Waldameer NAPHA award Jay Ducharme 2021-08-30 | Jim Futrell presents Paul Nelson with a plaque from the National Amusement Park Historical Association commemorating Waldameer Park's 125th anniversary. Also Bill Linkenheimer III, representing the American Coaster Enthusiasts, presents a plaque honoring dedicated park manager Steve Gorman.
Mountain Park lecture Jay Ducharme 2022-10-21 | In the fifteen years that I had been giving Mountain Park presentations, I never recorded any until this one at the South Hadley Council on Aging, on October 20, 2022. 0:00 - In the beginning15:06 - 191119:38 - 192936:09 - The Valley Players38:07 - 195249:58 - Community51:26 - 1960s1:04:08 - 19711:12:52 - People1:21:27 - Games1:26:06 - 19871:46:34 - Rebirth?1:49:14 - Remaking Mountain Park
Unveiling the Mt. Park model Jay Ducharme 2022-10-01 | On October 1, 2022, my scale model of Mountain Park was revealed to the public at a special event in the Visitor Center at Holyoke's Heritage State Park.
Eastern States Exposition Roaming Railroad Jay Ducharme 2022-09-27 | Take a short ride around a portion of the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA. As you can see by the seat, the "train" is simply a John Deere tractor with a fiberglass shell on top.
Eastern States Exposition Walk-thru 2022 Jay Ducharme 2022-09-27 | A stroll through the largest state fair in the northeastThe 2016 walk-thru can be found here: youtu.be/9wMO_Gkiw_AAvenue of the States - 0:00North American Midway - 17:00Mallary Complex - 24:00International Plaza - 33:00Industrial Avenue - 37:00Better Living Center - 41:00The Front Porch - 44:45Farm-a-Rama - 49:30The Coliseum - 52:30New England Center - 57:00Storrowtown Village - 1:00:00Big E Museum - 1:06:30
Remaking Mountain Park Step 20: the Installation at Heritage Park Jay Ducharme 2022-08-31 | For the final part of the series, the model is installed in the Visitor's Center at Holyoke's Heritage State Park.You can find a more detailed written account here: http://www.karenandjay.com/mtpark/mpmodel/mpmodel.html
Niagara Amusement Park and Splash World Walk-thru (2022) Jay Ducharme 2022-08-30 | A tour of this work in progress.For comparison, the Fantasy Island walk-thru is here: youtu.be/V9tN05OZ6AUThe Iron Horse POV is here: youtu.be/b6AiPLGW8mYIf you'd like to read a trip report, you can find it here: http://www.karenandjay.com/trips/niagara22/niagara22.html
Iron Horse miniature railroad (2022) Jay Ducharme 2022-08-29 | All aboard the re-opened Jack Murray Express at Niagara Amusement Park (formerly Fantasy Island) in Grand Island, NY. The new owner Gene Staples and his crew got as much running as they could for their first full season, but you'll notice in certain areas the enormous task ahead of them for next season.
Mini Tin Man Jay Ducharme 2022-08-22 | This is a build of Robothut's scale model of Remco's Tin Man robot. It's the simplified version without lights or reverse movement and is running off of 2 AAA batteries. For the build files, go here: thingiverse.com/thing:5409626He also created a scale model of Remco's Rudy the Robot.
Six Flags New England Walk-thru 2022 Jay Ducharme 2022-07-30 | An updated tour of this Agawam, MA, amusement park. You can find a trip report here: http://www.karenandjay.com/trips/sfne722/sfne722.html
Remaking Mountain Park Step 19: Finishing Touches Jay Ducharme 2022-07-10 | Adding the finishing touches to the model. You can read about the whole process here: http://www.karenandjay.com/mtpark/mpmodel/mpmodel.html
Quassy Amusement Park Walk-thru 2022 Jay Ducharme 2022-05-30 | An updated tour of this pleasant Middlebury, CT, amusement park
Remaking Mountain Park Step 18: The final two buildings Jay Ducharme 2022-05-18 | The project is nearing completion. You can find the written account here: http://www.karenandjay.com/mtpark/mpmodel/mpmodel.htmlYou can find Blender here: blender.org
Cedar Point Walk-thru (2022) Jay Ducharme 2022-05-13 | A windy tour of this giant park in Sandusky, Ohio, this time beginning at Lighthouse Point. A more detailed trip report can be found here: http://www.karenandjay.com/trips/cp22/cp22.html
Cedar Point Perimeter Road Jay Ducharme 2022-05-12 | This is a view that not all guests get at Cedar Point, a drive north and then south along the park's Perimeter Road and alongside the Blue Streak, Valravn, Millennium Force, Maverick and Steel Vengeance.
More power Jay Ducharme 2022-03-23 | Adding a second battery to the wind turbine setup.The connection resources at Missouri Wind & Solar can be found here:windandsolar.com/diagrams-and-wiring-resources
Remaking Mountain Park Step 17: Back to Buildings Jay Ducharme 2022-02-16 | Two more buildings get completed: the office and the Pirate's Den. You can find the blog here: http://www.karenandjay.com/mtpark/mpmodel/mpmodel.html
Pintastic New England 2021 Jay Ducharme 2021-11-21 | After a year's hiatus due to the pandemic, Pintastic New England returned to Sturbridge in fine form. During this walk-thru, I spend a little more time looking at each machine.
Southwicks 250th Anniversary Grand Parade Jay Ducharme 2021-10-16 | Postponed a year by the pandemic, the town of Southwick, MA, finally was able to celebrate their 250th Anniversary. It processes down College Highway near the intersection of Granville Road.
Lake Compounce Walk-thru 2021 Jay Ducharme 2021-10-11 | A tour of this colorful and historic theme parkYou can find the Sky Ride footage here: youtu.be/pPokapn__fIAnd for comparison, here's a walk-thru I made in 2014: youtu.be/lAjDYPzZjqQ
Zoltar Jay Ducharme 2021-09-21 | This entertaining performer was at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA, and would appear on the midway every few hours. Apparently, there are many of these at fairs across the U.S. I don't know the real name of this particular performer, but he was really good.
Waldameer Park Walk-thru 2021 Jay Ducharme 2021-08-31 | A tour of this charming family park in Erie, PAThe NAPHA award ceremony is here: youtu.be/zcHCQHn4SHUThe Whacky Shack video is here: youtu.be/9L2Qg2rj0TQThe Pirate's Cove video is here: youtu.be/XULh1aWQBZMIf you'd like to read a trip report about the park, it's here: http://www.karenandjay.com/trips/wald21/wald21.html
Seabreeze Log Flume Jay Ducharme 2021-08-31 | Though it looks older, this flume was built in 1984 and has one of the steepest drops in the U.S.
Seabreeze Bobsleds 2021 Jay Ducharme 2021-08-31 | A ride on this unique hybrid coaster, built in-house by George Long
Seabreeze Jack Rabbit 2021 Jay Ducharme 2021-08-31 | Take a ride on this venerable John Miller wood coaster on its 100th anniversary.
Waldameer Pirates Cove 2021 Jay Ducharme 2021-08-30 | Walking through Bill Tracy's classic fun house (with the lights on) at Waldameer Park
Waldameer Comet 2021 Jay Ducharme 2021-08-30 | Take a ride on this classic Philadelphia Toboggan junior woodie, in HD
Waldameer Whacky Shack 2021 Jay Ducharme 2021-08-30 | An HD trip through Bill Tracy's classic dark ride
Wind Turbine Update 2 Jay Ducharme 2021-08-12 | The final update, with everything hooked up and functioning.
Sylvan Beach Amusement Park Walk-thru Jay Ducharme 2021-08-01 | A tour of this classic retro New York destination. You can find the Laffland video here: youtu.be/gB-QlI5P-0gA written trip report with more details is here: http://www.karenandjay.com/trips/sylvan/sylvan.html
Norfolk Southern 8165, Vermilion OH Jay Ducharme 2021-08-01 | A long oil freighter flies past Main Street (Route 60) in Vermilion.
Cedar Points Snake River Expedition Jay Ducharme 2021-08-01 | Climb aboard with Trapper Dan and help him smuggle gold on Cedar Point's new-for-2021 comical boat ride.
Cedar Points Antique Cars 2021 Jay Ducharme 2021-07-31 | A relaxing excursion on the now defunct auto cars in Cedar Point's Frontier Town. The ride was removed at the end of the 2021 season to make room for a restaurant.
Laffland Jay Ducharme 2021-07-31 | A ride on this classic Pretzel dark ride at New York's Sylvan Beach Amusement Park
Legoland New York Walk-thru Jay Ducharme 2021-07-31 | A tour of this Goshen, NY park during its opening season. A detailed trip report can be found here: http://www.karenandjay.com/trips/legolandny/legolandny.html
Six Flags Great Adventure Walk-thru Jay Ducharme 2021-07-13 | A tour of this New Jersey park, the second-largest thrill park in the U.S. If you'd like to read a detailed trip report, you can find it here: http://www.karenandjay.com/trips/sfgradv21/sfgradv21.html
Clementon Park Walk-thru Jay Ducharme 2021-07-10 | A tour of this classic New Jersey trolley park, which had just been saved from extinction. If you'd like a detailed trip report, you can find it here: http://www.karenandjay.com/trips/clementon/clementon.html
Wind Turbine update Jay Ducharme 2021-06-23 | It turns out that the problem was me, not the turbine.ebay.com/itm/184518916889
Going solar Jay Ducharme 2021-06-21 | Since the turbine was such a disappointment, I went to Harbor Freight and got myself one of their 100 watt solar panels. It was easy to install on the roof of the shed, and the battery there is finally getting recharged. I did finally get the turbine to work: youtu.be/-si0ugS4KFAThe solar panel can be found here:harborfreight.com/100-watt-monocrystalline-solar-panel-57325.html
The wind turbine adventure Jay Ducharme 2021-06-17 | I entered the world of green energy inauspiciously, with a cheap turbine that turned out to be not so cheap. The Windy Nation tutorial is here: youtu.be/0Q_ddj1glK8I finally located online the manual for the Xantrex display and discovered that the readout for "Current" is actually amps, not volts. That would explain why it almost always read zero, because even at its maximum I couldn't get the turbine to go much beyond a quarter amp. And that explains why when the display would briefly flash 1 amp, the readout would then show 12 watts. (Volts times amps equals watts.) I finally did figure out what the problem was, though, and it wasn't the turbine. youtu.be/-si0ugS4KFAA more detailed written account of my adventure can be found here: http://www.karenandjay.com/jayblog21.htmlThe entire video series is in a playlist: youtube.com/watch?v=5o-u2OK-nz8&list=PLPBzgmlyinKmMD-Wwuqla5gqu5F0nFW4Y
I Heard My Mother Jay Ducharme 2021-05-09 | Karen and Jay performed this African-American spiritual on Mother's Day.
Forever Jay Ducharme 2021-03-16 | Karen and Jay perform this upbeat song by Chris Tomlin at Second Church.
Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley Jay Ducharme 2021-02-21 | A performance of this spiritual by Karen and Jay at Second Congregational Church
The Holyoke Merry Go Round Needs You Jay Ducharme 2021-02-20 | The 2020 pandemic forced the closure of the Holyoke Merry-Go-Round. We need your help to reopen. http://www.holyokemerrygoround.org
Comet update Jay Ducharme 2021-02-01 | I fixed a few problems with the pinball machine and (mostly) sorted out the rule sets. I still got something wrong: dropping all shooting gallery targets twice lights the outlane specials. Dropping them a third time lights the alternating extra ball opportunities on the cycle jump. Please note that this video includes lots of flashing lights.
Remaking Mountain Park Step 16: The Coaster Station Jay Ducharme 2021-01-28 | Constructing the station of the Mountain Flyer. You can read more about the process here:http://www.karenandjay.com/mtpark/mpmodel/coaster-station.html
Guide My Feet Jay Ducharme 2021-01-17 | A performance of this African American spiritual from January 17, 2021
Six Flags New England Holiday in the Park Jay Ducharme 2021-01-10 | The only park we visited during the year of the pandemic was seen through our car windows. Six Flags New England extended their Holiday in the Park event through January, as a drive-thru only experience. It was both heartening to finally be back in a park, and sad because we could only view it from a distance. But at least we got to experience it. As usual, there was a lot of holiday pop music playing in the background. So to avoid content matches I reversed it. Evidently, I didn't catch everything. A Britney Spears song slipped through and got tagged, so YouTube helpfully overlaid a completely incongruous track on top of it.
Nautical disco light Jay Ducharme 2021-01-03 | I rigged a nautical light from Put-In-Bay with an old disco light spinner. Set this on loop at your next disco party.
Give the gift of Lithophane Jay Ducharme 2020-12-21 | Here's a simple gift you can quickly make that leaves a good impression on the recipient -- a lithophane. I'll show you how to make one, provided you have access to a 3D printer.Here's the website that allows me to create the lithophane:https://3dp.rocks/lithophane/Here's where you can find the tealight base I created:thingiverse.com/thing:4691553I've had requests for a nightlight stand instead, and you can find that here:thingiverse.com/thing:4700038And if you need Blender, you can get it here:blender.org
