Sun 9/24 @ 1-5PM

Even though nearly five decades have passed since Euclid Beach Park closed its doors, the iconic amusement park is still cherished by Northeast Ohio baby boomers.

In fact, there’s so much nostalgia for the venue that every year diehard enthusiasts walk (or in their mind, ride) down memory lane at the free Sights & Sounds of Euclid Beach event. The 13^th annual affair, which takes place Sun 9/24 at the Cleveland Metroparks Euclid Beach Reservation, features Euclid Beach Park attractions such as Rocket Ship and Thriller Car rides, Laughing Sal and Kiddie Hook and Ladder.

There’s also the “Where things were at Euclid Beach Park” walking tours, as well as memorabilia, souvenirs and books. Visitors can even eat Humphrey popcorn balls and candy kisses.

CoolCleveland talked to Euclid Beach Park Now secretary (and past president) Jim Seman about the annual event and his memories of the former park.

How did Sights & Sounds of Euclid Beach event start?

At the time it started, the parks were under the ODNR. The park ranger came us to with the idea of bringing a small memorabilia show. They have a pavilion at the park, and she thought maybe setting stuff on picnic tables for the public to see. The first year we had 50 to 100 people show up, and it grew from there. More people learned about it and asked if they could set up displays of park memorabilia they had. So the biggest event we really had was about 5,000 people a couple of years ago. The main reason we do it is to try to keep the memories of the old amusement park alive. So far we’ve been doing a pretty good job, I guess, because people do remember it.

Are you surprised that many people are interested in a park that closed 48 years ago?

No, we’re not. We have people go out and do talks, slide presentations and that kind of stuff. We’ve done a lot of events at churches and things like that. When there are little carnivals and festivals, they invite us. There’s always been interest Euclid Beach. It was really a unique park, and people who visited really still carry those memories with them.

Are there any Euclid Beach Park elements that still exist at Cleveland Metroparks Euclid Beach Reservation?

Yes. We do take people on walking tours. We have posters set up where different rides were. I’ll stop and show them where this ride was and kind of give them just a little reminder of what it was like. There are a few pieces that still exist. In the late ’60s, they had an antique car ride that ran on a concrete roadway. Part of that concrete is still there. We point that out. One of the unique rides from Euclid Beach Park was the Flying Turns. It was a roller coaster without a track. The exit ramp and a little bit of the ride entrance is still in existence. We point that out. Most everything is pretty much gone.

For those too young to remember Euclid Beach Park, how does it rank compared to Cedar Point or Geauga Lake?

It would rank pretty close with Geauga Lake; they were both built about the same time. I think Geauga Lake was one or two years younger. And even towards the end with Geauga Lake, you still had a lot of shade trees and park benches around to sit. To me, Cedar Point, even though it started around the turn of the century, it was modernized and updated. In the ’50s they tried to make it more like a Disneyland. And they eliminated a lot of the trees to put in more and more rides, which in a way is good, but in another way you kind of lost that family park feel.

What are your memories of Euclid Beach Park?

I worked at the park for seven years. I started in 1957 and then in 1963 President Kennedy offered me a job I couldn’t refuse. When I came back from the army, I went back and visited the park a few times, but I never went back to work. So my fondest memories are just working at the park, running the rides and meeting tons of people.

In your opinion, what’s the legacy of Euclid Beach Park?

A lot of people over the years visited the park. It was a great place to go. It was always free admission, which a lot of parks, even back in the old days, would have some kind of a charge. The parking was always free. By not paying to go into the park, you just paid for rides you’d go on or concessions you’d want to visit, parents could take their kids to the park and they didn’t have to go on rides. Of course, it’s not just the park itself, but I think it was the time that the park was in existence for most of us, which was probably the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s. You could let your kids run and you knew they were safe. It was a different time.

Cleveland, OH 44110

 

 

 

 

Post categories:

• Events
• John Benson
• Eats
• Preview
• Free
• History
• Culture
• RSS
• college