Allure of older (circa '20s) parks = poppycock

Now that I've gotten the blood circulating, let me be a little more precise. I've seen various post thoughout the year (here and on other sites) about how we as "enthusiasts" (and I use the term loosely) should feel inclined to support and prevent the closure of said parks and the disassembly of their respective rides. Now, I am the LAST person who wants to see a good coaster destroyed, but the "charm" of the "history" of these parks is somewhat lost on me.

Whenever one sees pictures of say, Coney Island, back in it's big heyday, one gets a glimpse of how only a certain set of people were able to enjoy the park. I understand that the standards of 'political correctness' were much less stringent than today, but for a park with such noteriety as say Riverview to have a dunking booth named "Dunk the (rhymes w/ Tigger)" (later retheme to "Afican Dip"), leaves me with a bad mouth in my taste (word inversion intended).

As for the rides themselves, wouldn't efforts be better aimed at re-creating them rather than restoring them? For example, the recent demise of the CI Thunderbolt. IF the TB could have been saved, all reports that I have heard stated that pretty much the only things salvageable were the steel supports. The track was rotten, the footers were custom made, and the trains were FUBAR. So an effort to 're-locate' the coaster would have essentially been like staring from scratch.

My point being, although it is always good to have an understanding of history, I do not feel it a necessity to dwell on it. Take a moment of silence, but during that moment dont just 'romanticize' of the "good old days", but reflect on the entirety of those days. It is my belief that doing so will help to understand why it is time to move on.
lata,
jeremy

I see your point about the injustices of previous decades, however most of us weren't born then. I had nothing to do with slavery, the Holocaust or the bombing of Japan. I recognize that these were horrible times in our history, but I don't take responsibility for them.

We aren't defined by our history, in my opinion, but rather what we make our future. At the same time, we can learn from our history. Classic amusement parks are a part of our history, good and bad. They symbolize both the prosperity of the era and the social injustice. The difference is that in modern times we can celebrate the good times as well as the fact that we as a society have changed.

Positive change and a rich history, good and bad, can make a much better future. It's all how you look at it.

-------------
Jeff
Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com

Well, ever since Disney opened Main Street USA in Disneyland our view of the past has been with decidely rose-colored glasses. There's a book called "The Good Old Days, They Were Terrible!" that points out a lot of these inaccuracies that we hold for the past. From political corruption to food recalls and more, it all happened a hundred years ago.

That said, I do like the daring of design of a lot of the classic coasters, among them the Coney Island Cyclone, which to me still packs a terrific punch. However, my first trip out to CI alone was a bit unsettling, but I was ultimately safe and sound. It was shocking to compare the reality of contemporary Coney Island with the Coney Island of my imagination.

As for preservation efforts, seeing the Thunderbolt was very sad, but it would have been an enormous undertaking to rebuild it, and the support for it just wasn't there. If they built a replica in Times Square, it could be a big hit, but out in C.I., even the Cyclone rarely has a line when I go out to ride it.

The dichotomy we have is the desire to preserve the past while enjoying the guilty pleasures of the present. We want the best of both worlds, but as you pointed out with a few shocking examples there were things in the past we would be better off to just forget.

I think parks like Kennywood have a nice balance of keeping pieces of the past but also keeping up with technology whenever possible, albeit with a lesser budget than some of the mega parks. Even Lake Compounce, our nation's oldest amusement park, took a great step forward with the opening of Boulder Dash this year.

If EVERY 20's park had a visionary team with big pockets they could reinvent themselves to do the same thing, but alas that is not the case.

In the next years we'll see a lot of battles over these very issues, but the "right" individuals with an appreciation for the past but an eye on the future could make these old parks s挀挀攀猀猀昀甀氀氀礀 琀爀愀渀猀椀琀椀漀渀 琀漀 琀栀攀 ㈀㄀猀琀 挀攀渀琀甀爀礀⸀ 㰀戀爀㸀 㰀戀爀㸀 㰀戀爀㸀ⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀⴀ 㰀戀爀㸀∀夀漀甀 栀愀瘀攀 琀漀 猀挀愀氀攀 愀 氀漀琀 漀昀 氀椀昀琀 栀椀氀氀猀 琀漀 挀漀愀猀琀 攀愀猀椀氀礀⸀⸀⸀∀ 㰀戀爀㸀 㰀戀爀㸀䨀愀猀漀渀

Well, 2hostyl as a foreign language poster, i didnt quite get the nasty rhyme, but thats not the point. Bear in mind that in the 20ies, there might have been a rude language, but that was a reflection of the rigid, almost victorian circumstances back then. Bathing was only allowed with woolen trunks that enclosed the whole body (even men had to wear those)so i think that the amusement industry (in its humble beginnings) reflected on this society, as it reflects todays as well.
People today stand in awe in front of MF! But after they rode it, they go:"O.K., seen it, done it. WHATS NEXT?!"
But just imagine that Coney Island, a hundred years ago really turned the peoples WORLD UPSIDE DOWN. The Industrial revolution was still going on, and all of a sudden these devices promised a glance into a completely different world. I think we cannot fathom what impact CI must have had on the people. If you do some research, you see that todays rides are all in all just modernized updates on early centuries thrill rides. The haunted swing, the rollercoaster, the looping, everything was tried out and tested. And thats why the Thunderbolt was such a strong landmark. A reminder to the Coney Island of the soul. Overgrown with all its leaves it was such a strong image for the passage of time, a monument for the leisure-society in which we live today. It should have been left there, maybe as an entrance for a museum, maybe just as an "eyesore". Sometimes you need those, to contemplate and to keep in connection with the things that once were there.

For a long time I would have loved to jump in a time machine and go back to the 20's in Coney Islands heyday. I just think it was probably the most sepctacular thing most people ever saw. With incandescent light being a new invention just think what it was like seeing thousands upon thousands of them lighting up the midways. (I was amazed when I saw MF lit up at night) I'm sure most of the rides would seem timid now but just the entire atmosphere would have been great. I personally would love to try the Human Pool Table and big round spinning floor that shot people off in all directions. I just love the nostalgia of the era. I love seeing all the old pictures with people dressed in their Sunday best to go out to the parks. Times, attitudes, people, and styles change so parks will change with the times as well. I just think its good to hold onto some of the past while continuing on with the present.


-------------

2Hostyl, I also see your point of the ignorance that went on at that time but Riverview went through alot of different stages during its existence. Although they had the Dunk the ??? and later changed the name to African Dip you have to realize that these people were not forced to do this. They actually were one of the best paid employees at the park. I think they enjoyed taunting the white folks because they knew it would enrage them and therefore dish out thier money to dunk them. What I am trying to say is they had to make the best of the situation while making a living. I dont agree with the way it was named but that type of B.S. was allowed back then.

-------------
"DONT FIGHT IT, RIDE IT",,,,RAGING BULL