Knott's Berry Farm Log Ride Rededication with Charles Phoenix

This week Andy, our friend Joel, Lilly and I got to do something awesome! We got to accompany our friend Charles Phoenix when he hosted the rededication of the Timber Mt. Log Ride at Knott's Berry Farm! We were VIP's and even had some fancy schmancy VIP badges.

Charles is A-MA-ZING! He knows everything about Knott's history and was hilarious and just a delight to watch while hosting the rededication. He even had a special suit made with boysenberries all over for this special day. Boysenberries are the signature berry of Knott's when it was still an actual berry farm and are what put them on the map! I learned so much about this historic theme park, its founders, and the log ride this week.

The log ride had been closed for several months while they gave it some much needed updating. Previously the ride had not had any type of major overhal since it first opened in 1969. They added lots of new animatronics made by the same company that constructs rides and audio animatronics for some famous Disney attractions.

While at the rededication I also got to connect with a fellow former Disneyland Cast Member who now works at Knott's! It was great to see her and interesting to learn some of the ins and outs of a theme park that isn't Disneyland. I liked getting to see what a tight knit community the employees of Knotts have. That "everyone knows everyone" dynamic really creates a charming small town atmosphere within the park.

The next best part about the event was that VIP's were treated to a glorious free lunch of hamburgers, fries, and delicious milkshakes. I live for free lunch. I think I ended up with not one, but two milkshakes. Well my first milkshake was stolen and then finished by Lilly, so just one and half milkshakes, I guess. Still more milkshakes than anyone should be consuming.

The only real disappointment of the day was that the log ride unfortunately was not ready in time. I cannot wait to go back to Knott's. Lilly is actually tall enough to ride the log ride and I think she will love it!

First Charles hosts the grand opening of new rides at the Knott's Boardwalk. Check out his AMAZING boysenberry suit!

Lilly and I enjoying the rededication ceremony

Charles making the crowd go WILD at the Timber Mountain Log Ride rededication ceremony!

Charles with Ethan Wayne (son of John Wayne). Ethan was there with his dad when the ride first opened in 1969! 

Andy and Charles IN the log ride track! Hopefully it will be ready for us to test out on our next visit.

Lilly and Joel are totally in sync. 

I am now the proud owner of 100 fake shares of the Calico Logging Co.

I am in LOVE with the fact that my shoes match Charles' suit!

Even more plates

I went with my husband to paint some more plates at Hands On Ceramics last weekend. I decided to paint the plates of my mother-in-law and my father-in-law. Andy decided that since I was painting plates with the families’ faces on them that he should paint the plate with my face on it. I thought that sounded like a good idea. The plate is very different from the other ones, which makes it really interesting. I love how Andy’s art is so cool and very stylized. As I mentioned in my earlier post about painting these family plate portraits, getting a likeness is not easy. I had to keep asking the opinions of Andy and my sister-in-law, Lia, to tell me if the portraits even remotely resembled my mother and father-in-law and I had to keep changing things. Here is how our plates turned out…

Above: Andy’s first try at drawing me. He thinks it looks like our friend, Joel Shettlesworth, had a baby with Rosa Parks. Apparently I have lips the size of Kentucky. 

Below: Joel Shettlesworth and Rosa parks

Below: Andy’s finished plate portrait of me. He wanted to make sure everyone who eats at our house knows I am Jewish. Andy, I love you.

Above: My mother-in-law

Below: My father-in-law