My 2013 goals for "The Cotton Candy Road Trip"

I consider myself the luckiest kid on the coaster, having published “The Cotton Candy Road Trip”, having sold a number of copies (not a huge number – yet.  But not just a dozen or so to friends and family, either), and having gotten the word out about vintage parks.  But frankly, I know I’ve only scratched the surface of what can be done for the parks, the people who love them, and the ways I can market, promote, and build excitement for the book.  2012 gave me a good toe-hold into what can be done, but I also got sidetracked by theatre and life and, well, just being overwhelmed by the ebbs and flows of 2012, a year that rocked each and every person I know without exception.

So, without anymore ado, behold my goals for the book in 2013:

1.      Get “Cotton Candy” connected with every single form of social media imaginable.  A few weeks ago, I had a meeting with my social media guru.  Yes, I have one of those, a woman who knows her way around Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, HootSuite, Pinterest and God only knows what else with a facility of a teen-ager who knows all the ins and outs around arcade games, going home with seventeen extra-large stuffed toy hound dogs.  She is awesome, she is smart and creative.  And, the biggest plus, she believes in my project and it excited by the prospect of creating a huge social network footprint for it. #soexcitedicouldplotz.

2.      Contact more Chicago media outlets.  I’ve been interviewed by local papers, a local radio station, and was featured as part of an article in the Chicago Tribune.  That’s good.  But that’s not as far as I can go with this.  More popular radio shows and TV shows will be harder nuts to crack, but they aren’t insurmountable.

3.      More swag!  I’ll be posting more swag for people to buy on Zazzle – and an item I’ve been toying with will be sold on Etsy.  I’ve had the “ingredients” for the Etsy items for about a year; it’s time.

4.      Re-visit at least three parks.  Travel is not cheap, but it’s imperative that I re-visit at least a few of the parks to keep excitement about the book building – plus, I just miss them.  I’m looking at my calendar for 2013, going, “But when do I visit the Eastern Pennsylvania parks again?  When do I get to go to the Enchanted Forest in Oregon again?”  I miss them, I miss the people and the energy and the rides and the fried dough.  So I plan to visit at least a few parks – and the ones at the top of my list are the ones affected by Hurricane Sandy: Keansburg and Coney Island and Rye Playland.

5.      Explore avenues that will “get” and celebrate the spiritual side of my book.  Those folks who’ve really, really enjoyed my book have all mentioned that they were moved and inspired by the sense of the quest, the embracing of the spiritual side of my travels.  I need to share the book with more folks who have similar sensibilities, who believe in “the spirit of place” the way I do.

2013 feels like a celebration just waiting to happen, much like that moment before you enter an amusement park.  I aim to make this New Year the time that “The Cotton Candy Road Trip” becomes the catalyst for thousands of celebrations around the country, when people plan for park visits, schedule park road trips, and commit to making every visit to a vintage park a personal quest for that moment of joy frozen in time. Yeah, tall order, I know., but NOT insurmountable.  Just a steep hill for the coaster cars to tackle, that’s all.  And I happen to know something about that…

 

Join the fun at Deno's Wonder Wheel Park on opening day, 2013!

http://www.wonderwheel.com/

They won't let something as meager as Hurricane Sandy keep 'em down.

Boldly stated on the park's website:  "Thank you to all the volunteers who have helped Coney Island recover from Super Storm Sandy.  Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the storm. 

Rides on Deno's Wonder Wheel are FREE on Opening Day 2013 - All are welcome March 24, 2013 - Please join us! 

Have a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season! - the Vourderis Family"

It's so very heartening to visit their website and learn how things are shaping up and know that the travails of 2012 haven't dampened their optimism for 2013.

My Vintage Amusement Park Gifts are Ready for the Holidays!

http://www.zazzle.com/amusementparkfun

Folks, there's still time to purchase some amazing items from my Zazzle store in time for your holiday gift giving.  Imagine your best friend sporting a t-shirt with an image of the lucky elephant ride from Del Grosso's Park.  Or a special trinket box sporting the eerie visage of "grandma fortune teller" from Santa Cruz Boardwalk?  Or, bet yet, a 2013 calendar featuring vintage amusement park photos I took while traveling about for my book!

Come on.  You KNOW you want a throw pillow emblazoned with this guy's face (the front of a ticket booth from Salem Willows which date back to the late 19th century!)

And, of course, there's my book.  I recently met with some folks who were so moved and inspired by it, that they've made some big changes in their lives - or are planning to do so for the new year.  This from a book about vintage amusement parks?  Yes, indeed.  And I'm honored to have been instrumental in these changes.

If you're interested in a book, please contact me via email and I'll ship out an autographed copy in time to hide it under your Christmas tree!

Coney Island's arcade games and rides in the "vintage amusement park ER"

Please read this fascinating article on how the folks from Deno's Wonder Wheel Park are working hard to salvage the rides and games that were ravaged by Hurricane Sandy.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323501404578165283531252180.html

Of particular interest to me is how dear the Grandma's Predictions fortuneteller is to the park; they consider it a good luck charm.  Here's a photo I took while Ben and I visited Coney:

The article relates that Grandma's been around since the 1920s.  She apparently made it through the flooding, although she's being taken care of at the "ER"; apparently the Zoltar machine in the background didn't fair as well.

Again, please give to the Red Cross and help the folks affected by Sandy. And consider donating to Coney Island USA, to help keep the history and spirit of this priceless place alive for future generations: http://shop.coneyisland.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?display=home

Keansburg Amusement Park WILL Rebuild, God Bless 'Em!!

The rides were rocked by torturous winds and salt water, the antique arcade games left to float down the street, the park covered with mounds of sand and debris,  yet the Gehlhaus family vows to rebuild the historic amusement park by Easter


 Easter!  Of 2013!
http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2012/11/keansburg_amusement_park_owners_vow_we_will_be_open_by_easter.html

I'm barely able to wrap my head around the huge effort that lies ahead of them.  We're talking about rebuilding a vintage amusement park, many rides and games which many be very difficult to replace or repair due to the fragile quality of the housing, the rarity of spare parts.  Many a park has closed down for less of a blow, yet this park vows to carry on.  What drives someone to tackle such an Herculean task?  Dogged determination?  Pluckiness?  Desperation?  Out and out lunacy?

No, I believe, from reading the article and from learning what keeps folks like the Gehlhauses in this business, that it's a combination of courage and heart and wisdom (Huh.. In a way, like Dorothy's friends in "The Wizard of Oz", don'tcha know...).  It's a courageous thing to take on, against so many odds (according to the article, this isn't covered by insurance).  It takes enormous heart: they see that as Keansburg is an amusement park, it provides that elusive, etheric thing: amusement.  It creates memories and thrills and laughter; this is one of the main premises of my book, how much this matters in our fast-paced, digital world. And it takes wisdom, something I'm sure has been learned (and earned) over the years: that a place like this matters on so many levels.  The owners know that not only they but the locals depend on their park for income, and to bring visitors into the small seaside town of Keansburg.

An enormous Powerball lottery jackpot is in play tomorrow night.  I'll be playing it, and when I win, I'll donate a chunk of funds to this precious park, to help it thrive again, to allow it to continue to make the Jersey shore a special place to play at, to create wonderful memories at, for families to keep those traditions of "the first carousel ride", "the first cotton candy consumed" alive.

Give at Thanksgiving. The folks at Coney Island will be very grateful.

The museum is doing alright, but the sideshow, the gift shop and the attached bar are in shambles.  You might ask, "But why do I want to contribute money for a sideshow?  What good will that do the world?"  In a word: plenty.

Coney Island USA is enclosed in a building nearby the famed Coney Island amusement parks, the legendary Cyclone rollercoaster, and just down the street from THE Nathan's famous hot dogs.  Coney Island USA is comprised of the side show (I believe the only side show, actual side show with "freak" acts and feats of derring do) in the US, a place which hires folk who might be considered to be on the fringes of "normal" society, but who possess amazing skills and display them with pride and reverence for a form of theatre has long been ostracized and disrespected.  One visit to the Coney Island USA side show will tip you on your ear.  You''ll walk away with a sense of awe and, most importantly, a a fresh reverence for the unique characters who shamelessly give of themselves in order to keep the spirit of side shows alive.  To borrow the words from the company's site, "The purpose of Coney Island USA is to defend the honor of American popular culture through innovative exhibitions and performances."

Right now, the materials needed to present performances are soggy from salt water or were thrown away in a dumpster due to the flooding. See photo above.

 

The gift shop is the only place you'll be able to find earrings shaped like Deno's Wonder Wheel (I own a pair and wear 'em proudly), or a bottle containing an authentic shard of Coney Island boardwalk.  Right now, the items that were spared from the deluge are being sold to help support Coney Island USA.  Oh, and the bar?  A great place to grab a beer after watching the side show or visiting the museum.

So - your donation, or your purchase from the gift shop, helps support Coney Island USA, allowing them to do their work.  Oh,yes, the museum.  It's upstairs on the second floor, so it was spared from the flooding.  But the gift shop helps support the museum, as does the bar, so it's best that all spaces are cleaned up and restored as soon as possible.

And what's up in the museum? Oh, just amazing exhibits about the history of Coney Island, a true American icon, a seaside treasure that's withstood fire and flood, the changes of time and culture, and keeps on kicking and inspiring and entertaining.  The museum keeps the true spirit of Coney Island alive.

The holidays are just around the corner.  Who doesn't want a necklace with an image of a tattooed mermaid on it? The following link will take you to the store website, where you can order a great gift, or make a donation:

http://shop.coneyisland.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?display=home

DO this.

(Photos from the Coney Island USA Facebook page.)

Keansburg Amusement Park pummeled by Hurricane Sandy

http://www.app.com/viewart/20121101/NJNEWS/311010046/nj-sandy-keansburg


It is with a very heavy heart that I report one of the "Road Trip" parks, Keansburg Amusement Park, received devastating damage from Hurricane Sandy.  From what I've been reading, it was essentially ripped apart.

When Ben and I visited back in 2011, I was delighted by its truly vintage kiddie rides, its amazing dark ride (which I got a personal tour of with the lights ON!!) and the incredible collection of vintage arcade games.  I had a wonderful interview with Bob Falk, who not only worked there, but helped design some of the games which dated back to the early 1960s.

I can only hope and pray that, as the owners say in the article, the park will be rebuilt.  I'm sending out even more good vibes to Mr. Falk and the collection of incredible arcade games that elevated the arcade from your basic "win a stuffed toy" amusement to a veritable arcade history museum.

(if anyone reading this has more information about the park and Mr.Falk, please contact me at your earliest convenience via this blog.  Thank you.)