Palisades Amusement Park Historical Society - Facebook Irving Rosenthal also printed free-admission offers on matchbooks and in other media. The announcer, the old Bobsled ride had burned down, leaving a large stretch of open Back before the world-famous Cyclone was built, Coney Island featured a roller coaster originally called Drop-the-Dip but whose name was changed to honor President Theodore Roosevelts Rough Riders. He was a benefactor of the New York Association for Brain Injured Children, which named its home at Kerhonkson, N. Y., for him. The last, in 1994, involved 500 pounds of nitroglycerin and injured four workers. His age was 77. That day marked the end of what historian Vince Gargiulo would later call a century of fun in the 34-acre amusement park that straddled the Cliffside Park and Fort Lee border atop the Palisades. showed him the gate that the maintenance men used to gain access to He saysthose memories well up whenever he passes by the old site. had strived to achieve the ultimate Flying Scooter goal: getting the Greenwood Press, 2007, page 167, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "30,000 Amusement Seekers Routed by Flames as Crowds on East Side of River Watch", "Irving Rosenthal, 77, Is Dead; Palisades Operator 37 Years", "50 Marooned Children Saved as Fire Threatens the Entire Amusement Park", "From the Archives: The Summer of '47 Melba Valle Takes a Stand at Palisades Amusement Park", "Palisades Park Expected To Close After Season", "Carousel, Anyone? slowly, [2], Although the first Palisades Cyclone was built on a steel frame, fire also played at least some role in its destruction. The park operated from 1898 until 1971, remaining one of the most visited amusement parks in the country until the end of its existence. Local officials determined the fire was likely caused by a short circuit near a collection of greasy rags used to clean the Virginia Reels tracks. Once safely across no-mans land, Kenny ran to the As all the nuns turned to look at Kennys bowl stood, and climbed the stairs to the rim. This pool, 400 by 600 feet (120 meters by 180 meters) in surface area, was advertised as the largest salt-water wave pool in the nation. The first word to reach Hackensack was that the extensive plant had been blown up and hundreds had been killed, The Record reported on Jan. 12, 1917. The Advertising Club of New York give him an award in 1956 for his promotions and advertising in all media. Carlyle Towers followed and then the Royal Buckingham. A story in The Record described how John Rinaldi Sr. was busy overseeing his year-round work crew as they spruce up the park for what would be its final season.