Rocky Point was really Crescent Park

Well memories are not always to be trusted and the jaunt Ron and I made was to Crescent Park, not Rocky Point. Having corrected that small point I will continue with the story.

Ron and I trekked up the beach and small hill and entered the Amusement Park with great anticipation. The noises and smells around us only heightened our excitement. Popcorn popped, and vendors with paper cones in their hands swirled cotton candy from a noisy machine. We walked around, scouting out all the rides and treats so we would spend our money in the most satisfying way. We saw families sitting at tables munching on sweet corn, eating clam cakes and the aroma of clam chowder filled our nostrils as we walked by. We saw young men in sailor uniforms with their arms around girls steering them possessively through the crowds. We saw young girls carrying big stuffed animals and their boyfriends puff their chest out proud of the trophies of their marksmanship skills. Men yelled from their stalls that were lined with prizes from small trinkets to bigger than life stuffed dolls. Rifles were lined up and targets in the form of ducks were moving along a back drop.  The macho men handed over their coins and tested their skill with confidence while their dates stood by with eager hearts. There was a huge bar bell that displayed your strength with a meter that ran up like a thermometer. There was always a long line in front of muscular men who were proud of their brawn. There was the gypsy fortune teller, with her three chins, and dark eyes, a shawl draped around her shoulders, jewelry amassed on her over sized body. She was always sitting outside her stall and would speak in a low, tantalizing voice inviting you into her “parlor”.  Inside her parlor, which you entered by going through a hanging curtain, were a chair, a table, and large crystal ball sitting on the table. The room was fairly dark, and her eyes looked like ambers sparking fire in the dark. She had a deck of cards and other paraphernalia and you would pull out a card, show your hand, and wait for the pronouncement of your future to slip from her painted lips.

The rides were where the thrills were. The wooden roller coaster would move when you went around the curves. There was the Bubble Bounce ride and the Tumble Bug, Bumber Cars, and the fascinating carousel of horses that were so vividly painted and went up and down to the sound of music and the flashing of lights. How magical that was to young eyes. There was a brass ring that you would pass and if you grabbed it you were in for a free ride. Hope springs eternal as the famous poet said. The carousel still stands today and it a testimony of craftsmanship to its designer Charles Looff.

One of amusements was the Fun House where you looked into mirrors and saw a distorted version of yourself. The path was crooked and slanted and you were off balance the whole time. The there was the Riverboat Ride that was a building with the gingerbread facade of a paddle boat with little two-seaters to take you  through a maze of horror and pirates, and screaming women, and skeletons, and animated figures that jumped out at you. It was not for the weak-hearted and everything was ensconced in pitch dark. It was truly a journey to the dark side.

There was a penny arcade and a large ballroom where you could dance and eat a shore dinner. Corn on the cob, fresh lobster, coleslaw, clam cakes all served with the salt air breeze coming from the ocean. A veritable feast for the senses, and a day of fantasy and magic that fed our imaginations wrapped around us like salt taffy on a stick. We headed for home.

For a great description of the Riverboat Ride go to: http://www.laffinthedark.com/articles/crescent/crescentpark.htm