Old Memories
I wanted to find a way to preserve the old guestbook entries from the old site, as many of them contained great stories and memories that should be preserved. So, in an effort to do so, I have reproduced them below with their respective author. Enjoy!
Ed:
I spent many happy hours at Lincoln Park as a child – only to actually spend 4 summers working there when I was in college. I was the supervisor my last year in the Towers building for all the food stands in there. I also spent many hours working in the still standing POPCORN stand which was located next to the Funhouse. All the friends I made working there – Debbie L, Vicki, Brenda, Margie – how I miss them. I have vivid memories of every square inch of that place – and can probably answer any questions you might have. In the pictures section – you ask what that building was behind what used to be the funhouse. It looks to me like the exit area from the giant slide, where riders would deposit their carpets for the next riders to use.
Terri:
Growing up in Brockton, I have fond memories of Lincoln Park. We would go at least twice during the summer during the 70’s and early 80’s. My mum would take us and we would meet up with family friends. We could take coolers in back then and the moms would pack up the coolers and make “camp” at the Clambake Pavilion. While the moms playing bingo under the pavilion, us kids would just run wild the whole day. I loved the comet! I would get off the ride just to get right back in line again. When we got tired or hungry, we just went to where our moms were sitting under the pavilion for a sandwich and coke and a quick rest. We would stay the whole day. While all the rides started to close down, it was always the shooting gallery that was the last thing to close so we would get in those last minute games. I no longer live in MA but my mom told me about the deteriorating park and it broke my heart to look at your photos of the once park that hold so many good childhood memories.
Pete Flaherty:
From the late 60’s through the early 80’s it was my place to go and have fun. The memories flood back, and the thrill of anticipation still charges through me.. The Comet was as many said not the bigest or fastest, but ‘the one’ we all remember fondly (and with the rush that comes with it) Those early morning rides were good, but the ones at the end of the day when she was all warmed up unforgetable ! Having the park Close and now becoming a ‘planned community’ isn’t going to do the masses any good. Who cares if you’ll be able to ride down Comet Drive …. as there was nothing like riding on the Comet, and for maby of us may never be. Shame is that the newer generations will be deprived of the priviledge, a crime in itself The memories remain tough, and always bring a smile, and it was sooo close for us on the Cape to get to without spending hours in the car, and a fortune to get in ………. Hoping someone who cares hit the Lottery and decides to recreate the recreation of the park somewhere (I’d build a recreation of the comet as best I could) Plans/blueprints anyone ?
Rita:
This was the place! We went to St. Anthony’s and this was the place for the end of the year outings. Just fantastic. Even our children went there. We have many pics and will never see a park like it again. Wish I had enough money to build another LP.
Tom:
The open roof building behind the funhouse was the place where you got the carpets for the giant slide, wasn’t it?
Gayleen Kolaczewski:
My mom and dad used to go dancing at Lincoln Park in the 1950s. All of us cousins would visit the grandparents in New Bedford in the summers of 1960-70s and we had wonderful times on the rides at Lincoln Park. How shocking and sad to see the park now.
Robert Piche:
I used to attend Lincoln Park in the 70’s and 80’s and loved it. It was my favorite weekend getaway and it is also where my parents first met.
Steve Baker:
I spent so many years going to lincoln park so many good times the smell of popcorn and food looking at the pic i can still see myself as a kid standing in line to ride the comet and the sign you must be this tall to ride so many memory so sad that there wont be anymore.the excitement of seeing the coster from the parking lot closeing my eyes i can still see the park as it was from a kids eye like yesterday
Debbie N:
Wow, such memories, I grew up in Fall River and my friends and I used to go roller skating every Friday night. That roller coaster was the last one I ever rode. I hate them now. Probably some sort of post tramatic syndrome. I graduated in 77 and moved to CA but still will never forget the great times we had there. Loved the funny looking clam cakes, long and oddly shaped. Saw Kenny Rogers there in the pavilion. My favorite ride was the Tilt a whirl when the floor would fall out. Too bad it looks so bad. It was great to see this past summer how beautiful the Carosel has been restored to at Battleship Cove in Fall River. You need to add pictures of what it used to look like in the 70’s.
Kathleen:
I found your site accidently after hashing through some old memories with an old childhood friend. We moved to the area in 1969 and I visited Lincoln Park almost weekly until I moved away in 1983. I have yet to ride a more frightening coaster! The way it rattled and shook, you always felt like you cheated death after every ride! We skated a thousand miles around the roller rink while the mirror balls sparkled and the disco music played. The clam cakes at the park is still the standard that I use to measure everyone else’s to…you could smell that park for miles. Remember going to an anniversary party in the ballroom and riding the rides afterwards in our dresses! Lincoln Park was a inexpensive and fun place to meet up with friends, spend family Saturdays and have first dates. It was hard to look a the photos in the condition the park is in now, but the instant I looked at the first pic of the comet, I could smell that park and hear that music all over again.
Bobby Normandin:
Wow….did the memories come flooding back. Born and raised in New Bedford, we made it a point to go to LP every summer.As a kid I couldn’t wait until the park opened for the season. Thank you for keeping the memory of Linclon Park alive.
Bill Lanning:
Thanks for all the great memories,my family and i spent many days back in the 50’s at Lincoln Park.Wish i could go back one last time to say good-bye to the place.Again Thank you for all the work you do on this site.
Greg Boyce:
I grew up in Somerset, MA. I remember spending some of my childhood at LP in the early 80’s not long before it closed. My parents met in the LP ballroom years before that. Thanks for the website.
David Peck:
My parents took me to Lincoln Park in 1974 and 1975 when I was a kid… I remember asking them all the time to take me there and too riding the Comet… I recall being more scared that the coaster would collapse than the ride itself, but to be fair, I had the same thoughts about the Thunderbolt when I rode that at Riverside. I live in Ohio now amongst corporate amusement-america with the spongebob and super-heros plastered all over the place at giant amusement parks like Cedar Point and Kings Island. It is all homogenized crap now and the small family-type amusement park like Lincoln Park is all but gone… I remember having a great time at LP, and even though I had been there a few times, 30 years in my past, and 650 miles away now, the thought of it brings me to a happier, simpler time.
Chris:
I had gone to this park from around 1970 til it closed in 1987. When I was small, my father and mother used to take me there all the time. It was so much fun and was cheap too. I used to ride the comet jr. at least ten times a day. I remember riding the scrambler once with my friend and I nearly squished her in her seat. I had told my grandma that I would never ride the comet sr.. One year around 1980ish, my boyfriend begged me to go on it and I kept saying “no way”. I was scared to death of it. Well, to make a long story short, I finally went on and rode it that particular day 12 times. I never stopped riding it. I am so glad I had that opportunity to finally get the *$#) to go on it. Thanks for the memories of LP. It’s my whole childhood
Rick:
I had never even heard of this park until about a year ago while looking for old pictures of the comet coaster that was at Salisbury beach. I became instantly drawn to this park for some reason. The more I read about it, the more I wanted to know. It’s too bad that the park never re-opened. I would have liked to visited the park.
bsoares:
Great website Jared! I’m a huge LP and comet fan. I rode the comet 26 times on my last trip to the park, knowing it was probably my last time there before it closed. This was 1 day before the park attendant got killed for jumping from car to car. I’ll never forget because he was doing it while my brother and I were on the coaster! After the 1st corner following the big drop this kid got out of the seat and would hang on to the side of the cars and move up on the outside as we flew up and down the stretch of hills closest to minigolf/train area. Sure enough the next day we heard the tragedy on the news. As for Little-A-Merrika I spoke with who I believe is the owner a few times over the past few years. Last he told me was that he had the trains (cars) w/ the intention of restoring them. Pending results of their lastest project which was to rebuild a smaller coaster, he would like to build a replicar LP comet. Time will tell. If it happens I’ll be making the trip to Wisconsin.
Scott Kaskeski:
I visited this park back in 2001 and climbed to the top of the lift hill with my brother Cory. Together we weigh probably close to 500lbs. glad it didn’t collapse at that particular time. I was told that thousnads of pounds of snow from that recent brutal winter is what finally caused it to collapse…
Cecile:
Awesome! memories of my childhood. Every summer my family went to LP for a group outing. The Comet scared me to death but I could not resist riding the coaster again and again. Another favorite was the Flying Cages..
