November 2010 - Amusement Today

34 AMUSEMENT TODAY November 2010
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DAFE celebrates 10th anniversary
Proudly declaring that
it “keeps its members in the
dark,” the Darkride and Funhouse
Enthusiasts fan organization
celebrated its 10th anniversary
on Oct. 31.
Fondly known as DAFE
(pronounced “daffy”), the
club was founded on Halloween
in 2000 by Rick and Sue
Davis and Joel Styer and the
organization has grown to include
nearly 400 members in
38 states and five countries. It
is based in Vienna, Ohio.
Dedicated to the enjoyment,
documentation and
preservation of dark attractions
including darkrides,
funhouses, haunted houses,
mazes and related attractions,
membership in the group is
open to individuals, families,
attractions, and manufacturers.
Davis points out that in addition to providing an opportunity
for members to
visit different attractions, the
group also works within the
amusement industry providing
a conduit of information
about dark rides and the entire
haunted attractions business.
The group also has been
instrumental in saving and
restoring several classic attractions,
including the Fright
Zone at the former Erieview
Park in Geneva-on-the-Lake,
Ohio.
In addition to preserving,
restoring, chronicling, and
promoting dark rides, DAFE
publishes a quarterly magazine,
Barrel O’ Fun, has the
Daffy Klub Web site www.
dafe.org and it runs an annual
survey of its members from
which the group publishes the
top favorites in several different
genres of the industry.
On this anniversary, Davis
looks back fondly on DAFE’s
creation. “We were three serious
fans of dark rides and
felt a formal group of other
aficionados could help us
with our mission of not only
enjoying and promoting the
rides and walk-throughs but
also in helping us preserve
and restore them before all the
classic sites were torn down
and destroyed,” Davis notes.
“Thanks to the generous
amount of time our membership
has given over the years,
we have succeeded and are
much more than a basic fan
club. We are now a strong,
focused organization that has
proven it can be helpful to attraction
owners throughout
North America while providing
our members an opportunity
to learn, preserve and
enjoy their passion.”
For more information on
the Darkride and Funhouse
Enthusiasts group, go to their
Web site at www.dafe.org, or
contact Rick Davis at (330)
856-4623 after 4 p.m. Eastern
or via email at: rickdavis@
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