Small, portable roller coasters have been a staple of fairs around the world, and have often made their way into amusement parks and theme parks since they don't require a great deal of space and are quickly and easily assembled. As the roller coaster designers of the 1970's and 1980's began creating bigger and more thrilling rides, the portable coasters have nearly disappeared from major parks, relegated to small parks, boardwalks and carnivals where space is often at a premium.                                    Like the Big Fury coaster it replaced, the Wild Rider was a small portable coaster with "wild mouse" style cars racing around a twisting compact layout.   Wild Rider was a brand new Schwarzkopf Wildcat (54m) model.  The coaster was very popular, with a queue line that was always completely packed- from early in the morning to late in the evening. As the anchor of the Fun Fair section of the park it stood alongside a variety of other fair-style flat rides. The ride featured a small, one-car length turntable that was used to transfer unused cars on and off the ride track.  The storage track was located near the base of the lift hill.  The Wild Rider only operated for the 1978 through 1980 seasons, remaining "standing but not operating" through 1981.  The coaster was removed the last week of March 1982, just before the start of the season. The ride site would be temporarily set up with a tent and was designated as "Beer Garden Catering Area C", serving as an additional facility for the neighboring Garden of Eatin'.  Groups sales were at a peak in the early 1980s and the tent served as a satellite facility.  When not hosting private groups, the tent served beer and offered a "spaghetti bar" where guests dined on their favorite pastas and sauces. After several seasons the area was redeveloped for the addition of SplashWater Falls in 1986.