Please keep your arms & hands inside this ride down memory lane!
All blog posts about historic places
Earlier this summer, I spent an afternoon walking around the former location of Forest City Park. I had been meaning to see & photograph the area for quite a while, since the park was the first of its kind in Cleveland, and I suspect that many, or even most, Clevelanders today may not know that it even existed!
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Happy Spring! I’ve been preparing with excitement for this year’s open house with the Amusement Preservation Museum, which is just over three months away! In anticipation of the occasion, it feels like a great time for me to share some of the items that I’ve added to my collection in recent months. This is only a small selection of the items I’ll have on display for the first time this year, so please watch for more previews Bto come!
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This past fall, I spent a day exploring the former sites of four historic amusement parks in Akron, Cuyahoga Falls, and Kent, including some of the earliest parks in the region. As you can see from my photos and descriptions below, some of these places presently have more remaining historical elements than others, but I thoroughly enjoyed visiting each of them and learning about their pasts!
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Today is my mom’s birthday! I wanted to celebrate the occasion by showing my appreciation for (among many other things) all of the time and effort she contributes to my events, as well as her work volunteering as a fellow Euclid Beach Park Now board member and as a spotter for the Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel at the Cleveland History Center! As a gesture of my gratitude, I spent some time this week illustrating one of her favorite horses from the carousel as a surprise birthday gift, which I presented to her this evening as a small, framed poster, along with a package of Humphrey Candy Kisses!
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Hello! I’ve recently acquired a number of unique & special pieces for my collection which I’ve been anxious to announce. In honor of Halloween this week, I’m excited to start by sharing two of my recent purchases from the Euclid Beach Boys’ 3rd memorabilia auction: Original elements from the Laff-In-The-Dark ride at Euclid Beach Park!
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As is tradition, the annual “Remembering The Sights & Sounds of Euclid Beach Park” event was recently held on the final Sunday of September, which once marked the end of the amusement park’s season. This was the first major public event organized by Euclid Beach Park Now since I stepped into the role of Vice President of the organization, as well as the largest display to date of my personal memorabilia collection! The weather was fantastic, and attendance was great for the main event as well as the vintage car show.
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As many local enthusiasts are already aware, a watch party was held on July 17, 2025, for the relocation of the historic Euclid Beach Park Arch! The atmosphere was one of camaraderie and excitement, along with just a bit of nervousness.
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I recently acquired a very special, one-of-a-kind item for my collection: the ride operator’s phone from the Thriller roller coaster at Euclid Beach Park!
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I spent most of today at the Cleveland History Center, celebrating the anniversary of the carousel’s debut at Euclid Beach Park in 1910! There was a steady flow of riders throughout the day for the occasion, and while I was not officially scheduled to participate in the event, I came prepared with several vintage items from my personal collection that have direct connections to the carousel! (Please see the photos below for more detailed descriptions.)
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I took a couple of trips this past month to the locations where two of Northeast Ohio’s classic kiddie parks once operated! Westlake Kiddie Park and Kiddie Playland are among the parks I hear about least often, but they were undoubtedly fun for youngsters who lived nearby in the 1950s and 60s! Here’s what I’ve recently learned about these two parks, and seen at their original locations:
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