July 1, 1974: Great Adventure Opens

July 1, 1974: The Great Adventure theme park opens in Jackson, Ocean County, New Jersey, about 60 miles southwest of Midtown Manhattan, and 50 miles northeast of Center City Philadelphia.

It took the place of such already-gone amusement parks as Steeplechase Park in Brooklyn's Coney Island (which closed in 1964, leaving Astroland as Coney's only remaining amusement park), Palisades Amusement Park in the town of the same name in Bergen County (closed in 1971), and Woodside Amusement Park in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park (closed in 1955). It essentially meant the demise of Willow Grove Park in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in 1975. But it also meant a closer option for Philadelphia-area people than the Jersey Shore, 60 miles away at its closest point.

New York businessman Warner LeRoy bought the land from the parachute-making Switlik family, and built the park. The main part of the park was called the Enchanted Forest, and it included roller coasters, a log flume, a monorail, and Wild West-themed rides. Its arcades and eateries, including the ice cream-themed Yum Yum Palace, and its drive-through safari, quickly became beloved by young people in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware. My family went there that first year, and then every year through 1985.

In 1977, the Six Flags amusement-park company bought Great Adventure. A deal was cut with Warner Brothers to have their cartoon characters, like Bugs Bunny, in costumes. They also cut deals with DC Comics for rides based on their characters, such as Superman and Batman.

The classic rainbow & stars logo

On May 11, 1984, a fire at the Haunted Castle killed 8 teenagers from Queens, and forever cast a pall over the park. But it remains open to this day.

It's hard to believe it's been almost 50 years. It doesn't seem like something that goes back as far as Richard Nixon. To me, it will always bring up thoughts of the late 1970s, the Jimmy Carter years, or the early 1980s, the 1st Ronald Reagan term. It was an escape from the nonsense of the outside world, which was probably why that '84 fire stands out so much in New Jersey's collective memory: The outside world broke through the bubble.

It was a wonderland carved out of the Pine Barrens, for, as the Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey Circus put it, "children of all ages." To this day, many of us refuse to use the corporate name of Six Flags. The original name was perfect: Great Adventure.

*

July 1, 1974 was a Monday. These games were played in Major League Baseball that day:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Detroit Tigers, 4-3 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Ron Blomberg hit a home run, but Jim Northrup won the game with a home run off Doc Medich in the 8th inning. Al Kaline went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-4 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Carl Yastrzemski went 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-3, but drove in a run with a groundout.

* The Cleveland Indians swept a doubleheader with the Milwaukee Brewers at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, 3-1 and 9-3.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox, 9-0 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Bruce Dal Canton pitched a 5-hit shutout, and rookie George Brett went 0-for-5.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins, 6-2 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Harmon Killebrew hit a pinch-hit home run, the 553rd home run of his career, and Rod Carew went 1-for-4 with a walk.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the California Angels, 5-3 at Anaheim Stadium (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Nolan Ryan took a 3-2 lead into the top of the 8th inning, but gave up a single to Bert Campaneris, an RBI double to Sal Bando, an intentional walk to Reggie Jackson, an RBI sacrifice fly to Joe Rudi, a walk to Gene Tenace, and an RBI double to Ángel Mangual.

* While the entire American League played that day, only 2 games were played in the National League. The Montreal Expos beat the Chicago Cubs, 10-4 at Jarry Park in Montreal.

* And the Houston Astros beat the Atlanta Braves, 3-0 at Atlanta Stadium. (It was renamed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium the next season.) Don Wilson pitched a 5-hit shutout, and Phil Niekro got knocked out of the box in the 4th inning, having allowed just 2 runs, but 10 hits. Hank Aaron did not play in this game.