Posted January 27Jan 27 A half mile south of the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee New Jersey was the famous Palisades Amusement Park. It began in the 1910s as a small picnic grove and grew and grew until the 1960s when it was at it's height. It had a heated salt water swimming pool, with the water pumped up the Palisades cliffs from the brackish water of the Hudson River. It was home to a few iconic coasters including the Cyclone and the Lake Placid Bobs. Some of the performers that performed on the free stage were Fabian, Chubby Checker, The Supremes, The Chiffons, Leslie Gore, The Jackson Five, Tony Bennett, Vic Damone, The Four Seasons, Bill Haley & The Comets, Bobby Rydell, Dion, Jackie Wilson, and Neil Sedaka. Admission was ten cents, but the owner of the park made sure there were a few holes in the perimeter fence and directed security to not hassle any kids "sneaking in". His philosophy was that they would spend money anyway. The park was also famous for it's vinegar fries. Trust me, sounds gross, but OMG, they were the best! Anyone who grew up in the tri-state area knew the park and the jingle. The park even had a top forty hit in the 1950s called "Palisades Park" written by Chuck Barris, who went on to fame in the Gong Show. I have been working on a homage to Palisades off and on for years. Whenever I got stuck in either Disney's America or OZ, I would dust off this park and give it a go. Still not completed, but about 90%! I recreated the park as I remember it from the 1960s, very kitschy and retro looking. I'll let the pictures do the talking. More soon!
January 27Jan 27 I remember seeing ads for Palisades Park in 1950s and '60s comic books. Which, as a kid in the Pacific Northwest, seemed kind of odd to advertise an amusement park 3,000 miles away in New Jersey. But oh well. I remember hearing the song as well. In fact, I heard it recently on Music Choice's 'Solid Gold Oldies' channel.
January 27Jan 27 Author Yes, they had a merchandising deal with DC comics. They used Superman, Batman, and others in a lot of their advertising. They also "pushed" less than profitable rides by giving out free ride coupons to increase the numbers. They also had a deal with Harvey comic books, which leads us to one of the most popular rides at Palisades; The old Tunnel of Love was converted into a not so scary Casper's Ghostland. Casper's pal Wendy also had an old Crazy Daisy ride themed to Casper's friend Wendy, the good witch. Haven't found any decent pictures of the ride, so I made due! The Batman Slide was another crowd favorite! More to come!
February 16Feb 16 Author The Archies were another comic book property the park leased. Their worn out go carts saw a 70% increase in ridership after being redecorated!The Archie's Hot Rods;Big crowd today!A monorail circled part of the park, and a skyway went from the east part of the park near the Palisades Cliffs to the western part of the park.The "mod" architecture was everywhere;Another crowded day at Palisades Amusement park, "swings all day and after dark!"
May 2May 2 Love that ad! Cool to see ancient film clips from back then...long, looooooong before I was born of course.
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