by Glenn Tschimpke
Staff Writer
Every weekend, Floridians flock to theme parks in Atlanta, Orlando and Tampa to be thrilled, chilled and filled with excitement.
On Tuesday and Thursday, they are invited to Jacksonville’s Sally Corporation to be intrigued, interested and fascinated by a behind-the-scenes peek into the construction of amusement park rides. The LaVilla-based company specializes in the design and construction of “dark rides” — themed attractions that carry passengers through a series of scenes.
The tour takes about an hour and weaves guests through the 40,000 square-foot facility past the different stages of the creation of Sally Corp’s. creatures. The project on deck these days is the Scooby Doo and the Scary Swamp Adventure, which is being constructed for the Six Flags amusement park in St. Louis. Scooby Doo-themed creatures in various states of creations pervade the building as Sally’s 60 employees strive to get the project out by the end of the month.
Tour guide Julie Cornell takes guests through a labyrinth of different departments that contribute independently toward the finished product — from the design department where the seeds of creativity are sown to the wood shop, paint room and electronics and programming department where the creatures come to life.
Virtually anything that goes into making an animated creature or robot can be fashioned in-house, from realistic flesh to rotting teeth.
Tours are open to the public and run at various times on Tuesday and Thursday. Cornell is flexible and is willing to accommodate late additions. For information, call 355-7100.