Memories were made in Fort Erie
It has been three decades, but memories of the Crystal Beach Amusement Park haven’t faded.
Fans of the park will be able to bolster those memories at the Fort Erie Historical Museum in Ridgeway this summer, as it has brought out artifacts and memorabilia from the park for an exhibit called Memories Made in Fort Erie.
The park — which began life as a religious camp in 1888 — shuttered good at the end of the 1989 season, bowing to the pressure put on by large and more modern parks such as Canada’s Wonderland (which opened in 1981). Not long after the closure, rides and attractions, including the parks famous roller-coaster, The Comet, were auctioned off.
That’s where some of the items in the display were purchased, said Nicole Komar, curator, marketing, exhibitions and programming for the museum.
“Other pieces were found when people cleaned out their homes,” Komar said.
Some of the items on display include fluorescent cut-outs of the cartoon characters Maggie and Jiggs of “Bringing Up Father” that were a part of the Laff in the Dark ride, Leo the Lion from the same attraction, signage, a ball toss game, a funhouse mirror from the Magic Palace and more.
There is also a video that was shot by museum staff over the course of the park’s final year of operation.
“It was a destination for families,” Komar said. “It was also a great source of work for kids. We have people … say ‘I worked there during the summer.’”
The exhibit is a popular one, she added. “It’s a variety of people who still like to hear about it,” she said. “Visitors who may have come when they were young, summer residents and ones that remember the park.”
While there are many items on display for the exhibit, Komar said there is more. “We have a lot of archival content,” Komar sad. “We put together a book of older photos from the collection.”
The book — called “Favourite Photographs of Crystal Beach Park” can be purchased at the museum. The cost is $20.
The museum, located at 402 Ridge Rd. N., is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.