Olympic Midway

The Olympic Midway, also known as Snell’s Midway and the (George) Konold Midway, was located on the south side of The Strip west of Golf Avenue. The Midway had two entrances, the main one being off The Strip. Four towers at the back of that entrance marked this wonderland of amusements.

The attractions there included a shooting gallery that used bows and arrows, a “Bumpy Car” game that involved placing a dime on a prize and hoping the car would come to rest at that prize (a pack of cigarettes), a basketball shooting game, and a number of “penny arcade” games. The latter were particularly appealing to owners because they were self-operating. You needed only a maintenance person and a clerk to make a change.

Originally owned by Emaline Snell, George Konold purchased the Midway in 1944. In the 1960s, a group of investors/owners – Chuck Lotze, Herb Thomas, Harry Smith, and Richard Thomas – purchased the midway. They renamed it the Olympic Midway and made a number of improvements to it, including a large sliding board, a popular amusement park attraction at that time. But the fad quickly faded, and within a couple of years, the sliding board was removed.

The investors did put a roof over the midway, which encouraged business during inclement weather. They also installed fluorescent lighting in the midway to attract more evening business. Before the Midway opened for a new season, they would have the entire complex painted white to make it look fresh and appealing.

Here is a list of the concessions at Snell’s in the summer of 1947, and the owner:

* Shoot Til You Win basketball game, W. Ross Hayes.
* Fuzzy Wuzzy ball game, Robert Hayes
* Frozen Custard stand, Harold Miller
* Photoshop, Art Taylor
* Bake shop, Jim Reynolds
* Bingo, Kate Reynolds
* Waffle Shop, Jim Olzner
* Popcorn stand, George E. Konold
* Dart game, Betsy Konold
* Penny Arcade cashier, Mrs. Konold
* Golf game, Edna Hewes
* Candy floss and popcorn balls, Adaline Thomas
* Auto Bump and bingo, C.M. Cox
* Rough House, Raymond Brown
* Fighter Pilot/Gunnery Trainer, Andy Barclay
* Mickey Mouse racer, William Cassidy (former orchestra leader from Pittsburgh)
* Sketch artist, Warren Ashley
* Guess Your Age, Stuart Keener
* Spill the Milk, William Hold and Tim Lyden
* Mouse game, Tommy Evans
* Bingo gals, Peggy Collinger and Juanita Villia, Pittsburgh; Ruth Ann Seal, Washington, Pa.; Loretta Davis, Geneva
* Rifle range, Paul Johnson