Big Splash Fans Get Last Ride Before Silver Bullet Retires

Three decades of people going down the slides at Big Splash's "Silver Bullet" are over. The 72-foot tall tandem slides are coming down because of old age.

It's hard to miss the two slides towering over 21st and Yale on the southeast side of the Tulsa Fairgrounds. The Silver Bullet has given Tulsans 31 years of screams and fun.

Amber Woessner says it's time to build a new ride and the old fiberglass slides and wooden beams need to come down.

“We're sad to see it go, but eventually over time all things wear out , all good things must come to an end,” Woessner said.

The slides were part of the original construction of Big Splash in 1984. The Silver Bullet was a park favorite over the years. It even hosted weddings from the top of the slides, where couples slid down after tying the knot.

Sunday was the last time people could enjoy the slide.

“I was sad, but when they told me that they were getting a new one I was happy," James Secrest said.

When Ryan Erickson and his wife Valerie found out the park was tearing down the slides, they dropped what they were doing and put on their bathing suits.

"I think it's great! It was fun,” Ryan Erickson said.

Valerie added, “If they put in another big slide, that'll be OK."

It was so tempting, our reporter even went down it a six times, but not before climbing 11 flights of stairs on each trip.

“You must walk every single flight,” News On 6 reporter Tony Russell said. “I don't know if I can walk. I'm kind of excited. I've never gone down this thing before.”

Big Splash closes today for the season. The Silver Bullet will be taken down, but what will go in its place for next year is still a secret.