The Park

THE PARK, by Gary S. Crawford

Some of us stayed here through the highs and lows.

It didn’t start out as a city. It was more of a settlement once the railroad extended down the shoreline. A small town, just like the other line of towns spawned by the growth of the railroad. But the founders of my town had better ideas. After all, a big town a few miles north, where the rail line had originally ended, was reaping the benefits of becoming a resort, with ocean beaches and lakes, numerous hotels, and even a horse race track. Nightlife, gambling halls, and those other activities frowned upon by polite society were to be had, attracted patrons and their money from the big cities up north. Just a two-hour train ride away from the crowded big cities, it was a welcome respite from pollution, crime, and the oppressive heat of the summer.

The town fathers of The Park officially chartered their town, proclaiming it a city. Streets and avenues were established, with building lots becoming available for reasonable prices. Why should the neighbor a few miles away reap all the benefits? The Park wanted its share. Bring on the hotels, the boardwalk, the attractions that would bring in the money!

Soon regular visitors with the means to do so, built lavish houses in town. Many worked in the big city, and with the train service nearby, it was an easy commute to work. The big hotels grew a couple of blocks in from the beach and boardwalk, with the big fancy houses following close behind to the west. Churches, schools, and a thriving business district rose from what had been sand, clay, scrub pine and oak.

The Park thrived, running neck-and-neck in popularity to the resort town just to the north. The Park founders decided the adult activities that attracted folks to the other resort weren’t family friendly, so rules were enacted to keep things reasonably clean. There were taverns but the wild atmosphere of the other town was frowned upon. Families were to be wooed; not drunkards, gamblers, and other ne’er-do-wells. Go somewhere else if you wished to misbehave.

Amusements, rides, and other attractions lined the boardwalk. Big ornate movie palaces opened nearby. Crowds strolled the boards, either to see or to be seen. A convention center was built at the boardwalk, something the other town didn’t have. Little by little, The Park took over as the number one seaside resort.

Trolley lines took people around town, along with plenty of jitneys and buses and taxis, both horse-drawn and later, powered by internal combustion. Only the best movies came to town, and the best entertainment came to the clubs.

As the city matured, only the better off resided and patronized the east side of town. The working class and “the help”, those working for the wealthy families, lived in less desirable conditions to the west. The railroad formed the dividing line between the east and west sides. The glitz and glamour of the east was in sharp contrast to the somewhat lackluster west. The workers had their own shopping district, providing the plain necessities they could afford, separate from the more expensive stores across the tracks.

Small factories, bakeries, and a large laundry, with their polluting smokestacks and noise and annoying smells, were all located on the west side, along with lumberyards and coal and fuel oil companies. Most were close to the railroad, with same-face rowhouses nearby. Larger homes all resembled each another, lined up like soldiers down the crowded streets, just in different colors to tell them apart. Tight communities of friends and neighbors, no matter how dreary to an outsider.

The 1970s brought trouble. Riots throughout the country brought tensions to town, erupting into The Park’s own version of the big city riots. Much of the west side business district burned to the ground, shots were fired and people, both rioters and innocents, were wounded and a few killed.

The Park’s reputation as a fun – and safe – family resort nosedived. People stayed away. Even the competing resort town a few miles up the beach felt the troubles, tensions in its own version of the west side ready to explode. Vacationers found new outlets farther south along the ocean, towns that remained clean and safe, without these problems bubbling up.

Once-glamorous theatres and hotels were abandoned and torn down. Windows were boarded up at the closed stores of the business district. Department stores that once brought so many shoppers to town moved to the new mall outside of town. Crime increased in once-safe areas. People still living there wouldn’t dare go out for a walk at night. No one strolled the boardwalk anymore. Beachgoers found other beaches to visit.

It took many years for The Park to rebound. Aborted attempts were made to rebuild, usually thwarted by money issues or influences and roadblocks by the corrupt politicians at City Hall. Dirty deals were made, half-built skeletons of planned hotels and condos scarred the skyline, honest owners of nightclubs tried to attract entertainers and patrons unsuccessfully. Here and there a business would survive and do well, but for too long, this was the exception to the rule. People just stayed away.

With housing prices falling, many transplants from the city bought the more elaborate homes on the north side of town along the lake. Improvements were made to them. People noticed and followed the leaders, homes purchased spreading toward the center of town.

Clubs and restaurants opened, catering to these new arrivals. Boutiques were established to fill the needs of the new citizens and their obvious wealth. Others noticed and decided to join in the renaissance of The Park.

The old shopping district, long abandoned and boarded up, experienced a rebirth. The big old department store that defined the town became restaurants on the ground floor and pricey condos on the floors above. Various new stores opened up and down the streets.

New clubs and bars opened with the patronage to support them and the once-dreary city became trendy. Club patrons came from miles around. Music venues offered name acts, bringing more customers to town. TV and movie production companies found The Park a great place for location shooting.

The Park was the place to be once again.

Even the west side experienced a rebirth, although not to the extent of the east side. People in the west still suffered from their lower class existence, while new housing was built and some businesses opened. Many complained the west side was shortchanged while the east side thrived. There was still work to be done.

Little by little, The Park became the number one resort destination in the area. Not the family-friendly town it used to be, as the rides and amusements were all replaced along the beach with expensive new condominiums and trendy shops. It now attracted hipsters with fat debit cards in hand.

Many have mixed emotions about the rebirth and bemoan the lack of things to do for families with children like there were in days not long ago. Although the beaches are still crowded during the summer months.

In the meantime, The Park is enjoying the highest rise of its roller coaster history. All things considered, I think it’s good to see it coming back, spiraling property taxes and all.