One night out at the casinos, a withered old fellow named "Hombre" told my friend and I a story about how the decomissioned Worlds of Fun rollercoaster, the Zambezi Zinger, was partially buried in a nearby bend in the Missouri river.
Drunk on inexpensive cocktails and flush with our earnings from blackjack, we set out to the spot the man described and spent several hours digging through the muck of the Missouri in hopes of excavating one of the original green rollercoaster cars. I didn't know what we planned to do with it, besides maybe spiff the thing up and convert it into some kind of all-terrain go-cart, but we were determined to find something.
In the end, we found no rollercoaster cars, no curvy tracks, no towering green support beams. We did, however, succeed in unearthing a host of memories about one of the most legendary rollercoasters of all time.
If you grew up in the Kansas City area anytime between 1973 and 1997, you're almost certainly familiar with the Zambezi Zinger. The Zambezi was located in the Africa section of Worlds of Fun, and to get to the line you had to pass through an adobe hut with a painted sign out front that read, "No pygmies shorter than 4 skulls can ride without adult." The ride itself began with a slow, suspense-building spiral ascent, finally giving way to a 40mph free-fall that clicked and curved wickedly left into tunnels and tree cover.
The photos I found here do a pretty good job of illustrating the basic structure of the rollercoaster. I found them through a Web site designed by a couple who had met while working at the ride one summer and eventually got married. When I told this to my brother David, he said, "When you ride the Zambezi Zinger with someone, you might as well be married."
It's true. If you ask anyone who rode the Zambezi Zinger what it was like, the all-too-comfortable coziness of the seating arrangements is one of the first things they're likely to mention. While a favorite among couples, going pot-luck on such a ride -- especially as a kid barely 4 skulls tall -- was usually more awkward than thrilling. In fact, I'm half-convinced one of the reasons the Zambezi was banished from Worlds of Fun was due to the uncomfortable intimacy it bred between otherwise perfect strangers.
Whatever the reasons for its deactivation, the Zambezi was removed from Worlds of Fun in 1997 after nearly a quarter-century of magic. The more expansive "Mamba" and "Patriot" coasters took its place, but were hardly a replacement. In a moment of melancholy over the Zambezi's disappearance from the North Kansas City horizon, I coined a phrase that equated riding the Zambezi Zinger to journeying into the afterlife. In other words, saying "she's riding the Zambezi Zinger now" would be another way to say "she's no longer with us." It hasn't really caught on yet, but I find it rather poignant.
The only thing is, it's not really accurate. After doing a bit of research, I discovered that the Zambizi Zinger IS STILL IN OPERATION, except that now it thrills riders at the Parque National de Cafe theme park in Bogota, Colombia. (Unlike the first two paragraphs of this column -- which I'll concede might not have ever happened -- this is a documented fact.) The only difference is that it's now called the Montana Rusa, and the color scheme has been changed from all green to blue and red with yellow cars.
So if you hear someone say, "She's riding the Zambezi Zinger now," it does not mean that that person is dead -- it means they are at a theme park in South America. And even though the name, color and location have changed, I personally take great satisfaction in knowing little Colombian kids are experiencing the same thrills my friends and I enjoyed as teens and tweens in Kansas City.
Viva le Zambezi!
Post-script: For a nice look at the Zambezi's history, stats and a bunch of enthusiastic ratings of the Zinger, check out its page on ThemeParksOnline.org. Also, this entry is dedicated to Chiefs Founder Lamar Hunt, who also founded Worlds and Oceans of Fun. Mr. Hunt passed away this week at age 74.
15 comments:
I also remember the Zinger as sort of a starter Roller Coaster. A major step up from Pandamonium, but not quite yet to the level of The Orient Express (which I am also mourning the loss of).
The Zinger was my first coaster. I was but 9 years old. I remember standing in the 45-minute line that night listening to the screams, comforted only by the fact that everyone who left on the ride seemed to return. I don't remember much about the ride, save the man standing in front of me who was wearing a torn tanktop depicting the many, many sexual positions of the pig. I think the headline read, "Squeal Like a Pig." I also remember that the ascension was the most terrifying part of the ride. The best part was that I got to sit in the padded lap of an overweight Australian woman instead of that sweaty, creepy pig-sex guy.
Hey Luke- I found your blog through Liza's. Wow- I do remember the Zinger, and you've just made me feel really old! What are you up to these days? Love your blog!
I loved the Zinger. My favorite coaster of them all. ~sniff~
I guess it's in a better place.
Worlds of Fun isn't the cool place it was when I was a kid. I don't know if I got older or the park got colder with its corporate ownership.
I loved the Zinger. (sniff)
Hey! Darrell here, 44, from KC North. Love your writing style.
I miss the Zinger too. It was not my VERY first coaster, but among the first.
Grew up in Colorado Springs, going to Elitch's in Denver, but at age 11, was still scared of coasters. (I know, a pathetic coaster virgin!)
At 16, we visited Kansas City. Watching my younger cousin Tina ride the Screamroller, my pride welled up, I took the plunge, and this former coaster virgin has never looked back.
But the Zambezi was a prize! I always put off riding it until dark, when the spiral climb, thru the up-lit trees, was more dramatic. But it was a bit "intimate," now that you mention it.
Glad to hear it's not buried in the river! Haven't been back to KC in years, but used to love the Zambezi Zinger, the Time Shaft, Whirligig, Screamroller, and Orient Express. I thought there was one other older roller coaster there as well, can't remember it. Also, are the sky cars still there. The cars that go on the wire across the park.
The Zinger was the most awesome ride in the park! I remember we went every fall on one of the Oktoberfest weekends and my sister, myself and two friends who always went along would run to the Zinger so it would be our first ride of the day and it would also be our last ride upon closing. So much fun and so many memories of years going to the original WOF. The park now is but a shadow of its original self and not really a fun place to go. I last went in 2004 and personally don't care to ever go again. Its simply changed too much and not for the better. The removal of great older rides, the original entry gate, the Cottonblossom, the shuttle to the gate, the loss of the flavor of the park as small patches of other countries as reflected in the names of rides and the uniforms the workers used to wear in different sections is all just too much. It has become just another generic amusement park and its truly sad to know its so changed and its glory gone. I know change is going to happen but sometimes it isn't always a good thing and can ruin what its trying to improve. I'll keep precious memories of what was once the best park in the midwest and wish wholeheartedly it could have remained so.
Well, this roller coaster actually is operating in Parque Nacional del Cafe, in Montenegro (Quindio), Colombia, South America, not in Bogota. It is a beautiful temathic park about coffee, near from Armenia in center Colombia.
ajme04
Try this link and enjoy it.
ajme04
http://www.parquenacionaldelcafe.com/newpage/detallesatraccion.php?codigoda=10&codigoa=7
I just visited the park for the first time in 28 years. I will always love the Zinger. Now all the coasters seem geared to extreme thrill experiences. The Zinger was fun enough for all--just enough to make your heart race, but not enough to cause arrest. I will miss it forever!
Growing up in K.C., I frequented W.O.F. as often as my parents' incomes would allow. The Zinger--hands down--beats every coaster EVER made. Everyone seems to comment about how "intimate" the seating was. Does anyone ever give credit to the fact that the chaise-style lounges had absolutely NO safety harnesses?!? As a kid, that totally ROCKED! I can almost guarantee THAT is why the Zinger was decommisioned. No safety harnesses is radically forbidden by today's standards. The Zinger--to this day--represents the ultimate in freedom for me. In fact, in memorum, my favorite piece of furniture is my double-armed chaise lounge. Thank you W.O.F. and the Zambezi Zinger for the incredibly unforgettable memories! R.I.P.
I went all summer long with my 16 year old daughter..the sky cars have not been there since I was 11 ( 34 now) ..the timber wolf the barrel ride where the floor drops out the vikking vogue are the only thing from the time it open that exist. Even the old boat next to the orient express is gone. I grew up across the street from wof water tower my family and I have seen from day one tell now rides go up and come down. Wof will always hold a place in my heart it means home to me
I went all summer long with my 16 year old daughter..the sky cars have not been there since I was 11 ( 34 now) ..the timber wolf the barrel ride where the floor drops out the vikking vogue are the only thing from the time it open that exist. Even the old boat next to the orient express is gone. I grew up across the street from wof water tower my family and I have seen from day one tell now rides go up and come down. Wof will always hold a place in my heart it means home to me
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