are posters and maps depicting its attrac- tions. In the kitchen, old signage from the park decorates the walls. And wandering aimlessly is an energetic teacup poodle previously owned by the late Louis Crandall, Legend City’s founder. Right now, Bueker is pointing out J various souvenirs in a 6-foot-tall curio cabinet while it’s gotten harder to score even more treasures these days. “Legend City stuff has really dried up on eBay lately because it’s gone up in value and [people] are holding onto it, or they remember the park from their child- hoods and want a piece,” he says. And Bueker would know. He’s become an unofficial Legend City archivist over the past two decades, creating a website (legend-city.com) devoted to the park, which operated from 1963 to 1983 on the border of Tempe and Phoenix. He even ohn Bueker’s cache of Legend City memorabilia would make any fan of the long-defunct local theme park jealous. Inside his home office, there Courtesy of John Bueker Above: The late Louis Crandall, Legend City’s founder, in front of the entrance on opening day in June 1963. Left: Admission ticket from the 1960s. Opposite: The official Legend City map from 1963. Courtesy of Tempe History Museum wrote a book about its history, Images of America: Legend City in 2014. Legend City was the brainchild of Crandall, a Mesa advertising agency owner, who envisioned it as an Arizona version of Disneyland riffing on Wild West lore and kitsch. As such, it was filled with themed areas containing Western-themed rides, attractions, and colorful characters. Patrons could hop aboard a Lost Dutchman Mine ride or float down the River of Legends. Legend City was also the stomping grounds of the late Wallace and Ladmo, the beloved hosts of a namesake children’s program that aired for 35 years 16 on KPHO Channel 5. Along with their dastardly foil Gerald, the pair performed a weekly show at the park throughout its lifespan, interacting with fans and handing out treat-filled Ladmo Bags. Legend City may have been ahead of its time. Problems with attendance and finan- cial issues during its rocky inaugural year forced Crandall to step away from the park. It changed owners three more times, morphing into more of an amusement park heavy on thrill rides. It eventually closed after its land was sold to Salt River Project. Bueker, a longtime Arizona resident who visited the park throughout his childhood, says nostalgia for Legend City has only grown in the 39 years since its closure. “It’s become this cherished thing that was part of many people’s lives,” he says. Pat McMahon, the veteran entertainer and broadcaster who played Gerald and other characters on The Wallace and Ladmo Show, agrees. “It was Phoenix’s theme park,” he says. “It was a place created here to appeal to our kids and the kids around Arizona for people to come, spend the weekend there, and have fun.” In honor of the theme of our annual Best of Phoenix issue, we’ve spoken with former patrons and employees, members of Crandall’s family, and others for a nostalgia-filled history of the theme park. Dream Park In the mid-1950s, Louis Crandall was a man with a dream, which soon became an obsession. After multiple trips to the newly opened Disneyland in Southern California, the Mesa native and advertising agency owner thought Arizona needed its own take on the popular theme park. >> p 18 SEPT 29TH–OCT 5TH, 2022 PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | phoenixnewtimes.com
