| Miniature Golf
| Wheels
| Skeeball
| Fascination |
| As the price of
real estate increased along seashore
communities, many amusement owners and food
concessions have either retired and sold or
just sold outright to developers hoping to
build luxury housing. |
| Good
article appeared in South Jersey news on
the disappearing amusement parks... |
| The growth of
"large" scale Amusement operators,
such as Six Flags Great Adventure further
led to the decline of many Amusement Parks.
These operators were able to acquire large
parcels of land and then construct a number
of attractions, all for a one price
admission. |
| This was one of
the many problems that led to the eventual
elimination of attractions in Asbury Park.
Rent that was spiraling out of control and a
city that could no longer support or provide
on-going maintenance on the city-owned
buildings and boardwalk. |
| It would be real
nice to simply bring your children or
grandchildren for night out
in the summer and enjoy the Asbury Park Boardwalk. Walk the boardwalk and
perhaps put them on a ride or two. A nice,
relaxing, simple evening. See
the future as presented by Oceanfront
Asbury- the redevelopers chosen by the
City of Asbury Park. |
| Miniature Golf |
Asbury Park once
had four miniature golf courses. That is as
many as I can remember. From 1965 to 1978
apprx. Not sure if there were more
earlier....
The US
Pro MiniGolf Association (for real) has
a good site on the history of miniature
golf. Open your own - Harris
Miniature Golf Builders..
See Postcards
of Old Asbury Park Miniature Golf
here |
| Games of Chance
or the Big Wheels |
Spinning the Wheel
- used to place 25¢ or 5¢ for a chance to
win a carton of cigarettes, a giant stuffed
animal, box of candy or a record album.
· The larger wheels had 110 numbers,
letters, names etc... at .25 for each chance
on the board - that would be $27.50 to play
the entire wheel - to look at you were a big
shot to your girlfriend and not a loser. the
secret was - the most the prize would cost
back then was half the cost to play the
whole wheel - or $13.75. Usually, we would
put some of those $13.00 animals surrounded
by lower cost items - many times, the
winners would select a lower cost
item.
· Many times, some guy would offer
you $5.00 in your pocket or $10 to
"win" a prize for the impatient
girlfriend. Being so honest - I would tell
them it was $27.75 to play the whole wheel -
but for $20.00 - he could
"win". I always told the
boss - who would throw me bonus at the end
of the night. This all occurred in the 1st
Ave. Arcade - on the Boardwalk in Asbury
Park. Boss was from Oklahoma - Dave Bryant -
wound up living in the arcade while trying
to pay his $30,000 year rent. Later took off
in the middle of the night. The City eventually
auctioned off the contents of the arcade - skeeball
machines, pinball and the rest.
|
