scca28
Junior Member
Posts: 84
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Post by scca28 on Sept 29, 2006 22:54:33 GMT -5
I know there is some CEO type sitting out there who thinks he has "his finger on the pulse of the nation". He (or she) knows exactly what the little kiddies at the shore want. They want BIGGER,FASTER,LOUDER,SCARIER!!! Yeh,maybe. But what set Golden Nugget and the rest of Hunts apart from the average carnival ride is just that. They were not just rides, they were attractions. There were things to see and enjoy while you were waiting in line. You were never just prodded along through a metal cattle chute. The "ride" (or walk) kept you wide eyed, wondering what was around the next bend. Not shut-eyed hanging on for dear life. It is a concept that has worked for the Disney parks for over 50 years. And who can argue with the success of W.D.? The old wonders of Hunts will never come back, but I was just thinking. Could you imagine the power of Disney coming to Wildwood? I'll bet they would reconstruct the entire pier from end to end in one off season. (Nice to dream) Only drawback is they would probably replace "yo ho ho and a bottle of rum" with that annoying "it's a small world after all". Or Goofys head crashing through the side of the Skua.....
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Post by thelastresort on Sept 30, 2006 9:07:04 GMT -5
Good points.
I suppose one of the few places, at least in the mid-Atlantic region, where you can still find a quaint amusement park is Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster. It is great for the under 10 years old crowd, no crazy loop the loops or rides that catapult you into outer space. It's a nice little park. I highly recommend it, we've been there twice this summer. I'm sure 13 year olds would hate it or be bored, but again, the under 10 crowd loves it!
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Post by hulk007 on Sept 30, 2006 23:11:05 GMT -5
I still say bring back the shooting gallery. That's good enough for me.
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Post by nance on Sept 30, 2006 23:48:44 GMT -5
Knoebels is still on the top of my list.
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Post by FlyinGN on Oct 1, 2006 10:32:37 GMT -5
as is hershey park.. We go every year and our 12 year old loves it.
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Post by choochoochuck on Oct 2, 2006 11:14:08 GMT -5
Well, i know the Golden Nugget has extensive asbestos. But can't they remove it? They've done it before. A local elementary school, Milton H Allen, was built in the 1920s www.allenschool.org, with asbestos but the township removed it. We need the Golden Nugget for future generations.
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Post by FlyinGN on Oct 2, 2006 13:54:38 GMT -5
If its part of the infostructure they cannot remove it.. Besides it would probably cosr MORE to remove then to build a new one if so..
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Post by nance on Oct 3, 2006 2:53:53 GMT -5
So what do they intend to do? Why is it still sitting there like that?
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Post by Robert on Oct 3, 2006 11:40:06 GMT -5
Because the Morey's are unsure of what they want to do with it and the pier. They initially closed it in '99 because they had no interest in running Hunt's Pier as an amusement pier like the other three. The go-karts are a private operator leasing space on the pier. There is a RUMOR on a website that there are big plans for the former Hunt's Pier in 2007 or 2008 but I wouldn't hold my breath for anything major happening soon after 8 years of nothing. My wish is that they would keep the Nugget where it is, restore and reopen it, and redevelop the rest of the pier as an amusement pier with at least one other new custom dark ride. Perhaps a Nostalgia Pier with classic rides. Hey, why not a "Doo-Wop Pier"!? And bring back the train ride.
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Post by themanbefore on Oct 3, 2006 12:36:19 GMT -5
I think my uncle was the absolute last person to ride that. After the first few years that Hunt's/Donosaur Beach totally got dismantled and the nugget was still in operation he told me that he was on there in I think late august. Nobody was in line or even thought of getting in line. That was his absolute favorite ride and keeps trying to find out what's going on with it. I remember going up the first hill and looking out the side. One of my first fun big rides and I hope(small chance) something will be done or at least mentioned in the next year or so.
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Post by nance on Oct 4, 2006 1:59:53 GMT -5
But by the time they make up their mind, look at all the work it's going to need!
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Post by huntspier4ever on Oct 4, 2006 19:23:02 GMT -5
But by the time they make up their mind, look at all the work it's going to need! Oh I know!! If the Nugget had been properly maintained, it wouldn't require the astronomical amount of money and manpower that it so desperately needs today. It's so sad because it used to be such a beautiful ride.
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Post by Robert on Oct 4, 2006 19:55:28 GMT -5
I know Kristen! I was upset when the Nugget was closed after the Catanoso brothers pulled out and Dino Beach became extinct like the dinosaurs themselves. I had hope that a buyer would be found that would restore the Nugget and keep it running, but then the Morey's somehow bought the pier I guess they wanted to lock out the competition and they had no interest in running the Nugget so it sat and sat apart from the occasional test run and they even shut off the electricity only recently Anthony's site reported they turned the electric back on the lights were lit in the station. How much worse is the Nugget than when it last operated for the public? Also what happened to all the signs in the station like at the sheriff's office, etc, like $200 FINE and the one that says Mine Ride are they in storage? When the Morey's began in 1969/1970 they had one pier and there was more competition then as every pier was individually owned and they were more creative with all the custom rides even Morey's had custom rides like Haunted House, Planet of the Apes/Star Wars, Poseidon's Adventure, etc. now what do they have on their main pier? Dante's? Everything else is high thrill rides or kiddie rides. Hunt's had the best mix of family rides, that is slow rides for adults that parents could ride with their kids. Now it's either the parents have to stand and watch their kids ride because adults are not allowed on kiddie rides or else the kids are not tall or old enough because the ride is height restricted. The only family rides on Morey's I can think of are the carousels, the three dark rides, the monorail things like the ships and bikes, the skyride, the log flume, and the bumper cars. Also with the loss of Hunt's Iron Horse Ghost Town RR Wildwood piers currently lack an adult train ride. Morey's only has a kiddie train that goes in a circle.
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Post by nance on Oct 5, 2006 0:43:19 GMT -5
That's what I could never understand when buildings or whatever are abandoned. They sit and sit and by the time they decide to do something, it either costs too much to do it or it's in such bad shape, they tear it down.
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Post by wildwanderer on Oct 5, 2006 16:03:32 GMT -5
That's what I could never understand when buildings or whatever are abandoned. They sit and sit and by the time they decide to do something, it either costs too much to do it or it's in such bad shape, they tear it down. Maybe you could call it Beach Blight.
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