Sandy Lake Amusement Park closes after 48 years

I now know more about Sandy Lake than I ever did. One thing I was familiar with was their famous train ride. A few years ago was a big deal about their new CP Huntington purchased from Chance, and it was unusual for it’s pretty blue color. I saw the locomotive set up as a promotional display at the State Fair of Texas, if memory serves it was on a flat bed and was a float in the fair’s daily parade. I think I also saw it in Chance’s booth at IAAPA. Might it have been the first electric model? I’m not sure. And I wonder what will happen to it?
Anyway, it looks like the place was a lot of portable flats, and was more a traditional, economical amusement park for locals, which I’m sure for many was a welcome alternative to the huge Texas themers.
There are many reasons for businesses to close, and that’s fine, but I’ll never understand (particularly for something like a park) why this was a sneak attack. If it was me I’d give my park a good and fitting send-off with crowds coming in for a last fling and a chance to say goodbye. Sounds like that would be nothing but money.
Oh well.

It was a really nice, quaint park. They hosted a lot of company picnics and their claim to fame in this area was the school band and choir competitions they hosted every spring. I bet every kid within a four hour drive that was in band or choir made at least one trip there. The pools and the mini golf course pre-dated the park itself.

Not sure why they didn't have a sendoff. I wouldn't think it happened suddenly, but there was no indication they were done in their closing weekend Facebook post and they had already posted the schedule for next season's band and choir contests. The park sat in an odd location squeezed in between 2 freeways, one that was planned to take the land at some point and another that just finished years of construction. It's largely industrial and in a flood plain and the landscape company that plans to use it for storage is actually across the freeway.