Fond Memories

Remembering Kiddieland's Rocket Ships

We were watching a PBS show made in 1998 on old amusement parks when they noted that the rocket plane ride that they were showing was originally from Palisades. My wife and I had remembered as kids in the early sixties going on that ride many times. If I recall the ships went up and down and were painted in a royal blue, silver and red color scheme and the little guns would buzz when you pushed the trigger button. It was in the kiddie park right across from the french fry stand and the Cyclone. I also remember the round ticket badges that we wore on our button holes and how I could never be convinced by my parents that all the spaces were punched. 

Unfortunately, Palisades is gone but if it had survived a few more years, perhaps as adults all of us boomers could have done something to save it. I now live in Orlando, the land of the super-parks and I have seen them all and they are impressive, but they don't give me the same sense of excitement that I felt when my Dad's car would turn off of 46 East at that old Palisades sign and head up the road that led to the park. Every now and then I still fell a sadness in my heart that it is gone. But it is nice to know that there are a few million of us who still share the memories.