Action Park in Vernon provided thousands of kids with stomach-turning thrills in the 80s and 90s. Its name, however, also became synonymous with tales of injury and even death.
Perhaps no ride has more urban legends than the Cannonball Loop. According to Deadspin, the ride was open for only one month in the Summer of 1985.
Several Action Park regulars shared their stories of the Cannonball Loop in a short documentary produced by journalist Seth Porges.
"If you go back and look at the picture of the Cannonball Loop slide," Andy Fiori, a radio host and comedian, said. "It looks photoshopped...it looks unreal."
"The urban legend was that they sent a dummy down to test it, and it came out with no head," added Chris Gethard, a former Weird N.J. writer.
Because it was open for such a limited time, very few images of the ride in action exist — until now.
A video compilation of commercials and early home movies of the Vernon action park was recently posted to YouTube by Porges.
He told Deadspin the video was sent to him by Adam Ringler, a former director at Action Park. Ringler reportedly found the VHS tape of the footage while he was cleaning out his garage.
Watching the full tape will be a blast from the past for many, but skip ahead to 8:19 if you want to catch the footage of the Cannonball Loop.
Maybe the Cannonball Loop will make a comeback when Action Park reopens. Or maybe it's just better for all of us if it remains a distant memory or a story at the dinner table.
Did you ride the Cannonball Loop? Let us know in the comments section below, or feel free to share your Action Park stories.