WESTMORELAND - For years, visitors to Gold Rush Miniature Golf in Westmoreland have made their way across treasure ships, panhandlers, and other obstacles on their way to a good score.
But now, the time-stream that these figures of the past came from jumps to life courtesy of a new "Walk About Through Time" behind the miniature golf course.
"I started with the mini-golf course, adding Fiberglass pieces each year. Then one day it clicked to me to put them all in the back and do a timeline with it," said Tom Denslow, who owns Gold Rush miniature golf with his wife, Barbara.
"It starts out with astronauts, and goes all the way back to dinosaurs," Denslow said. "There's a scene of each individual era. Be it medieval times with knights, the Roman Empire, dinosaurs, and signs with descriptions telling a little bit about that era at each stop."
In the midst of these new additions sits what Denslow has dubbed "Under the Sea," a gazebo amid a small body of water, with a theme of colorful sea life.
"My place is much different than most places," Denslow said. "I go to Florida a lot, and have seen a lot. I try to keep adding things constantly so it's something different every year."
A project over a year and a half in the making, construction began in the summer of 2005, and saw completion by season's end. It was then just a matter of time and concentration on advertising before the expansion opened its pathway to the public.
Denslow said that a lot of research was involved, to make sure that eras and descriptions were accurate before placing the orders for fiberglass pieces that came, in some cases, as far away as the Philippines.
"With all those scenes, we had to research on the computer and come up with information on that era that resulted in the storyboard you see as you walk along," Denslow said.
In some cases, the availability of pieces from companies restricted what scenarios the Denslows could create, which sometimes could be frustrating.
"I really wanted to do Egyptian pieces, with pyramids, but couldn't find enough pieces to do it," Denslow said.
Along with the "Walk About" came the addition of a haunted graveyard, inspired by some items Denslow saw at an Amusement Park show in Orlando.
"I saw the pieces the guy had, liked it, and thought it could intertwine well," Denslow said.
As the people pour in, Denslow notes the graveyard as his personal favorite, and the fright it brings to guests.
"As you walk through the graveyard, it's animated and jumps out at you," Denslow said. "Everything in the graveyard works off of sensors. As you walk by, they move and scream, and you watch the people go through and they'll be screaming. It's fun to watch."
One visitor recently was Tomas Rampas, a foreign exchange student from the Czech Republic who has finished up his academic tenure at Altmar Parish Williamstown and was spending time with visiting family members before they all headed back to their home country.
Stepping out of the haunted graveyard with his mother, Vera, and younger brother, Richard, he enjoyed the good scare.
"I liked the Haunted Graveyard. At night time it would be really fun," Rampas said.
His mother, a bit frightened, was looking forward to moving on to the more informative - and more light hearted "Walk About" area next.
"She doesn't like things jumping out at her," Rampas said.
Currently, the new additions to Gold Rush are open from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
The future might even bring a more presidential addition, Denslow said, as one idea he hasn't brought to life just yet is what he described as a sort-of "hall of presidents," with large replicas of the presidents, and information about their time in office.
"Maybe next year," Denslow said.
http://www.psaver.com/archive/2006/07/2 ... 18055.html
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