LIONS PARK SUPERSLIDE

The Superslide, which had been constructed at the corner of Waco Drive and Valley Mills Drive in the 1960s, was moved to Lions Park in 1972. Photographer not known to us.

[url=https://ibb.co/x5gJ2vq][/url]

Yup.

But it's gone . . . gone . . . gone . . . woooo-oh-oh-yeah!

Went down that when I was in college with my then-future bride!

Did the same with my future bride.

What happened to the place?

Sent this picture to a niece and nephew, both in their early '50's. He has fond memories of the slide. She doesn't. Took them there when she was about 7 and he was maybe 10. She slides down and starts to stand up. Here he comes, in the same lane, and tosses her into the air. Pretty sure that was her first concussion.

I'm still missing skin from the backs of both legs.

Edmond Bear said:

---

Did the same with my future bride.

What happened to the place?

---

The entire mega block of old Lion's :Park and the old Richfield High School site that sat adjacent to the HOT is being cleared.

Some local can say for certain--I just don't remember the specifics--but I think it has something to do with expansion of HOT as agri-show-site.

EnglishBear said:

---

I'm still missing skin from the backs of both legs.

---

You 'n' me both!

Sheet metal, Texas sun, 1980 style running shorts, - all combined to leave pieces of this 9 year old's backside scraped onto the last hill!

The slide was largely abandoned and torn down several years ago. Lions Park and Kiddieland have struggled with maintenance and insurance issues for a long time now. Volunteers manage to come together and keep the amusement park and train running, but it isn't the thriving entertainment center from my childhood by any stretch.

The slide's fate was lack of maintenance as it became so rusty and unstable they had to stop using it around 2015. After trying to decide if they should repair it and continue to use it or tear it down, the superslide was torn down in 2017.

Rode that thing many, many times....first at Valley Mills and Waco then after they moved it as my grandmother lived not far from Lions Park.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Waco,+TX/@31.5406067,-97.1816427,103m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x864f82f1230151d3:0xfbd74b03d6d1aa10!8m2!3d31.549333!4d-97.1466695

I remember that slide and Park, Also remember Cameron Park with the dirty water and couldnt see the bottom of the pools.

SSadler said:

---

Edmond Bear said:

---

Did the same with my future bride.

What happened to the place?

---

The entire mega block of old Lion's :Park and the old Richfield High School site that sat adjacent to the HOT is being cleared.

Some local can say for certain--I just don't remember the specifics--but I think it has something to do with expansion of HOT as agri-show-site.

---

Lion's Park is still open, but does need some serious updates if it wants to last much longer as more entertainment options for kids are coming to Waco...

Lion's Park and Waco High building aren't affected by the HOT expansion... Waco High ball fields will be affected(baseball/softball/Paul Tyson all moved), Lake Air LL fields(given to Waco ISD in land swap and new fields will be replaced behind the HS), as is the Cobbs recycling plant(demolished and new football field built).

Anyone ever bring and use wax paper underneath you on that slide? Every Christmas I think of riding it while watching Christmas Vacation.

Camo08 said:

---

Anyone ever bring and use wax paper underneath you on that slide? Every Christmas I think of riding it while watching Christmas Vacation.

---

The slide folks supplied wax paper when my niece and nephew rode it.

Last time I went down that thing was in college when my sister got married. Me, my brother and friend who all came into town for the wedding decided to do some nostalgia. Went to Lions Park to do the super slide. We ran into some kid like 10 years old who had a big mouth and kept talking crap to us. My brother was relentless to him.

"hey kid, do you have parents?"

"Hey kid, do you go to school?"

"Hey kid (points to the trash can full of used wax paper), you belong in here with the rest of the white trash!"

And on and on it went. We've laughed about that for years.

MrGolfguy said:

---

The slide's fate was lack of maintenance as it became so rusty and unstable they had to stop using it around 2015. After trying to decide if they should repair it and continue to use it or tear it down, the superslide was torn down in 2017.

---

I feel like it stopped operating before 2015. I'm younger than most on here, but had great memories in the late 90s early 00s. Didn't it close for a while years before that then reopen?

Don't remember that, but even when it was open and operating they could only use it about 3-4 hours a day due to the heat (sun beating down on it). On a typical day it was open from 10am-noon, then reopened around 9pm-11pm when it 'cooled down' enough to use.

How about the cages at Pat Zachary's??

That may have been the first batting cages I ever went to.

RiskyBizz Bear said:

---

How about the cages at Pat Zachary's??

That may have been the first batting cages I ever went to.

---

For us younger folks it was probably Homerun Alley where Marco's Pizza is now on 84 and Hewitt Dr. I can still smell the leather of the store there.

Remember the rocket in the playground next to the Super Slide?

Bumped my head on that thing numerous times!

I remember "swimming"/splashing in the fountains in Cameron Park as a child in the early 60's.

Also left a hefty deposit of skin cells on the Super Slide when it was by K-Mart on Valley Mills Drive.

Took swimming lessons at the Lions Park pool. Played many rounds of putt putt next to the pool.