Knott's Berry Farm's 100th Anniversary Time Capsule Ceremony

Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, CA

Welp, I guess we skipped June and went on straight into July, didn’t we? Well, it’s time to get back onto the update train… again… We’ll start with a place that has always been near and dear to our hearts and has comprised much of our actual update content the past year+, during the time of COVID. This past Wednesday, Knott’s Berry Farm held a wonderful time capsule ceremony as part of their 100th Anniversary Family Reunion celebration. Various mementos and artifacts from the park were placed in a “boysenberry barrel” and sealed away, not to be opened for another fifty years until the park’s 150th anniversary. We were fortunate enough to be on hand and witness this heart-felt occasion.

Before we get onto that, however, a quick mention of something we didn’t have a chance to do last time in our update of the kick-off to Knott’s 100th Anniversary Family Reunion. After an absence of many years, the tunnel under Beach Blvd that links Grand Avenue to the east parking lot has once again been graced with a mural that pays tribute to Knott’s past and present and its many beloved characters and attractions. Longtime fans of the park may remember that this underpass used to feature a mural on the pedestrian side of the passageway. It was removed I want to say not too long after Cedar Fair took over.

Well, for the park’s 100th anniversary, a new mural now adorns the vehicular side of the tunnel, paying homage to the park’s history, and it looks absolutely terrific. It’s so great to see artwork grace the Beach Blvd tunnel once again, especially in light of how tribute art exhibits have played a large role in Knott’s seasonal events lately!

After many years of plain wall, a mural once again stretches along the drive underneath Beach Blvd that links Grand Avenue to the east parking lot.

It features a lot of beloved Knott’s characters from past and present, from Whittles the Prospector to the Ghost Town Alive! gang.

Walt and Cordelia are at the center of it all, of course.

There are nods to Knott’s past too, from Bigfoot Rapids to the Parachute Jump ride.

What a terrific addition to the park property!

Alright, with that aside, onto the time capsule ceremony itself. The little event took place in the afternoon at Calico Stage, with beloved emcees Calico Deputy Mayor Milton Howell and Calico Saloon purveyor Cameo Kate serving as the hosts for the festivities. Also on hand were representatives from the park’s various departments—from rides to maintenance to food services to even the lifeguards at Soak City—and a few other beloved park characters.

One by one, they took turns placing various representations and time souvenirs into a large boysenberry jam barrel, which would be sealed and placed near the Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair attraction until June 30, 2071. The ceremony ended with a massive group photo of all staff and guests in attendance of this celebration, which itself would be included with the time capsule as a part of Knott’s history!

MC Deputy Mayor strikes a pose to start off the time capsule ceremony. Mr. Howell is always such a charismatic presence!

Joining the Deputy Mayor was Cameo Kate, escorted by Sheriff Wheeler!

Of course, Kate also had her lovely saloon dancers, Trixie and Dixie on hand.

Deputy Mayor Howell explained the purpose for this get-together.

It was to be a celebration of Knott’s history and a gesture to the future!!

Different guests were invited to come out and provide a keepsake or important item to contribute to a time capsule that would be sealed for the next fifty years.

First up was Whittles!

He brought a shiny, magnificent, 100% genuine example of… fool’s gold!

Representatives from the park’s various departments were also invited onto the stage.

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They unrolled a banner signed by all of the park’s current employees.

This would be stored in the time capsule as an embodiment of the Knott’s family spirit and so that the future Knott’s employees who would be opening up the time capsule 50 years from now could appreciate those who came before them.

This was honestly a really cool memento!

In it goes!

From Soak City, an uninflated inner tube was placed in.

The foods department placed a current menu from one of the park’s restaurants.

…and also a pie tin, of course, because of the rich boysenberry history.

Speaking of boysenberry, Sheriff Bryce Wheeler deposited some seedlings and plantings on behalf of the park’s landscape crew.

Next up were Trixie and Dixie, except they forgot to bring something to place in the time capsule…

Ever resourceful, they decided their garters would make for suitable pieces!

One of the stagecoach drivers presented a bridle.

A berry blaster from the new Bear-y Tales ride was also placed in.

Of course, you couldn’t have a Knott’s event without Snoopy!

And he got to place a miniature plush version of himself in the barrel!

Awwwww!

Trixie and Dixie were back to place a piece of wood from Ghostrider.

And while they were at it, how about some screws too?

Next was maintenance, with some cleaning supplies and latex gloves—very pertinent in the wake of this past year’s Coronavirus pandemic and how it drastically impacted the park’s operations.

Oh, and some toilet paper too! Hopefully it’s not looted in the next pandemic.

Deputy Mayor Howell showed off his hops against a games department employee.

But she was able to make a nifty crossover…

…and pop a basketball in the barrel “basket!”

With the park employees finished, the Deputy Mayor invited members of the local community Boys and Girls Club (which Knott’s frequently partners with for charitable activities) to come to stage.

The kids of some of the park employees were also invited up. This group represented the people who would be opening up the time capsule in 2071.

There was so much history in the park, these items could only begin to scratch the surface.

But this would nonetheless serve as a lovely snapshot in time.

Last thing… time for a giant group photo with everyone who had witnessed the ceremony.

A photograph of everyone would also be included in the time capsule!

And with that, the ceremony came to a festive end. It was such a cool experience to witness this bit of Knott’s history!

This was a great gathering that Knott’s put together and a nice gesture to its longtime fans new and old and its many hard-working employees. We’ve said time and time again that the improvements the park has made over the past now-decade have reinvigorated the charm and love that America’s first theme park has always carried. The park has never looked better, and even though this summer only offers a limited time to savor 100 years of history and success, it’s time well spent and well appreciated.

We’ll take a photographic stroll through the park in an upcoming update to showcase Knott’s at 100 years old (well, 101, technically), but we felt honored to be able to witness this marvelous moment of Knott’s history!