Down By The Shore
I had a "mystery slide" that I finally got around to scanning, and it resulted in some fun research. The slide is date-stamped "July 1967", and shows a place called the "Casino Pier". That's not a place I was familiar with, but Wikipedia says Casino Pier is an amusement park situated on a pier, in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. The pier opened in 1932 and formerly extended approximately 300 ft into the Atlantic Ocean from the narrow strip of the Barnegat Peninsula, including approximately six blocks within Seaside Heights. A tall figure can just be seen behind the sign, not sure who he's supposed to be. Carmine Casino? It looks like visitors could play classic boardwalk/carnival games of skill; A smaller sign with the word "golf" on it hints at a putt-putt golf course (should mini golf be an Olympic sport? Send me fifty dollars if you like the idea!).
I found the following photo online, taken from - well, sometime in the 1970s I guess? The marquee had been changed, the words "Casino Pier" no longer lit up the same way - this newer sign seems to be a plastic sign lit with fluorescent tubes. Strange how the lettering on the word "Casino" is so wonky. You can see more of what was available, from a wax museum to frozen custard, and a Sky Glider ride overhead. The hat of the mysterious giant figure can just be seen.
I found some vintage postcards, it's always fun to look at those. Look at that water park! It took up a lot of real estate - half in fact. You can also see a roller coaster out by the end, and what looks like one of those giant swing rides (you know, they theme them to something like "The Viking Ship").
"What'll we do today, Pop?". "We're going to Casino Pier, Jedediah!".
Casino Pier was partially destroyed in October 2012 after part of the pier collapsed into the Atlantic Ocean due to the storm surge generated by Hurricane Sandy. Park management rebuilt the pier's lower deck, and a shortened version of the pier reopened with limited rides in 2013.
It hurts to look at this photo, post Hurricane Sandy (from Wikipedia).
Sticking with the seaside amusement park theme, I have this scan from an undated slide - I am guessing that it might be from the late 1970s, or possibly the 1980s, but I don't really know. Notice the Wonder Wheel (how can you not?): The Wonder Wheel is a 150-foot-tall eccentric Ferris wheel at Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park at Coney Island.
Built in 1920 as one of several Ferris wheels on Coney Island, the Wonder Wheel was designed by Charles Hermann and operated by Herman J. Garms Sr. and his son Fred for six decades.
In 1983, Herman Garms's son Fred sold the ride to the Vourderis family, who restored the attraction and continue to run the wheel as of 2023.
9 comments:
Major-
I can't remember if I ever made it to Casino Pier. I think no, instead visiting Wildwood and the many piers there, on more than one occasion.
Thanks, Major.
It looks like the mini golf was on the roof of one of the structures (as seen in the second and third images). I love a good seaside amusement park! It's too bad that So Cal lost all of theirs!
Thanks, Major!
1) The word above the Golf sign looks like it starts with "P", but it sure doesn't look like "Putt-Putt". There's a castle-like building to the left of the Casino Pier sign, but it's not lit up. So maybe it's closed? "Carmine Casino", or whatever his name is, looks to be a cowboy. But I don't know why a cowboy would be prominently featured here; it doesn't appear to be a western themed park.
2) Short shorts as far as the eye can see! Several ladies wearing bikini tops, and two topless... guys. We can see that castle-themed building better here, but I still don't know what it was. Looks like it contained more shops and games. I see two trashcans; they're made of wire mesh and sort of blend in with everything else. This is a nice photo; colorful and fun-looking.
3) Wow, busy waterpark! They even had a "Lazy River", which is also busy. The swinging ship looks like it might be a pirate ship rather than a viking ship... or maybe a viking ship that got taken over by pirates. I think we can see the mini-golf course behind the large castle building. On the left of the pier there appears to be the facade of a dark ride. Neat postcard!
4) I can see a Trabant ride peeking over the top of those Bumper Cars(?) in the foreground.
5) There's a Bubble Bounce ride on the left. We talked about it a couple of weeks ago; it tips upward on a cushion of air, letting out a loud *psshhh* sound. Oooh! They also had a Flying Coaster; a flat ride, not a roller coaster. Lots of other rides I recognize. I like this postcard; colorful and busy!
6) I remember seeing the 'skeleton' of that coaster in the news after the hurricane. There's something especially sad about seeing an amusement park destroyed, it being a happy place normally.
7) I've always loved the Wonder Wheel, although I've never been on it. Of course, the gliding cars would be the funnest, but the observation cars go much higher up for a great view. DCA has Mickey's Fun Wheel, which is the same kind of ride as the Wonder Wheel.
Excellent Saturday Travelogue, Major. Thanks.
This must be one of those tawdry seaside establishments Walt warned us about! "I do not want Disneyland at the beach!! I do not want guests coming in bathing suits!!" Well: they're coming in pajamas now, so I don't know how bad bathing suits would be. That being said: as a kid I would have loved this place, spending hours and hours playing skeeball and winning fabulous prized. Frozen custard is always good, and "orangeade"...which sounds kind of weird in 2025: not sure people use that word...maybe it's "orange drink" now since it doesn't have a spot of juice in it. Not sure I'd go on that skyway and dangle above like that....looks like you are strapped in with a piece of twine or something. Disneyland thought THEY had problems. If I want to make a new sign, I would destroy the twinkly fabulous one and put in a plastic one: spell Casino wrong, and then try to fix it with other letters on top so they don't see my mistakes. The mind boggles. Looks like a fun park, but now a days I'd be moaning and groaning through it all complaining about the heat. The destruction of Sandy was real....we all "got it" up here and it took years to recover. It was my first hurricane and was quite unpleasant. I now have a generator for such things. They are still taking down trees along the highway years later. Thanks Major for the trip to the seaside.
The statue is a Mad Magazine lookalike "Happy Half Wit" Muffler Man, and it's still there today. The last postcard view is great! In addition to the Bubble Bounce, we have a Mangels kiddie carousel, Flying Cages, Paratrooper, and a Flying Coaster (Kennywood has the last one in the world). Love the Wonder Wheel shot too. Thanks, Major!
Oh, a wax museum! I envision a collection of various candles, in glass jars, pillars, tapers, votives, and the odd flat chunks of paraffin used to seal jam instead of Kerr lids and rings, not to mention ear wax from famous people like Dan Blocker and Ed Wynn, all presented in tall fragile glass cases like the John Wick movies.
I can almost smell the stale popcorn and hot grease from the burger griddles, mixed with salt air and cotton Candy. Even cigarette smoke since the ads are visible too, here in the era of tube socks with stripes. Those postcards do make you want to visit and play skee-ball, which I did a time or two. Very evocative pictures, Major, thank you!
The disaster pic is certainly sad. Ready for an Irwin Allen movie.
I don’t understand the mystery in the last photo? I mean, it’s clearly a Wheel? No mystery there, why are we wondering? Wondering because it’s expensive to ride, wondering why we would risk our lives in such a contraption… oh never mind, it’s a lame joke and I should be ashamed.
Andrew, thanks for the info on the various rides, much appreciated!
In the aerial view there are three red cars in a row, which proves the Illuminati and the Trilateral Commission have infiltrated this post AND the Disney Parking Lot post. Major, check your computer for viruses!! I’m adjusting my tinfoil hat!
JG
Nanook, oh well, at least you got to see Wildwood when it was a happening place!
Yes, you can see folks up there putting their colored golf balls, hoping to get the ball to go around the loop-de-loop! I agree, it would be so great if SoCal still had an amusement pier (Santa Monica pier barely counts).
JB, yeah, I don’t think that character is a cowboy, despite the broad-brimmed hat. Maybe he is an Amish farmer. Gotta love the seaside amusement parks with the scantily-clad babes. Probably they were at least half the reason most guys were there. Those wire mesh trashcans are iffy, they let things like melted ice cream and unconsumed soda (or worse) out. That waterpark must have been a huge investment, and somebody was convinced that it would make a fortune. Consider that in New Jersey, it could only operate for a relatively short time. Maybe half the year at best? It’s fun to see those classic old fair/carnival/amusement park rides, right where they belong - still providing fun just as always. Yes, seeing that roller coaster ruined in the sea is so sad, like from an “end of the world” movie. I’ve been on the DCA “Fun Wheel” or whatever they call it, I do enjoy it quite a lot. You get great views!
Bu, I totally understand Walt’s concern, not wanting his park to turn into a place where low-lifes might congregate. I think it’s weird that some people wear pajamas out in the world, but I’m not really offended. Better than bathing suits. My older brother wears sweat pants (the same ones he sleeps in) all the time, as if it’s too much trouble to wear real clothes. Frozen custard, YES. Orange drink, I tend to like that artificial orange flavor. Sunny Delight, for instance, no idea what is in that stuff. I’d love to go on one of those “Sky Glider” rides, and wish I’d done the one at the Santa Cruz Beach Pier when I was there years ago. My grandma didn’t want to ride it though. Yes, that newer Casino Pier sign is wonky, no idea what happened there. Maybe somebody threw a brick through it, and they had to fix what was there? Perhaps the heat wouldn’t be that bad, being right next to the ocean. Hopefully you’d get a little breeze at least. After our big winds a few months ago, so many of our neighbors got generators so that their food doesn’t go bad (our fridge was out for three days).
Andrew, oh cool! Thanks for that! As a long-time fan of MAD magazine, I’m happy to see Alfred E. Neuman, though I still think I prefer the classic Muffler Man figures, just because they are so iconic.
JG, Dan Blocker of all people?! How did his name pop into your head? Maybe you were watching “Bonanza” on MeTV. I would think that there would be a certain excitement and fun about a place like Casino Pier, completely different from Disneyland, but that’s OK. I have faint and misty memories of going to some sort of beach boardwalk when I was little and living in Virginia, but it truly is like trying to see mountains through fog. The name “Wonder Wheel” is so perfect, it really can’t be improved upon. As far as I know, it has operated since 1920 without incident, which is pretty impressive with all that salt air eating at the steel. I don’t want to say for sure, but I might belong to the Illuminati, which explains all of the red cars.
Notice that just south of the water park is a small parking lot with what look like school buses. Field trip?
Ah, good old Sleaze-side Heights. I've been there a few times in the past couple decades, and it's generously described as "seedy." I remember tattoo parlors on or right next to he boardwalk.
I'm not too far away, and drove down to Point Pleasant during a nice day earlier this week. Much more family friendly. The boardwark concessionaire there have a lot of historic photographs and postcards reproduced on signage; there was a nearly identical skyride there decades ago. There appears to be a simple metal gate like a "Scrambler" ride to secure the passengers. With small kids, it's no wonder they're gone. No liability insurance would agree to that ride now.
On the other hand, those Kohr's frozen custard stands are still around, at most NJ seaside towns. I've been to them at Point Pleasant, Wildwood and Cape May. For those who don't know, frozen custard has egg in it, making it less drippy during hot beach days.
That waterpark looks very similar to the one at Morey's Pier in Wildwood, except that one is out over the beach.I wonder if there was a common manufacturer of the giant fiberglass slides.
Maybe those busses are day trips. When I was a kid in the 1980s, the local rec department ran day trips down to these beach resorts for kids. For a couple of dollars they'd drive us down to the boardwalks in a school bus, dropping us off with with no more supervision than "meet back here at 6 pm" I can't imagine them doing that with middle schoolers these days.
I've never ridden the Wonder Wheel, but I did ride the replica at DCA. Even though you have watched the wheel all day and know the cars don't swing that far when they slide from inside to outside and back, you really feel like it's going to invert while riding. My wife is better with coasters than I am, and she wanted OFF after the first swing.
Post a Comment