Joyland Park Getting a Facelift

I love Joyland park. It is my young son's favorite place to go in the summertime.  My grandkids always ask about Joyland when they come to visit. Needless to say, Joyland is a big part of my family's summer plans.  The last couple of years, I have noticed that the park was looking a bit dingy. It was in need of some TLC. It was just as fun as always, but it was looking a little run down.

Now, Joyland is getting that needed facelift. I ride a bicycle year round and one of my favorite routes is through Mackenzie Park right by Joyland Park.  I had noticed that there was more activity in the park than usual in the past few weeks. The Wild River log ride was dismantled, cleaned and painted. The metal standards that hole the water vessels have been painted too.  You can see the progress is the photo I took.

The roller coaster was really looking old. It has surely been painted before but it was looking like it had never been painted since it was new.  One day I was riding by the park and saw that the rails looked brand new.  I wondered if the rails had been replaced. After a few more days, I realized that the entire coaster was being painted white and red. It looks amazing. You can see it in the photo I took of it below.You can see the painting equipment on the far corner and, if you look closely, you can see the old grimy paint job that had not been painted yet.  The paint job on this coaster will likely bring more people to the park and on the ride.  People always tend to gravitate toward super shiny rides.

I noticed that the whole park is receiving some of this attention. Fence rails throughout the park have been painted, the Tilt-a-Whirl was repainted, even the water slide tubes appear to have new paint on them.  I can't wait to take my son to Joyland Park this year and see how much nicer and cleaner it looks. Joyland will open in March of 2013.

The Nicholas Project - Real Jobs for People with Cognitive Disabilities

I have tried to find a project that will help to create a real business that my cognitively disabled son will be able to grow into. I once obtained thousands of books in the hope of opening a bookstore but found out that the rent would be impossible to generate for long. I donated the books to Goodwill. I continued trying to find the perfect project and found out about Indiegogo, which is a site where you can get funding from people worldwide for worthwhile projects.

As I have tried to find the right type of program, I found that opening a small shaved ice trailer has the best chance of success because of the high profit potential and the perfect setting to train people who have cognitive challenges. The thing that attracted me to this business is that it can easily be replicated so that other cognitively disabled individuals can have the same opportunities. Read the Indiegogo page below to see how this project will work. Even if you cannot help fund this project, your visit and any links that you can send to others carry weight with the Indiegogo servers. Enough weight will get the project on page 1 and will make it possible to gain the funding to get this project started.

This project could help hundreds of individuals who face very bleak futures otherwise. Thanks for visiting the link below.

Larry's Giant Subs of Lubbock

I noticed Larry's Giant Subs a few months ago. It is off the South Loop next to Casa Ole on the corner of Quaker Avenue. I have wanted to give it a try but only got around to eating there a couple of days ago. I must say that I really enjoyed my meal and will definitely return for more.

Larry's is actually a chain that started out in Florida. It offers a huge menu of cold subs, hot subs, salads, and more. My wife, teen age son, and I all ate there. I got an 8 inch roast beef and provolone sandwich, a bag of Cheetos, and a medium drink. My wife got an 8 inch veggie sandwich, a bag of Sun Chips, and a medium drink. My son got an 8 inch ham and cheese sub, a bag of Doritos, a sugar cookie, and a medium drink. You can also get 12 inch sandwiches. All of that only cost $26 (tax included). The sandwiches are very filling and all the ingredients are fresh and tasty. Each sandwich is made to order and delivered to your table in the roomy restaurant that has ESPN on the 2 televisions on the wall.

Larry's is very clean and staff is friendly. The greeted us as we walked in and as we left. The cashier was pleasant and the man who made our sandwiches and delivered them made sure we everything we wanted. You can't say that about all restaurants. Give Larry's a try if you haven't yet. I think you will like it.

Yet Another Update on China Acupuncture Clinic

As you may have read in earlier posts, I have a really bad knee that was scheduled to be replaced. As a last resort, I went to China Acupuncture to see if she could get me out of pain long enough to get me to summer so that the knee could be replaced.

I got 10 treatments and was surprised to be pain free by the end of the treatments. In fact, I was able to start riding my road bicycle again which was a huge surprise, given the fact that my knee was so painful before that I could barely walk. My knee surgeon told me that I should wait to have the surgery since I was out of pain. The knee was still structurally bad, but having no pain was good enough to postpone my surgery until the pain came back. The surgeon said that the pain would return and that we could do the surgery then.

That was 1 and 1/2 years ago. Yes, the pain came back about 6 months later. I returned to the acupuncturist and received 2 treatments. I can report now that I have been almost a year now pain free since those 2 additional treatments. I have rode my bicycle over 4,000 miles since those initial treatments and have even been able to ride in the Hotter N Hell ride in Wichita Falls, Texas. I am even planning to ride a 1,000 mile ride from the NW tip of Texas to South Padre Island, which is the southern tip.

It amazes me that my knee is as strong as it is since going to the acupuncturist. I could not sleep, had a hard time walking, and lived on pain pills. Today, I seldom feel pain, ride almost daily, and have avoided the exorbitant cost of a knee replacement, not to mention the pain that rehabilitation causes.

I can honestly say that acupuncture works. You should give it a try if you have pain of any kind. I know that some people do not respond to it, but some have near miraculous results. I thought that those of you who read my earlier posts would like to know how things have gone for me since.

Joyland Park in Lubbock is a Blast From the Past

Give Joyland Amusement Park a Try

Lubbock, Texas has a population of about 225,000 people. It is not a big town so it makes sense that you will not find a Six Flags type amusement park in it. That is why cities the size of Lubbock often have smaller amusement parks. These are parks that are often described by some people as a cross between a carnival and a larger amusement park. Lubbock has Joyland Amusement Park. It is a cool little park and just might be a blast from the past for those of you who are old enough to remember the glory years of small city amusement parks.

Joyland has some really old style kid rides and roller coasters along with some newer rides like a tower drop, a water slide, and a flume ride that is guaranteed to get you wet. The old style kid rides are a small but really fun train, carousel, helicopters, old fashion cars, a nd a kid sized roller coaster like the ones you often see in carnivals.

There are also some fun bigger rides such as a tilt-a-whirl, bumper cars, a sky ride gondola ride that crosses the park and then returns, the space shuttle that resembles the larger conquistador at Six Flags Over Texas. There is a really exciting ride called the Musik Express that moves fast and causes centrifugal force to slam you into the side of the car and a sombrero hat as well as the Scrambler.

Yes, there are other great rides too, but you would just have to go to Joyland to experience this wonderful family friendly park.

Joyland Park is Family Friendly and They Mean It.

One of the best things about visiting Joyland Park is that it really is family friendly. It is constantly being walked by the security and owner/managers. If they sense any "funny business" they act on it fast. I have even seen them have people wearing shirts that could be considered risque to either cover them up, change, or leave the park. The staff at Joyland will not let your children experience a dangerous park or one where individuals can put them at risk in any way and that is greatly appreciated these days.

Costs, Hours, Deals at Joyland

Joyland is open 7 to 10 PM Tuesdays through Fridays through August 24th. It is closed on Mondays. Saturday and Sundays, it is opem from 2 Pm to 10 PM. That will continue until September 16th and also includes Labor Day.

Joyland works on an armband method of admission. It includes admission to the park and all the rides but does not include tax. Tuesday - Friday the cost of admission is $13.50 for people 48 inches and over and $10.50 for shorter than 48 inches. Saturday and Sunday's admission price is $18.75 for people over 48 inches and $15.75 for others. You can buy a general admission ticket for $4.75 if you are over 21 years old and do not want to ride unlimited rides. You can buy individual tickets for rides for $2 each or a set of 10 tickets for $15. Anyone under 21 years of age and over 30 inches tall has to buy an armband.

There are specials:

Tuesday Night: Everyone from 1 day old to 120 years old pays $8.25 plus tax.

Wednesday and Thursday Evenings: Individuals pay $11.25 or a four pack is $42. This is a great deal because you get unlimited soft drinks the while time you are in the park. It gets hot so this can save you loads of money.

Friday Night - Everyone pays $10.50

Saturday Night Special. Wait until 7 Pm to go to the park and get $5 off the normal ticket price. Pay $13.50 for 48 inches and taller and $10.50 for everyone else.

Sunday bring 2 cans of food and get $4 off your ticket price from 2 Pm to 10 PM.

Sunday - 2 People enter park for $18.75 from 7PM to 10PM. Singles are $11.75

Saturday or Sunday, bring a coke product or coupon and receive $2 off admission.

Where is Joyland Park?

Joyland Park is in McKenzie Park in Northeast Lubbock. The easiest way to get there is by Avenue A and Broadway , turn into McKenzie Park and drive through it until you see the park.

Burkhart Center in Lubbock Hits Yet Another Homerun for Individuals with Autism

Camp Burkhart was held during the second week of July and was a smashing success. At least it was to my family. I cannot speak for others but I loved what I saw and what my son experienced. My son was born with Down Syndrome and Autism. He has a nice life and has a great school to attend but socialization is very difficult for him. Camp Burkhart brought out the best in him, even if it was only for 1 week.

The camp was designed to place individuals with autism into a varied set of situations that required some socialization as well as to have fun. The cam was for 3 hours each day for 1 Monday through Friday week. The activities ranged from going to the Science Spectrum, to Main Event, to swimming at the nationally known Texas Tech Leisure Pool.

Each day, every individual was placed with a one on one helper and allowed to just have fun. I can attest to the fact that my son had a blast. What was even better was seeing him actually carry on a conversation with one helper on the last day. It was not much of a conversation but it was a conversation and that is a big deal. I attribute it to the work that the great workers and volunteers at Camp Burkhart put forth with him.

I heard that the owner of Malouf and Co. made a large donation that made Camp Burkhart possible. If that is true, I owe him a great big THANK YOU! Hopefully Camp Burkhart will be an annual event. The Burkhart Center already does a few activities throughout the summer and those are greatly appreciated too.

If you have a child with autism, you really owe it them to check out the Burkhart Center at Texas Tech. It will definitely enrich their lives in ways you may never have imagines. Once again, Thank you Burkhart. We are so lucky to live in a great community like Lubbock that has one of the best programs in the nation.

Lubbock Restaurants Near South Plains Mall in Lubbock

A great many people come to Lubbock and go to the South Plains Mall. When they get hungry they decide they would like to eat around the mall somewhere but do not want to travel up and down Slide Road to see what offerings they have. This hub will tell you all of the eating places around the mall on Slide Road.

The first group of restaurants I will tell you about are the ones south of the mall and outside the loop. The first one you will come to as you drive south on Slide is Mamaritas Border Cafe. A little farther south is Quiznos then Cotton Patch Cafe,and finally there is Chick-fil-A.

If you turn around at 69th Street and head back toward the mall the first restaurant choice you have is Carino's Italian, then On the Border Mexican Restaurant, and in the plaza isSouper Salad.

As you head back under the loop you will see Rockfish Seafood Grill, my favorite Logan's Roadhouse, and then Genghis Grill. Continue on and there is every kid's favorite McDonald's and behind it is Furr's Cafeteria. Across the street in the little strip shopping center is Cici's Pizza and them farther north on Slide isChile's, Subway and Lone Star Oyster Bar. Continue down the street and you will find Cancun Mexican Restaurant, Fuddrucker's, and Double Nickel Steakhouse. Finally, the last place you will see on Slide down to 50th Street is 50th Street Caboose Restaurant.

Now let's cross 50th Street and go just one block down and turn around and head south again on Slide toward the mall and the first place to eat is Denny's and just 2 doors down is Jimmy John's. Behind Jimmy John's but not actually on Slide isSonic.

Cross back over 50th and continue down the street and the first restaurant isPopeye's Chicken and Biscuits then Burger King, Wendy's and Schlotzsky's Deli. Another block down the street and you have the Chinese Kitchen Restaurant. Next is Dickey's BBQ Pit, Garcia's Mexican Restaurant and Baker Brothers American Deli.

Finally, just before you get back to the mall you will see the huge Lin's Chinese Buffet and in the mall parking lot is Olive Garden.

So, there you have it. That is a great many choices to dine out just along Slide from 69th Street to about 49th Street. There are many more great restaurants just to the east of Slide on the inside of the Loop on the Frontage Road. They are Rudy's BBQ, Hooter's, Freebird's World Burrito, and Which Wich. If you cannot find a place to eat among all of those choices then you probably need to go home and eat.