OCEAN CITY, NJ — It was a devastating blow to Ocean City residents and vacationers alike when the news came that Gillian’s Wonderland Pier would be closing.
What will happen to the park, and importantly, that iconic Ferris wheel? Right now, things are up in the air.
But one thing that will remain is the decades of wonderful memories made there. Patch asked you to share your memories, and here’s what you had to say.
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Raymond Bush, who now lives in Finland, fondly remembered his days working for the Ocean City Beach Patrol and also operating the scrambler ride under Roy Gillian.
“I enjoyed it immensely,” Bush said. “It is a great loss to Ocean City and families it is closed.”
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David Mink’s memories date back to the 1950s, when his family would spend two weeks in Ocean City at the end of August each year.
“Once every vacation, my grandparents would agree to walk all the way to Wonderland. This was heaven for the kids! Wonderland was the best. I particularly remember the bowling alley-size skee ball,” Mink said.
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“Our three boys each had their first amusement rides at Wonderland,” said Denise Timken, now a full-time Ocean City resident.
Lucinda O’Connor reminisced on how her family would get all dressed up to go to the Boardwalk, with the highlight being Wonderland Pier. She shared stories of the merry-go-round, haunted house, tilt-a-whirl and of course, the Ferris wheel.
“It was so exciting beyond words,” she said.
Sean Burns has been vacationing in Ocean City most of his life, with his family at a house that’s no longer there at 1561 Asbury Ave.
“Since we had the place on Asbury, Wonderland was a long walk for 9 kids to make,” Burns said. “So Wonderland was saved for the last night on the boardwalk. We would get a bunch of tickets and go on the rides. We always had a great time.”
He still visits as an adult.
“I always pass Wonderland and just smile. I’ll be sad to see it closed when I come back up next year,” Burns said.
Ally Metz has been going to Ocean City for vacation for 26 years. She was raised going to Wonderland every year, and her son is too. She found out about its closure the morning of her last day of vacation.
“If we would have known we would have made sure to spend more time there and use up all of our tickets instead of saving them for the next year like we always do,” Metz said. “Wonderland will be greatly missed since it has been such a staple to our vacation for the past 26 years.”
David Mallinger shared a sweet photo of him and his girlfriend on one of their first dates last summer, the iconic Ferris wheel seen in the background.
A lifelong summer visitor and now at 72, a permanent resident, Lynn Turner Fox said she had many wonderful memories.
“I’ll never forget the thrill of being able to catch the rings (especially the brass one) on the Merry-go-round! To this day, the carousel remains my favorite ride. In fact, my extended family and I all refer to the boardwalk amusements as ‘the merries,’ demonstrating our love for that ride,” she said.
“To have been able to share these iconic experiences with my children and grandkiddos, has given me such boundless joy!” Fox said. “Thank you to the Gillian family and to Wonderland. You will sorely be missed.”
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