My dad told me some good stories about his shenanigans in amusement parks and at the carnival.
He was a carny. My mom was too. That's where they met. My mom ran the zamps (kiddie rides) and my dad ran major or spectacular rides. He was running a ride called the twister. It was a flat ride, didn't go in the air, so it appeared perhaps harmless, especially when it wasn't running.
One night a cop came by and stopped to talk to my dad. He, said,"you have a nice kiddie ride here." My dad asked if him he if he wanted to ride it for free. The cop said, he was on duty but he'd come back later. He came back later and my dad put him in the seat with the most kick. He turned it on and gave this cop the ride of his life. Afterwards, the cop unsteady as hell, was walking passed him to exit, and my dad said, "So, how did you like my kiddie ride." The cop gave a thumbs up, stepped off the ride, and barfed.
My dad also has some good stories about Disneyland. He never worked there. He and his friends snuck in back in the seventies. They climbed a fence in the back to get in. They found themselves across the river from the riverboat ride, by the cabins. They saw the riverboat coming and laid down in the grass. My dad looked over, saw his friends raccoon hat, and got an hilarious idea. He took it off his friends head and put it on, then as the boat neared, he rose out of the grass, like an animatronic. He waved mechanically at the people on the boat with a smile. They all took out their cameras and began snapping pictures. So somewhere, there are tourists with old pictures of their visit to Disney, and among them are pictures of my dad, who they might think to this day is the most lifelike animatronic they have ever seen.
He and his friends pulled another similar prank in Disneyland. This one at the old milk truck that sits along the walk. They waited for a good moment then took their places in and around the milk truck and froze. One at the steering wheel, one standing at the crank, and one sitting in the passenger seat. When people came by, the one at the crank would suddenly come alive and turn the crank very mechanically. The one at the wheel would suddenly vibrate and slightly move the wheel as though they were driving, and passenger would suddenly turn and wave mechanically. So, again people have pictures from their vacation there of some mechanical milk men who are not mechanical.
