Yankees99

Then it's got to be 1980.

1979 with the addition of Rolling Thunder and the first full year of Lightning Loops.

http://www.themepark...gadv1975_6.html I clicked on this one instead.

I remember studying this map before that season began. Some pretty funny stuff when looking back on it now. The Suspension is the Rotor, Screamer is the the Jumbo Jet and Moving is the Enterprise. Did the Waltzer and Swing ever exist? Don't recall that and I have a good memory of the park's original days. With the Balloon, it never was where it was stated in that map. Neither was the Enterprise. The Balloon was down by where the Parachuter's Perch is currently located and the Enterprise was over in Fun Fair.

I ran into somebody out here who is from Keansburg who went to the 1964 World Fair in New York. He was talking about going on the skyride back then. I told him that it's still around today at GA. He went to GA when it first opened and rode it there, but he had no idea it was the same ride. A true landmark!!!!

Very nice. Is it me or does the carousel look smaller than how I remember it? And what's up with all of that advertisement on the fort? I think of this as the equivalent to an NHL rink with the boards being plastered with advertisements. Just leave it alone.

When you go to GA, do most of you get there when it opens and leave when it closes? When I used to go to GA back in the day and even Magic Mountain, we made virtually an entire day out of it. But I'm guessing many of you live pretty close to GA and have season passes so that you can come and go when you want.

Interesting piece, though not too crazy about that music:) I always wondered what that area would have been like had they moved the antique cars back there.

I'm probably dating myself a little, but who here remembers that theater over near the Buccaneer/Calypso? It was a pretty good sized "tent" that had a huge projection screen and you'd see the airplane on the screen and it felt like you were on it. I think another one I saw was being on a roller coaster and flying over the Grand Canyon. Amazing after all these years how these GA-related things (fruit drinks, mini golf, concerts, souvenirs and more) just re-enter your mind. This one is for all of us!!!

They should put a modernized teepee back in that spot. It's tradition. A place to go buy souvenirs. A meeting place when in a big party. A place to seek shelter from those elongated storms or cool off during a hot summer day.

Did anybody here see former Fleetwood Mac star Christine McVie when she performed in concert at GA in 1984? It was a week after the Haunted House mishap. I wanted to go (she played solo and Mac tunes for nearly two hours), but was soon getting ready to move to California.

What's now at the location of the Teepee?

Bring back the Enterprise, Flying Wave and the Teepee.

Sounds like you hit just about everything. How often do you get to the Big Park in Jackson?

Any idea what that bridge is there for? And that photo you took of the Condor, where was that taken from? I remember the bridge being there when the park opened.

Very nice report. Some of the animals seemed a bit sluggish. It's always nice to talk about a topic/place that's ALL dear to our hearts. In my family, a lot of them recalled the heyday of Coney Island in the 30's, 40s and 50s. While I went to Coney Island a few times, it's not nearly as great as GA.

You know, I recall getting a close-up look at it the one or two times I saw it there. Yet, it wasn't operating when I went. That said, still a very nice memory. Hard to believe that was almost 35 years ago.

On Page 98 in your book, there's a picture of the "Condor." At the top of the photo, there's a bridge in the background. That's the bridge I was referring to.

If you notice some of those aerial photos of the lake, there's a bridge out there that's lined up behind the Buccaneer. I remember seeing it as a kid and I noticed it's still there. Anybody know what it's purpose was/is?

Great clip from Apes. This skyline thing is killing me.

Looks like a concrete play pen. What have they done to it? Where's the grass/trees? Where's the lamp posts? What happened to Yum Yum Palace? What happened to the top of the carousel?

I think it went up in 1978. I disliked it then and I dislike it now. You had/have to go out of your way to get places. Major inconvenience.

That's horrible. No need for that arcade thing to be there. Move it somewhere else. My blood is starting to boil!

This is an absolute pleasurable topic to discuss. Man, I loved this place when I was a kid. What made that original entrance so thrilling was that you looked straight down Dream Street and all you could see was the Skyride, Carousel and Giant Wheel. Here's the thing: The Giant Wheel, when you first saw it, looked like it was a million miles away. But, look at all of the other enticing things like the four tents, the water fountain and the rides on the edge of the street. You had the restaurants, too. Any direction you moved was going to net you something and parks today just don't have that old-time bubbly feeling.

Yes, you could. I recall it very well.