Author's Notes

I had frequently visited Williams Grove as it was such a strange and timeless park.

My impressions:

• Rides sat in a haphazard way, with only one real small midway.

• If you entered the park through the back entrance, you had to buy an admission ticket for 50 cents. Once you paid and received your ticket, you handed it to a large security officer who then smiled, and raised up a train style crossing gate, and with a bow of a proper gentleman, he waved you into the park similar to Willy Wonka style!

• The only souvenirs I could ever find was a button of the park's clown type mascot.

• The gas powered Twister ride was a hoot, but if the wind blew the wrong way, you would be overcome by exhaust fumes fast.

• The Cyclone only operated with two cars due to weight concerns, and once a tree fell onto the tracks, closing it temporarily. The park replaced this area, in-house, in order to get the ride up and running. However, it did so incorrectly so the cars would actually go up then slam down in this section with the wheels coming off the tracks for a second, causing a violent reaction. A few years later a park maintenance man would drive a golf cart into the structure, resulting in another area of incorrect repairs!

• The Swings ride had no brakes in the last years of the park. So the ride's operator would simply kill the engine to let the ride slowly grind to a halt.

• Next to the dark ride was the park's arcade. I would kill time both there and on the dark ride, waiting on people to ride the Cyclone as it could only operate with a minimum of six riders. Behind the back wall of the dark ride sat the L-shaped portion of the arcade where old 1970s style pinball machines sat along with several pool tables, of all things. Those tables were well frequented by local "hustlers" trying to make fast cash, most wearing 1980s style rock band shirts or the simple white with no arm t-shirts, complete with a cigarette dangling from the corner of their mouth.

All in all though, the park was a bizarre but magical place and I feel lucky to have gotten to know it on a first-hand basis.
And yes, I still have that worn park button with the clown in my collection.