Silverwood Theme Park - Ice Palace - 3/17 Wurlitzer
Athol, Idaho
Organ installation timeframe: 1995-2002
 
Back to the Northwest Theatre Organ History: Other Installations page

Visitors to the Silverwood Ice Palace in Athol, Idaho, would have thought Bellevue Pizza & Pipes had been reincarnated! Same organ, same windows, same arrangement of pipe chambers, same percussions hanging on the walls outside the chambers! It spoke, however, into a much larger room - 80' x 100' with 25' ceiling, and bleacher seating for 700 people.
 
Installation began in early February 1995, with everything being reinstalled exactly as it came out of Bellevue. The only major snag encountered was completely unexpected - the blower which handled the demands of the instrument beautifully in Bellevue at sea level just couldn't provide enough of the "thinner" air found at an altitude of 2400 feet! Pipes operating on 10" of air were fine. However, those requiring 15" were left wanting. A replacement blower was acquired to solve this difficulty.
 
The ice floor was located between the console and the chambers, enabling the organist to see the action on the ice.
 
PSTOS member Greg Smith played the organ daily for ice shows during the 1995, 1996 and 1997 seasons. Due to cost constraints, the ice show was scaled back and the organ was not played for the 1998-2002 seasons. Recorded music was used instead.
 
In September 2002, the Wurlitzer was sold to George Brown of Twin Falls, Idaho. Mr. Brown plans a residence installation for the organ. Several of the large scale 15" pressure ranks were offered for sale soon after removal.