A step back in time and into the Zone

Kris O’Donnell

On the Balboa Peninsula, the Balboa Fun Zone, with never an entrance

fee, is one of Southern California’s oldest and last great coastal

amusement areas.

Since 1936, the Fun Zone’s Ferris wheel has been a day and night

landmark on the Newport Harbor scene. In 1986, the Fun Zone was

rebuilt from the ground up.

“We’re doing about the same amount of business as we did last

year,” Arcade Manager Bill Hudson said. “We are definitely busier,

however, on overcast days like today. When it’s sunny, people are

generally apt to spend more time working on their tan.”

Hudson said that the arcade -- and the Fun Zone in general --

draws people of all ages and from all over.

Visitors to the arcade are able to win and accrue point tickets

and trade them in for valuable prizes that include: small toys,

air-powered rockets, sailboats and large stuffed animals.

“I just won 1,500 tickets on this ‘Speed Demon’ game,” said

16-year-old Tony Kaai, a vacationer from Las Vegas.

The Fun Zone and adjacent structures are more than just fun and

games.

“I like coming down here because there is so must history in this

landmark,” Santa Ana resident Mary Russell said.

In 1948, after more than a decade of leasing the property, Al

Anderson purchased it from tract owner Fred Lewis.

Anderson owned the Fun Zone until 1972, when a lawsuit forced him

to sell. The property was then passed from lending institution to

lending institution until Jordan Wank purchased the Zone in 1985.

Wanting to refurbish the landmark, Wank obtained a permit from the

city to bulldoze it and rebuild.

“Area redevelopment has slowed activity here,” said Charlie Maas,

Harbor Cruises office manager. “Parking has been the major problem,

but that will eventually be corrected.”

Bob Speth and Joe Tunstall formed Balboa Fun Zone Rides Inc. and

signed a 25-year lease to operate the Ferris wheel and the

merry-go-round. In 1994, they became the owners of the entire Fun

Zone.

Under the guidance of Tunstall and Speth, the Balboa Fun Zone is

now visited by more than a million people a year.