Village Squire, 1979-07, Page 10A Storybook
adventure
Springbank park and Storybook Gardens are surely one of
North America's best entertainment buys.
Springbank park is a large park beside the Thames River on
the west side of London. There is no admission charge to the
park. The park itself provides many delights for youngsters like a
merry-go-round, paddle boats on the river and a miniature steam
railway as well as plenty of picnic tables. trees for shade and
space for running and playing.
But what makes Springbank extra special is the one corner of
the park which is set aside as Storybook Gardens. Here fairytales
and animals combine to provide hours of entertainment for
children and a pleasant place for adults away from the pressure
of expensive amusement parks. Admission is only 75 cents for
adults and 25 cents for children. There are no noises but the
sounds of the animals and the laughter of the other park visitors.
The fun of the park is built around imagination, not
technology. Children can go down a slide and be swallowed by a
whale. They can slide down a hillside just like Jack and Jill. At
the same time they see fairy tales coming to life they can also see
animals. both domestic and exotic. The three Little Pigs' houses
of straw. sticks and bricks are inhabited by real pigs, although
there is no real wolf at their door. There's Old Macdonald's farm
which has a variety of farm animals including goats and other
animals that love attention from children.
For those looking for something a little more adventurous.
there's a buffalo, -peacocks, and a South American llama. Among
the real entertainers of the park though are the otters, penguins
and sea lions. They provide hours of free entertainment and are
among the most natural showmen in the world. The otters and
sea lions in particular seem to have a competition to see who can
attract the biggest audiences.
It was a sea lion that gave Storybook Gardens its biggest
publicity back in the 1950's. just a few years after the .park
opened in 1958. Slippery the sea lion escaped into the Thames
and was recaptured days later in Lake Erie after an exhaustive
search.. He was probably glad to be home to escape the
dangerous outside world filled with vicious sea lamprey then at
their height in the Great Lakes.
Slippery returned to Storybook Gardens as a celebrity and
people flocked to see him. He is still commemorated today with a
statue in his honour at the park.
The park is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Storybook Gardens, part of the Springbank park in London is one of the best entertainment bargains in Canada.
8 Village Squire, July 1979