Karen and I departed King's Island in Cincinnati at about 3:00, just as crowds of people began arriving. Our next destination was about a half-hour northwest, Stricker's Grove in Hamilton, Ohio. The only reason we went there was because of our son-in-law. When we had gotten together with the family the week before, he knew we were going to be in Cincinnati on July 4 and asked if we were going to Stricker's. It hadn't occurred to me because I didn't realize the park was open. Stricker's was a small park designed primarily for private rentals and was open to the public only eight times a year. I didn't realize that one of those times was on the Fourth of July. The park opened at 3:00, and I wasn't sure what to expect. It was legendary among roller coaster enthusiasts because it had two in-house-built wooden coasters. But because of the park's limited operating schedule, relatively few enthusiasts ever got to ride them. The journey took us through miles of picturesque farmland. When we arrived at 3:30, there were already dozens of cars parked in a large grassy field to the left of the midway. It had a quaint county fair vibe. The Tornado wooden coaster abutted the road, with its turnaround facing the parking lot. We drove across a bridge spanning a track for a miniature railway and paused at a small canopy set up to collect their $5 parking fee. Then we joined the other cars in the field. The entrance was between four stone pillars that supported a small steel roof. On the right was a large red and white picnic pavilion. To the left was a low-slung brick building where everyone was heading. So we followed along and entered the building, which was a long rustic pavilion with four tall mirrors at the far end, making the building seem even longer than it was. There were four queue lines that ran the entire length of the building, separated with makeshift stanchions. So we waited in the far left line and it moved pretty quickly. A large poster taped to a stepladder displayed the day's pricing information. You could purchase individual tickets for $2.50 each, or an armband (actually a wristband) for $20. We opted for the armband, not knowing what we'd actually be doing in the park. It took about 15 minutes to make it to the front of the line where an elderly woman sat at a folding table. Unlike most of the major amusement parks, they took cash. So we purchased our "armbands". The woman placed an unusual silky purple band around our wrists. It had a small black plastic ferrule at the end and she slid it up toward our wrists. She warned us not to pull it too tightly, because we wouldn't be able to loosen it. And then we turned to our right and walked out of the building and onto the midway. The midway was a straight strip of land about a quarter-mile long. The pavement was a pebble-finished concrete that was very attractive. Raised planters were in the center. To our left was a red rustic barn structure that housed a food concession and an arcade. To our surprise, they served veggie burgers! Ahead of us to our right was another red barn-like structure. Karen paused for a photo with a wooden bear. Then we started walking. Past the barn on the left was a sturdy brick pavilion that housed a small fiberglass carousel with a small working band organ. Just past that, the midway became thick with people. Over on the left, I spotted the station for the park's miniature railroad. It was a fairly standard Chance C.P. Huntington model and it looked like it was brand new. It had just come back to the station, so we hopped aboard. The route was a giant circle around the entire property, past cornfields, an abutting a greenhouse and then hugging the west and south ends of the midway. It was an enjoyable leisurely trip. Next to the train station was a rare Tip Top (aka Bubble Bounce) in tip top condition. And at the far west end of the midway was the Tornado, which put the park on the map for coaster enthusiasts. Based on John Allen's Jet Coaster at Rocky Glen Park, the ride was redesigned by Al Collins as a mirror image of that coaster. It was built entirely in-house by Ralph Stricker and his family. It took him three years to build it, and it opened in 1993. The queue line was pretty long, stretching down the midway about a hundred yards. There were some coaster enthusiasts in line in front of us (obvious from their coaster t-shirts). I was pleasantly surprised that the line moved quickly. There was only one train on the coaster, and it would come blasting into the station with surprising speed. But they seemed to have it down to a science and were able to quickly load and unload the train. There was no choice of seats on the ride (which I expected). We ended up at the station gate with only the coaster enthusiasts in front of us. I assumed that they were going to grab the front seats but instead they all headed to the back. So Karen and I got in front. As on Knoebels' Phoenix, there was a single lap bar with no seat belts. The train was quickly dispatched and rolled around the right-hand turn and up to the lift hill. The first drop was gentle but when we rose up into the first turn there was an unexpected sharp pop of airtime. That happened on every hill. In the middle of the ride was the curious sort of double hill, and that too produced airtime. And there were several bunny hops interspersed throughout. It was a really enjoyable ride. Next to the Tornado was the park's other wooden coaster, the Teddy Bear. This junior coaster was another recreation, this time based on the Teddy Bear that used to be at Ohio's Coney Island. And just like with the Tornado, Stricker had built in himself. The line wasn't as long as for the Tornado, so I queued up. Karen rested in the shade. The coaster was sandwiched between the Tornado and a mini golf course. It was a small figure 8, reminding me of Waldameer's venerable Comet. The ride's operation was just as efficient as the Tornado's and within a few minutes I was seated in the middle of the junior PTC train. The experience was just as I expected from a junior coaster, with mild forces and gentle dips. It was a perfect ride for its targeted audience of small childen. Next to the Teddy Bear was a vintage Mangels kiddie Whip in nice condition. And next to that was a long red and white striped pavilion that housed three kiddie rides. One was a vintage kiddie circle swing with wooden planes. The temperature was nearing 100 degrees. I went looking for my usual milkshake, but the park didn't sell any, even though they had ice cream. So Karen and I each got a lemonade. It was good and helped cool us down a bit. Karen bided her time in the shade while I filmed a brief walk-thru. The park by that point was getting so crowded that it was difficult to walk without squeezing between people. So we decided to head back to our hotel in Mason to rest up for the following day. I'm really glad we were able to make it to Stricker's (thanks to Andrew). It was really charming. Everyone was very friendly. If I had known they served veggie burgers, I wouldn't have bothered eating at Kings Island earlier in the day (at twice the price of Stricker's). I had heard about this park for decades and couldn't quite picture what it was like. It was even nicer than I imagined, a perfect little family destination. I wished them continued success in the decades to come.

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