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Karen
I loved Euclid Beach....our parish picnic from Christ the King was the best....we had the whole park to ourselves ...we got 9 tickets for 25 cents. I loved that you could stay on the Racing Coaster and just keep riding for just one ticket....I think my friend and I rode 14 times in a row. I remember as a child asking my mom if we could go live in a trailer. She asked why I'd want to so that , we had a nice house. I said, "well, then we could live next door to Euclid Beach". Ironically I eventually got my wish...to live "next door" to Euclid Beach...as an Ursuline sister I was teaching at Villa Angela and lived next to "the beach" but by 1972 all I got to see were the sad remains. I remember watching the Thriller's main hill hill come crashing down...and a number of fires.....so sad. I started to walk around the park, but couldn't bring myself to see it like that. We were lucky enough to get the iron benches that were around the park for our campus. We also inherited the skunks that relocated after the park was torn down. We heard the park actually bred them to control the rodents. So many happy memories. There was something so special about that park....it was like "going home" ...the trees, the smells, the lake, I find it amazing that Cedar Point has a "new " ride ....Flying Scooters which made it's way to EB in 1938 according to the video, Geauga Lake also had them, but couldn't come close to the ones at EB. Over 20 years later I was shopping at Andreas of Sugarcreek and a lovely woman waited on me. We started talking and ,low and behold, she was a Humphrey....grew up at the park....and she told me so many wonderful stories. Besides the coasters , my favorites were the beautiful silver rocket ships which swung you out over the lake, touched the tree tops and glided through the air so gently and smoothly. Found that Chagrin Falls has original custard.... My cousins who are now out of town are thrilled with popcorn balls and kisses. So glad the spirit of the park still remains alive . Growing up in the 50s ...summers in Cleveland meant special days at "the Beach." Thanks for the enduring memories of childhood.
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Linda Nash
I remember going to Euclid Beach as a very young girl, around 10 or 11 years old with my mom, dad, aunt, uncle, and cousins. The skating rink was a big attraction for my dad my cousins, and me. We loved to roller skate. I loved it more than the rides. Being a beginning organ student at that time, the band organ was one of the most thrilling and beautiful instrument I had ever heard. In fact, a Gay 90's song called "Pretty Baby" sounded like such a neat song that I had my teacher find me an organ book with that song in it so I could learn to play it. Over 55 years later, I still love to play that song on the organ and remember skating to it so many years ago. I can almost picture the cars from the roller coaster gliding along the track just outside through the open areas of rink. Something that could probably never be imitated in today's world! What a truly fun, memorable experience we had that day! I will always remember the great Euclid Beach Amusement Park!
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Lori
If only I could go back for one day in time. A picnic lunch packed with homemade fried chicken, my grandmothers potato salad and fresh watermelon. A beautiful summer day spent near the lake with the rides of Euclid Beach laid out before us. We were attending my grandfather's annual company picnic. He worked for the steel mills in Cleveland. The sights and sounds of screams-of-delight filled the air. A beautiful carousel, racing derby, over-the-falls, racing coasters and laugh-in-the dark. Unfortunately, Laughing Sal made me cry. I was little and I didn't see the humor...she scared the heck out of me! I also cried riding the Thriller, I had no idea you could see for miles at the top of the hill. Thank goodness for the kiddie rides like boats and trains. Before leaving the park, we stopped and bought frozen custard cones to enjoy on the trip home. We rode in the family car, our black Studebaker with red interior. We also took home the delicious popcorn balls and taffy to be savored once we arrived home. Those are memories that last a lifetime.
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DIANNE ESTABROOK
The best days of my childhood were spent at Euclid Beach. I remember riding the Flying Turns, Racing Coaster and the Thriller. Coasters were my favorites. I also loved the racing derby horses. It is a shame today's youth need faster and higher rides to get a thrill. No park today, including the Disney Parks, can compare to Euclid Beach. Good, clean fun for the whole family is a thing of the past. What a shame. Euclid Beach will last in my memories forever!
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jb
Think I saw the "The Four Freshmen" (Group #2) perform at Euclid Park. Would have been 1953-54 ?
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Ronnie
I was fortunate enough to be close enough to the park to walk to it. It was so awesome, I can close my eyes and still hear, smell and taste everything at Euclid Beach. When I was about 15 or 16 my favorite ride was Laugh in the Dark, cause my boyfriend and I could do a little kissing! What wonderful memories this park holds!!
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Tom
I grew up in collinwood and at Euclid Beach park. I was there for many nickel days and always for green thumb club day. It was the best park around. I was there when I could only ride the kiddy park till I could ride the rollercoasters. Alot of great memories!!!
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Chuck Pavelka
My favorite trips to Euclid Beach were Nickel Day when the weather was overcast and cloudy, and attendance was low. As long as there was no line to get on your ride, you could just rip off another ticket and not even get out of your seat. Loved the Flying Turns.
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Craig J Creager
Can anyone tell me about the history of the slot machines that were there at one time?
1-440-220-0000 -
Allan Licht
I just purchased 4 rare WWII Tobacco stand signs from the park. Check out this link. These are amazing. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190588616119&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT#ht_808wt_1278
Allan Licht
216-905-4474 -
Ron Barbarino
I,unfortunately, only worked at Euclid Beach Park for 1 year, 1968. I wished that I could have worked there for many more. I was 16 years old at the time and the Park was going to close, forever. It was the BEST SUMMER of my young life.
I worked, are you ready ? : the Turnpike,Rockets,Bug,Tea Cups,Flying Scooters, Golf course,Flying Turns(?), Racing Coasters, Carousel, Blue Streak,and I think several others (it is easy to confuse Cedar Point and Geauga Lake rides as I worked both parks the next 4 years).
I worked wherever and whenever "Mr.Dudley" needed me to work and greatly enjoyed every minute of it. Many times I was there at 8 or 9 in the morning and stayed through closing.
Every day I had the same thing for lunch, because I loved it so much. Namely, ham and butter sandwich with an orange or, for a little variety, root beer soda. I did not mind waiting with Laughing Sal while the ladies prepared my Lunch or Dinner.
The story I always like to tell is that,whereas it meant that I had to go home, and the very last day going home was Very Depressing, concerned CLOSING TIME.
As we ushered visitors out of the Park, we were to inspect our stations for trash, lost items, forgotten items (once at the Tea cups I found a bag containing a little "happy weed", the owner returned to reclaim it. Wasn't that ride such that EVERYONE got off it at least a little "high"?(the material WAS NOT used during my stand at the Cups).
Anyhow I ALWAYS loved watching the PEOPLE leave and the SKUNKS moved in to do their job : THE CLEAN UP OF LEFTOVER Goodies ! The Skunks would wait until there was a good 20 feet or so between them and the people departing. They would come from the beach area, or back of the Park and proceed to scour each and every inch of the Park, towards the front of the Park. Sure, there were a few raccoons here and there, but it was the Army of Clean Up Crew SKUNKS that I enjoyed watching(of course those who noticed the EBP Army were fun to watch also). I was not afraid of them and they were likewise towards us.
The ARMY was more than happy to accept our "donations".
Whereas I do not remember any of the other employees" that I worked with and relieved so that they could take their breaks, by name, I had to have worked with Phil,Volume 22,Issue 4,page 11. His idea is SUPER Terrific !
Now, even more so than the last 2 or 3 years, I greatly look forward to September 25th !
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Ron Barbarino,
(One of the Few, the Proud, the Brave, Euclid Beach Park, Mr.Dudley's Crew of 1968) -
Cindy
Summers meant Willoughy Day at Euclid Beach. At least two weeks prior to this wondrous event, all the downtown merchants handed out strips of tickets to selected rides. Well, handed out is a euphemistic way of saying tried to keep the myriad kids who swarmed to their counters from grabbing more than ten at a time. After we had collected at least two hundred tickets, we spent several hours cutting them apart and rubber banding the tickets for each ride separately--meaning that if we actually used each one we could ride until we were ready to sign up for Medicare. The favored rides were the Thriller--in the eyes of a child a rickety wooden roller coaster that rose sky ward at least ten stories high, Laugh-in-the-Dark, a ride no self-respecting child would ever find even remotely scary, the Fun House, a building whose entrnce was guarded by a gigantic laughing man and woman whose grotesquely eerie gawfaws would unnerve even the bravest soul, and the Racing Derby, a step up from the proverbial Merry-Go-Round. Very few of us were brave enough eto chance the Rocket Cars, large silver containers that swung out over Lake Erie. Everyone knew the tragic tale of someone's cousin/aunt/grandmother, etc.,who, when the support chain snapped was plunged into the lake and never seen again. It seems inconceivable in this day and age that we were allowed to board a bus at the Willoughby Post Office parking lot and travel unchaperoned to the park where we wandered about until late afternoon, whereupon we returned to the bus clutching bags of taffy and popcorn balls and rode contentedly back to our homes.
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Pam
Being from Massillon, I only got to go to the park once when a friend asked me to go along when I was about 12 (1963). Although I had been to other parks, I was really impressed with Euclid Beach Park and have always remembered it fondly. I remember the salt water taffy, the movie star photo booth where you could buy pictures of your favorite stars, the Over the Falls (my first roller coaster type) ride, and the race horse ride. I never got to go again before it closed.. and I have sadly lost my copy of the book, which I eagerly purchased when it first came out. Good luck and thank you for this site.
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Mike
I never went to the park my mom & family went there during the summers to have fun my Grandfather worked for Ajax in Euclid he always had his company Picnics there he worked on many of the parks rides the Bug was one of them I went to many of the mall shows at Euclid Square Mall when they had them then it moved to Richmond Mall one year cause Euclid Mall was going to close now they moved the shows to the state park which is a nice thing got to see the arch looks good repainted someday I will get to ride the Carousel from the park