The Employee's Tribute

 

 

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Astroworld Employee's Stories

 1 "It was a fun ride" 
 2 Once upon a time, a guest asked me "what happens when it rains"...I told her "everything gets wet"... I guess, in a way, I'll miss the dumb questions, if only to point out exactly how dumb the question is. 
 3 i think i did a good job. i was not liked by a lot of people for no reason, i feel if you dont like me its because your jealous or intimidated by me so bring it. there were actually some ride supervisors who didnt like me, once again i wont say anynames. but i feel that the reason was because i was friends with thier boyfriends who were also supervisors. PlEASE i dont and didnt want your man. IMMATURE! grow up . 
 4 Too many to share here! 
 5 I remember walking into HR for my interview I was nervous as nervous can get. I Know I din't do a good job but the lady said she was going to give me a chance. I'm glad she did because while working at Astroworld I made good friends. I had lots of fun and had some hilarious times also. I'm going to miss my fellow workers Ashley and Mike oh and Darrell too. I will miss Astroworld and everything it brought me. 
 6 )ctober 29, 2005 @ the VIP party. It was really cool 2 c how everyone really is outside of "the JOB". It's great 2 really work with fun and laid back people. 
 7 Where should I start!? I'll never forget riding shotgun in a park truck with a certain other Supervisor in the muddy bumpy area around and behind Southern Star backroads going at top speeds watching mud fly up all over the place. I had no part in this! :+) 
 8 It was a raining cats and dogs day and the park was still open but we were handing rainchecks out left and right, and after all the guests left, I remember going with our sups and playing in the huge puddles of rain that used to gather at the front gate. Its a silly memory, but those two years were the best times of my life. 
 9 It was aiight 
 10 i sat in front of the looney tunes theater stage for about an hour on sunday, oct 30 and just reminisced...that very stage gave me my FIRST ever dance job. i am now a professional performer who has traveled the world...and i owe to astroworld for giving me that chance. 

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 11 I always enjoyed folding that huge flag after the fireworks...it took so many people, and could lift you into the air if you weren't careful. 
 12 My personal favorite project was carving a carousel horse to be used on the Alpine Carousel. Although the horse was intended to be used thoughout the year as a replacement fill-in to allow repairations to the original animals, the premature closing of the park caused the horse I carved to be put on the back burner. I was thrilled to be able to install the painted horse on the carousel for both a first and a last ride on the final weekend of park operations. It made it's debut when the gates opened on Saturday the 27th of October, and it's grand finale on the 28th of October when the park closed. Short but sweet. 
 13 Astroworld was my first job. I met my ex-fiance there. The people that I worked with were amazing! It was a fun experience, and I have alot of fond memories. 
 14 About how we found the speed switch on the bumper cars one night while cleaning the ride and proceeded to bang them up at high speed. The mechanics came over kicking and screaming about how they were the ones that had to fix them after we broke them. 
 15 just working there and being around the poeple and makeing new friends 
 16 Thank You Astroworld for all the good times and the bad ones. I will miss this place it was been part of my life for the last 13 years. I am now working at Texas Medical Center.I am glad SFAW close because I found this great paying job that I like. go to www.myspace.com click on search enter display name (SUPERROD). there you'll find Astrowolrd ex-employees 
 17 I remember working winter work crew and sewing up damaged stuffed animals during my Christmas break. Now, that was boring work, but we still made it fun somehow!  
 18 I remember how the park would look after closing. Very surreal with the lights on, but no people there. As for stories - that would fill a book. 
 19 After being promoted, I was in charge of Sellers with my manager was Richard and my supervisor was Robert. Well when August rolled around and it was time for the Leadership Banquet, Robert, Richard, and I all won admissions favorites. I being admissions lead, Richard being admissions manager, and Robert being an admissions supervior. So I thought it was all an coincidence that we all work in the same area and won. We were a hard-working trio! :) Oh, the good times! 
 20 Working with young and older employs. Seeing the happiness I caused when there was a person at my game. 

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 21 More To Come... 
 22 aug 79-we we're able to get chicken shack closed so fast one night that my entire crew was able to make it to chat n chew and order burger baskets from them at 1150. we're singing our theme song in line. "chicken shack oh chicken shack, how lovely are your fry vats" 
 23 BEING ABLE TO EXPAND MY KNOWLEDGE IN THE SAFETY FIELD 
 24 Taking the Astroworld rode trip to Six Flags over Georgia. We were stuck at the bus terminal in Birmingham AL because a girl on the trip got beat up by another employee. I was on the bus with all the lifeguards and it was a blast. 
 25 Working in Security, there are too many stories to list as we were kept pretty busy everyday dealing with the good, the bad, and the ugly. Incidents that stand out in mind include a juvenile streaker, shop lifting by a group of Christian teenagers, teenagers caught up in passion while sitting in a photo booth, and catching a carjacker that was caught in the end of the night exit traffic 
 26 One night after the park was closed, I was about to cross the railroad tracks by the Ultra Twister. Five feet away from the tracks my electric wheelchair broke down. All of sudden my wheelchair was spinning in a circle and I could not go straight. I was saying to myself “Steam engine please, don’t come by.” Then I saw a maintenance truck pass by. I said “Damn he did not see me in the dark.” Next thing I know the truck backed up. He asked me “What’s wrong with your wheelchair Roland?” I did not know what was wrong. He figured it out and drove to the shop and then came back with an e clip. After he fixed the wheelchair he told me “You know what? I was the last mechanic on duty and on my way home.” If it was not for him, no telling how long I would have been out in the park in the dark. The bad thing is I don’t remember his name. 
 27 the girls and the partys 
 28 I had a great deal of fun out there and met a lot of interesting people. One person I met out there was Lystra Augustine. Everyone out there was great and I will miss the park very much 
 29 Playing softball on the Attractions 2 team, the "NADS"...Good Times! 
 30 An experience I will never forget is when the Texas Tornado rolled backwards down the lift and crashed into the train in the station. 

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 31 It was very great for me growing up. I was 16-18 and it was so many experiences I had there. It was a great experence. 
 32 my first day, i had told h.r. i couldnt start till the folloing weakend, but i gusse they didnt tell anyone else, anyway i was to play hockey that weekend and told my lead , i wasnt going cause this was my first day. well she brings this slip saying i am sick and have to leave, she then gets me a outside line to call home and have my parents meet me at the rink with my gear. i get on the ice get a few warm up shots play the game of mylife we tie 1-1, i get player of the game. I have so many memories as do others ,they are all so special, the good the bad , all the people i know who have become my family. 
 33 To many. I was a Steam Engineer, we had to many stories to tell. We were the Bad Boys of the Railroad 
 34 Met some interesting people. 
 35 had fun 
 36 I enjoyed everything about working at Astroworld. My favorite part of working at Astroworld was meeting many gorgeous girls, and the many parties that resulted from working their! Those days were certainly among the greatest of my life. Thank you Astroworld! I'd like to say hellow to all of the "Original" Astroworld gang from 1968. Email me anytime, I'd love to hear from you. Rickey 
 37 My time eith Astroworld has yet to expire, but to everyone "Thank You". I have had a great time working and getting to know everyone. 
 38 I was thrown into Thunder River by the Entire Enchanted Kingdom Crew. Led by their Forman who many years later became my husband. That same night 3 of crew members tubbed down Thunder River in inner tubes "borrowed" from Water World. It was there last day working so what could I do ;-)..... 
 39 I was always a troubled kid, problems at home sometimes without a home. Problems with my self-esteem, problems at school but through it all people loving me, hating me I had Astroworld and I always did my best and worked the hardest I ever had to stay there because it was all I had and I grew up there, learned so much there and all the people who supervised me were the best and all my co-workers were so great. They will never know the pain it was just to get to work but I did it to see them, to see smiles on the guests faces and to learn all the supervisors had to teach. Thank you Astroworld for getting me through the hard times and giving me the best times of my life.... 
 40 My first time riding a roller coster ride was when I was 6 or 7 years old. My very first roller coster was the Texas Cyclone and I will never forget the time when I was real small and skinny I felt like I was going to slip out because I was very little at the time. My mom had to hold me back until the ride was over. When growing up I rode every single ride in six flags astroworld and I am going to miss it not going for the summer. 

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 41 i've been here almost my whole life! 
 42 all the laughs i shared, all of my supervisors, and employees. getting up every day during the hot summer and make people smile. 
 43 I was the first guy to sell ballons, I got the job because I was dating the girl that at the time was foreman and she convinced the higher ups she needed me to help move the helium tanks. 
 44 it was fun whilel lit lasted and i wish it would have staye open till i got a chance to take my daughter there when she got older. 
 45 Every shift was an experience all its own.. so many diverse people..some nice, some not so nice.. amazing what some will say and do to get a refund or a new ticket for future visit.. I enjoyed all the people I worked with.. everyone was happy and seemed to like their jobs.. I guess we were young and didn't know any better :) 
 46 @ the Supervisor, I've never seen a group of sooo many happy people. It felt good to see previous co-workers unite. Then I got to mix and mingle with them and they were all sooooo much fun! 
 47 I grew up at the park every since I was brought into this world. My mom, Phyllis McSpadden, has worked there for 26 years and I am know currently 24 years old. So, the Park has a place in my heart and always will be. 
 48 We all know how everything felt and was. Nothing in the world could replace the experience we all had. In my few years there, I felt it was the most awarding thing I ever done. I had good and bad times there but with friends in my paths they always somehow made my day fun. 
 49 One of the best feelings I had at the park was when I was helping out the front gate taking tickets. As one of the quest approached me I said Hello, how are you doing today? They looked down at my name tag and said, Phyllis, thank you for coming in to work today. It left such a great feeling. 
 50 I help Joe fix the soda machine 

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 51 I remeber a time when a guest became sick and passed out inside of La Cantina it was very scary 
 52 My first ride on a roller coaster was greezed ligntning and serial thriller. I've always been afraid of heights and when I rode these two, it was totally awesome and I was in love ever since. I couldn't stay off of Cyclone or Viper or Batman either. I'm really going to miss it all. Maybe one day, under new management, we'll get another and even bigger and better park. 
 53 Translation of German blueprints and installation of the Tornadoe. 
 54 I enjoyed working with the people in the different sections that I've been in, because they made my day every time I came to work. 
 55 IT WAS ALOT OF FUN WORKING WITH THE PEOPLE. LEARNING NEW EXPERIENCES WITH DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. 
 56 Family and Friends 
 57 Family and Friends 
 58 I MET SOME OF THE BEST PEOPLE I HAVE EVER MET AND TRULY HAD THE BEST TIME OF MY LIFE. 
 59 I know some might have this same story but never talk about it. In 1986, after receiving my very first paycheck of about $104, I cashed it at the park, went strait to the Fast Draw Arcade, and blew almost all of it playing 'Gauntlet IV'. I had no idea i spent that much that fast. I thought I was robbed. LOL 
 60 it rocked! 

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 61 Well Sunday(10/30/2005) was the end of an era. I still couldnt believe what was about to happen. Astroworld is finally done. As I took my last looks of the guests leaving, i watched all the happy faces of the children as they waved bye. I couldnt help but to have a tear in my eye for the kids, cause they were really taking away from the kids by closing the park.As kept looking on, I remembered all the firsts that occured while being a part of A.W. for now 17yrs: I learned how to swim in the kiddie pool in Waterworld, I rode my first rollercoaster(serial thriller) last august, I even got my mom on it last Saturday when she swore she would never ride a coaster and she even liked it. I remember when Robert first told me i was hired to work there.Edwin when he trained me. I didnt think i would make many friends while working here, only to find out I not only made friends, but I now had another family: The 6-Flags family.(Tears starting to fall while I write this). So many of you made me want to come to work every week because all of you have the best personalities i have ever been around. First and foremost my krunk sister, Tara I love you like a real sister, U were always so much fun to be around, everyday was a good one when i was with you. Felicia U were so great to talk 2, Christina when u smile u make my day good, Larson, Steven, Ifiok, Justin and Chris yall were like the brothers i never had. Tiffany u were the happiest person i ever been around. Danatte U jus so quite but good to converse with when u open up.Brandi jus stay wilin out. To all other black tags love yall too. Jonathan when you started i didnt know u, but when we got to talkin I learned we had a shit load of stuff in common. (No wonder u are my "mini-me") U my nigga till the end. Devin, u were just a good person to be around, just because u kept it real. Always kept every situation a good one (mmm hmmm) lol. Robert, Bresean, Jessica, Richard, Stacy,Soledad, Edwin, Dina, Steven, and Nick, all of you taught me so much while i was working here. Thank you all for giving me the chance the work in the BEST park in Texas. To anyone i forgot to mention sorry, but im so sad i cant really concentrate. As a last memory I will always remember that last Cha Cha Slide(it was the greatest dance ever). Hopefully I will see all of you at Schillterban(excuse spelling), or Splashtown. If not I hope everyone stays safe and I love all yall( my Admissions Familia). Peace Out and remember IT WILL ALWAYS BE PLAYTIME, FOR NOW AND FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My Astroworld Family  
 62 On the last day when somebody got in one of the Go-Karts and crashed it into the fence near post 2. 
 63 i loved this job it was the best one i ever had 
 64 bunny fall down... 
 65 The time I spent at astroworld was all a great experience. I'll miss it more than anyone will know. 
 66 When I crashed the sweeptruck by accident. 
 67 While working at Excalibur, we where running 2 trains. There was a lady on the train and she refused to get off because her son was several inches too short to ride. She said if he rode the Viper (42 inch height requirement) he could ride Excalibur (48 inch height requirement). The MCO called security and told them that there was a lady at the ride and she was "Holding us up and people could not get off" or something like that. About 30 seconds or so several Security officers and a HPD Officer show up and the HPD officer had his gun in hand. They came running up the exit and we did not know what was happening. They thought the lady was Holding us up as in a robbery. Just put it this way the lady did not ride and everyone in line cheered when she left. WE HAD A HUGE LAUGH LATER!!! I guess you can call it a Mine Train Robbery. 
 68 Working at the park was the greatest time of my life. It was the best job i ever had for the least amount of money! I am very proud of the fact that my grandfather, Arthur Deiss, was handpicked by Judge Roy Hoffeinz to be his master carpenter. My Grandfather built all the original buildings in the park, and even help construct the Texas Cyclone. It was a sad day for me to hear the park closed forever this year (2005). It will be sorely missed! 
 69 I'm international student from Poland.I was working in Astroworld 2seasons.I realy love it.I met lots of great people that I was working with,I liked my job,I've got lots of fun and good experiences.I improved my English!! And I wanna thank My Boss-Terry Overstreet-ILU:* 
 70 rats that swam from an island in the middle of the lake to the chicken shack after the park closed at night. 

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 71 I have never worked with so many dedicated professional people in my life. "The show goes on" is a standing tradition of Six Flags and each park is always ready to open their gates for the guests to come in. Behind the scene activities is bunch of busy bees all flying in different directions, but with the same goal, to keep the rides and attractions operating for our guests. The camaraderie of Park personnel was truly great. Everyone supported each other every day. I truly will miss all the people I worked with at Astroworld and feel very privileged to have known them. I say goodby to Mac, Tommy, Anthony, Linda, George, Jerry, Carlos, Charlie, Marty, David, Kent, Guy, Jimmy, Grant, Don, Brent, Steve, Barbara and to all the ladies and gentlemen in Operations, Maintenance, Security, Food Service, Retail and Marketing. Good Luck and Best Wishes. Bob Burch, San Antonio, Texas  
 72 Home is where the heart is, and Astroworld has been "Home" to me for 6 years. 
 73 What is not to share. The ones that love it always will, and the ones that did not (we all have those days)may one day learn to love the time that they have spent here. We all have our stories, but mine is simply the people. I have enjoyed working with all the different people. Both in and out of the park. To everyone " Thank You ! " I am positive that I will never work in this type of enviroment again, and if it does happen I know that I have truly been blessed. Astroworld, all of the memories that you have given me I will always cherish. 
 74 The way this group of people felt about each other will ALWAYS be with me. I will truly miss each and everyone. 
 75 I'm almost embarassed to say that I had and still do have all the music memorized that played in every section of the park and yes I have been guilty several times of putting my radio next to a speaker and letting the park music play on everybody's radio. I would intentionally whistle the music as loud as I could just to show off and see if I could get on somebody's nerves. I noticed during a return a few years ago that they changed up the music. Anybody know what they did with the tapes??? 
 76 I worked at waterworld durind the summer and I had a great time and met many new friends 
 77 Working for Astroworld is like the greatest memory I've ever had!!!I will never forget the park!!!!!and every I worked with! 
 78 I loved working at Astroworld every day it was my dream. 
 79 it's very great 
 80 At the ride,we always tried to find things to lighten up the enviorment from are dances to song remixes. Even if it ment we would get in troble with water guns and accidently e-stops. Well one day at the ride one of our former crew member was experimenting at the chute and wanted to know what would happen if he put a cup in front of the photo eye and didnt tell any one. The ride was shut down for about a hour and a half before the tech. decided to go up and see what was wrong. When he found out he screams, "Its a Damn DIXIE CUP in front of the photo eye." all we could do was laugh and the crew member that did was transfered to games. 

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 81 Too many to share here. 
 82 Working at Astroworld was a life changing experience for me. I was a very shy kid and the friends I made working at the park helped bring me out of my shell. There are still several people that I worked with all those years ago that keep in contact and get together whenever possible. Astroworld also made me a better employee. I was given so much responsibility at such a young age and that helped me grow into a strong employee and leader. 
 83 I thoroughly enjoyed the cook offs, and all the people that I became friends with. Everyone I know in Houston is associated with AstroWorld in some way. I even got my two best friends to work there as seasonals. 
 84 Too many to list here... 
 85 I will never forget the summer at Waterworld, for obvious reasons. But one day that summer Astroworld lost power for about 6 hours, this was in June. None of the rides could work. All the guests were allowed into Waterworld because we still had power. We had like triple the amount of people in the park that day & ran out of everything. I remember looking up at the astroneedle and wondering how they were going to get those peolpe down. Never found out what caused the power outage. 
 86 Remember paying only $2.50 to get in the gates!!! And each employee was given free season tickets to give our family members. I remember after closing at the end of the day that some of us would meet at certain rides and have some fun. How wardrobe would hate seeing us come in after being thrown into the Lagoon. And what about the day that Cashes Clay and George Forman came to the park. What a day for us all!!!! Also, watching Armstrong walk on the moon at El Chico's. What a wonderful experience growing up with Astroworld!! I will miss you! Anyone from the 60's please email me. I'd love to hear from you. 
 87 Resuscitated a 5 year old boy coming off of the Texas Cyclone. I was a hero for the day. 
 88 Was a friend of the guy who played Cornelius D. Crow. Once had to jump into that gross blue colored water to retrive a remote control boat that died. 
 89 Spent the night in the park during winter work crew 
 90 It was great! Learned a lot 

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 91 got my tool box put on the top of Dungeon Drop 
 92 It was $RANDOM_ADJECTIVE! One day, back in $RANDOM_SEASON, I was in $RANDOM_SECTION right next to $RANDOM_LOCATION. It was $RANDOM_WEATHER outside, and the park had $RANDOM_ATTENDENCE many guests that day. All of a sudden, a guest came up to me and told me that $RANDOM_EVENT had occurred next to $RANDOM_OTHER_LOCATION. I followed the guest to $RANDOM_OTHER_LOCATION, and couldn't believe what I saw, it was $RANDOM_SITUATION. I proceeded to help out as best I could, and about $RANDOM_TIME_INTERVAL until $RANDOM_DEPARTMENT could arrive to take care of everything. Man that was crazy. (Guess which department I worked for >;} ) 
 93 My job as a ghost in the Brutal Planet house was one big thrill night after night. I was responsible for scares in the grave yard. Once, three of the largest girls ever came walking in. I just sat back perched on a grave stone watching them under the cover of lots of fog. Usually people thought that I was a dummy. They were no different. They approached me to get a closer look. When they were close enough, I looked up and smiled at them. The next thing I know the big girls ran smack into a wall, destroyong an innocent exit sign in the process. It was literally in pieces. Now they were laying on the floor obviously hurt from the collision. I broke character to see if they were okay and the moment they saw me head in their direction they jumped up from the big lump on the floor and ran out of the room. Ahh....the good old days. 
 94 There are too many to share! I made wonderful friends and we are still friends to this day. 
 95 My job in the house was to get people from one side of the "street" to the other and back again, herding them from room to room. Some people were so frightened by the time they would get to me I only had to look at them and they would start freaking out. (Lots of fun for me of course.) One evening a couple of preppy girls came up and I just remember taking a step towards them when they flipped out and tried to run. This did not go very well and one of them fell and whacked her head on a barrel. At this point I broke character to make certain she was alright, but she wouldn't have anything to do with me. She began to scout across the floor on her hands and feet- very much like a crab- just like in the horror flicks. When she felt she had scooted a safe distance away she got up and ran screaming and never looked back. Oh well, it was definitely fun for me! 
 96 I busted my knee while scaring the pants off little children. Best fun of my life. 
 97 The only experience that I will always remember will be the family I will miss trmendously. Hopefully we will all stay in touch. Too many interesting stories to share from AstroWorld at this time. 
 98 We used to test ride the coaster every morning before opening. 
 99 I HAD SO MANY BUT BY FAR THIS WAS MY FAVORITE PLACE TO WORK I JUST ENJOYED MEETING SO MANY PEOPLE DAY IN AND DAY OUT 
 100 I remember that I started my senior year of high school and wanted a little extra money for college. So I was to work the summer and go off to college and never look back! I went to college, but stayed on at AstroWorld because my supervisor allowed me to work a really odd schedule and I never left. I have held many positions at Astroworld and even left to work at a school, but I still worked until the day it closed. So many stories...I will never forget the day Patrick Zink threw my till all over cash control because I was always picky on my tills and he thought it would be funny to try and mess me up. It did not work because I gathered everything up and it still came out even. No one was allowed around the table until I was sure I found everything!!! I have learned so much from everyone I have worked with over the years. Building lasting friendships and learning so much from a very diverse group of people. I have always said that AstroWorld taught me things that I would have had to have 8-10 jobs just to learn the various skills that I learned at Astroworld in one setting. It is a family and when you go out in the world nothing is like it. Everyone who has had the opportunity to work here knows exactly what I am talking about. Love to all I worked with and the friends I have made!!! 

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 101 I enjoyed the after hour event Astroworld had for the employees. 
 102 I met my best friend of 24 years, Kevin Casey, at the park as we were volunteered to escort the Easter Seals kids around the park. 
 103 I remember a friend of mine who worked in Grounds Quality showing me a Seven Seas bottle he found in the Mens' restroom. The bottle reeked of alcohol! It was hilarious! 
 104 The entire time I was employeed be Astroworld was an experience. The park had awesome employees. Thanks everyone for making it such an awesome place to be everyday. 
 105 Last engineer to take the last steam trip around the park 
 106 Helped remove the crystal chandelier from the Crystal Palace in 1975. It went into storage and was sold today at auction for $8500.00. I believe it was easily worth 25-30 thousand. So sad to see the park go. 
 107 i would always come to work early so i could get everything done on time like get the water for my crew ,made sure the rides area was clean,the rides inspection check was done and signed by a supervisor ian martinez or jermy foot in area b we've had or good times and our bad times but to let you know astroworld will be missed by me and many others. i cried when i seen them taking apart s.thriller d.drop that went fast. R.I.P ASTROWORLD 1968-2005 
 108 I will never forget being a manager at Serial Thriller, and someone lost their fake leg while going into the first loop! The leg flew across the air over the people standing in line! You could just imagine what they were thinking! I then had to lock out the ride to retrieve it, so embarrassing. 
 109 Maybe later. It still hurts too much to think about what has been lost. 
 110 Looney Toon Town was the easiest job in the world, but sweeping trash was the worst experience of my life. Every year I worked the park got worse. I knew it would shut down. 

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 111 awesome experience 
 112 Fireworks was always fun I would always think a shell had caught the Island at the River on fire 
 113 I love that dance we had to do before the would open. I loved all my coworker's. 
 114 JUST BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH SOME GREATPEOPLE FOR SO MANY YEARS. AND GETTING TO PLAY SOFTBALL AT THE PARK HITTING HOMERUNS ON THE ROOF OF THE BIG RED BARN. 
 115 JUST BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH SOME GREAT PEOPLE FOR SO MANY YEARS. 
 116 Class of 1986 Madison Sr.worked for the summer to get money for our senior trip to the Bahamas. Although, I never seen a single paycheck/stub {thanks to James Madison High on Whiteheather}. I enjoyed being with my friends and riding all the rides. I can't believe they payed us to have fun.Thank you to my Mom Ella & Metro for all the rides to Astoworld. Then when I was hired on at Compaq Computers Inc-Tomball, Tx {1989} right after college I was in heaven. The founder of Compaq-Rod Canion used to treat his employees every year to a weekend at Astroworld. Thank You Mr. Rod Canion 
 117 I had a ball working at Astroworld. Imade some amazing friends that I wish I still had contact with. 
 118 There were so many great memories. As a season pass holder and getting stuck on the Texas Cyclone for 1hour and 45min. and getting our ride. Working at the Crystal Palace as an usher and hanging out with all the theater people. Going to the Astroworld Parties. The wonderful and wild people that came to work at the park from LA. The late night breakfasts at Dennys.  
 119 I was one of the original season pass brats, way back in the day. Me and my gang were on board the very first major shut-down of the Texas Cyclone. It was the last ride of the night,and we just left the que house - when the chain disconnected halfway up the lift... We must have been up there about 45 minutes, the park was cleared out by then, I know my mom was waiting in the station wagon for us just on the other side of the fence. Finally, they got about ten or so guys to push us the rest of the way over the top. Bless there hearts, that thing was massively heavy! Obviously, we rode the rest of the way via centifugal force... Dang It Was A Good Ride!!!! Waaaay back before they dropped the north and south bends, and put in headrests and seat beats... Whooo Hooo!!! 
 120 The "turnaround" was a blast. Those guys from Park Services were smooth. I enjoyed the softball league-DAWGS #1. 

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 121 Fired by Bill Crandall during the 1976 bicentennial fireworks show on July 4, but realized it was dark and he didn't know who we were, so I came back the next day and no one said anything (as a matter of fact, Bill said hello to me that day). 
 122 It was really nice to work there. I met many wonderful people, students from around the world as well as Americans. Pepople like Joux, Desiree, Faith, Scott, Kevin and many many more always will be in my memory. 
 123 To many to name. 
 124 1. My last day - My crew threw me in the River to celebrate and we were terminated (saved that end-of-year bonus) 2. Car wreck on Nasa1 returning from work at 02:00 in morning, ripped a brand new Datsun 710 with paper plates in half. Tough part was telling my Dad. 
 125 I just remember all of the fun I used to have when setting up in the mornings. The most interesting thing was how I always got confused with someone who looked like me who would always get drunk at those great bashes we used to have. 
 126 I don't have 1 story but i would like to name of few names of some great people i worked with. Craig Warren,Cliff Edwards,Kerry Danford,James Marlin,Tommy Gooden,Stuart Hood,Severon Vallery,Rick Orosco,Jayne Nalett,Charles Goudy,Brian Harper,Julian Guevara,Paul Speights,Marcus Suarez, Thanks for the memories. A special thanks to Lynda Baldwin for letting my crazy ass work there that long. 
 127 Where would I start? I had an AW pass from the ages of 12-17, and continued by working there at WW at the age of 20 something. 
 128 The best thing I can remember is working on the fourth of July. I worked from 9am-midnight. During the firework show, they decided to shut down almost every other ride in our area except for us. Seeing as I was working at the ASTROWAY, this shocked all of us working at the ride. After the show started, the supervisors determined that the fireworks were coming a little too close to the cars. They decided to shut down the ride. We,however, had to dispatch an additional car because the alpine side had sent another one. They had to send this car because one of the employees HAD to come over to our side of the park. Needless to say, by the time he "touched down," he was clinging to the rails on the side of the car very tightly. 
 129 I use to go out after work with some of the Security Guards, Fred Cipelle and Sandy Alvarado. We went to Pizza Inn on Bellaire Blvd and had a great time. 
 130 Where i met Amanda my fiance. 

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 131 Running the mountain at Alpine Sleighs. Warming up the Texas Cyclone before park opening. "Accidentally" dropping something in the River of No Return and having to jump in to retrieve it on a hot day. "Speed stopping" DFERR/Excalibur. 
 132 One Customer who was a hired official to fire employees tried to get a free game and then went on to another employee and I went over there and said don't even try 
 133 My favorite rides to drive/operate were Warp 10, Cable Cars, Runaway Rickshaws, Serpent, Whirling Dervish and Thunder River (watching for jams mainly). 
 134 Working at Astroworld was like the beginning of my life. I met my husband there, we worked at Batman together. Remember cleaning gum out of the rail-road crossing? Remember sending small stuffed animals on the bottom of the roller coaster to see if they would make it back? Remember riding with the seats all the way up? Astroworld was my first job and i enjoyed working because we became like family. 
 135 there are so many, i saw astroworld get built, my father was an electrician and every day we would drop him off ,and i would watch astroworld slowly get built. i was young ,the first time we went to astroworld it was the sixties and everything was brand new,the best experience was falling in love with my boyfriend and getting my first kiss. 
 136 Too many stories to share, but never a dull moment. Lots of late saturday nights, and early sunday mornings. And I appreciated the park, and the people, and being able to see major league baseball and football, and then cross a bridge to work or ride rides without having to move my car. Can't do that in Dallas/Ft. Worth, at least not now. 
 137 Walking to the parking lot one night , you have to walk under that twisting coaster, when I got under the ride it came roaring over me and a quarter fell out of the car and hit my face about an inch from my eye 
 138 My story is that for only a short time, I had the utmost privilege of working at astroworld. A job working at a wonderland. What could be better. The friends I made in such a short time, the experiences, will always be etched in my mind forever. This past year has been a difficult one for me. I lost a friend to cancer, who was like a brother to me. I also lost my best friend of almost 24 years to divorce, my wife. When I heard that the park was closing forever, I had that all too familiar pain in my heart, like so many others of you felt. I remembered how many times my wife and I had taken my 2 girls to the park, and how I wished I could do it all over again. I'll never forget astroworld, or the people I met that made it what it was. My heart will be heavy every time I drive down the 610 loop between kirby and fannin. But I will never forget you astroworld.......thank you for all the memories, and I can only hope that some day, in another place and time, we will see you again. 
 139 As soon as I would arrive at the park for my shift, I would ask if I could go home. And throughout the shift I would ask about 20 times if I could go home, and the answer was of course no. 
 140 My favorite experience at Astroworld was meeting my husband. 

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 141 I remember when myself and the head of ride operations jammed 7 boats in rapids ride. It was home school week, and the entertainment staff got to run rides SO MUCH FUN. So she and I started up the ride, jammed them. She turned to me and said (if you tell anyone I broke a ride I kill you). We called a maintance guy with her cell phone. Its been ten years and it still makes me laugh.  
 142 the after-parties with the night crews 
 143 best exp. is times shared with all of the people that worked there, after all, they are what life is all about. miss everybody so much. robert o. 
 144 There are so many experiences. Spring Break '94 when I was escorting characters and playing volleyball during breaks. Opening of the Mayan Mindbender, Watching the New Edition concert in the rain, being on stage when Selena performed. So many. 
 145 i got many compliments. 
 146 Jay Johnson of TV's "SOAP" (with Billy Crystal) did his ventriloquism act in my show. 
 147 I LOVED THAT PLACE, THAT WAS MY FIRST JOB!!! AN EXPERIENCE OF A LIFE TIME!!!!! 
 148 IT MAKES ME SICK TO SEE ALL THE PICTURES OF ASTROWORLD BEING TORN APART! THEY SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT THE LAND ALL AROUND THEM YEARS AGO AND NONE OF THIS WOULD EVER HAVE HAPPENED TERRIBLE MANAGMENT! 
 149 The day i was hired Houston flooded and ASTROWORLD was like an island above the water,we had to all stay there and spend the night in the theater...We had lots of fun that night! 
 150 I was always surprised at how our gang(Tim Jackson,Oscar Price, Bill Blue, my brother Eugene, and myself always managed after partying on Friday and Saturday nights with no sleep in between, still managed to show up at our respective rides bright eyed and bushytailed in the mornings. Also, working the winter cleanup crew with Clyde Callicott and the others was a blast "DUDE!!". Where did the time go? My hat to everyone who worked at the park in '78, '79. The time spent at Astroworld was the best times I ever had during my teen years. The people I'll never forget: Both Bills(I remember 3 of them), Janice, Lynda and David, GiGi, Denise, Pam, Jeff, Darren, Doc, Tim, Oscar, Clyde, Sandra & Susan, Keith(my old party buddy from LaPorte), Sheila, Bruce, Norma, Anna, Theresa, Mike( who goes by Michael now), and a special someone-Margaret(with whom I lost contact with after she left for San Marcus), and everyone else who I haven't mentioned. Thanks for the memories. P.S.-The park became a family institution for us. After my brother and I left, my little brother Chris worked in the park in '80, '81, and my cousin Joe still works in the business for Six Flags in Colorado as a general manager. 

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 151 I miss every moment I have ever had at Astroworld. And I wouldn't trade it for anything!! 
 152 i once cut myself while going up the lift. 
 153 Those nights after closing watching certain employees try to swim the river and the night the supervisers thought it would be funny during an employee party at the cyclone to run the train twice after we all had just got through eating hot dogs....joke was on them when we all got back in the que house! There were those nights that we all sang "river of dreams" on the park phone at Thunder River. One of the most memorable things I remember was walking over to island 2 in the dark one night and falling into the river! I still have the scar on my knee from it! 
 154 I met a really nice guy, Daniel Aguirre. He was a special friend of mine that worked at the LOSS PREVENTION. It was my first job I ever had. I was walking and talking to this guy name Mashall. He was a cool dude. Then, all of a sudden this guy name Daniel Aguirre caught my eye. He was cute, in a special way to me. Then, he gave me his phone number and we have been talking to each other for almost 4 years now. WOW! Thanks Astroworld for letting me meet a cute guy!  
 155 Kissing under Alpine Sleigh ride with Jeff Martin. Fell in love with Clyde. Fell in lust with too many to list. Had so much fun. Will never forget the many friends I made. I still love you all! 
 156 Had a lot of fun. It was my first job. Met a lot of people 
 157 The best times were with Beth and Lorie at the Cow Palace. Beth never knew it but I had the biggest crush on her! We used to have ice and water fights throughout the Western Junction area. The grand opening for Waterworld with the employees party was the best time that I had at Astroworld. The crew at the "Thriller Diller" has stayed in touch after all theese years and still talk about the fun we had with all of the different girls in each area of the park. It was great and I am sad to see Astroworld closed down but now I am in Real Estate and work around the area selling Townhomes so I understand the corporate way of thinking. 
 158 My friend JJ and i used to get the guests involved by dancing infront of the ticket booths. We would always customize the "Mississippi Stomp" and put our own into it, the guest would immediatly join in and right after we got their surveys....on time when we were opening front gat with the dance I did a hitch kick and split my pants...lol 
 159 I have always loved the band "CheapTrick". They performed at the park one night and I was lucky enough to work the stage at the concert. After the concert, my dept. mgr. Ronie Dunn aid he had something he wanted me to do. As it turned out, I got to escort Robin Zander, the lead singer of the band, throughout the park for the remainder of the night while he road the rides and played the games. After he was through, I took him back to the Admin. building, where the limo was waiting to take him away. As he was getting ready to leave, he asked if I wanted the band's autograph, which of course I did. Then he asked if I had a girlfriend (I did) and he said that they would be playing in Houston again in a few weeks. He took my name and said that he would have tickets for the both of us waiting at the door. I couldn't believe it! We did go to the concert when they came back and I had a great time. It just goes to show that there are a lot of famous people out there that are really NICE too! 
 160 Climbing up the Cyclone hill with 3' tubes of shot to load as ballast and strapping in for the ride down could really test your nerves and sanity! 

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 161 the experience that i have had was like no other job i have had, the people were graet, and so were the supervisors, and managers. the vibe that everybody had when they came to work was great and a memorable lifetime experience!!! 
 162 Working at astroworld was really fun i remember when i was working on serial thriller and this little boy barfed on his friend. they were both crying. It was really sad but more funny. I love my fellow astroworld employees. love vanessa 
 163 me and my sister vanessa had alot of fun. 
 164 do to the nature of the job and the infro gather it can not be disclosed 
 165 the real story with our family is that we were the ones who designed and installed most of the Holiday in the Park decoartions for the nine years it went on and we built the skelton for Fright Nights. I have great memories of work with the staff at 3:oo in the morning pluging in lights and freezing our tail ends off putting up the poinsetta tree. the ghoast stories that the security guards told always gave the kids the shivers. I really miss the place even here in northeran Iowa and never had a chance to go back before it was demolished. But she lives on in our memories and photos. 
 166 One of my favorite memories was being able to go to the park on my days off free of charge. I really loved riding the rides as much as I could. The people were great to work with too!!! 
 167 Lot of great stories, too many to tell. 
 168 Susan B Antonie coins, 
 169 The bakery was one of the last places to actually close at night because of all the folks trying to get a loaf before going home. This product didn't travel around the park all day very well! It was amazing how angry people would get when we tried to close the door. Yes the water wheel worked in those days. 
 170 Loved my work....first time I used A time clock....The Mexican section Restaurant employee road trip to Six Flags in Arlington,Texas. 

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 171 Loved my work....first time I used A time clock....The Mexican section Restaurant employee road trip to Six Flags in Arlington,Texas. 
 172 I once meant Phil Collins. He was doing a concert there that evening and came into the park during the day to ride the rides. 
 173 Starting the Astrowheel one morning before opening and having the ride lift and leave one car on the ground. Maintenance had left the pins out of the linkage on top of the car! No damage... just glad the pins were out and not left loose to slip out later. 
 174 When visiting the park on an off day, I stored my stuff in the office/store room. Several employees left their till bags out of the till box. As I had seen done in Astroworld, I hid them. Appearently, I hid them too well and security was called in. It was a huge ordeal, and I got a written correction report. 
 175 It brings tears to my eyes to see what has become of our beloved Texas Cyclone, and all of the other Houston Icons and Lamdmarks at Astroworld. My heart truly hurts. My best memories are when I was working at Astroworld. It ddin't matter that we made min. wage ($3.35 per hr), we did it because we loved to - regardless of the pay. I would do it all over again for free if given the chance. 
 176 Met Destiny's Child before they split up. That job was fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
 177 My summer at Astroworld was one of the best of my life! I enjoyed going there every day, and then going across the street to catch an Astros games in the evening when I got off. Good time! Plus, there was Robert "Heavy Hands" Tyler, my boys John and Johnny, and of course Avery, Tiffany, and Casey, who I will never forget! 
 178 I didn't realize how much I would miss the place until I watched them tear Astroworld down! 
 179 If it was not so late, I would love to share. I had some once in a life time experiences working at Astroworld. 
 180 I met one of my very best friends there. He lives in the midwest now and I live in Alabama but we try to keep in touch. 

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 181 There was once an Older man that loved to tell jokes. One day he was fired for telling a lady with a BMW that she has a BMW (Black Man Working)...it was funny even with the racial personification. (note I am black and the guy that told the joke is white) Some time after he was fired I told the joke and people just laugh. 
 182 4th of July 2003-2005 
 183 Being the "kid" in the dept, guess who got to do most of the dirty work? Oh well thats sho-biz.... 
 184 After I got off work a group of us would hang around the park and ride the rides, it was a blast. 
 185 there are so many I can't pick 
 186 I remember Guessing Weird Al Yankovic's weight and all of the little games that we would play while doing the spiel. 
 187 I remember riding the doengon drop to make sure the ride was handicapped accesible 
 188 Astroworld Beach Bums '72 - a group of us went to the beach once a week. We would meet at Astroworld at 6am, spend day at the beach, and return to Astroworld by 4pm and work the evening shift. Played on Astroworld softball team after work - at midnight! A group of us drove to Dallas and went to Six Flags together (long before Astroworld was bought by Six Flags). 
 189 just the best friends in the world 
 190 I worked 2 weekends at Spin Out before they made me a foreman. I had no idea of what to do. It was the best job I have ever had. 

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 191 I had such fun in the late '70s - big group of friends who worked in Merchandise, and on work crew. We all finally went our separate ways, but I re-met my old b