Carowinds -- back in time!

... where you can have one foot in SC and one in NC. While eating cotton candy. And having your picture taken with a gigantic Snoopy mascot.

   Want to be part of today's blog? Send your Carowinds pix to 

mdavid@charlotteobserver.com

(JPG, GIF, or PNG format)

1986. Thunder Road at Carowinds. - Diedra Laird/Staff

1984. A Smurf house in the Smurf Village.

1973. 'Carowinds founder E. Pat Hall says hello to Miss Vicki, a 'petting size' African Elephant who resided in the Carowinds petting zoo at park opening in 1973.' -Wilton Abel

**isn't that Fred Kirby in the cowboy hat??**

July 4, 1980.

'One of Carowinds original attractions, the Powder Keg Flume, continues to thrill visitors today.' - Undated. - Wilton Abel 

1981. 'Carowinds entertainer Rufus the Rainmaker whoops it up for a sudden shower this week. After going through his spiel, Rufus scores with a sprinkle from an overhead garden house.' - Robert Jones/Staff

1973. 'This double-decker carousel, complete with pipe organ and drums, was purchased from Pennsylvania and was the only one of its kind in the world. The carousel operated at Carowinds for only one season and was removed in 1974 and donated to the town of Dreieich, Germany.'

1978 Paladium schedule.

1983. Carowinds entrance. 

What was the name of the ride sticking up behind the building? 

It had the Eastern Airlines logo on it. Is that still there?

1993.

Reader photos

From Wes: 1973, first trip to Carowinds. (Wes is in the stroller.)

Summer of '78: movies and concerts

    What a fantastic summer it was! I saw Frankie Valli at the Paladium and REO Speedwagon at the 'old Coliseum'. Check out the stores where you could buy tickets ... all gone now. 

Promo pix of musical groups, '60s-'80s

   The media calls these 'handouts'. I call them hysterical. 

The hair! The clothes! The drama!

1985. 'Members of rock band Queen from left to right are Roger Taylor, Brian May, Freddie Mercury and John Deacon December 1985.' - AP

 1965. 'Modern Minstrels - 'The Hullabaloos, a quartet of singers from Hull, England, make their third appearance tonight on 'Hullabaloo' over Channel 36. '

1970. 'Herman's Hermits sing some of their hits as stars of 'Hold on!', a rollicking musical comedy on 'The CBS Friday Night Movies' in color on the CBS Television Network. (rebroadcast)' 

 1982. 'America'

April 27,  1978. 'Earth, Wind and Fire performs with Natalie Cole on her musical special tonight at 10 on Channel 3.'

 1983. 'The Eurythmics'

 Dec. 15, 1978. 'The Doobie Brothers will appear in concert at 8 p.m. Sunday at the Coliseum. Tickets are $6.50 limited advance, $7 when those are gone, available at the coliseum box office.'

 1972. 'The Dingaling Sisters'. (Part of 'The Golddiggers' who were featured on 'The Dean Martin Show.')

 1983. 'Def Leppard'

August, 1981. 'Bill Pinckney and the Original Drifters to perform at Ira G's this weekend.'

 1972. 'The Partridge Family'

1987. 'Journey'

Daisy & Violet Hilton -- 'Chained for Life'

   Daisy and Violet Hilton were conjoined twins who appeared in the U.S. sideshow and vaudeville circuit in the '30s. They also starred in the B-movie 'Chained for Life'.  Here's a fascinating look into their world...

'The Hilton twins were put into sideshows and carnivals almost from the time they were born. This photo shows them at age 7, sometime around 1915.' - Courtesy of Circus World Museum 

1939 ad that ran in the Ironwood Daily Globe (Ironwood, Michigan)

1933. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 'Violet and Daisy Hilton pictured aboard the S.S. Aquitania upon return from a theatrical performance in England.' 

1933 Fresno Bee

 'As Violet and Daisy grew older, they learned to play saxophone, piano and several other instruments. They also sang -- in close harmony, of course.' Undated.  

'Conjoined twins Violet and Daisy Hilton stand with Violet's fiance, Maurice Lambert, in 1934. They applied for marriage licenses in 21 states, but were denied on moral grounds. Violet and Daisy did eventually wed two other men, but the marriages did not last.'

Violet and Daisy pose in a still photo from 'Chained For Life,' their 1951 film. In the movie's fictional story, one twin falls in love with a man -- and the other twin shoots him dead. - Courtesy of Charles Reid 

1952. Sandusky (Ohio) Register. 

1952. Sandusky (Ohio) Register. 

 'Violet and Daisy pose with Charles Reid (left) and Sammy Bell, both members of Purcell United Methodist Church, in September 1962. Reid, who gave the twins jobs at his Park-N-Shop grocery, says: 'I think those were the happiest days of those girls' lives, just getting that little job. They weren't treated very well in show business. And when the show is over, where do you go?' ' - Courtesy of Charles Reid 

'Clayton Hotel at northeast corner of North Church St. and West 5th St., shortly before its demolition in March 1974. Hotel was built in 1913 and had 100 rooms and 50 baths. The Hilton sisters stayed here in the early '60s, as did many entertainers coming through Charlotte.' - Observer file photo

1997. Daisy and Violet were buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery off Freedom Drive. 'It was just like an ordinary funeral,' Leo Wingate says, 'except for there being two in one casket and all.' The Hiltons share a tombstone with a Vietnam vet named Troy Thompson. - Stephanie Grace Lim/Staff

Jeff Gordon, NASCAR's 'Wonder Boy'

    May 29, 1994:  Jeff Gordon's first career victory was the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He was the youngest Charlotte pole winner at age 22.

1994. 'Jeff Gordon celebrates in victory lane at the Charlotte Motor Speedway with 'Lugnut', after winning the pole for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 with a speed of 181.439 mph.'

- Chuck Burton/AP

1994. 'Jeff Gordon, pole sitter for Sunday's Coca-Cola 600, gets ready for a practice run at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.'

- Bob Jordan/AP

2004. 'Kurt Busch (97), Kasey Kahne (16), Jeff Gordon (24), Sterling Marlin (40), Joe Nemechek (01) and Kevin Harvick (29) slide and crash at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Saturday evening, May 22, 2004, during the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge in Concord, N.C. 

- Jeff Siner/Staff 

1998. 'Jeff Gordon talks with his crew chief, Ray Evernham during a test session at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord.'
- Chuck Burton/AP

2008. 'NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. talk in the garage area at Lowe's Motor Speedway.'
- Jeff Siner/Staff

2010. 'Jeff Gordon and his wife Ingrid Vandebosch play with daughter Ella Sofia Gordon before the NASCAR Sprint All-Star auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.'
- Chuck Burton/AP

2010. 'NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon uses a headset on pit road prior to qualifying for the Coca Cola 600. Gordon qualified 15th with Ryan Newman winning the pole for the race to be run on Sunday, May 30th at Charlotte Motor Speedway.'
- Jeff Siner/Staff

1997. 'Jeff Gordon and his (then) wife, Brooke, scan the race track just moment prior the start of the UAW-500 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Sunday afternoon.'
- Patrick Schneider/STAFF