween display, now is the time to act.

The Great Canadian Midway Attraction Type: Family Entetainment Centre Location: Niagara Falls, Ontario Years Operational: 2002-Present Designer(s): White Hutchinsin Leisure Learning Group, Art Attack FX, Integrative Design Services HOCO's Dazzleland Family Fun Center had completely changed Niagara Falls attractions (and more specifically the complexes they were located in) when it debuted in 1992. Being the first family entertainment centre (an arcade-like complex that includes small rides and other attractions as well) in the Falls, it would usher in the direction the area's amusement industry was headed, and several more would open in the area in the decades to follow. Dazzleland Family Fun Center, mid-90's. When the government of Ontario was selecting the location for Casino Niagara in the mid-90s, HOCO apparently put in a bid to get the casino on their land. Eventually the casino went to the Falls Ave. Company, replacing the Maple Leaf Village mall between the Sheraton Foxhead and Sheraton Brock Hotels. This ended up being a financial injection large enough to start a bit of an attraction arms race against HOCO. After the rebranding of all the hotels in the Falls Ave. complex, the opening of Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood, and a massive 2002 expansion to the complex consisting of Rainforest Cafe, WWE Niagara Falls, and the 4D Motion Theatre, the Falls Ave. Company was well into a several-stage redevelopment plan. The plan also featured upcoming additions of more attractions to fill out the already built and soon-to-be-named MGM Studios Plaza that the 4D Motion Theatre sat in the basement of, as well as an indoor F.E.C. to replace the second-floor mall in the now-renamed Sheraton Fallsview. Dazzleland (top, 2001) and the Great Canadian Midway (bottom, 2002) built atop the old Dazzleland foundation. With Dazzleland already being a massive success, and wanting to stay ahead of the curve, HOCO didn't just expand but also refine it into an entirely new attraction. More games reasonably equals higher guest enjoyment, and therefore profit. With this taken into account, the outdoor courtyard style with it's room for walkways between the buildings was re-designed, and HOCO again called upon the White-Hutchinson Leisure Learning Group (WHLLG), the firm who had designed Dazzleland. WHLLG designed not only a remodel of Dazzleland, but an incredible 5-step plan that if seen through to completion would have changed Clifton Hill even more than it ended up doing, leading up to an outdoor amusement park and a waterpark hotel in the field between Clifton Hill and the Skylon Tower. However, only steps 1 to 3 would actually come to fruition. Step 1 was remodeling Dazzleland into The Great Canadian Midway, which opened in 2002 and cost roughly $10 Million. The level, concrete foundation Dazzleland was built on was kept as the foundation of the Midway, hence why it has a similar footprint. Dinosaur Park Miniature Golf was moved to a former parking lot in front of Comfort Inn, and Wendy's would remain above Circus World with the Midway built around it. Rather than have several different buildings, the Midway would all be one indoor space, allowing for more games and year round operation, a genius business move. The Midway, like Dazzleland before it however, was divided into different themed areas and attractions, with the interior themed to an old-school amusement park at nighttime to make it feel outdoors. This makes the Midway somewhat of a spiritual successor to Dazzleland, which builds on the theme and retains the same atmosphere. The central area of the new Midway housed the Games Zone, with miscellaneous redemption games, arcade games, and strings of carnival-style lights between poles above the arcade. Surrounding this area was originally a variety of fake facades utilizing forced perspectives to resemble the buildings and stalls of a carnival midway. Inside the Midway in 2002. Wendy's remained, complete with the former entrance on the Dazzleland side that now exited into the Midway. The only change would be the removal of the hallway near washrooms at the back of the restaurant leading to Dazzleland, as the washrooms had also served as the washrooms for the attraction. The Midway would have its own, much larger washrooms, rendering the connecting hallway redundant. Next to Wendy's, roughly in the place of the former video game/pinball building in the back corner of Dazzleland, was the Ride Theatre. It was originally themed to a funhouse, as it showed the SimEx ride film "Fun House Express", also sometimes simply referred to as "Fun Express." The facade was made to resemble red and white carnival banners flanking the theatre's main sign above the ticket/control booth, which read "Ride Theatre" in a vintage-style carnival font. Clockwise to that was a funnel cake stand, and next to that the prize counter. Along the wall adjacent to that one was a large neon design resembling the marquee of a carnival game stand. Underneath it was all the carnival-eqsue redemption games, including Skee-Ball, Boom Ball, Roll-a-Ball and a Hi-Striker hammer game in the center. Top Left: The main sign for the Ride Theatre as seen from Clifton Hill. Top Right: The funnel cake stand between the ride theatre and the prize counter. Bottom Left: The prize counter, with the Skee-Ball machines visible along the adjacent wall under the carnival marquee. Bottom Right: Shot of the Games Zone facing the carnival marquee. Entrance to the Game Factory. Continuing clockwise around the Midway's walls would bring you to the Game Factory, with a crooked, askew factory building acting as it's facade provided by an Edmonton company called Art Attack FX. When Dinosaur Park was moved, the Boston Pizza and Sports Zone was built in it's place. These were also accessible from the Midway via a staircase up immediately to the right when you walked in the doors. The Sports Zone used the same tokens as the Midway, housing most of the sports games for the arcade, including pool tables and a bowling alley, and you could walk through the restaurant to get to the area from the Midway. It was under this area that the Game Factory existed in the Midway below, with all the water, utility, and power hookups necessary for the restaurant and arcade above being cleverly incorporated into the factory theme of the lower-ceilinged area. This is where several pinball machines and other miscellaneous games originally resided, and a few originals still reside to this day. Boston Pizza and the Sports Zone, 2002. One of these includes an old western-themed shooting gallery that may have come out of Circus World, or a variety of other locations. The Falls have seen a variety of western-themed shooting galleries over the years, mostly "Bonanza" shooting galleries dating to the 70s. If the Midway's is in fact recycled from another attraction, it stands to reason it's most likely it came out of Circus World, who rented their space from HOCO and formerly operated a similar sized shooting gallery that was removed around this time. It's contents have mostly been updated over the years, but some of the animatronics and props it originally contained include a bear, a drunk bandit, a fox, a snake, a skunk, a coyote, and a cowboy in a covered wagon with a rifle. The Game Factory formerly housed another shooting gallery called Blasteroids, which was a one of a kind custom shooting gallery game by Lazer-Tron. The game was themed to a laser tag-esque practice range bunker, featuring blacklight targets with bright, flashing sensors that moved around on arms. The back corner of the Game Factory is also where you can find the washrooms. Wild West Shooting Gallery, mid-2000's. Blasteroid in the Game Factory, early 2010's. Original Ghostblasters facade as it still appeared in the late 2010's. Located next to the Game Factory underneath the rest of Boston Pizza and the Sports Zone is Ghostblasters, a backlight, interactive laser shooting dark ride by the Sally Corporation of Florida. The ride was a package offered by Sally Corp., and was already installed in four other locations. The Midway's however would be the grandest. Rather than being themed to a regular mansion as was the pre-packaged story of the ride, the Midway's version was themed to a haunted hotel to match the history of the local area. In addition to all the props that came with the ride, several custom ones were made by Sally Corp. for HOCO to match the custom theme. Despite being one story underneath Boston Pizza, it originally had an impressive two story facade with crooked roof peaks, also provided by Art Attack FX. The Midway's logo has genius design, with the individual letter fonts making up the word "Midway" referencing all the areas and attractions originally in the complex, which flies right over most people's heads now that many of said elements have been changed or removed. The "M" is patterned with a design similar to that of the arcade's original carpet, the bowling pin "I" is a reference to the Sports Zone, the old-school lightbulbs on the "D" reference the lights that made up the word "Snacks" above the funnel cake stand, the art-deco font of the "W" is similar to the font of the original Ride Theater's logo, the spooky and slime-covered "A" is a reference to Ghostblasters, and the industrial typeface of the "Y" is a reference to the Game Factory area. The Great Canadian Midway's creative logo. The exterior of the attraction features this logo proudly on a double-sided sign which can be seen from either up or down the Hill. The sign is perched on a large overhang that offers a large covered area to the sidewalk below, calling tourists in through the attraction's massive, slide-up bay doors. On the wall of the building flanking the overhang was originally a sign on each side, each promoting a different ride within. Signs remain in these spots today, however the originals were very different. The one on the downhill side of the main sign was a poster for the Ride Theater, and on the uphill side of the main sign was the exterior signage for Ghostblasters, which included gargoyles, lanterns, and a tall sign showing a photo of the ride and it's logo surrounded by a three-dimensional gothic border. Under this sign was the set of double-doors, and on either side of them the thematic signage continued. On each side was a lenticular poster in a faux-stone box showing images of the attraction that changed as you walked past. These double doors are always unlocked while the Midway is open, but are mainly used when the large bay doors must remain shut in the winter. Left: Ride Theatre's original exterior signage, 2002. Right: Original outdoor Ghostblasters sign, late 2000's. To say the Midway did well (and continues to do well) is an understatement. It became an instant icon of Clifton Hill, it's giant sign becoming synonymous with the street itself. In total it originally provided 60,000 square feet of games, rides, entertainment, and dining across two floors, and was home to over 250 games in total, many of which were kept from the Dazzleland days. These included the ever-popular Wheel Em' In (which had been Dazzleland's most profitable game), the aforementioned Skee Ball machines, Roll-a-Ball and Boom Ball machines, several video games and pinball machines, and the giant Sega Super GT 4-player racing game that was placed in front of the Ride Theatre. There would also be several then-new games however, including large-screen Sega simulator titles like Top Skater, Water Ski, and Prop Cycle, several new coin pushers joining those held over from Dazzleland, Konami's Mocap Boxing, a TsuMo Multi-Game Motion System machine, "The Maze of Kings" Egyptian-themed light gun video game, dancing games, and much more. Large-screen Sega games along the Wendy's wall, 2002. The Sports Zone upstairs even featured 3 linked large-screen Harley Davidson motorcycle simulator games, a 4-player Daytona USA with TV monitors atop it so gameplay could be watched by Boston Pizza bar patrons, a Real Sports virtual sports simulator cage, and several more redemption, video, and pinball games. There was also a second, smaller redemption counter upstairs in the Sports Zone, as well as the aforementioned Cosmic Bowling glow-in-the-dark bowling alley featuring six Brunswick Bowlingo lanes. The alley featured a large, three-dimensional blacklight mural beside it matching the Cosmic Bowling theme. Rare light gun video games Brave Firefighters and Maze of Kings, 2002. Daytona USA simulators, 2002. Above: Sports Zone, early 2000's. Right: Pool tables and Cosmic Bowling, early 2000's. All this safely squashed any chance of the Falls Ave. Complex overshadowing the attractions further up the Hill, but it wasn't for lack of trying. Marvel Superheroes Adventure City would end up being the F.E.C. that replaced the Sheraton's Colonial Shops in 2004. It's unclear exactly when certain elements were planned for the Falls Ave. Complex, and if the attraction's details were planned before or after the Midway opened, but the Midway's influence on Adventure City in at least some form is clear. Shortly after this, the Midway itself would see it's first wave of updates. The first of these would come in the form of a renaming of the Ride Theatre to the "FX Thrill Ride Theatre", which received updated signage outside the Midway. The new signage featured a fiberglass ride vehicle protruding from the wall as if it had crashed through it. The ride vehicle resembled the one you're supposedly sitting in during the events of the ride film, and featured a clown sitting in the car. The theatre would see a massive overhaul in 2005. It would now show "Robots of Mars", a film that itself is now shrouded in a bit of mystery. It was a privately created film licensed to Simex ride systems, available in both a standard 21 minute version and a cut-down, ride theatre version. It's possible a portion of the film which took place before the events of the ride version (and were therefore cut from it) were used as the pre-show on the screen in the attraction's waiting room. This is of significance as both the ride version and the full, unedited standard version of the film with the 21 minute run time are currently considered lost media. It's estimated the film was likely only shown at an extremely small handful of ride theatres the world over, leading to it's obscurity. The Lost Media Wiki doesn't even have it listed on the website despite a limited search existing in YouTube comment sections. Updated theatre signage, early 2010's. Theatre re-themed to"Robots of Mars", mid-2000's. The exterior of the theatre would now be themed to the film, complete with the ride's sign atop a massive flying saucer protruding out of the wall, adorned with flashing lights. The wall itself would now feature a massive mural themed to the film that stretched from the wall Wendy's is along, over the ride's entrance, over the Sega Super GT game, and all the way to the Funnel Cake stand. The mural made several references to the film, the most prominent being the giant painting of one of the sand creatures you escape from in the film over the Sega Super GT Game. Under the flying saucer sat the ticket/control desk, flanked by the attraction's entrance and exit. Fiberglass statues portraying characters from the film, namely an Marty the Martian and "Doc" the robot, stood next to the entrance and exit which were located under giant, glowing tower structures. Art Attack FX was once again called upon to provide the theming for the updated theatre. The impressive theming of theatre during its FX Thrill Ride Theatre days, 2005. Ghostblasters would receive updates as well, with the ending of the ride being changed a few years after it opened. The final battle against "Boocifer" (the attraction's antagonist) in the scene after the "Boo Bomb" is detonated, being removed in favour of a much more elaborate graveyard scene. All the props from the original ending were relocated elsewhere in the ride. The new figures for the scene (as well as additions to the lobby) were produced by an Ohio company called Scarefactory at this time, and the lobby was given new, more hotel-theme-fitting wallpaper featuring a ghost pattern instead of the gothic brick design it opened with. Original Ghostblasters lobby (Top) versus how it has appeared since the update (Bottom). Robots of Mars would be replaced by the "Cosmic Coaster" film in 2007, but the thematic elements would remain as they matched the space theme of the new film, save for Marty the Martian who was moved to the lobby of Galaxy Golf. The Cosmic Coaster film would later outlive the thematic elements outside the theatre (more on that later) but the film would begin a hiatus in 2008 with the theatre showing the "Time Riders" film, hosted by John Cleese. It too would be short-lived, and end up being the last film shown fitting the sci-fi theme of theatre. It ended up being replaced sometime around 2010 by an edited version of Fun House Express with additional shots and footage, now dubbed "Coaster Chaos". This would be the last film shown using the original ride system and theatre layout, somewhat poetically as the original Fun Express, had been the first. The original theatre would drop the word "Thrill" from most of it's branding and usually be referred to as simply the "FX Ride Theatre" in it's final days, it's carnival-themed movie somewhat juxtaposed to the heavy space theming outfront. The Midway would see rapid changes throughout the 2010's. By this point the final stages of HOCO's aforementioned 5 stage plan that began with the Midway had been scrapped in favor of a new redevelopment plan in the wake of massive changes to the entertainment industry. With a different design company (Integrative Design Solutions) doing the groundwork and no amusement park to lead up to anymore, many of the thematic elements the Midway opened with would be removed and replaced in the next decade. The first to go in this less-structured era of direction for the Midway was the funnel cake stand beside the FX Theatre, being replaced with an expanded area of ticket counting machines in the very early 2010s. The expanded area of ticket counter machines can be seen on the lefthand side of this image (2011) in the former location of the funnel cake stand. Strike Rock n' Bowl in it's early days shortly after the remodel, early 2010's. Strike! Rock 'N Bowl opened in 2011 as an expansion/rebranding of the Sports Zone connected to Boston Pizza upstairs. The new 7-lane bowling alley replaced the Bowlingo alley that had previously been upstairs, and the Real Sports simulator was removed (along with the Cosmic Bowling mural) due to the wall it was along being the one knocked out for the expansion. The large-screen racing games that patrons could view from Boston Pizza's dining area were moved to the Game Factory around this time, and the space along the wall filled in with various other games. The FX Thrill Ride Theatre was gutted, the theming removed, and reopened as the "XD Theatre". The new ride was built by motion ride system company Triotech, with the new ride system utilizing individually moving seats rather than the entire seating section being on one moving platform. This allows for a higher rider capacity, more comfortable seating, and guests to be able to switch the motion on or off individually. The ride reopened with the new moniker in 2012, the first film it showed being none other than the Cosmic Coaster. A new, flat, printed sign for the theatre replaced the themed signage outside the Midway, a the giant 4-player Sega GT game previously along the wall outside the theatre was moved into the Game Factory. Left: The XD Theater in the mid-2010's. Right: XD Theater signage which replaced the FX Ride Theatre vehicle sign. The gradual phasing out of many of the games the Midway opened with ramped up around 2014, with the older pinball and video games being the first to go. Other updates came in 2016 when the Blasteroid shooting gallery was removed from the Game Factory, the carpeting for the entire arcade was replaced, and the Safari Adventure film (which briefly replaced the Cosmic Coaster) was replaced by the Wild West Coaster film in the XD Theatre, the entire theatre now taking the name of the latter. Two of the Daytona USA and two of the Sega Super GT machines were also removed, and the giant "Sega Super GT" header would follow suit shortly after. By this point, the integration of the Sports Zone (now Strike! Rock 'N Bowl) as part of the actual Midway had begun to fall away, and the area became steadily less sports-themed and more akin to a second, separate arcade. This was furthered even more by a sign reading "Sports Zone" in the main Midway's Games Zone below located on the wall next to the XD Theatre after the old theatre's theming was removed, however this area always seemed to have a revolving door of randomly themed games save for a couple basketball toss machines. Updated carpeting in the arcade. The "Sports Zone" sign added next to the XD Theatre. In 2018 Boston Pizza was heavily remodeled and much of it's custom location-oriented theming removed as part of an initiative to match HOCO'S franchised restaurants with the standard styles of them found elsewhere in the country. This included the removal of the games against the wall along the walkway through Boston Pizza from Strike! Rock 'N Bowl to the staircase to the Midway. The staircase itself would finally be sealed off entirely when the pandemic hit in 2020. This was likely because you had to walk through the restaurant to get to the bowling alley, and during the pandemic an employee would have had to man the stairwell at all times, carding people for proof of vaccine. It was most likely not the only contributing factor to the decision however, as long before the pandemic, carding people for ID when the upstairs area became 19+ after a certain time had required someone staffing the stairwell during the evening hours anyway since it opened, and was likely a costly endeavor. The same year, Ghostblasters had the large haunted house facade (and gothic signage for it outside the Midway) removed and would be replaced with flat cutout signage. The Game Factory followed suit the following year. The Wild West Coaster was updated as well, now reverting to the name XD Theatre and welcoming back a revolving turnstile of films, starting with the Cosmic Coaster's second return to the Midway in 2022. Several older games from the Dazzleland era continued to be phased out including the original Skee-Ball machines, Roll-a-Ball, the Water Gun game, Boom Ball, Knock Down, Bromley's Rock n' Bowl, Namco's incredibly rare (and now highly valuable) Godzilla Wars Jr., Treasure Falls, Hungry Dragon, Wacky Gator, the last remnants of Sega Super GT and Daytona USA, as well as several more. Former staircase up to Boston Pizza while walled off, 2022. The biggest change in the Midway's history however came in February of 2024, when the entire arcade switched from a traditional token and tickets operation to running on a play card system. This had various impacts on the Midway, the most obvious being it leading to the removal of all of the token action games, many of which were the last remnants of Dazzleland by this point. This included Wheel Em' In, Smokin' Token, Goin' Rollin', Wonder Wheel, Deep Freeze, Simpson's Kooky Carnival, Big Shot, Lite Em' Up, Big Haul, and all the coin pushers save for the more modern "rapid fire" ones that use recycling tokens which never leave the machine. Various new games filled in the space created, including a large number of e-claw electronically-fixed claw machines. It also led to the removal of the ticket counter machines next to the prize counter. One positive to seemingly come out of it however was the re-opening of the staircase from the Midway up to Boston Pizza/Strike! Rock 'N Bowl (now named Strike! Games Zone), perhaps due to the cross-compatible play cards proudly displaying the logos of both the Midway and the bowling alley. Updated Ghostblasters and Game Factory facades after the removal of their 3-dimensional theming. When the Midway debuted the play card system, Bone Blaster Shooting Gallery (which had briefly occupied the front half of the former Fun Factory store space next to Movieland) was moved into the arcade along the Wendy's wall. The gallery was built by Daniel's Wood Land, the benchmark name in shooting galleries, and for good reason. It's incredibly well designed, witty, and worth the money, despite taking up a huge amount of former arcade floor space. The impressive "Bone Blaster! Shootin' Gallery" The Midway has now been entertaining guests for over two decades, three if you include it's past incarnation as Dazzleland. It may be very different than it was when it opened both in contents and concept, but the Midway still offers a wide variety of games for various styles of arcade-goers. The future for the attraction remains unclear, as it has always seemed to and always will be a reflection of larger industry trends, but while the glory days of it's thematic elements and storytelling are gone, several elements such as Ghostblasters, the wild west shooting gallery, the string carnival lights and marquee in the main Games Zone, and an increasingly smaller handful of older games remain. Between Adventure City's even more lackluster attempts at removing it's theming, some of the totally themeless F.E.C.s that have recently opened in the area, and the lack of maintenance at the Skylon Tower's Skyquest (despite its impressive collection of rare and vintage games), the Midway continues to be a stand out location that still rises above the rest.

Theatres, Bowling Alleys, and Miscellaneous This page features a variety of theatre-based attractions including ride theatres, stand-alone animatronic shows with their own theatre, light shows, drive-ins, and movie theatres with some sort of specialty theming or technology. Famous Players' chain of cinemas (now owned by Cineplex) for example spawned a variety of specially themed megaplexes in the late 90's and early 2000's. This page also contains a catch-all for all other miscellaneous attractions which don't belong in a specific category, such as bowling alleys, obstacle courses, laser-tag arenas, roller rinks, stand-alone rides, and more. Niagara Region Bird Kingdom - Niagara Falls Bronto's Adventure Playland - Niagara Falls Cataract Bowl - Niagara Falls Cinema 180 - Crystal Beach Amusement Park, Crystal Beach Cliff Hangers - Niagara Falls Country Jamboree - Crystal Beach Amusement Park, Crystal Beach Daredevil Obstacle Challenge - Marvel Superheroes Adventure City, Niagara Falls Dino Rampage 4D - Niagara Falls Extreme Movie Ride 4D - MGM Studios Plaza, Niagara Falls Fairview Bowling Lanes - St. Catharines FX Ride Theatre/Cosmic Coaster/XD Theatre - Great Canadian Midway, Niagara Falls Get Lost! Mystery Maze - Niagara Falls Good Times Jamboree/The Dancing Bears - Pyramid Place, Niagara Falls Greg Frewin Theatre - Niagara Falls Hillbilly Bear Jamboree - Maple Leaf Village, Niagara Falls Hot Air Fantasy - Marineland, Niagara Falls IMAX Pyramid - Pyramid Place, Niagara Falls Jeff's Bowl-O-Rama - Welland Legend Niagara/Great White Water Picture Show - Pyramid Place, Niagara Falls Meet Mr. Lincoln - Maple Leaf Village, Niagara Falls Niagara's Fury - Table Rock Centre, Niagara Falls Niagara Serpentarium - Niagara Falls Parkway Social - St. Catharines Pla-Mor Bowling Lanes - St. Catherines Skylon Roller Rink - Skylon Tower, Niagara Falls Skyway Drive-In - Fonthill Space Spiral Tower - Niagara Falls Strike! Rock 'N Bowl - Niagara Falls Waltzing Waters - Niagara Falls Zombie Attack - Niagara Falls Theatre (Name Unknown) - National Marine Aquarium of Canada parking lot, Niagara Falls Greater Toronto Area AMC Interchange 30 - Vaughn Bowlerama - Bathurst St., North York (Toronto) Bowlerama - Cedarbrae Mall, Scarborough (Toronto) Bowlerama - Dundas St., Etobicoke (Toronto) Bowlerama - Yonge St., North York (Toronto) Bowlerama - Jane Park Plaza, North York (Toronto) Bowlerama/Kennedy Bowl - Scarborough (Toronto) Bowlerama/Parkway Bowl - Parkway Mall, Scarborough (Toronto) Bowlerama - Overlea Blvd., East York (Toronto) Bowlerama - Rexdale Blvd., Etobicoke (Toronto) Bowlerama - Trafalgar Village, Oakville Bowlero - Brampton Burlington Bowl - Burlington C4 Centre - Eastown Plaza, Scarborough (Toronto) Cinesphere - Ontario Place, Toronto Danforth Bowl - East York (Toronto) Don Mills Bowl - Don Mills Centre, North York (Toronto) Famous Players/Cineplex Colossus - Vaughn Famous Players/Rainbow/SilverCity/Cineplex Cinema - Fairview Mall, North York (Toronto) The 5 Drive-In - Oakville FX Adventure Theatre - Ontario Place, Toronto Laser Quest - Mississauga Laser Quest - Richmond Hill Laser Quest - Scarborough Markham Bowl - Markham O'Connor Bowl - Scarborough (Toronto) Planet Laser - Oakville Playtime Bowl - York (Toronto) Rollerpony - Etobicoke (Toronto) Richmond Hill Pro Bowl - Richmond Hill Scooter's Roller Palace - Mississauga SilverCity Cinemas - Brampton SilverCity Cinemas - Mississauga SilverCity Cinemas - Richmond Hill SuSO Skate - Brampton Tour of the Universe/Ride Theatre - CN Tower, Toronto Ultimate Laser Tag - Oakville Webb Bowl - Royal York Plaza, Etobicoke (Toronto) Ride Theatre (Name Unknown) - Sega City/Playdium, Mississauga Lake Huron and Georgian Bay Balm Beach Bowling Alley (and Tavern) - Balm Beach Bayshore Lanes - Midland The Bowling Alley - Owen Sound Centennial Theatre - Joyland Arcade, Wasaga Beach The Dardenella - Wasaga Beach Elmvale Drive-In - Wasaga Beach (Elmvale) Georgian Bowl - Collingwood Gift Bowl - Sauble Beach Great Slide Ride - Blue Mountain Resort, Blue Mountain (Collingwood) Hiway Bowl - Sarnia Knight Haven Bowling Lanes - Penetang Little Bowl - Goderich Marcin Bowl - Sarnia Playland Park Bowling Alley - Playland Park, Wasaga Beach Starlite Drive-In - Grand Bend Giant Slide (Name Unknown) - Grand Bend Trampoline Attraction (Name Unknown) - Grand Bend Ontario - Other Areas AMF Frederick Lanes - Kitchener/Waterloo Ajax 5 Pin Bowling Centre - Ajax Bowlerama - Brookfield Plaza, Peterborough Bowlerama - Chatham Bowlerama - Guelph Bowlerama - Stoney Creek (Hamilton) Bowlerama - Wellington Plaza (later moved to Bayfield Mall), Barrie Bowlerama/C&D Lanes - Woodstock Bowlerama/Echo Bowl - Brantford Bowling on Broadway - Orangeville Captain Andy's River Towne Revue - Boblo Island Amusement Park, Amhurstberg Coldwater Bowling Centre - Coldwater Fleetway - London Hanover Drive-In - Hanover Haunted Theatre - Boblo Island Amusement Park, Amhurstberg Huntsville Bowl - Huntsville Kempview Bowl - Barrie Kingpin Bowlounge - Bingemans Funworx, Kitchener/Waterloo Lakeview Bowl - Market Plaza, Peterborough Leisure Bowling Lanes - Oshawa Lindsay Twin Drive-In - Lindsay Mario's Bowl - Thunder Bay Merivale Bowling Centre - Nepean (Ottawa) Mountain Lanes - Hamilton Muskoka Bowl - Muskoka Muskoka Drive-In - Muskoka Mustang Drive-In - Guelph Mustang Drive-In - London North Crest Lanes - Sault St. Marie Orillia Bowl/Rock n Bowl - Orillia Orleans Bowling Centre (and Striker's Billiards) - Orleans (Ottawa) Oxford Drive-In - Woodstock Partners Billiards and Bowling - North Bay Plaza Bowl - Sudbury Port Elmsey Drive-In - Perth Riverbowl & Billiards - Burk's Falls Skylight Drive-In - Pembroke Skyway Bowl - Hamilton Springwater Lanes - Elmvale Stardust Drive-In - Newmarket Starlight Drive-In - Hamilton Stellar Lanes - Newmarket Strike Point Bowling Centre - Lindsay Sunset Drive-In - Oro Medonte Tri-Town Bowling Lanes - Haileybury Underground Bowl - Bradford University Lanes - Dundas (Hamilton) UxBowl/Parish Lanes - Uxbridge West Park Bowling - Ottawa Alberta The Alley - Fort McMurray Ambassador Bowling Centre - Lacombe The Banquet - Edmonton The Banquet - Fort McMurray Ben's Bowling & Billiards - Brooks Blue Star Bowling Lanes - Peace River Bonnie Doon Bowling Lanes - Edmonton The Bowl 5 Pin 10 Pin House - Olds The Bowling Alley - Valleyview Bowling Depot - Calgary Bowling Stones Ten Pin Entertainment Centre - Grande Prairie Bowl Valley - Banff Bronx Bowl - Edmonton Chinook Bowladrome - Calgary Chinook Lanes - Pincher Creek Cochrane Lanes - Cochrane Deep Sea Adventure - West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton Ed's Bowling - West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton Edson Bowl - Edson Enilda Bowl - High Prairie Fatboys Bowling - Hythe Fort Lanes Bowling - Fort Saskatchewan Galaxy Bowling & Pizza - Park Meadows Mall, Lethbridge Gateway Lanes - Edmonton The Gutter - Red Deer Heartland Bowling - Stettler Heritage Lanes - Red Deer High River Sunset Drive In - High River High Rollers Bowling - Banff Hillside Lanes - Three Hills HJ's 5 Pin Bowling - Grande Prairie Holiday Bowl - Lethbridge House of Skate - Calgary Innisfail Bowling Lanes - Innisfail Jurassic Laser Tag & Arcades - Drumheller King Pins Bowling & Game Room - Bonnyville K-J Bowl - Edmonton Laser City - Calgary Laser City - Edmonton Laser City South Calgary - Calgary LaZer Runner - Edmonton Leduc Lanes - Leduc Leisure Lanes - Ponoka Lloyd Lanes - Lloydminster Lucky Strike Bowling - Lac la Biche Marina Bowling Center - Cold Lake Millennium Lanes - Okotoks Motor Nights Edmonton - Beaumont Panorama Lanes - Medicine Hat Paradise Lanes - Calgary Parellel Lanes - St. Paul The Pin - Taber Planet Lazer - Edmonton Plaza Bowling - Edmonton Railside Bowl - Red Deer Railside Bowl - Sylvan Lake The Rocket - Viking Rocky Lanes - Rocky Mountain House Rollers Roller Rink - Edmonton Scotiabank Theatre - West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton Shamrock Lanes - Airdrie Sherwood Bowl - Sherwood Park (Edmonton) Silver City - West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton Smoky Lanes - Girouxville Splitsville Glamorgan - Calgary Splitsville Highfield - Calgary Splitsville Meridian - Calgary SR2 Motion Simulator - Fantasyland/Galaxyland, West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton St. Albert Bowling Centre - St. Albert Striker Lanes - Vermilion Striker's Alley - Rimbey Tabb Lanes & Lounge - Camrose Town of Raymond Drive-In - Raymond Turbo Ride Theatre/Galaxy Quest - Fantasyland/Galaxyland, West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton Unchaga Lanes - Fairview Underground Bowling & Rec Room - Hinton Uptown Alley - Fort McMurray Vegreville Bowling Lanes - Vegreville Wainwright Bowling Centre - Wainwright Western Lanes - Wetaskiwin World's Largest Dinosaur - Drumheller Manitoba and Saskatchewan Allan Bowl/Pins & Pints Bowling - Allan, SK Alley Oop Building - Radville, SK Auto Cinema Saskatcheone - Manitou Beach, SK The Biggar Bowl - Biggar, SK Billy Mosienko Lanes - Winnipeg Boissevain and Area Bowling Lanes - Boissevain, MB Bolorama Lanes - Regina, SK Bowlers Lanes - Gimli, MB Broadview Bowl - Broadview, MB Carman 5 Pin Bowl - Carman, MB Carnduff Bowl - Carnduff, SK Chateau Lanes - Winnipeg, MB Coronation Bowling Centre - Winnipeg, MB Cross Road Lanes - Thompson, MB Cut Knife Country Lanes - Cut Knife, SK Dakota Bowling - Winnipeg, MB Esterhazy Bowl Arena - Esterhazy, SK Estevan Bowl - Estevan, SK Foam Lake Bowling Centre - Foam Lake, SK Galaxy Lanes - Melita, MB Glencarin Bolodrome - Regina, SK Golden Mile Bowling Lanes - Regina, SK Gutters Bowling and Game Centre - North Battleford, SK Hepburn Centennial Bowl - Hepburn, SK Hunter's Eastview Bowl - Saskatoon, SK Hunter's Fairhaven Bowl - Saskatoon, SK Jake's Place - Watrous, SK Kemway Lanes - Humboldt, SK Kindersley Bowl-A-Drome - Kindersley, SK LaVerendrye Lanes - Winnipeg, MB Lipton Bowling Alley - Lipton, SK Melfort Bowl - Melfort, SK Melville Bowl Arena, Melville, MB Minnedosa Bowl - Minnedosa, MB Moonlight Movies Drive-In - Pilot Butte, SK Nipawin Bowl - Nipawin, SK Nitehawk Drive-In - Indian Head, SK Nortown Bowling Lanes - Regina, SK Outlook Bowling Alley - Outlook, SK Park Alleys - Winnipeg, MB Parkway Lanes - Dauphin, MB Planet Lazer - Regina, SK Polo Park Bowling Centre - Polo Park Mall, Winnipeg, MB Prairie Dog Drive-In Theatre - Carlyle, SK Rossmere Lanes - Winnipeg, MB Selkirk Bowling Centre - Selkirk, MB Shamrock Drive-In - Killarney, MB SilverCity St. Vital Cinemas - St. Vital Centre, Winnipeg, MB South Hill Bowling Centre - Moose Jaw, SK Southport Bowl - Southport, MB Stardust Drive-In - Morden, MB Steinbach Bowling Alley - Steinbach, MB St. James Lanes - Winnipeg, MB Tisdale Bowling Lanes - Tisdale, SK Treherne Bowling & Billiards - Treherne, MB Twilite Drive-In - Wolseley, SK Uptown Alley - Winnipeg, MB Up Your Alley Bowling Center - Swan River, MB VB's Entertainment Center - Winkler, MB Westwood Lanes & Games - Winnipeg, MB Weyburn Super Bowl - Weyburn, SK Wheelies Family Roller Centre - Winnipeg British Columbia (and Northern Canada) Alder Alley - Aldergrove Beaver Valley Lanes - Fruitvale Big Country Lanes - 100 Mile House Black Diamond Bowl & Billiards - Prince George Brechin Lanes - Nainamo Canyon Lanes - Boston Bar Capri Valley Lanes - Capri Centre, Kelowna Cariboo Bowl - Williams Lake Castle Bowl - Castlegar Chillibowl Lanes and Pool Hall - Chilliwack Codes Country Lanes - Courtenay Commodore Lanes - Vancouver Copperhill Lanes - Princeton CR Bowling - Campbell River Dell Lanes - Surrey Duncan Drive-In - Duncan Duncan Lanes Bowling Centre - Duncan Falcon Lanes - Kamloops Famous Players/Cineplex Colossus - Langley Galaxy Bowl - Abbotsford Glenmerry Bowl - Trail Golden Bowling - Golden Grandview Recreations/Grandview Lanes - Vancouver Kingpin Bowling Centre - Yellowknife, Northwest Territories Kingpin Lounge - Hope King Pins Bowling - North Vancouver (Vancouver) Kobau Lanes - Osoyoos Lakeside Bowling - Salmon Arm Langford Lanes - Langford Laser City Fun Centre - Victoria Laserdome Plus - North Vancouver (Vancouver) Legacy Drive-In - Victoria Lincoln Lanes - Vernon Mackenzie Bowling - Mackenzie McCurdy Bowling Centre - Kelowna Merrit Bowling Centre - Merrit Miracle Lanes - Sidney Park Drive-In Theatre - Prince George Pinheads Bowling - Grand Forks Planet Lazer - Kelowna Planet Lazer - New Westminster (Burnaby) Planet Lazer - Richmond Planet Lazer - Surrey Pleasant Valley Plaza - Houston PoCo Bowl - Port Coquitlam (Coquitlam) Rev Bowling Lanes - Quesnel Revs Bowling - Burnaby Revs Maple Ridge - Maple Ridge Rainbow Lanes - Port Alberni Romano's Runaway Lanes - Creston Sandcastle Bowl - Surrey Scottsdale Bowling Lanes - Surrey SilverCity Riverport Cinemas - Richmond SilverCity Victoria Cinemas - Victoria Smithers Bowl - Smithers Splitsville Nanaimo - Nanaimo Splitsville Riverport - Richmond Stardust Roller Rink - Richmond Starlight Drive-In Theatre - Enderby Strike Zone Bowling - Strike Zone Bowling & Mini Golf Centre Sunset Lanes - Parksville Terrace Bowling Centre - Terrace Twilight Drive-In Theatre - Langley Township Valley Alley Bowling Centre - Invermere Village Lanes Fun Centre - Chase West Kelowna Lanes (and Whiski Jack's Pins & Pints) - Kelowna Zone Bowling - Coquitlam Quebec Anik Bowling Hall - Gatineau Atelier Quilles Trois-Rivieres - Trois-Rivieres Bool - Saguenay Boule-O-Drome - Levis Bowling and Billard Lounge Sher-Mont - Sherbrooke Bowling Automatic Valois Lanes - Pointe-Claire Bowling G Plus (Rue Bannantyne location) - Montreal Bowling G Plus (Grenet St. location) - Montreal Bowling G Plus (Rue Saint-Jacques location) - Montreal Bowling G Plus (Rue Saint-Zotique E. location) - Montreal Bowling G Plus (Shevchenko Blvd. location) - Montreal Bowl-O-Drome - Pierrefonds (Pointe-Claire) Centre De Loisirs Joseph Niro - Chicoutimi Centre de Quilles 440 - Laval Centre de Quilles St-Luc - Alma Centre Recreatif Stanstead - Stanstead Cinema Starcite - Gatineau Cine-Parc Belle Neige - Val-Morin Cine-Parc Cine dans L'Pre - Baie-Saint-Paul Cine-Parc Oroford - Sherbrooke Cine-Parc St.-Hilaire - Mont-Saint-Hilaire Cooperative de Solidarite du Quillorama de la Minganie - Havre-Saint-Pierre Le Croquenotes (Wolf Pack 5) - La Ronde, Quebec Le Dallo Bowling Alley - Chicoutimi Darling Bowling - Montreal District 1 Lasertag - Longueuil District 1 Lasertag - Mirabel Drive-In Saint-Eustache - Saint-Eustache Famous Players/Cineplex Colossus - Laval La Grosse Quille - Dolbeau-Mistassini Kingpin Bowling Alley - Sherbrooke Laser Action - Mascouche Laurentian Lanes - Montreal Le Marshall Billard, Bowling, Bar - Quebec City Pro-Quilles - Plessisville Quilles Loisirs Normandin - Normandin Quilles Moderne - Montreal Quilles Princeville - Princeville Quilles St-Gregoire - Becancour Quillorama Frontenac - Quebec City Quillorama Granby - Granby Quillorama Marieville - Marieville Quillorama Richmond - Richmond Royaume Des Quilles - Granby Saint-Pascal Bowling Room - Quebec City Salle de Quille Beloeil - Beloeil Salle de Quille Black Lake - Black Lake Salle de Quille Danis - Gatineau Salle de Quille Fleury - Montreal Salle de Quille King Pin De Buckingham - Gatineau Salle de Quille Le Riverain - Sainte-Catherine Salle de Quille Masson - Gatineau Salle de Quilles Paris - Gatineau Salon Nord-Quilles - Sept-Iles Salon de Quilles Bellevue Enr. - Quebec City Salon de Quilles BG Laval - Laval Salon de Quilles Centre Domaine - Montreal Salon de Quilles Champion - Greenfield Park (Longueuil) Salon de Quilles L'Entracte - Beloeil Salon de Quilles Fortin-Tremblay - L'Ascension-de-Notre-Seigneur Salon de Quilles Greber - Gatineau Salon de Quilles Horizon - Quebec City Salon Quilles Lac St. Charles - Lac-Saint-Charles Salon de Quilles Le Riviera - Coaticook Salon de Quilles Le 300 - Sorel-Tracy Salon de Quilles Le Triple de Charlesbourg - Quebec City Salon de Quilles La Place - Saint-Nicephore Salon de Quilles Laval - Laval Salon de Quilles Laval - Quebec City Salon de Quilles Memphre - Magog Salon de Quilles Pincourt - Pincourt Salon de Quilles Portneuf - Portneuf Salon de Quilles Rive-Sud - Longueuil Salon de Quilles Saint-Hyacinthe - Saint-Hyacinthe Salon de Quilles St.-Christophe - Cowansville Salon de Quilles St.-Etienne - Saint-Etienne-de-Lauzon Salon de Quilles St.-Nicholas - Saint-Nicholas Salon de Quilles le Temple - Quebec City Salon de Quilles Val-Belair - Quebec City Atlantic Canada (East of Quebec) Acadian Bowling Lanes & 9th Lane Lounge - Little Brook, NS Alley 4 Bowling Alley - Belliveaus Cove, NS The Alley Restaurant and Bowling Alley - Charlottetown, P.E.I. Avon Valley Lanes - Windsor, NS Bowlacade - Bible Hill, NS Bowlacade - Woodstock, NB Bowlarama - Dartmouth, NS Bowlarama - Dieppe, NB Bowlarama - Halifax, NS Bowlarama - Spryfield (Halifax), NS Bowl-More Lanes - Bridgewater, NS Brackley Drive-In - Brackley Beach, P.E.I. Brunswick Lanes - Yarmouth, NS Cape Breton Drive-In Theatre - Grand Lake Road (Sydney), NS Castle Bowling Centre - Miramichi, NB Cine-Parc Satellite Ltee - Bois-Blanc, NB Clarenville Twin Cinemas/Caribou Lanes Bowling Alley - Clarenville, NL Corner Brook Centre Bowl - Corner Brook, NL The Drome by Trailway - Fredericton, NB Exploits Lanes - Grand Falls-Windsor, NL Fairlanes Bowling Centre - Moncton, NB Fairview Lanes - Saint John, NB Greenwood Bowling Centre - Greenwood, NS Heather Bowling Lanes - New Glasgow, NS Holiday Lanes - St. John's. NL Holy Bowly - Riverview (Moncton), NB King Pin Bowling - Amherst, NS Lanes at Membertou - Membertou (Sydney), NS Liverpool Bowling Centre - Liverpool, NS Old Mill Fun Centre - Bay Roberts, NL Pajo's Bowling Alley - Lunenburg, NS Paradise Bowl - Paradise, NL Peyton's Pins/Andy's Alleys - Gander, NL Pins Bowling Centre - Antigonish, NS Plaza Bowl - St. John's, NL Riverdale Fun Centre - Conception Bay South, NL Seaside Bowling Centre - Shediac, NB Shoebox Drive-In - Westville, NS St. Pat's Bowling Lanes and Lounge - St. John's, NL Strand Bowling Alley - Sydney Mines (Sydney), NS Super Bowl - Lower Sackville (Halifax), NS Supernova XD Theatre - Splash " n" Putt Resort, Traytown, NL Sussex Drive-In - Sussex, NB Swansburg's Bowling Alley - Shelburne, NS Town Center Lanes - Glace Bay, NS UnBOWLievable Lanes - Musquodoboit Harbour, NS Valley Drive-In Theatre - Cambridge Station, NS Wilson's Bowling Centre - Digby, NS Winter Games Lanes - Lewisporte, NL

News Blog Occasional updates on current industry happenings related to the site, important research breakthroughs, and behind the scenes information. Recent The Search for the Lost Animatronic Shows of Enter-Tech FOUND FOOTAGE: Skylon Tower Amusement Park, Minolta Tower Arcade, Waltzing Waters, and more! Is this the find of the year? Legendary Niagara Falls Merchandise Store Rockworld Closing After 41 Years Castle Dracula Has New Owners, Receives Major Overhaul January 2025 (1) 1 post November 2024 (3) 3 posts July 2024 (1) 1 post