text:
Stephen Foster

Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826 – January 13, 1864), known as "the father of American music", was an American composer known primarily for his parlour and minstrel music during the Romantic period. He wrote more than 200 songs, including "Oh! Susanna", "Hard Times Come Again No More", "Camptown Races", "Old Folks at Home" ("Swanee River"), "My Old Kentucky Home", "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair", "Old Black Joe", and "Beautiful Dreamer", and many of his compositions remain popular today.

Early life

There are many biographies of Foster, but details differ widely. Among other issues, Foster wrote very little biographical information himself, and his brother Morrison Foster may have destroyed much information that he judged to reflect negatively upon the family.

Foster was born on July 4, 1826, in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania. His parents, William Barclay Foster and Eliza Clayland Tomlinson Foster, were of Ulster Scots and English descent. He had three older sisters and six older brothers. He attended private academies in Allegheny, Athens, and Towanda, Pennsylvania, and received an education in English grammar, diction, the classics, penmanship, Latin, Greek, and mathematics.

Foster taught himself to play the clarinet, guitar, flute, and piano. In 1839, his brother William was serving his apprenticeship as an engineer at Towanda and thought that Stephen would benefit from being under the supervision of Henry Kleber (1816–1897), a German-born music dealer in Pittsburgh. Under Kleber, Stephen was exposed to music composition. Together the pair studied the work of Mozart, Beethoven, Weber, Mendelssohn and Schubert.

The site of the Camptown Races – which would provide both the title and setting for events of one of Foster's best-known songs – was located 30 mi from Athens and 15 mi from Towanda. Foster's education included a brief period at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, now part of Washington & Jefferson College. His tuition was paid, but he had little spending money. He left Canonsburg to visit Pittsburgh with another student and did not return.

Career

Foster married Jane Denny McDowell on July 22, 1850, and they visited New York and Baltimore on their honeymoon. Foster then returned to Pennsylvania and wrote most of his best-known songs: "Camptown Races" (1850), "Nelly Bly" (1850), "Ring de Banjo" (1851), "Old Folks at Home" (known also as "Swanee River", 1851), "My Old Kentucky Home" (1853), "Old Dog Tray" (1853), and "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" (1854), written for his wife Jane.

Many of Foster's songs were used in the blackface minstrel shows popular at the time. He sought to "build up taste...among refined people by making words suitable to their taste, instead of the trashy and really offensive words which belong to some songs of that order". However, Foster's output of minstrel songs declined after the early 1850s, as he turned primarily to parlor music. Many of his songs had Southern themes, yet Foster never lived in the South and visited it only once, during his 1852 honeymoon. Available archival evidence does not suggest that Foster was an abolitionist.

Foster's last four years were spent in New York City. There is little information on this period of his life, although family correspondence has been preserved.

Illness and death
Foster became sick with a fever in January 1864. Weakened, it is possible he fell in his hotel in the Bowery and cut his neck; he may also have sought to take his own life. His writing partner George Cooper found him still alive but lying in a pool of blood. Foster died in Bellevue Hospital three days later at the age of 37. His leather wallet contained a scrap of paper that simply said, "Dear friends and gentle hearts", along with 37 cents in Civil War scrip and three pennies.

Other biographers describe different accounts of his death. Historian JoAnne O'Connell speculates in her biography, The Life and Songs of Stephen Foster, that Foster may have killed himself. As O'Connell and musicologist Ken Emerson have noted, several of the songs Foster wrote during the last years of his life foreshadow his death, such as "The Little Ballad Girl" and "Kiss Me Dear Mother Ere I Die." Emerson says in his 2010 Stephen Foster and Co. that Foster's injuries may have been "accidental or self-inflicted".

The note inside Foster's wallet is said to have inspired Bob Hilliard's lyric for "Dear Hearts and Gentle People" (1949). Foster was buried in the Allegheny Cemetery in Pittsburgh. After his death, Morrison Foster became his "literary executor". As such, he answered requests for copies of manuscripts, autographs, and biographical information. One of the best-loved of his works was "Beautiful Dreamer", published in 1864 (posthumously).

Music
Foster grew up in Lawrenceville, now a neighborhood of Pittsburgh, where many European immigrants had settled and were accustomed to hearing the music of the Italian, Scots-Irish, and German residents. He composed his first song when he was 14 and entitled it the "Tioga Waltz". The first song that he had published was "Open thy Lattice Love" (1844). He wrote songs in support of drinking, such as "My Wife Is a Most Knowing Woman", "Mr. and Mrs. Brown", and "When the Bowl Goes Round", while also composing temperance songs such as "Comrades Fill No Glass for Me" or "The Wife".

Foster also authored many church hymns, although the inclusion of his hymns in hymnals ended by 1910. Some of the hymns are "Seek and ye shall find", "All around is bright and fair, While we work for Jesus", and "Blame not those who weep and sigh". Several rare Civil War-era hymns by Foster were performed by The Old Stoughton Musical Society Chorus, including "The Pure, The Bright, The Beautiful", "Over The River", "Give Us This Day", and "What Shall The Harvest Be?". He also arranged many works by Mozart, Beethoven, Donizetti, Lanner, Weber and Schubert for flute and guitar.

Foster usually sent his handwritten scores directly to his publishers. The publishers kept the sheet music manuscripts and did not give them to libraries nor return them to his heirs. Some of his original, hand-written scores were bought and put into private collections and the Library of Congress.

Popular songs
"My Old Kentucky Home" is the official state song of Kentucky, adopted by the General Assembly on March 19, 1928.

Foster's songs, lyrics, and melodies have often been altered by publishers and performers.

In 1957 Ray Charles released a version of "Old Folks at Home" that was titled "Swanee River Rock (Talkin’ ’Bout That River)", which became his first pop hit that November.

In the 2000s "Old Folks at Home", designated the official state song of Florida in 1935, came under attack for what some regarded as offensive terms in the song's lyrics. Changes were made to them with the approval of the Stephen Foster Memorial. The modified song was kept as the official state song, while "Florida (Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky)" was added as the state anthem.

A 1974 published collection, Stephen Foster Song Book; Original Sheet Music of 40 Songs (New York : Dover Publications, Inc.,) of Stephen Foster's popular songs was edited by musicologist Richard Jackson.

Musical influence
Many early filmmakers selected Foster's songs for their work because his copyrights had expired and cost them nothing.
 * Professor of Folklore and musician John Minton wrote a song titled "Stephen C. Foster's Blues".
 * Walt Kelly recorded an a cappella rendition of Foster's "Old Dog Tray" on the 1956 album, Songs of the Pogo. Kelly regularly referenced "Old Dog Tray" as the theme song for his character, Beauregard Hound Dog, from his comic strip, Pogo.
 * Erika M. Anderson, of the band EMA, refers to Foster's "Camptown Races" in the song "California", from past Life Martyred Saints (2011): "I bet my money on the bobtail nag/somebody bet on the bay."
 * The Firesign Theatre makes many references to Foster's compositions in their CD, Boom Dot Bust (1999, Rhino Records)
 * Larry Kirwan of Black 47 mixes the music of Foster with his own in the musical Hard Times, which earned a New York Times accolade in its original run: "a knockout entertainment". Kirwan gives a contemporary interpretation of Foster's troubled later years and sets it in the tumultuous time of the New York draft riots and the Irish–Negro relations of the period. A revival ran at the Cell Theater in New York in early 2014, and a revised version of the musical called Paradise Square opened at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2018.
 * Gordon Lightfoot wrote a song in 1970 titled "Your Love's Return (Song for Stephen Foster)"
 * Randy Newman's 1970 album 12 Songs contained Newman's song "Old Kentucky Home" (originally titled "Turpentine and Dandelion Wine"), which is based on Foster's "My Old Kentucky Home, Good-Night!" Newman told Billboard magazine, "It's a good song because Stephen Foster wrote the hook, that's why." Under various titles, Newman's "Old Kentucky Home" was covered by the Beau Brummels, the Alan Price Set and Johnny Cash.
 * Spike Jones recorded a comedy send-up "I Dream of Brownie with the Light Blue Jeans".
 * Humorist Stan Freberg imagined a 1950s style version of Foster's music in "Rock Around Stephen Foster" and, with Harry Shearer, had a sketch about Foster having writer's block in a bit from his "United States of America" project.
 * Songwriter Tom Shaner mentions Stephen Foster meeting up with Eminem's alter ego "Slim Shady" on the Bowery in Shaner's song "Rock & Roll is A Natural Thing".
 * The music of Stephen Foster was an early influence on the Australian composer Percy Grainger, who stated that hearing "Camptown Races" sung by his mother was one of his earliest musical recollections. He went on to write a piece entitled "Tribute to Foster", a composition for mixed choir, orchestra, and pitched wine glasses based on the melody of "Camptown Races".
 * Art Garfunkel was cast as Stephen Foster and sang his songs in an elementary school play in Queens, New York
 * Foster's name is included in the rapid fire litany of musicians and songs that make up the lyrics of the 1974 pop novelty song "Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)" by Reunion.
 * Neil Sedaka wrote and recorded a song about Foster and released it on his 1975 album, The Hungry Years.
 * Alternative country duo The Handsome Family's song "Wildebeest", from their 2013 album Wilderness, is about Foster's death.
 * Squirrel Nut Zippers wrote and recorded a song in 1998 titled "The Ghost of Stephen Foster".
 * Stace England released in April 2024, as part of the group Foster's Satchel, a full-length album entitled Over the River: Stephen Foster Reimagined.

Television

 * Two television shows about the life of Foster and his childhood friend (and later wife) Jane MacDowell were produced in Japan, the first in 1979 with 13 episodes, and the second from 1992 to 1993 with 52 episodes; both were titled Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair after the song of the same name.
 * In the Honeymooners episode, "The $99,000 Answer", Ralph Kramden studies decades' worth of popular songs for his upcoming appearance on a television game show. Before each song, Ed Norton warms up on the piano by playing the opening to "Swanee River". On the program, Ralph is asked his first question for just 100 dollars: "Who is the composer of 'Swanee River'?" Ralph freezes, then nervously responds "Ed Norton?" and loses.
 * In a "Fractured Fairy Tales" segment of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, Aladdin finds a lamp with a female genie with light brown hair, who immediately asks, "Are you Stephen Foster?"
 * Lucille Ball, in an episode of The Lucy Show, announces that she is about to play a record called "Bing Crosby Sings Stephen Foster." A Crosby impressionist is heard singing (to the melody of "Camptown Races") "A-bum-bum-bum-bum bum-bum-bum, Stephen, Foster..."

Film

 * Three Hollywood films have been made of Foster's life: Harmony Lane (1935) with Douglass Montgomery, Swanee River (1939) with Don Ameche, and I Dream of Jeanie (1952), with Bill Shirley. The 1939 production was one of Twentieth Century Fox's more ambitious efforts, filmed in Technicolor; the other two were low-budget affairs made by B-movie studios.
 * In the film Tombstone (1993), Billy Clanton (played by Thomas Haden Church) tries to bait Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer), who is playing a Chopin nocturne on the piano, by saying, "Is that 'Old Dog Tray'? That sounds like 'Old Dog Tray' to me." When the goad fails, Clanton asks whether Doc knows any other songs, like "'Camptown Races?', 'Oh Susanna', "You know, Stephen stinkin' Foster?!?"
 * In the film A Million Ways to Die in the West, Seth MacFarlane's character, Albert can't get Foster's song "If You've Only Got a Mustache", from the previous scene, out of his head. Charlize Theron's character suggests singing a different song, to which he replies, "There are only like 3 songs", and she adds "And they're all by Stephen Foster."
 * In the 1949 film Mighty Joe Young the character Jill Young (Terry Moore) is able to calm her pet 12-foot-tall gorilla by whistling or playing "Beautiful Dreamer".

Other events

 * "Stephen Foster! Super Saturday" is a day of thoroughbred racing during the Spring/Summer meet at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. During the call to the post, selections of Stephen Foster songs are played by the track bugler, Steve Buttleman. The day is headlined by the Stephen Foster Handicap, a Grade I dirt race for older horses at 9 furlongs.
 * 36 U.S.C. §140 designates January 13 as Stephen Foster Memorial Day, a United States National Observance. In 1936, Congress authorized the minting of a silver half dollar in honor of the Cincinnati Musical Center. Foster was featured on the obverse of the coin.
 * "Stephen Foster Music Camp" is a summer music camp held on EKU's campus of Richmond, Kentucky. The camp offers piano courses, choir, band, and orchestra ensembles.

Art

 * A public sculpture by Giuseppe Moretti honoring Foster and commemorating his song "Old Uncle Ned" sat in close proximity to the Stephen Foster Memorial until 2018. The statue was removed following complaints about the banjo-playing slave seated next to Foster.
 * In Alms Park in Cincinnati, overlooking the Ohio River, there is a seated statue of him.
 * The Hall of Fame for Great Americans in the Bronx, overlooking the Harlem River, has a bronze bust of him by artist Walker Hancock. Added in 1940, he is among only 98 honorees from 15 classes of distinguished men and women.
 * In My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown, Kentucky, a musical, called The Stephen Foster Story has been performed since 1958. There is also a statue of him next to the Federal Hill mansion, where he visited relatives and which is the inspiration for My Old Kentucky Home. A painting by Howard Chandler Christy entitled, "Stephen Foster and the Angel of Genius" is on display in the park's art collection. The painting inspired Florence Foster Jenkins to author a tableau in which she personally plays the role of the angel depicted in Christy's painting. The scene was featured in the film Florence Foster Jenkins in 2016.

Accolades and honors
Foster is honored on the University of Pittsburgh campus with the Stephen Foster Memorial, a landmark building that houses the Stephen Foster Memorial Museum, the Center for American Music, as well as two theaters: the Charity Randall Theatre and Henry Heymann Theatre, both performance spaces for Pitt's Department of Theater Arts. It is the largest repository for original Stephen Foster compositions, recordings, and other memorabilia his songs have inspired worldwide.

Two state parks are named in Foster's honor: the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs, Florida, and Stephen C. Foster State Park in Georgia. Both parks are on the Suwannee River. Stephen Foster Lake at Mt. Pisgah State Park in Pennsylvania is named after him.

One state park is named in honor of Foster's songs, My Old Kentucky Home State Park, a historic mansion formerly named Federal Hill, located in Bardstown, Kentucky, where Foster is said to have been an occasional visitor according to his brother, Morrison Foster. The park dedicated a bronze statue in honor of Stephen's work.

The Lawrenceville (Pittsburgh) Historical Society, together with the Allegheny Cemetery Historical Association, hosts the annual Stephen Foster Music and Heritage Festival (Doo Dah Days!). Held the first weekend of July, Doo Dah Days! celebrates the life and music of one of the most influential songwriters in America's history. His home in the Lawrenceville section of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, still remains on Penn Avenue nearby the Stephen Foster Community Center.

Statue controversy and later views
A 1900 statue of Foster by Giuseppe Moretti was located in Schenley Plaza, in Pittsburgh, from 1940 until 2018. On the unanimous recommendation of the Pittsburgh Art Commission, the statue was removed on April 26, 2018. Its new home has not yet been determined. It has a long reputation as the most controversial public art in Pittsburgh "for its depiction of an African-American banjo player at the feet of the seated composer. Critics say the statue glorifies white appropriation of black culture and depicts the vacantly smiling musician in a way that is at best condescending and at worst racist." A city-appointed Task Force on Women in Public Art called for the statue to be replaced with one honoring an African American woman with ties to the Pittsburgh community. The Task Force held a series of community forums in Pittsburgh to collect public feedback on the statue replacement and circulated an online form which allowed the public to vote for one of seven previously selected candidates or write in an alternate suggestion. However, the Task Force on Women in Public Art and the Pittsburgh Art Commission have not reached an agreement as to who will be commemorated or if the statue will stay in the Schenley Plaza location.

The musicologist Ken Emerson has suggested the presence of racism in some of Foster's lyrics.

title: Stephen Foster


text:
Knott's Berry Farm

Knott's Berry Farm is a 57 acre theme park located in Buena Park, California, owned and operated by Six Flags. In March 2015, it was ranked as the twelfth-most-visited theme park in North America, while averaging approximately 4 million visitors per year. The park features over 40 rides, including roller coasters, family rides, dark rides, and water rides.

Walter and Cordelia Knott first settled in Buena Park in 1920. The park began as a roadside berry stand run by Walter Knott along State Route 39 in California. By the 1940s, a restaurant, several shops, and other attractions had been constructed on the property to entertain a growing number of visitors, including a replica ghost town. The site continued its transformation into a modern amusement park over the next two decades, and an admission charge was added in 1968. In 1997, the park was sold to Cedar Fair for $300 million.

Origin
The park sits on the site of a former berry farm established by Walter Knott and his family. Beginning in 1923, the Knott family sold berries, berry preserves, and pies from a roadside stand along State Route 39. In June 1934, the Knotts began selling fried chicken dinners in a tea room on the property, later named "Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant." The dinners soon became a major tourist draw, and the Knotts built several shops and other attractions to entertain visitors waiting for a seat in the restaurant. In 1940, Walter Knott began constructing a replica Ghost Town on the property, the beginning of the present-day theme park. Ghost Town was Walter Knott's tribute to the pioneers, which included his own grandparents who came to California in a covered wagon from Texas in 1868 (when his mother was about four years old). The idea of an amusement park picked up in the 1950s when Walter Knott opened a "summer-long county fair."

Paul von Klieben was the key employee of Walter Knott in the creation of the Ghost Town at Knott's Berry Farm and the restoration of the ghost town of Calico, California. In 1941, he joined Knott's as a staff artist, then served as art director there from 1943 to 1953. He traveled to ghost towns in the West, conducted research, and designed most of the Ghost Town section of Knott's Berry Farm. He created concept art for most of the buildings that were built there. He also drew up floor plans, oversaw the construction of buildings, and even spent some time painting concrete to look like natural rock. His Old West paintings and murals adorned the walls of many structures in the park, and a number of them still do. His art was also used extensively in Knott's newspapers, menus, brochures, catalogs and other publications.

In 1956, Walter Knott arranged with Marion Speer to bring his Western Trails Museum collection to Knott's Berry Farm. Speer had been an enthusiastic supporter of Walter Knott's efforts to create Ghost Town, and had written articles for Knott's newspaper, the Ghost Town News. In 1956, twenty years after creating his museum, Marion Speer (at age 72) donated the carefully cataloged collection (30,000 items) to Knott's in return for Knott's housing it, displaying it and naming Speer as curator. Speer continued in that position until he retired in 1969 at the age of 84.

The museum was once housed in a building (which has since been razed) at Knott's Berry Farm between Jeffries Barn (now known as the Wilderness Dance Hall) and the schoolhouse. The Western Trails Museum at Knott's is now just south of the saloon in Ghost Town.

The park became a popular destination for conservative college students in the 1960s, especially as conservative organizations like the California Free Enterprise Association, the Libres Foundation, and the Americanism Educational League were based there. According to Assistant Professor Caroline Rolland-Diamond of the Paris West University Nanterre La Défense:

"it also appealed to conservative Americans, young and old, because the idealized representation of a past devoid of social and racial tensions that it offered stood in sharp contrast with the political and social upheavals affecting California since the Free Speech Movement erupted at the University of California at Berkeley in 1964."

In the late 1960's a 10 ft. high brick wall with barbed wire embedded into the top was constructed around "Ghost Town" and for the first time, in 1968, an admission price was required to get into that section of the park (ostensibly to keep out the "hippies" and local long-haired youth from freely "hanging out" in the park that were, on occasion, causing problems and degrading the Knott's "family" image). The entrance price originally being set at $1 for adults and 25¢ for children. Previous to this, entry was free and the cost was based on purchasing a ticket for each ride, using the A-E ticketing system similar to that of Disneyland. The Calico Log Ride (the original name of the Timber Mountain Log Ride) opened in 1969. Also during this period, an attempt to create a monorail system between Knott's and Disneyland was reportedly in the works for many years, however, project construction never began due to costs and legal issues obtaining needed property and gaining necessary right-of-way access.

When Cordelia Knott died on April 12, 1974, Walter turned his attention toward political causes. The Roaring Twenties rethemed Gypsy Camp in the 1970s with the addition of a nostalgic traditional amusement area, Wheeler Dealer Bumper Cars, and Knott's Bear-y Tales. Then with the northward expansion of a 1920s-era Knott's Airfield-themed area featuring the Cloud 9 Dance Hall, Sky Cabin/Sky Jump and Motorcycle Chase steeplechase roller coaster above the electric guided rail Gasoline Alley car ride.

The Sky Tower with the illuminated "K" in logo script at the top was built to support two attractions, the Sky Jump, operated from 1976 to 1999, and the Sky Cabin. The Sky Jump boarded one or two standing riders anticipating the thrill of the drop into baskets beneath a faux parachute canopy. From the top, twelve arms supported the vertical cable tracks of wire rope which lifted the baskets. The Sky Cabin ringed the support pole with a single floor of seats that are enclosed behind windows. Its ring revolves slowly as it rises to the top and back offering a pleasantly changing vista. It is very sensitive to weather and passenger motion, such as walking, which is prohibited during the trip. During winds 25+ mph or rain it is closed. When built, the tower was the tallest structure in Orange County (a distinction briefly held by WindSeeker before its relocation to Worlds of Fun in 2012.)

The Motorcycle Chase, a modernized steeplechase rollercoaster built in 1976 by Arrow Development, featured single motorbike-themed vehicles racing side-by-side, each on one of four parallel tracks, launched together. One or two riders straddled each "Indian motorcycle" attraction vehicle. The tubular steel monorail track closely followed dips and bumps in "the road" and tilted to lean riders about the curves. Gasoline Alley, an electric steel-guide rail car ride below, was built together and intimately intertwined, which enhanced ride-to-ride interaction thrill value. Rider safety concerns of the high center of gravity coupled with the method of rider restraints caused it to be rethemed Wacky Soap Box Racers with vehicles themed to look like soap box racers, each seating two riders, strapped in low (nearly straddling the track), surrounded by the close-fitting car sides, and the dips and bumps of the track were straightened flat in 1980. Motorcycle Chase/Wacky Soap Box Racers was removed in 1996 for a dueling loop coaster Windjammer Surf Racers and now Xcelerator, a vertical launch coaster, takes its place.

On December 3, 1981, Walter Knott died, survived by his children who would continue to operate Knott's as a family business for another fourteen years.

In the 1980s, Knott's built the Calico Barn Dance featured Bobbi & Clyde as the house band. It was during the height of the "Urban Cowboy" era. The "Calico Barn Dance" was featured in Knott's TV commercials.

During the 1980s, Knott's met the competition in Southern California theme parks by theming a new land and building two massive attractions: Kingdom of the Dinosaurs, a primeval retheme of Knott's Bear-y Tales), in 1987 and Bigfoot Rapids in 1988, a whitewater river rafting ride as the centerpiece of the new themed area Wild Water Wilderness.

The Boomerang roller coaster replaced Corkscrew in 1990 with a lift shuttle train passing to and from through a cobra roll and a vertical loop for six inversions each trip.

The Mystery Lodge (1994), inspired by General Motors "Spirit Lodge" pavilion, was a live show augmented with Pepper's ghost and other special effects, which was among the most popular exhibits at Expo 86 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, which was produced by Bob Rogers of BRC Imagination Arts and created with the assistance of the Kwagulth Native reserve in the village of Alert Bay, British Columbia. Mystery Lodge recreates a quiet summer night in Alert Bay, then guests "move inside" the longhouse and listen to the storyteller weave a tale of the importance of family from the smoke of the bonfire.

The Jaguar! was opened on June 17, 1995, to add another roller coaster to the mix of Fiesta Village alongside Montezooma's Revenge.

New owners
In the 1990s, after Walter and Cordelia died, their children decided to sell off their businesses.

In 1995, the Knott family sold the food specialty business to ConAgra Inc, which later re-sold the brand to The J.M. Smucker Company in 2008. (In 2024, Smuckers discontinued sale of the Knott's Berry Farm jams in grocery stores. )

On December 29, 1997, the Knott family sold the amusement park operations to Cedar Fair. Initially, the Knotts were given an opportunity to sell the park to The Walt Disney Company. The park would have been amalgamated into the Disneyland Resort and converted into Disney's America, which had previously failed to be built near Washington, D.C. The Knotts refused to sell the park to Disney out of fear most of what Walter Knott had built would be eliminated.

In the late 1990s, Cedar Fair also acquired the Buena Park Hotel, located at the northwest corner of Grand and Crescent Avenues. It was then brought up to Radisson standards and branded Radisson Resort Hotel as a franchise. In 2004, the park renamed the Radisson Resort Hotel the Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel.

Post-Cedar Fair acquisition

Since being acquired by Cedar Fair, the park has seen an aggressive shift towards thrill rides, with the construction of several large roller coasters and the addition of a record-breaking Shoot-the-Chutes ride named Perilous Plunge. Perilous Plunge had the record of being the tallest and steepest water ride in the world until September 2012 when it was closed and removed. Also, in 2013, Knott's Berry Farm announced that one of the most popular rides at the park, the Timber Mountain Log Ride, would be closed for a significant five-month refurbishment, led by Garner Holt Productions, Inc.

On May 25, 2013, Knott's Berry Farm added three new family rides on the site of the former Perilous Plunge, including a wild mouse called Coast Rider, a scrambler flat ride called Pacific Scrambler, and Surfside Gliders. All three were constructed in the Boardwalk section of the park. An old bridge that connected the exit of Coast Rider and the Boardwalk became the entrance to Surfside Gliders and Pacific Scrambler. Following the 2013 season, Knott's Berry Farm removed Windseeker and moved it to Worlds of Fun, where it reopened in 2014. For the 2014 season, the historical Calico Mine Ride underwent a major refurbishment completed in six months.

During the fall of 2019, Knott's Berry Farm announced the return of Knott's Bear-y Tales as an interactive 4D dark ride as part of the park's 100th anniversary in 2020. However, the park was indefinitely shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic at the end of its operating day on March 13, 2020. Knott's Bear-y Tales and other planned changes to the park were postponed to 2021. In June 2020, Knott's Marketplace reopened with health guidelines in place. The following month, the park introduced Taste of Calico, an outdoor food festival on weekends located in the Ghost Town section of the park. The event evolved over the season, becoming Taste of Knott's when it expanded into Fiesta Village and the Boardwalk, Taste of Fall-o-ween during the fall season, and Taste of Merry Farm for the Christmas holiday season which was cancelled in December 2020 due to the regional stay at home order issued by California Governor Gavin Newsom. Amusement Today recognized the Taste Of events in its annual Golden Ticket Awards, awarding the park under the category "Industry Leader: Amusement/Theme Park" for its innovative approach.

Knott's Berry Farm returned to normal operation on May 6, 2021, including the debut of the delayed Knott's Bear-y Tales attraction originally planned for 2020. On July 1, 2024, Cedar Fair merged with Six Flags, and the combined Six Flags Entertainment Corporation took over Knott's Berry Farm, making them part of the same company as longtime rival Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Timeline

 * 1920: Ten acres of berry farmland leased by Walter and Cordelia Knott
 * 1927: Ten leased acres of berry farm purchased, named Knott's Berry Place
 * 1929: Ten more acres are purchased
 * 1932: Rudolf Boysen gives Walter his last six crossbreed berry plants, as yet unnamed
 * 1934: Cordelia and her children serve the first chicken dinner to customers in their tearoom.
 * 1940: Living Ghost Town tribute started with free entertainment.
 * 1941: 100 more acres of land are added, totals 120.
 * 1946: Steakhouse
 * 1947: Name change from Knott's Berry Place to Knott's Berry Farm.
 * 1948: Bottle House and Music Hall
 * 1949: Stagecoach
 * 1951: Calico Saloon
 * 1952: Ghost Town & Calico Railroad
 * 1954: Haunted Shack; Bird Cage Theater
 * 1955: Dentzel Carousel; Merry-Go-Round Auto Ride (later the Tijuana Taxi); Hunter's Paradise Shootin' Gallery; Model 'T' Children's Ride; Cable Cars
 * 1956: Western Trails Museum
 * 1958: Mott's Miniatures
 * 1960: Calico Mine Ride.
 * 1966: Independence Hall
 * 1968: Fence surrounds the park, and admission is charged.
 * 1969: Timber Mountain Log Ride; Fiesta Village themed area; Tijuana Taxi (re-themed from Auto Ride); Mexican Whip; Fiesta Wheel; Happy Sombrero.
 * 1971: John Wayne Theater (later the Good Time Theater, then the Charles M. Schulz Theater)
 * 1973: Inaugural Knott's Scary Farm Halloween event
 * 1974: Wild West Stunt Show replaces Wagon Camp shows.
 * 1975: Corkscrew; Knott's Bear-y Tales.
 * 1976: Motorcycle Chase; Sky Jump; Sky Cabin; Propeller Spin; Loop Trainer Flying Machine; Whirlpool; Gasoline Alley; Whirlwind.
 * 197?: Knotts Berry Farm Hotel opened.
 * 1978: Montezooma's Revenge; Old MacDonald's Farm removed; Cable Cars removed
 * 1980: Dragon Swing; Wacky Soap Box Racers
 * 1983: Barn Dance featured Bobbi & Clyde Country Western Dancing; Camp Snoopy themed area built, forcing the removal of Knott's Lagoon and its attractions around a lake which had been built north of Independence Hall, so that a parking area could be relocated.
 * 1984: Studio K debuts. The most successful teen dance facility in the nation. Opened with a Dick Clark Special, "Rock Rolls On".
 * 1986: Knott's Pacific Pavilion; Knott's Bear-y Tales removed; Tijuana Taxi removed; Fiesta Wheel removed; Mexican Whip removed.
 * 1987: Kingdom of the Dinosaurs; Tampico Tumbler; Gran Slammer; Slingshot;; Bear-y Tales Funhouse; Happy Sombrero renamed Mexican Hat Dance.
 * 1988: Bigfoot Rapids
 * 1989: XK-1; Greased Lightning moved into an enclosed building and renamed Whirlwind. Corkscrew removed/refurbished and moved to Silverwood Theme Park in Idaho; Propeller Spin removed; Loop Trainer Flying Machine removed.
 * 1990: Boomerang built on the former site of Corkscrew.
 * 1991: Studio K closed.
 * 1992: Indian Trails-themed area; Mott's Miniatures closes.
 * 1994: Mystery Lodge.®
 * 1995: Jaguar!
 * 1996: The Boardwalk-themed area (a retheme of Roaring 20's); HammerHead; Greased Lightning renamed HeadAche; Whirlpool renamed Headspin; Wacky Soap Box Racers with Gasoline Alley removed.
 * 1997: Windjammer Surf Racers; Cedar Fair acquires the park; Bear-y Tales Funhouse removed.
 * 1998: GhostRider; Supreme Scream; Woodstock's Airmail; XK-1 removed; Knott's Pacific Pavilion removed; Slingshot renamed Wave Swinger; Mexican Hat Dance renamed Hat Dance.
 * 1999: Wipeout; Coasters restaurant; Charlie Brown Speedway; Sky Jump removed; HeadAche removed and renamed The Blue Thunder at Miracle Strip Amusement Park; Pacific Pavilion removed; Radisson Resort Knott's Berry Farm.
 * 2000: Perilous Plunge; Knott's Soak City U.S.A. water park; Windjammer Surf Racers closes; Haunted Shack removed.
 * 2001: VertiGo; Wipeout relocated; Headspin relocated and renamed Wilderness Scrambler.
 * 2002: Xcelerator; VertiGo removed
 * 2003: Tampico Tumbler removed; Gran Slammer removed; La Revolución; Joe Cool's Gr8 Sk8; HammerHead removed.
 * 2004: Silver Bullet; Lucy's Tugboat; RipTide; Screamin' Swing; Kingdom of the Dinosaurs closed; Church of Reflections relocated to outside of park; Radisson Resort Knott's Berry Farm renamed Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel. Grand Sierra Scenic Railroad shortened to accommodate Silver Bullet.
 * 2005: T.G.I. Fridays restaurant (California Marketplace).
 * 2006: Pacific Spin (Soak City U.S.A.); Johnny Rockets restaurant; Walter K Steamboat removed; New Perilous Plunge boats put into operation; Woodstock's Airmail relocated.
 * 2007: Sierra Sidewinder; Wilderness Scrambler removed.
 * 2008: Pony Express; Peanut's Playhouse removed.
 * 2009: Pink's; Remodel and rebrand of Viva La Coasters in the California Marketplace.
 * 2010: Snoopy's Starlight Spectacular added; Snoopy's Christmas Spectacular.
 * 2011: WindSeeker
 * 2012: Fast Lane; Park improvements – Replacing area theme music, removing boardwalks and pouring concrete replacements, rebuilding rotted wood structures, keeping open until park closing attractions, restaurants & shops which had previously closed early. More aggressive youth marketing & advertising; Perilous Plunge closes
 * 2013: Boardwalk expansion: Coast Rider; Surfside Gliders; Pacific Scrambler (all replaced Perilous Plunge); WindSeeker removed
 * 2014: Charlie Brown's Kite Flyer; Linus Launcher; Pig Pen's Mud Buggies; Grand Sierra Scenic Railroad, Lucy's Tugboat and Rocky Road Trucking Company rethemed as Grand Sierra Railroad, Rapid River Run and Rocky Mountain Trucking Company; Charlie Brown's Speedway, Joe Cool's GR8 SK8, Kingdom of the Dinosaurs, Log Peeler and Snoopy Bounce removed. La Tiendita removed.
 * 2015: Voyage to the Iron Reef; Screamin' Swing closed in preparation for removal; GhostRider closed for major refurbishment.
 * 2016: Ghost Town is renovated to celebrate its 75th birthday; RipTide officially closed and demolished due to technical issues; Starbucks replaces Dreyer's in the California Marketplace; Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant undergoes major renovations; GhostRider reopens from its major refurbishment on June 10, 2016; Temporarily removed Wipeout for HangTime construction.
 * 2017: Sol Spin; new Boardwalk Barbecue restaurant; Added VRCADE; Boomerang closes; Montezooma's Revenge receives new color scheme.; Brought back Ghost Town Alive; Extended Boysenberry Festival; Soak City gets an expansion
 * 2018: HangTime; Sky Cabin reopened on February 10; Wipeout relocated and reopened in October; Bigfoot Rapids closes in September to undergo major renovation and new theming as Calico River Rapids.
 * 2019: Calico River Rapids opened in May.
 * 2020: Voyage to the Iron Reef closed on January 5, Knott's Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair was set to open in the former spot of Voyage to the Iron Reef; the entire park was shut down on March 14 on grounds of COVID-19 pandemic.
 * 2021: Knott's Berry Farm reopens after a year-long closure on May 6 to season pass holders; Knott's Berry Farm's grand reopening and Knott's Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair opens to the general public on May 21; Knott's Berry Farm's 100th anniversary celebration begins May 21 to September 6, 2021.
 * 2022: Montezooma's Revenge closed for a major renovation, set to reopen in 2024 as MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress.
 * 2023: Sol Spin, La Revolucion, and Dragon Swing are all repainted to fit into the refreshed Fiesta Village; Casa California opens in place of the old arcade in Fiesta Village; Carousel was renamed Carrusel de California; Waveswinger renamed Los Voladores; Timberline Twister and Camp Bus removed.
 * 2024: Snoopy’s Tenderpaw Twister Coaster; Sally's Swing Along; Huff and Puff and High Sierra Ferris Wheel removed; Rocky Mountain Trucking Company and Grand Sierra Railroad are rethemed to Camp Snoopy's Off-Road Rally and Beagle Express.

Annual park events
The park's annual Knott's Scary Farm has drawn crowds since 1973. The idea for this event was presented at one of the regularly scheduled round table meetings for managers by Patricia Pawson. The actual event was created by Bill Hollingshead, Gary Salisbury, Martha Boyd and Gene Witham, along with other members of the Knott's Berry Farm Entertainment Department as documented in the DVD Season of Screams. Initially, fake corpses and other static figures were rented from a Hollywood prop house, but Bud Hurlbut, the creator/concessionaire of the Mine Ride, Log Ride and other rides at Knott's, decided that this wasn't enough. He dressed up in a gorilla suit and started scaring guests on the Mine Ride. Halloween Haunt was an instant hit, and by the next year, the event sold out nightly. During this special ticketed event, the entire park (or major portions of it) re-themes itself into a "haunted house" style attraction in the form of mazes and "scare zones" in the evening. Over a thousand specially employed monsters are also scattered—often hidden out of view—throughout the park at this time. Some of the characters have become well-known, such as the Green Witch, which was portrayed by Charlene Parker from 1983 to 2017, the longest of any performer. Several attractions are decorated for the event including the Timber Mountain Log Ride and Calico Mine Train and there are 13 mazes of various themes. Elvira (actress Cassandra Peterson) was introduced into the Halloween Event in 1982 and was prominently featured in many Halloween Haunt events until 2001. According to postings on her My Space page, Cassandra was released from her contract by the park's new owners due to their wanting a more family-friendly appeal. She returned for one night in 2012 for the 40th anniversary of the event then again featured in her nightly show from 2014 to 2017. During October, Knott's Scary Farm generates half the revenue for Knott's Berry Farm's fiscal year.

Season of Screams is a DVD produced by an independent company that traces the beginnings of Halloween Haunt and the story behind how it all got started back in 1973. Season of Screams also highlights recent Halloween Haunts.

Winter Coaster Solace is an event that takes place on the first or second weekend of March every year when roller coaster enthusiasts can come before the park opens and stay after the park closes to ride the rides and eat at the Chicken Dinner Restaurant. It is intended to provide "solace" to visitors from other parts of the country where theme parks and roller coasters are seasonal, not year-round operations like the Southern California parks. Knott's Berry Farm also used to give attendees behind-the-scenes tours of the rides.

A Christmas event known as "Knott's Merry Farm" also happens annually. Previous Merry Farm events have included manufactured snow, handcraft exhibits, and a visit with Santa Claus. This event was created by Gary Salisbury in the fall of 1985.

Praise has been a Christian-themed celebration presented for many years as a mix-in special event of music and comedy on New Year's Eve.

A boysenberry festival is held at Knott's that has food and drink prepared in a variety of ways with boysenberries. There are also special shows and music for the multi-week event.

Areas and attractions
The park consists of four themed areas:
 * Ghost Town
 * Fiesta Village
 * The Boardwalk
 * Camp Snoopy

Ghost Town
Ghost Town is based on the Calico ghost town and other real ghost towns in the Western United States. Walter Knott inherited his uncle's silver mill and land, then bought more of the actual ghost town in 1951 and developed it. In 1966, he donated that property to the corporate-municipal County of San Bernardino which then made the town of Calico, California, into a public historic park, for which it charged an entrance/parking fee.

Craftsmen in Ghost Town demonstrate the arts of the blacksmith, woodcarver, glassblower, sign cutter, and spinner. Demonstrations of narrow-gauge railroading and farm equipment hobbyists accompany additional merchant stalls of cottage-craft fairs seasonally at discounted admission which is restricted to Ghost Town only.

The Ghost Town area has a few other notable attractions. The Bird Cage Theatre is an old-fashioned theater in Ghost Town. It only hosts two seasonal entertainments—during "Knott's Merry Farm", which includes two small productions: "Marley's Wings" and "A Christmas Carol", for the 2021 season, and "The Gift of the Magi" and "A Christmas Carol" for the 2022 season, and as well as a Halloween Haunt thrill show. The Calico Stage, a large open-air stage in Calico Square, hosts a variety of shows and acts, big and small, from "Home for the Holidays", a Knott's Merry Farm Christmas skit with singing, those of elementary school students, Gallagher, a local band, and the summer-spectacular All Wheels Extreme stunt show featuring youthful performers demonstrating aerial tricks with acrobatics, trampolines, and riding ramps with skates, scooters, skateboards, and freestyle bikes to popular music. The Calico Saloon recreates the revelry of music, singing and dancing, with Cameo Kate hosting a variety of acts. Jersey Lily, Judge Roy Bean's combination courthouse/saloon, offers certified comical "genuine illegal hitchin'" alongside pickles, candy, and sports/soft drinks.

The park formerly featured a 5th area. Formerly known as Wild Water Wilderness, now part of Ghost Town, the area features two major rides: the Pony Express, a horse-themed family roller coaster installed in 2008 and Calico River Rapids, which opened in 1988 and was refurbished with a new theme for the 2019 season. Nearby Pony Express is Rapids Trader, a small merchandise stand. It is also home to Mystery Lodge, a multimedia show based on an Expo 86 pavilion featuring a Native American storyteller.

Western Trails Museum, relocated between the candy store and the General Store to accommodate Calico River Rapids (formerly Bigfoot Rapids), still features historical western artifacts large and small, from a hand-powered horse-drawn fire engine to a miniature replica of a borax hauling "Twenty Mule Team" and utensils necessary to survive the prairie and wilderness.

A common misconception is that at Knott's the terms "Ghost Town" and "Calico" are interchangeable, but that is not the case. Walter Knott explained that he built Ghost Town as a composite to represent ghost towns throughout the West, rather than as a replica of any one particular ghost town. The Calico Saloon was not named "Ghost Town" because it is supposedly located in Calico. Rather, it was named for the tradition of lining Gold-Rush-era buildings with red calico fabric. Also, the Ghost Town & Calico Railroad was named because "Ghost Town" and "Calico" are two separate places. Walter Knott always referred to the Old West section of Knott's Berry Farm as "Ghost Town", not "Calico."

Some parts of Ghost Town are forever lost to progress. The conversion of the Silver Dollar Saloon to a shooting gallery, Hunters Paradise shooting gallery to Panda Express and the original Berry Stand, moved several times with its last location now occupied by the Silver Bullet station.

Fiesta Village
Fiesta Village was built in 1969 under the pretense of a Mexican theme. It was built to pay tribute to California's Spanish and Mexican heritage. It was the second area constructed after the completion of Ghost Town. Stores like Casa California, restaurants like Pancho's Tacos, La Papa Loca, and La Victoria Cantina, games like Shoot If Yucan, and themed rides like La Revolución, Jaguar!, and MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress, along with the former attraction Tampico Tumbler, all contribute to the Mexican and Aztec theme of the area. In 2013 colorful string lights were added for the summer season.

The Boardwalk
Boardwalk Games include physical challenges such as a three-point challenge, baseball, and test your strength. Hawkers pitch a variety of traditional games as well, such as water racers, bucket toss, whack a mole, and ping pong toss. In September 2012, Perilous Plunge - one of Knott's major thrill rides - closed for an expansion of the Boardwalk. The boardwalk reopened a year later with two flat rides and a new family roller coaster taking the place of Perilous Plunge. The Boomerang roller coaster was repainted in green and yellow. Boomerang was removed in 2017 to make way for HangTime.

At the south end of the boardwalk is the family interactive dark ride: Knott's Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair. The world's largest Johnny Rockets restaurant is located at Knott's Boardwalk, featuring over 5900 sqft of indoor dining space for more than 260 guests. Also located in The Boardwalk is the 2000-seat Walter Knott Theatre hosting seasonal offerings, notably the ice-skating show "Snoopy's Night Before Christmas", with several different ice shows in the past, one of which, "Merry Christmas Snoopy!" relocated to California's Great America, another Cedar Fair park. It was renamed in 2020 from the Charles M. Schulz Theater to the Walter Knott Theater, as part of a refurbishment of the exterior for the park's 100th anniversary, which also included new LED signage to the theater's marquee.

Camp Snoopy
Camp Snoopy is home to the park's family and children's rides, with many of the rides and attractions being built specifically for children and guests who cannot ride the park's more aggressive attractions. Its theme is Charles M. Schulz' "Peanuts" comic strip characters. Snoopy has been the mascot of Knott's Berry Farm since 1983, and the characters can now be seen at some of Six Flags's parks. For guests who cannot ride the park's more aggressive and thrilling rides, Camp Snoopy contains a good number of rides for guests of all ages including infants, children, and seniors. Except for Sierra Sidewinder, the rides are relatively tame.

Knott's Berry Farm also built the Mall of America's indoor theme park, which itself was originally called Camp Snoopy. (In fact, Charles M. Schulz hailed from St. Paul.) However, today the park is no longer affiliated with Knott's or Cedar Fair and is now called Nickelodeon Universe.

On November 22, 2013, Knott's Berry Farm announced major improvements in the area of Camp Snoopy. Camp Snoopy received a makeover for its 30th anniversary. In summer 2014, Knott's Berry Farm opened up new rides in Camp Snoopy.

The narrow gauge Beagle Express takes guest on a four-minute train ride through the reflection lake. The ride was made shorter with the construction of Silver Bullet. As part of the 30th Anniversary makeover, the train ride received a series of Peanuts vignettes (made by Garner Holt Productions) along the track and narration by the character Linus.

Knott's has portrait artists, as well as face painters and caricature artists in two different locations in Camp Snoopy operated by Kaman's Art Shoppes. Portrait artists have a long history at Knott's, dating back to 1951. Claude Bell, who created the concrete characters on the benches at Knott's, operated the portrait concession from 1951 to 1986. Bell also sculpted the minuteman statue on display at Independence Hall.

Indian Trails
Located next to the Bottle House in Ghost Town, Indian Trails is a small area sandwiched between Camp Snoopy, Ghost Town, and Fiesta Village, showcasing Native American art, crafts, and dance.

Public area
Many of the original attractions are outside the gates of the current-day theme park along Grand Ave. at the California Marketplace, mostly things that would no longer be considered interesting to today's audience, or things that were merely decorative. Near the restrooms behind Berry Place are the waterfall overshooting the water wheel and historic gristmill grindstone, a replica of George Washington's Mount Vernon estate fireplace hearth, and what remains of the visible beehive. Some attractions still exist, but have been incorporated into backstage areas, such as the Rock Garden, now an employee smoking area. Other attractions have been removed, such as the historic volcano, and the cross-section of giant sequoia with age rings denoting historic events such as Christopher Columbus visiting America.

East property
The east side of the property, divided by Beach Blvd., features the main parking lot, Knott's Soak City a seasonal water park that requires separate admission, the picnic grounds rental areas, complimentary admission to Independence Hall and gift shop, and the Church of Reflections which was moved outside the theme park in 2004 and held non-denominational Sunday services until 2010. A tunnel and pedestrian underpass beneath Beach Blvd. connects the main parking lot to the shops, restaurants and theme park.

Former attractions
• Boomerang – 1990-2017

• Cable Cars – 1955–1979

• Camp Bus – 1992–2023

• Charlie Brown's Speedway – 1992–2013

• Corkscrew – 1975–1989

• FearVR: 5150 – closed shortly after opening in 2016

• Fiesta Wheel – 1969–1986

• Gasoline Alley – 1969–1996

• Gran Slammer – 1987–2003

• Hammerhead – 1996–2003

• Haunted Shack – 1954–2000

• HeadAche – 1976–1999

• Henry's Auto Livery – 1957–1980

• Joe Cool's GR8 SK8 – 2003–2013

• Knott's Bear-y Tales/Kingdom of the Dinosaurs – 1975–2004

• Knott's Lagoon – 1964–1983

• Knott's Pacific Pavilion – 1986–1998

• Loop Trainer Flying Machine – 1976–1989

• Merry-Go-Round Auto Ride/Tijuana Taxi – 1969–1976

• Mexican Whip – 1969–1986

• Motorcycle Chase/Wacky Soap Box Racers – 1976–1996

• Mott's Miniatures – 1956–1992

• Perilous Plunge – 2000–2012

• Propeller Spin – 1976–1989

• RipTide – 2004–2016

• Screamin' Swing - 2005–2015

• Sky Jump – 1976–1999

• Tampico Tumbler – 1987–2003

• Timberline Twister – 1983-2023

• VertiGo – 2001–2002

• Voyage to the Iron Reef - 2015-2020

• Walter K. Steamboat – 1969–2004

• Whirlwind/Greased Lightning/HeadAche – 1976–1999

• Wilderness Scrambler - 2001-2007

• Windjammer Surf Racers – 1997–2000

• Windseeker – 2011–2013

• XK-1 – 1990–1997

FearVR: 5150 controversy
For Halloween Haunt in 2016, Knott's Berry Farm introduced FearVR: 5150, a virtual reality attraction that was met with controversy from the mental health community regarding its perceived negative portrayal of mental illness. The ten-minute-long attraction immersed guests inside of a chaotic hospital haunted by a supernatural central character named Katie and zombie-like patients. The initial controversy came from the attraction's name, with 5150 referring to Welfare and Institutions Code section 5150, the California law that allows a law enforcement officer or clinician to involuntarily commit a person suspected of having a mental illness and determined "a danger to themselves or others". It also referenced the fact that guests experiencing the attraction had their arms strapped to a chair as part of the experience. The backlash was focused on Cedar Fair's use of painful experiences suffered by those dealing with mental illness and to have it "transmogrified into spooky entertainment". In response, Cedar Fair removed "5150" from the name, and after continued opposition, permanently closed the attraction on September 28, 2016, six days after its debut. A petition was signed by more than 2,000 people hoping Cedar Fair would bring it back, with the petition's organizer stating that Cedar Fair should not be "forced to shut down an attraction based on the words of people who had not even experienced the attraction".

Knott's Soak City
Knott's Soak City is a water park. It opened on June 17, 2000, as Soak City U.S.A. It requires separate admission from Knott's Berry Farm. In addition to the water park across the street from the main theme park, Cedar Fair also formerly owned two other Knott's Soak City Parks, in Palm Springs and Chula Vista.

Private police force
For much of the park's early history, Knott's Berry Farm had a unique arrangement with the Orange County Sheriff's Department where the park's security officers were sworn special deputies vested with full police powers. The Security Department, however, did not answer to the county sheriff, but rather to the park's Chief of Security (who for many years was Steve Knott, the grandson of Walter Knott). Knott's Berry Farm maintained a completely private police force, vested with full police powers, and overseen by park management.

Before the City of Buena Park was incorporated, Knott's Berry Farm's Security Department even provided police services to the nearby unincorporated area that would eventually become known as Buena Park, including writing traffic tickets. Then, in the early days of the incorporated City of Buena Park, Knott's Berry Farm Security provided vital mutual aid assistance to the Buena Park Police Department (formerly Buena Park Public Safety) during emergencies since Knott's Berry Farm's 34 sworn Special Deputies outnumbered, and were better equipped than the city's four-man Department of Public Safety.

The Orange County Sheriff Department discontinued this arrangement in the late 1980s but Knott's still maintains its own private (albeit unsworn) security force, and its "Station-K" public safety radio designation.

Fast Lane
Fast Lane is a limited-access line queue system offered for an additional charge at Six Flags amusement parks. Visitors can purchase a wristband that allows them to bypass standard lines in favor of shorter ones at many of the parks' most popular attractions.

Food products
The J.M. Smucker Company continued to sell the jam and preserves made famous by the Knott family for several years; however, other products, such as the syrups, were phased out due to low demand.

In November 2013, Knott's Berry Farm began selling its "Berry Market" brand of preserves at the park. The Berry Market brand is all-natural. They are unable to use "Knott's" on the label since Smucker's owns the rights to the name.

In January 2024, Smucker's discontinued the rest of the Knott's Berry Farm brand after low sales.

Public transportation
Knott's Berry Farm can easily be accessed by various public transportation services. Service is available by the Los Angeles Metro, the Orange County Transportation Authority, and Anaheim Resort Transit. Bus routes serving the park include Metro Express Line 460 which provides direct express service between Downtown Los Angeles and Disneyland OCTA bus routes 29, 38 and 529 and Anaheim Resort Transit route 18.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Knott's Berry Farm


text:
Tonk

Tonk may refer to:

India

 * Tonk, India, city in Rajasthan
 * Tonk (Lok Sabha constituency)
 * Tonk (Rajasthan Assembly constituency)
 * Tonk district
 * Tonk State, Indian princely state (1806–1949)
 * Tonk, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India
 * Tonk Khurd, a town in Madhya Pradesh

Pakistan

 * Tonk, Pakistan

Other uses

 * Tonk (card game), a card game
 * Tonk meteorite, a meteorite that landed near Tonk, India
 * Tonk, an expression that lacks logical harmony
 * Tonk, a derogatory term for people who cross the United States border illegally
 * Tonk, short for Tonkinese, a breed of cat

title: Tonk


text:
673 BC

The year 673 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as year 81 Ab urbe condita . The denomination 673 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Rome

 * Tullus Hostilius becomes king of Rome.

title: 673 BC


text:
616 BC

The year 616 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as year 138 Ab urbe condita . The denomination 616 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Events

 * Lucius Tarquinius Priscus becomes the legendary fifth king of Rome.

Deaths

 * Ancus Marcius, legendary fourth king of Rome (or 617 BC)

title: 616 BC


text: User:Moriarty

title: User:Moriarty


text:
579 BC

The year 579 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as year 175 Ab urbe condita . The denomination 579 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Events

 * Servius Tullius succeeds Lucius Tarquinius Priscus as king of Rome upon the latter's assassination. (traditional date)

Deaths

 * Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, fifth king of Rome

title: 579 BC


text:
612 BC

The year 612 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. In the Roman Empire, it was known as year 142 Ab urbe condita . The denomination 612 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

Events

 * Battle of Nineveh: An allied army of Babylonians, Medes, Scythians, and Susianians besieges and conquers Nineveh, capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Sinsharishkun, King of Assyria, is killed in the sacking.
 * Babylon, capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, becomes the largest city in the world, taking the lead from Nineveh.
 * Ashur-uballit II attempts to keep the Assyrian state alive by establishing himself as king at Harran.
 * King Kuang of Zhou becomes king of the Zhou Dynasty of China.

Deaths

 * Sinsharishkun, Assyrian king

title: 612 BC


text:
Log flume

A log flume is a watertight flume constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain using flowing water. Flumes replaced horse- or oxen-drawn carriages on dangerous mountain trails in the late 19th century. Logging operations preferred flumes whenever a reliable source of water was available. Flumes were cheaper to build and operate than logging railroads. They could span long distances across chasms with more lightweight trestles.

Flumes remained in widespread use through the early 20th century. The logging truck replaced both the logging railroad and the flume after WWII. Today, log flumes remain in the popular imagination as amusement park rides.

History
J.W. Haines built the first successful lumber flume in 1859. The v-shaped trough brought a half-million feet of lumber daily from the eastern Sierra Nevada to the Comstock Lode. The 15 mi route was between Lake Tahoe and Reno, terminating at the Virginia and Truckee Railroad terminus in Washoe Valley. Soon, log flumes spread across the mountains of the western United States as artificial rivers that brought lumber to market.

Flume heads
Log flumes need a steady supply of water. Often, a log pond or artificial reservoir serves this purpose. The head directs the flow of water into the top of the flume. Flume boxes are built tight with lumber free of knots to prevent leaks. Feeder troughs resupply water on long routes.

Logging flumes were only needed in semi-arid regions without rivers or navigable streams. As a result, water rights were often difficult to secure. Often, flumes moved water from one drainage basin to another, with rights settled in court.

Flume construction
Flume routes were surveyed by engineers using the same methods as a railroad survey. However, flumes had several advantages to logging railroads in steep terrain. They could span gulches using much lighter trestles and they took up less space, fitting inside narrower canyons where there wasn’t room for a railroad. The main disadvantage of the light construction was they were damaged more easily by fire, floods, wind, and falling timber. But they could be repaired more cheaply.

Flume sites were mostly in rough, undeveloped wilderness. Unlike railroad construction, this required lumber and supplies to be carried in by hand. Flume boxes and trestles were built onsite. Construction crews included six to eight workers. On trestles, four worked aloft continuously. One low man handled and sent up the lumber.

Working on the flume was a dangerous job. Occupational fatality statistics are unavailable. But reports suggest that falls resulted in many injuries and deaths.

Square lumber was often provided by a temporary, portable sawmill erected at the head of the flume. Other times, round timber trestles of 8 in to 12 in diameter were cut and finished from along the route.

Some trestles achieved staggering heights to maintain a desirable grade. Three percent was ideal for a straight flume. Sometimes grades of up to 75 percent were used on short stretches. The steeper the grade the more gradual the curves had to be, or else lumber would jam or go over the sides. The maximum curve was 8 degrees.

Box flumes
Early logging flumes were square wooden chutes known as box flumes. These were prone to jams that could cause damage and required constant maintenance. They were also costly to build. A square box carries much more water compared to a V-shaped flume. The greater weight of the water required a sturdier structure, especially heavier trestles.

V-flumes
In 1867, James W. Haines first built the V-shaped log flumes that allowed a jammed log to free itself as the rising water level in the flume pushed it up. These efficient flumes consisted of two boards, 2 ft wide and 16 ft feet long, joined perpendicularly, and came in common use in the western United States during the late 19th century.

Box flumes were not made obsolete. They continued to be built when a large volume of water was desired for a secondary use, such as irrigation. Box flumes were also more capable of handling materials uneven in size and weight simultaneously. Lumber, pulpwood, shingle bolts, and whole logs move at different speeds and were prone to double-up in a V-flume’s low grades and curves. Finally, box flumes could move an unprecedented amount of material, up to a maximum capacity of 300000 board feet, or three times as great as the maximum for a V-flume.

Flume herders
Proper operation was ensured by "flume herders" who at various locations along the flume checked the flow of lumber and water. On longer flumes, flume herders lived in permanent flume houses along the route. Light signals, and later telephone lines, enabled communication up and down the line.

Flume boats
On occasion, despite it being exceedingly dangerous, flume herders and others would ride down the flume in small craft or boats, either for inspection or for thrills. Such rides were the precursor of the modern log-ride amusement park attractions.

Every flume boat was one of a kind, but they shared common design characteristics. They were V-shaped to fit the flume trough. An open front allowed water in for stability in the curves. A closed back allowed water to push the craft forward. Flat boards across the top created a platform for passengers and cargo.

Top speed depended on the grade of the flume. Flume boats on the Sanger Lumber Company flume, the "fastest chute in the world," traveled at 40 mph. Boats traveled over steep trestles and curves with precipitous drops on either side without brakes or other means to slow the craft. Passengers described the sensation like "rushing through space suspended between earth and sky."

Flume terminals
There are a variety of flume terminals. The kind of terminal depends on the materials the flume transports and its disposal at the end point of a flume.

An elephant terminal splits from a central trunk into many forked branches. From there, logs are diverted into open branches by closing branches not in use. Logs collect at the end of the terminal in a loose pile. Other terminals shoot logs onto rollers that move them onto loading platforms. The water from the flume drives a waterwheel that drives the rollers. This arrangement works well with heavy railroad crossties or mining timbers.

Longest flumes
In the late 19th century, three rival California lumber companies built log flumes of unprecedented and nearly identical length. Each served the same purpose: to link their logging operations in the Sierra Nevada to railroad shipping depots in the San Joaquin Valley.
 * In 1877, The California Lumber Company completed a 54 mi flume to connect the mill at Nelder Grove to the shipping depot at Madera.
 * In 1890, the Kings River Lumber Company completed the 62 mi Kings River Flume from the upper Kings River area to Sanger.
 * In 1891, the Fresno Flume and Irrigation Company built a 65 mi flume to connect the sawmill at Shaver Lake with the planing mill and shipping depot at Clovis.

All three were purported to be "world's longest flume". However, some measurements may have been exaggerated or subject to inaccurate surveying methods. Contemporary attempts at confirmation are inconclusive.

Logging trucks started to replace flumes in the 1910s. Trucks offered mobility, lower operating costs, and did not rely on the availability of water. Many of the great flumes fell into disrepair and were salvaged for lumber. By 1984, only one lumber flume was operating in the United States. The Broughton Lumber flume was a 9 mi V-flume that transported rough-sawn lumber from Willard, Washington to a finishing mill in Hood, just west of the town of Underwood. The flume closed down on December 19, 1986.

title: Log flume


text:
Aging of Russia

Since the beginning of the 1990s, social and demographic changes in the Russian Federation, stemming from under the Soviet Union, led the country towards an aging population, often described in media as a "demographic crisis".

In the economic sphere
The demographic crisis has a positive economic effect on the second stage of the changing age structure of the population (the fraction of the average working-age generation is maximal at a relatively small proportion of younger and older) and a negative economic effect on the third stage of the changing age structure of the population (when the proportion of the older generation is maximal at a relatively small share younger and middle generation). By 2025, Russia will have labor shortages. With a reduced fertility rate, the load on the working population increases because each worker has to support more retirees.

Demographic aging of the population
Russia at the end of the 19th century was a country with a young population: the number of children significantly exceeded the number of the elderly. Up to 1938, the population of the Soviet Union remained "demographically young", but later, since 1959, began its demographic ageing: the proportion of young age began to decline, and the elderly – to increase, which was the result of lower fertility. This was not unique to Russia, and such issues have been felt in many developed countries and increasingly in many developing countries as well. Currently, the share of people aged 65 and older in the population of Russia is 13%. According to forecasts of the Russian Academy of Sciences from the early 2000s, in 2016 elderly people aged over 60 would have accounted for 20% of Russians, and children up to 15 years would only have made up 17%. However, in Russia, in contrast to other countries, aging is limited by high mortality among older people.

Population trends 2015–present
In 2020 however, death rates of over 500,000 people were reported due to the COVID-19 pandemic and 700,000 total deaths since the start of the pandemic. Comparing the two years, 2021 has estimated to have less of an impact on death rates but still exceeded beyond the average birth rates. President Vladimir Putin's plan to overturn the stagnation was announced in 2017 in response to the downward trend. However the plan only partially helped in their demographic crisis and was hindered by the Pandemic, despite showing signs of recovery.

The natural population declined by 997,000 between October 2020 and September 2021 (the difference between the number of births and the number of deaths over a period). The natural death rate in January 2020, 2021, and 2022 have each been nearly double the natural birth rate.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the demographic crisis in the country has deepened, as the country has reportedly suffered high military fatalities while facing renewed brain drain and human capital flight caused by Western mass-sanctions and boycotts. Many commentators predict that the situation will be worse than during the 1990s.

In March 2023, The Economist reported that "Over the past three years the country has lost around 2 million more people than it would ordinarily have done, as a result of war [in Ukraine], disease and exodus."

According to Russian economist Alexander Isakov, "Russia’s population has been declining and the war will reduce it further. Reasons? Emigration, lower fertility and war-related casualties." Russian journalist Andrey Kolesnikov noted that "We are seeing a phenomenon Russia has faced many times: wave after wave of wars and repression that drain away human resources."

The UN is projecting that the decline that started in 2021 will continue, and if current demographic conditions persist, Russia’s population would be 120 million in fifty years, a decline of about 17%.

In January 2024, the Russian statistics agency Rosstat predicted that Russia’s population could drop to 130 million by 2046.

Literature

 * Демографический ежегодник России — 2008
 * Демографический ежегодник России — 2010
 * Ермаков С. П., Захарова О. Д. Демографическое развитие России в первой половине XXI века. — М.: ИСПИ РАН, 2000.
 * Антонов А. И., Медков В. М., Архангельский В. Н. Демографические процессы в России XXI века. — М.: «Грааль», 2002.
 * Зиверт Ш., Захаров С., Клингхольц Р. Исчезающая мировая держава Берлин: Berlin Institute for Population and Development, 2011. ISBN 978-3-9812473-8-1
 * Эберштадт Н. Демографический кризис в России в мирное время.
 * Антонов А. И. Институциональный кризис семьи и возможности его преодоления в России (часть 1) // Демография.ру, 27.03.2011.
 * Борисов В. Демографическая ситуация в современной России. Демографические исследования. 2006. No. 1.
 * Залунин В. И., Калинина Т. А. Демографический кризис как социальный феномен и особенности его проявления в современной России // Труды Дальневосточного государственного технического университета, No. 132, 2002. С. 171–174.
 * Левина Е. И. Институт семьи в современной демографической ситуации в России // Вестник Тамбовского университета. Серия: Гуманитарные науки, No. 12, 2008. С. 483–488.
 * Луцкая Е. Е. Проблемы социально-демографического развития // Социальные и гуманитарные науки. Отечественная и зарубежная литература. Серия 2: Экономика. Реферативный журнал, No. 4, 2001. С. 104–108.
 * Сулакшин С. С. Корреляционный факторный анализ российского демографического кризиса // Власть, No. 1, 2007. С. 16–28.
 * Ткаченко Н. Н. Демографическая политика России в контексте национальной безопасности // Философия права, No. 3, 2009. С. 116–119.
 * Николас Эберштадт. Russia's Peacetime Demographic Crisis: Dimensions, Causes, Implications
 * Vladimir M. Shkolnikov, G. A. Cornia. Population crisis and rising mortality in transitional Russia. — in.: The mortality crisis in transitional economies. — Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000: p. 253—279.
 * А. Г. Вишневский, В. М. Школьников. Смертность в России. Главные группы риска и приоритеты действий. — М.: Московский Центр Карнеги, Научные доклады, Вып. 19, 1997
 * Белобородов И. И. Социальные технологии формирования семейно-демографической политики в России в условиях демографического кризиса // Диссертация на соискание учёной степени кандидата социологических наук / Российский государственный социальный университет. Москва, 2008.
 * Моисеев М. Демографический кризис: в чём видят выход государство и Церковь // Официальный сайт Московского Патриархата Русской Православной Церкви, 16.05.2006.
 * Рязанцев С. В. Эмиграция женщин из России. Доклад на круглом столе «Семья и будущее цивилизаций» Мирового общественного форума «Диалог цивилизаций» (7—11.10.2010 г., Греция).
 * Демографическая доктрина России: Проект для обсуждения (Руководитель разработки — Ю. В. Крупнов) // Институт мирового развития, Москва, 2005.

title: Aging of Russia


text:
User:Ridetheory

I'm Dan Howland.

So far, I've been adding previously neglected amusement rides like the bumper cars, dark ride, Ferris wheel and log flume. I started the entries for Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Dollywood, a brief Knott's Berry Farm listing and a longer biography of Walter Knott, which seems kind of backwards, come to think of it.

I started two pseudoscience author pages: Stanislav Szukalski (who is important in the mythology of the Church of the SubGenius), and Oscar Kiss Maerth (similarly important in the mythology of Devo), and if you follow those links, you will learn the slim extent of my interest and knowledge of kook literature.

There will be more amusement park stuff as I think of it.

title: User:Ridetheory


text:
Boysenberry

The boysenberry is a cross between the European raspberry (Rubus idaeus), European blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), American dewberry (Rubus aboriginum), and loganberry (Rubus × loganobaccus).

It is a large 8.0 g aggregate fruit, with large seeds and a deep maroon color.

History
The exact origins of the boysenberry are unclear, but the most definite records trace the plant as it is known today back to grower Rudolph Boysen, who obtained the dewberry–loganberry parent from the farm of John Lubben.

In the late 1920s, George M. Darrow of the USDA began tracking down reports of a large, reddish-purple berry that had been grown on Boysen's farm in Anaheim, California. Darrow enlisted the help of Walter Knott, another farmer, who was known as a berry expert. Knott had never heard of the new berry, but he agreed to help Darrow in his search.

Darrow and Knott learned that Boysen had abandoned his growing experiments several years earlier and sold his farm. Undaunted by this news, Darrow and Knott headed out to Boysen's old farm, on which they found several frail vines surviving in a field choked with weeds. They transplanted the vines to Knott's farm in Buena Park, California, where he nurtured them back to fruit-bearing health. Walter Knott was the first to commercially cultivate the berry in Southern California.

He began selling the berries at his farm stand in 1932 and soon noticed that people kept returning to buy the large, tasty berries. When asked what they were called, Knott said, "Boysenberries," after their originator. His family's small restaurant and pie business eventually grew into Knott's Berry Farm. As the berry's popularity grew, Mrs. Knott began making preserves, which ultimately made Knott's Berry Farm famous.

By 1940, 599 acres of land in California were dedicated to boysenberries. The number trailed off during World War II but peaked again in the 1950s at about 2,400 acres, to the point where boysenberry crops exceeded those of the (previously) more common raspberry and blackberry. By the 1960s, the boysenberry began to fall out of favor due to a combination of being difficult to cultivate, susceptible to fungal diseases in coastal growing areas, and too soft and delicate to easily ship without damage, as well as having a short season of availability compared with newer cultivars. In the 1980s, breeding efforts in New Zealand combined cultivars and germplasm from California with Scottish sources to create five new thornless varieties.

As of the early 2000s, fresh boysenberries were generally only grown for market by smaller California farmers and sold from local farm stands and markets. Most commercially grown boysenberries, primarily from Oregon, are processed into other products such as jam, pie, juice, syrup, and ice cream. As of 2016, New Zealand was the world's largest producer and exporter of boysenberries.

Cultivars
Since 2007, a hybrid variety called the "Newberry" or "Ruby Boysen", was developed to overcome cultivation challenges that led to the decline in boysenberry popularity, and was marketed through farm markets and retailers in California. There is also a hybrid variety with marionberry called "Silvanberry" in Australia. Classed under the blackberry family, Silvanberry plants have many characteristics commonly found among other blackberry varieties. These plants are long living (15 to 20 years) perennials, hardy and cold tolerant, easy to grow, and productive spreaders.

Characteristics
Boysenberries grow on low, trailing plants and are characterized by their soft texture, thin skins, and sweet-tart flavor. Mature fruits leak juice very easily and can start to decay within a few days of harvest.

title: Boysenberry


text:
Amish friendship bread

Amish friendship bread is a type of bread or cake made from a sourdough starter that is often shared in a manner similar to a chain letter. The starter is a substitute for baking yeast and can be used to make many kinds of yeast-based breads, shared with friends, or frozen for future use. The sweet, cake-like Amish cinnamon bread is a common bread that is made from this starter; it is a simple, stirred quick bread that includes a substantial amount of sugar and vegetable oil, with a mild cinnamon flavor. It has characteristics of both pound cake and coffee cake. The flavor of the finished product can be altered by cinnamon being omitted.

A common recipe using this starter suggests using one cup (240 ml) of it to make bread, keeping one cup to start a new cycle, and giving the remaining three cups to friends. The process of sharing the starter makes it somewhat like a chain letter. One cup of starter makes one standard loaf of bread.

History
There is no reason to think that the sweet, cinnamon-flavored bread has any connection to the Amish people, although the name is taken from them. According to Elizabeth Coblentz, a member of the Old Order Amish and the author of the syndicated column "The Amish Cook", true Amish friendship bread is "just sourdough bread that is passed around to the sick and needy".

The recipe for Amish cinnamon bread may have first been posted to the Internet in 1990, but the recipe itself is several decades old. Although the origin of Amish friendship bread is up for debate, it is similar to a cake, called Herman friendship cake, which was developed in Europe. Anne Byrn, who researched hundreds of historical recipes for her book American Cake, remembers the friendship bread craze popping up in newspaper columns in the late 1980s, but thinks the recipe can be traced back much further.

Obtaining starter
Starter can easily be created from scratch with a package of regular baker's yeast and the ingredients that are used to maintain it. Also it is possible to create it in a baker's kitchen through natural wild yeasts. Typically, however, a friend shares a cup of the liquid yeast culture with people who would like to make this bread. The starter is typically maintained by adding sugar, flour and milk every few days, although any source of water and food for the yeast will work.

Controlling the starter cycle
A common cycle is based on the addition of one cup each of sugar, flour, and milk every five days, with bread baked and extra starter shared every tenth day. The ten-day cycle produces five cups of starter, which must be either used to bake bread, given away, or used to start a new cycle. A common suggestion is to bake one loaf of bread, give away three cups of starter, and to save the remaining one for the next cycle.

It is not necessary to wait the canonical ten days before using one cup of starter: a cup of starter can be used as a yeast substitute at any point. However, using starter on earlier days will result in a smaller quantity of starter at the end of the cycle. To avoid running out of starter, it is normal to feed the starter (add milk, sugar, and flour) before removing a cup for use, and most recipes assume that starter is always fed immediately before being removed. A five-day baking cycle feeds the starter every fifth day and uses the resulting mixture on that day to bake one or two loaves of bread (one cup per loaf). The remaining starter is reserved to begin the next five-day fermentation cycle.

Despite common instructions to the contrary, the starter can be frozen for later use, and the cycle begun anew after thawing. The cycle can also be slowed to about half the normal fermentation rate by refrigerating the starter instead of allowing it to ferment at room temperature. Refrigeration is usually recommended if a few days' delay is desired.

title: Amish friendship bread


text:
Spell

Spell(s) or The Spell(s) may refer to:

Processes

 * Spell (paranormal), an incantation
 * Spell (ritual), a magical ritual
 * Spelling, the writing of words

Film and television

 * The Spell (1977 film), an American television film
 * The Spell (2009 film), a British horror film
 * Spell (film), a 2020 American horror film directed by Mark Tonderai
 * "Spell" (Smallville), a television episode

Literature

 * The Spell (novel), a 1998 novel by Alan Hollinghurst
 * Spells (anthology), a 1985 anthology of fantasy and science fiction short stories
 * Spells (novel), a 2010 novel by Aprilynne Pike
 * Spell No. 7, a 1979 choreopoem by Ntozake Shange

Music

 * Enharmonic spelling, how a musical note is indicated
 * Spells, a choral work by Richard Rodney Bennett

Performers

 * Spell, a 1993 duo consisting of Boyd Rice and Rose McDowall
 * The Spells, a duo consisting of Carrie Brownstein and Mary Timony

Albums

 * Spel, by Bukkene Bruse, 2004
 * Spell (album), by Deon Estus, or the title song, 1989
 * Spells (album), by the Comas, 2007
 * The Spell (Alphabeat album) or the title song (see below), 2009
 * The Spell (The Black Heart Procession album), or the title song, 2006
 * The Spell (Cellar Darling album) or the title song, 2019
 * The Spell (Ivan Doroschuk album) or the title song, 1997
 * The Spell (Kirka album), 1987
 * The Spell, by Syreeta Wright, 1983
 * Spell (EP), by DIA, 2016
 * Spell, an EP by Noelia, or the title song, 2014

Songs

 * "The Spell" (song), by Alphabeat, 2009
 * "Spell", by Hot Chip from A Bath Full of Ecstasy, 2019
 * "Spell", by Patti Smith from Peace and Noise, 1997
 * "The Spell", by Four Letter Lie from A New Day, 2009

Other media

 * Spell (gaming), in role-playing games or game systems, a set of rules used to portray magic
 * The Spell, a 1797–98 painting by Francisco Goya

Other uses

 * SPELL, an organization that promotes the constructed language Ladin Dolomitan
 * spell (Unix), a spell checker program
 * William Spell, American entrepreneur

title: Spell


text:
Pinner reaction

The Pinner reaction refers to the acid catalysed reaction of a nitrile with an alcohol to form an imino ester salt (alkyl imidate salt); this is sometimes referred to as a Pinner salt. The reaction is named after Adolf Pinner, who first described it in 1877. Pinner salts are themselves reactive and undergo additional nucleophilic additions to give various useful products:
 * With an excess of alcohol to form an orthoester
 * With ammonia or an amine to form an amidine (di-nitriles may form imidines, for instance succinimidine from succinonitrile)
 * With water to form an ester
 * With hydrogen sulfide to form a thionoester

Commonly, the Pinner salt itself is not isolated, with the reaction being continued to give the desired functional group (orthoester etc.) in one go. It should be appreciated that the Pinner reaction refers specifically to an acid catalyzed process, but that similar results can often be achieved using base catalysis. The two approaches can be complementary, with nitriles which are unreactive under acid conditions often giving better results in the presence of base, and vice versa. The determining factor is typically how electron-rich or poor the nitrile is. For example: an electron-poor nitrile is a good electrophile (readily susceptible to attack from alkoxides etc.) but a poor nucleophile would typically be easier to protonate than to participate in the reaction and hence would be expected to react more readily under basic rather than acidic conditions.

title: Pinner reaction


text:
User:Fr3nk~enwiki

fr3nk is THE tuffest man ever! No matter WHAT you are saying! Just check out www.fr3nk.tk and you´ll see!

title: User:Fr3nk~enwiki


text:
Degrees of freedom

In many scientific fields, the degrees of freedom of a system is the number of parameters of the system that may vary independently. For example, a point in the plane has two degrees of freedom for translation: its two coordinates; a non-infinitesimal object on the plane might have additional degrees of freedoms related to its orientation.

In mathematics, this notion is formalized as the dimension of a manifold or an algebraic variety. When degrees of freedom is used instead of dimension, this usually means that the manifold or variety that models the system is only implicitly defined. See:
 * Degrees of freedom (mechanics), number of independent motions that are allowed to the body or, in case of a mechanism made of several bodies, number of possible independent relative motions between the pieces of the mechanism
 * Degrees of freedom (physics and chemistry), a term used in explaining dependence on parameters, or the dimensions of a phase space
 * Degrees of freedom (statistics), the number of values in the final calculation of a statistic that are free to vary
 * Degrees of freedom problem, the problem of controlling motor movement given abundant degrees of freedom

title: Degrees of freedom


text:
Talk:Ancient of Days

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article is or was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): ByzantineEmpress.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 14:12, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Untitled
In the cited verses from the Book of Daniel it speaks of "someone like a son of man ..... coming to the Ancient of Days". Jesus Christ referred to himself as that Son of Man (John 3:13) which clearly differentiates him from the Father, the Ancient of Days, Jehovah. Why other religions can't see this rests with them to explain.

Good overview though. ericearl@shaw.ca

FYI The 'Ancients of Days' are given much attention by The Urantia BOok which describes them as an important order of universe beings/adjudicators representing God's will to the universes of time and space (sorry, not the best summary).

Van Morrison has also published a song titled 'Ancient of Days'. --80.216.137.113 (talk) 22:02, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

Psalm 69:14
The first reference to "Ancient of Days" used is cited as being from Psalm 69:14, but that is incorrect. "Psalm 69:14 - Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters." [KJV ]

Does anybody know what the real reference is supposed to be? It sounds like it comes from the Koran.

--Abbygirlforever (talk) 21:31, 16 December 2007 (UTC)

Know Your Blake
This image depicts the "Ancient of Days," for Blake, a Urizenic figure. There is an erroneous implication that these figures are viewed by Blake as deserving of reverence. In fact, Urizen is a relatively negative figure in Blake's pantheon. According to Joseph Hogan, Urizen

is reason, the rational faculty of the individual....His function is to limit and give outline to the creative energy of the individual....[H]e tries to stop the creative activity of the Eternals and to fix the world in one state. As a result he creates the fallen material universe...In his pursuit of single rule, he is also the archetypal King, the political oppressor

For Blake, he has more in common with the traditional view of Satan as the oppressor of Man (perpetrated by John Milton) than the caption suggests. Thus, Urizen is Blake's satire on the Jehovah of Christian theology.

See also the entry here at WikiPedia for Urizen (above).

--druekberg (talk) 19:37, 3 February 2008 (UTC)

Enochian terminology
I have done some research of the figure of Enoch and have found that this term was being used by those who were close or friends with the biblical patriarch. Anyways, I think that further research needs to be done on Enoch and why some people have called an ancient. ADM (talk) 19:18, 17 March 2009 (UTC)

Book series
in the book series the alchemist, the third book, at the end, Dee's master is apperently the ancient of days.

"Palaios Hemeron" in Greek
That's not what I'd expected the Greek rendering to be, Not the Hemeron part for Days but the first word. I feel something related to Arca or Arche would better poetically fit the Auhtor's intent. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.92.229.89 (talk) 22:58, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

Spiritualism
I attend a spiritualist church, Temple of Universality, where a life-sized drawing of a majestic male figure, looking somewhat old, is displayed at each Sunday service. The church's founder says it represents "Sanat Kumara, the Ancient of Days," because 18 million years ago he volunteered to be planetary regent for a then-chaotic Earth. He was said to be already serving that function as a spiritual guide for the next-door planet, Venus. I believe her source for these remarkable claims are Blavatsky, probably her Secret Doctrine book, and Alice Bailey's many "blue books." It was hearing this at my Temple that led me to this page. A Rasmussen, Tucson — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.106.245.3 (talk) 22:16, 21 January 2017 (UTC)

title: Talk:Ancient of Days


text:
User:Stan Shebs

I'm a retired software engineer with a specialization in tools infrastructure (LLVM, GCC, Glibc, and GDB), a career track that started with a port of GCC 1.31 to an experimental VM in 1989. In my younger days I got a PhD doing research on Lisp implementation techniques.

I'm also trying my hand at building a website - StampData, a philatelic catalog and inventory system. It currently has records of over 744,000 types of postage stamps, mostly complete but with gaps still to fill in.

My personal interests are varied and include software, stamp collecting, sailing ships, ship models, history (particularly ancient history and military history), rock climbing, mountaineering, languages, literature (novels mostly), botany (particularly desert plants), fish, and entomology (particularly beetles).

Dumping my life's accumulated factoids into Wikipedia seems like a fun thing to do, we'll see how it goes.
 * Two weeks after first edit (mid-February 2003) - it's like being an ADD-afflicted magpie in a bottle cap factory!
 * August 2003 - it's consuming nearly all of my waking moments...
 * August 2004 - not as many of the waking moments, but I think about it a lot when doing other things.
 * July 2005 - monitoring a lengthy watchlist (19,000 pages), but not writing so much; mostly taking plant pictures for commons.
 * May 2006 - finally got tired of the old watchlist and erased it (vandals everywhere rejoice), will be gradually rebuilding it.
 * September 2010 - still mostly taking plant pictures, going to remote parts of the desert to find obscure species.
 * January 2012 - monitoring things daily, intending to finish uploading picture backlog, but still StampData-obsessed.
 * June 2015 - still monitoring, but more weekly than daily.
 * February 2020 - a year since my last edit?! I do read articles every day...

To commons: commons:User:Stan Shebs To wikibooks: wikibooks:User:Stan Shebs

Activities
User:Stan Shebs/Articles - User:Stan Shebs/Philatelic accounts - User:Stan Shebs/Gallery - User:Stan Shebs/Plant taxa - User:Stan Shebs/Spring Mountains taxa - User:Stan Shebs/Manatee County taxa - User:Stan Shebs/Model collection

Indexes
Philately - Category:Philately - Stamp collecting - Postage stamp - List of philatelic topics - List of entities that have issued postage stamps

To do

- Diego Suarez/Diego Diaz/Hernan Suarez/Fernan Soares problem - investigate reputed Zimbabwe Rhodesia overprints - Expand and bulletin pic for The Mountaineers (Pacific NW) - get Amer. Mid. Nat. 1942 v. 27 (Glossopetalon) - get Brittonia 1988 and 1992

de:Benutzer:Stan Shebs es:Usuario:Stan Shebs fr:Utilisateur:Stan Shebs it:Utente:Stan Shebs la:Usor:Stan Shebs

title: User:Stan Shebs