RetroBayArea

2 of 9: The Demon A Retro Bay Area Series: The Early Days of Great America in the late 1970s. 🎡🎠🎢🎟️ The Demon opened in 1976 and is still in operation today. The original roller coaster opened under the name Turn of the Century, and four years later, in 1980, it was converted into The Demon. Although Turn of the Century already took riders upside-down twice in its corkscrew, vertical loops on roller coasters were a highly marketable novelty in the late 1970s. By removing the two hills after the first drop and replacing them with two consecutive vertical loops, Great America could essentially market The Demon as a new and exciting roller coaster without actually installing a new one. To enhance the transformation, an elaborate Demon theme accompanied the dramatic changes to the track configuration. A fog-filled tunnel was added between the station and the lift hill, and rock structures were built that interlocked with the new vertical loops. Following the loops, another tunnel with sophisticated lighting effects was added. At the corkscrew entrance, a demonic rock formation would swallow each passing train before it sped by a blood-red waterfall. In addition to the tunnels and other special effects, a Demon theme song played in the area where people lined up. Over the years, certain theme elements have been removed altogether. Source footage 🎥: Bryan Walker

Is it too early to consider changing Cesar Chavez Street in San Francisco back to its original name, Army Street? Here he is on the billboard next to HWY 101 at San Bruno Ave & 25th Street. This was part of Apple’s Think Different ad campaign (1997 - 2002). 📸: Max Kirkeberg, 1999.