Hirsch - Kiddie parks of the Adirondacks

The soaring summits of the Adirondack Mountains were the perfect backdrop for kiddie parks steeped in fairy-tale fantasy. Hidden within protective mountain walls were tiny houses of amazing details, brilliant colors, and imaginary shapes that seemed to have materialized straight out of the pages of a storybook. The mountain vistas with their towering evergreens and gnarly birches worked as a barrier reinforcing the realistic whimsy that delighted children visiting the parks. Within those surroundings, the characters of fantasy came alive; laughing, talking, and strolling along the pastoral paths with their young friends. The real world was suspended and forgotten as the imaginary world emerged into reality. The peaceful atmosphere of the Adirondacks extended to this imaginary world where an adventurous expedition into the mysterious woods aboard a miniature train was an experience remembered for a lifetime. Only in fairy tales could a child ride Santas Candy Cane Express with one of his elves. Aboard that train, passengers were treated to a view of rolling zeniths and deep forest surroundings that were timelessly appealing to children of all ages. (Courtesy Santas Workshop.)

On the cover: Trying to feed some hay to the three Billy Goats Gruff proved challenging for this little girl during her visit to Storytown, U.S.A. The goats may have been a little skittish about crossing the bridge under which, according to the nursery rhyme, an ugly old troll wanted to gobble them up. (Courtesy Dean Color Photography.)

Kiddie Parks of the Adirondacks

Rose Ann Hirsch

Copyright 2006 by Rose Ann Hirsch

9781439617816

Published by Arcadia Publishing
Charleston, South Carolina

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2005936977

For all general information contact Arcadia Publishing at:
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To my husband, Tim. It is not too late to believe. And to my parents,
Richard and Virginia Jankowiak, who let me believe.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many, many thanks to the individuals who gave so freely of their time and shared their memories, their photographs, and the histories of the parks: Bob Reiss for Santas Workshop; Bobbie Wages for Storytown, U.S.A.; Katie Noonan for Enchanted Forest; Shelley Cummins, manager of Magic Forest; and Jack Gillette, owner of Magic Forest. Thank you to Bill Ensinger for sharing his memories and photographs of the Land of Make Believe and for use of articles from his Web site. Thank you, also, to the Arto Monaco Historical Society, Anne Mackinnon, Kay Mackinnon, Wendy Dean Chitty of Dean Color Photography, Lynda Denton, Wells Memorial Library, Peter Archer, Jan Branowski, Martha Lauzon, Mary Ann Pendrys, and Celeste Swiecki.

Much information was taken from Ed Kelleys article Arrow Development and the Amusement Park Train; Anne Mackinnon and Arto Monaco: From Tinseltown to Land of Makebelieve: A Portrait of the Upper Jays Old Master in the May/June 2001 edition of Adirondack Life ; and Bibi Weins A Tale of Two Sisters, found in the May/June 2005 edition of Adirondack Life .

The kiddie parks of the Adirondacks gave city children a rare and wonderful experience of seeing, petting, or feeding barnyard and exotic animals. What child could forget riding a pony or burro through the middle of the park or hugging a goat near Santas house? Even timid children lost their shyness around the gentle, domesticated animals, and the critters enjoyed all the attention. (Courtesy Santas Workshop.)

INTRODUCTION

Once upon a time, a Lake Placid businessman told his youngest child a story about a little bear whose adventures led him to Santas North Pole Workshop. The little girl was so enchanted by the tale she pleaded with her father to take her to see Santas home. The father wanted to please his young daughter, but where could he take her to see Santa outside of a department store? So the father began to dream of a summer home for Santa Claus where children could visit him, his elves, and his reindeer. A local artist helped him realize his dream, and four years later, Santas Workshop opened at the base of Whiteface Mountain.

Santas Workshop was one of the first kiddie theme parks and the first petting zoo in North America. It brought to life a childhood fantasy as no other kiddie park had done before, and the Adirondack Mountains provided the perfect setting.

The beauty of the North Woods sparked the imaginations of other entrepreneurs as well. In the Lake George area, Charley Wood gave Mother Goose a story town in which her characters could romp and play. A former carnival owner created Magic Forest, where children discovered fables and nursery rhymes displayed among the pines. In Old Forge, Enchanted Forest sheltered the homes of the Three Bears, Little Red Riding Hood, and their friends. Children were given untold freedom to touch, play, and dream at the Land of Make Believe in Upper Jay. Animal Land, near Storytown, U.S.A., and Old McDonalds Farm, in Lake Placid, were places where nature and children came together. The Land of Enchantment near Plattsburgh created a magical retreat for kids and their parents.

During the 1950s and early 1960s, many kiddie parks sprung up throughout North America. They offered the growing number of families with young children a safe, gentle, and relaxed place where they could play make-believe. The parks glorified childhood. The popularity of the kiddie parks peaked in 1960 when a majority of the baby boomers were between 3 and 10 years of age. However, as the baby boomers grew into adolescence, kiddie parks lost their allure. The innocence of childhood was mislaid and the charm of the parks forgotten.

The late 1960s and early 1970s proved trying for the parks and their owners. Fewer children had been born during those decades, reducing the number of young visitors the parks had been created for. Double income households and parents crazy work schedules restricted the familys weeklong vacation to weekend getaways and day trips, resulting in a major decrease in park attendance. The need to constantly change to attract the teen crowd drove some of the parks to make modifications that sent them beyond their original concepts. It seemed as if the kiddie parks would not survive.

Yet, as in all fairy tales, a happy ending hovered on the horizon. Today four of the kiddie parks of the Adirondacks continue to operate. Their customer base is primarily baby boomers who are returning to their favorite childhood park with their children and grandchildren where they are entertained happily ever after.

During my research for this book, I visited all four operating parks and their petting zoos. I found healthy, well cared for animals, including Santas reindeer team at Santas Workshop and Lightning the Diving Horse at Magic Forest. I observed Lightnings dive. He was led to the ramp by the park manager and was allowed to enter it on his own. Lightning was not reluctant to jump into the pool on such a hot day, and no one coaxed him to do so. When the dive was completed, he was rewarded with his favorite oats and returned to the paddock.

Due to a lack of photographs, postcards, and information, Animal Land, Old McDonalds Farm, and the Land of Enchantment are not covered in this book.