Coney Island (Ohio…not the more famous place in New York) was in trouble. Not financial trouble—the park was tremendously successful. But sitting adjacent to the Ohio River has its drawbacks, the biggest being periodically submerged and covered in mud. Though the park had always recovered and was rebuilt each time, the writing was on the wall. Things were changing in the park business
Everybody knows pretty much everything about Disneyland—how it got started, how the Imagineers do their thing, and so on. But nobody ever talks about the parks that most of us across the country enjoy far more often. The regional theme parks, different from amusement parks, owe their existence to Disneyland. There were a few false starts, but in 1961 Angus Wynne opened Six Flags Over Texas, triggering a tidal wave of
Hershey Park in 1907 was a local recreation area developed by Milton Hershey for his employees. The entire little town of Hershey was built around the chocolate factory, with many of the magnificent structures erected during the Great Depression. Before long, trolley service brought in other folks from around the area, and Mr. Hershey began to realize what a tourist destination his sweet-smelling factory and the park was.
One of my colleagues who recently retired from the college was a featured soloist in the United States Marine Band for over two decades. He was the youngest-ever member of the group, second only to John Philip Sousa, and he played for five presidents, from Eisenhower to Ford. And what stories he has! But one day he brought this photo to my office—here’s the backstory:
