My thrid year I would only ride the bike to work if something was wrong with my car. It attempted a comeback as the Rocky Point Family Fair with rented rides for the 1996 season, but the crowds were sparse. Two girls are 13 and one is brand new = 2 months. Those guys would eat almost anything. "We're looking for a place that the access is convenient for the customer, preferably not too far away from the Rocky Point Amusement Park," he said. It somewhat made you dry from the sea air. What I cant understand is that so many of us loved Rocky Point, and I, for one, really wish that Rhode Island had a place like this where I could take my children in the summer time so why did it die? Did your favorite make the list? My kids will not have a chance to be the 5th generation to grow up there. My friends and I loved it and I can remember seeing the Cowsills in concert there when they were first starting out, it was a blast. im 37 now, just for the record. The spring of 1986 was my first tri at J & W andI remember our Spring Day at Rocky Point. I will always remember the Pool. I would love to move back to Rhode Island. WARWICK After seven years of serving up fried clams and squid, doughboys and fried Oreos, chowder and clam cakes, the Rocky Point Clam Shack did not open this summer after the new owner of the sprawlingformer Ann &Hope complex in Warwick declined to renew the establishment's lease. I could probably write a book of memories of these places. I remember walking around the park with my family and going on the swings that spun around. My favorate game was always the BB Gun Range where you had to shoot out the star from the card. I loved Rocky Point as a kid. The Enterprise and the Musik Express were my two favorite rides. Then as summers went along we heard about the "CORKSCREW-LOOP" ROLLER COASTER being built and they were going to add a proper stage for concerts on the midway near the "FLUMES" BIG DROP HILL and that we were going to get a "FREEFALL"RIDE. My Dad borrowed $5000 from his sister Lena and brought a ride to the 1948 Rocky Point called the Spitfire (see photo). I was with you all during the late 60s and early 70s and it sure was fun. I rode those rides until I puked!! Thanks to all who have written about it and thank you for allowing me to share my own memories. It has brought it all back and made me smile. We never were allowed to play the games, which is why I guess I was intrigued in the spring of 1971 when a buddy called me over to his table at the high school library. Anderson said plans for the former Ann & Hope site had been submitted to Warwick and to call the Planning Department. Rocky point was in my life so many ways. It was nearly dark and a light rain coming down. I remember the big old house on the hill also where a certain family lived. I thought everyone was as privileged as I was. Had a boyfriend named Steve Silva who took the picture of me and James Drury in the Parking lot by the Cliff House. Oh how i remember Rocky Point Park. Its a damn shame that the mob ran that place into the ground. just hearing all the proformers live was awsome to be hear them, even the 80s rock too. My Dad taught me how to hit a baseball at the batting range. But I had a great time those summers where I worked all the games but took over running the Greyhound Racing game where I made a lot of money working lots of hours (92/week) for college. That meant I got to ride as many rides as I wanted without tickets and the park was almost empty. (another Armenian name). I worked in the food stands making french fries, fried dough and cheesburgers. Vincent had two brothers, Corado and John. Well, that is because my mom signed an agreement that if I died on the ride or fell off it wasnt their fault and she couldnt sue them and that I always had to ride with an adult. The most haunted hotels in Rhode Island include: Discover more about the most haunted hotels in Rhode Island. Remember, we are talking of the fifties and part of the sixties, WOW! After that, my trips to RP were less with my parents and more with friends. But when I got back home, I was too energenic to sleep. i remmber getting wet by the flume too with everyone in the park when it was on a hot day. It was owned by Louie Mazza from Bridgeport, CT. Louie had a brother Mario who stood about 64" huge gentle giant. Remembering RI's amusement park Rocky Point: What was your favorite It is said there were animal sacrifices here and that there are angry spirits. I worked at Rocky Point in the late 70s for 2 years at the ages of 18 & 19 as the Ferris Wheel Operator. The Story of Rhode Island's Rocky Point Amusement Park Deaths We grossed a hair over $1000. You knew summer was here when you saw or heard their advertisement. I wish rocky Point was still open so i could bring them there for a good ole fashioned outing. The best I have ever had. NO WAY! Its most famous rides included a Russian Toboggan, Looff, Tumble-Bug, The Wildcat, Cyclone, The Saltwater Flume, the Corkscrew Loop Coaster and the Freefall, which fell 13 stories at 55 mph (89 km/h). Conrad Ferla ran the Shore Dinner Hall. One of my favorite booths was the dog racing booth; I spent hours there and remember the man who ran it had a cocker spanial who sat ther taking everything in. It felt old and worn in and in some cases worn out but we loved it because it felt like ours. She would stand on her tippy-toes in a desperate attempt to ride the Corkscrew or Sky-Diver. I know that it is now illegial to set foot on the property but I cant help but want to gather together to fix it. Angel DiCapua, Jerrys Daughter. Had lots of great memories going to Rocky Point Park every weekened when was a kid and as an adult will miss the park. In operation from the 1840s to 1996, the amusement park was . while the park was open my buddy an i hosted car shows sunday nite in the lot of the shore dinner hall an i took video of the shows an put them on cox tv friday nites on interconnect channel 20 tv. Vincent Ferla Sr. who owned the amusement park became a family friend of my parents. I keep trying to recreate their clam cakes and chowder in my California kitchen (theres no chowder and cakes here you know) but it certainly doesnt taste the same. I too worked at Rocky Point in games from 1969 to 1974 to make money for URI. I remember the night when Sam Fox played we all cringed she was a nightmare from home but really big over there then Guns and Roses also came and quite a few big acts we always wanted to work on the beer carts on the nights when there was a band playing as you could make a fortune in tips although I think again a lot of that was due to the accent! it sat right next to another 2 story house. I can remember my dad taking us on the Wild Cat and rocking it at the top before it dived down. We would watch fireworks every 4th of July on the grass near the flume. P.S. Ben and Jerrys also had a stand there in 1990, I used to go with Pun Pandya and open the gazebo and wed have ice cream for breakfast it was just being launched then I remember going to Newport and seeing it in a shop there and at the time we thought that was pretty amazing now Ben and Jerrys is everywhere you can get it in every supermarket over here now and it always reminds me of RPP! older then me and I had a ball. and if they left a with a good work record thats all you needed. It was raining and most of the rides were shut down for the season. I was dating a guy from Pawtucket and he took me to Rocky Point one weekend. I would get fired by Conrad Jr and rehired by Conrad sr on a rgular basis. Of course i used to swimn in the pool too. A few elements of the park remain, including the upper and lower stations for the Skyliner gondola ride, ruins of an old water tank, and a large arch by the entrance that was originally built for the 1964 Worlds Fair in Flushing, Queens, and subsequently moved to Rocky Point. The last acts I remember seeing as I worked was Peter Frampton (his comeback time) and Weird Al Yankovich. I still can sing the commercial! You could see the USN stamped on it. I could go on and on but what I wanted to say also was my very first job was at Rocky point at the World Famous Shore Dinner Hall, busboy. It had previously last sold in 2003 for $17 million. Still, the restaurant looks frozen in time, like the shuttered windows could be opened again at a moments notice for the fry cooks to start slinging fried fish. The Skyliner gondola ride station nicolab (Atlas Obscura User) Remnants of the Rocky Point Amusement Park are still visible today. Its so very sad they had to end a wonderful family park it was. Rocky Point is like a member of my family. Rocky Point Amusement Park, Warwick RI - Brown University He was so good to our family. I was born and raised in Warwick. One year, it was free admission and you payed for your tickets at the kiosks. I can remember on my 8th b-day my godfather took me here (@9:00 pm) and was disappointed that we only had time for 2 or 3 rides and that I wasnt up to height standards for the new attraction The Corkscrew. We rode around for FREE for at least a half hour before Sister Cathlene came looking for us. I remember one ride which was this little car that was on a ferris like wheel. Source, Left-Darth Vader Cart from the House of Horrors ride. I really liked the clam cakes. It sure was fun. We all liked it because it was the only manually run ride in the park and you actually had to have a little skill to run it. It was our playground as kids. We used to go alot with his work and by are self. then went on to be the stage for some of . But no matter. it just made me sick sometimes from sitting there so long waiting for my ride. The Cyclone was one of our absolute favorite rides and we must have ridden that thing 10 times during each visit, I can still remember how my stomach would flutter when we flew down that first hill. They heckled me the whole time as the car jerk about through doors and what not. I remember once the concessionaires elected NOT to hire the Beatles for a 3-day engagement for $20K because they felt it was too much money. He would ride every ride with me. Prior to this, a handful of stands and minor buildings had already been demolished. It was a common occurance for us to visit Lincoln Park, Crescent Park and Rocky Point every year. We do not track by default allowing cookies will show us how visitors use this site anonymously. MRB Enterprises was the name of the employer by then the rides, games and food stands were all run by different corporations Good bye rocky point one more time. and remmber that a car went off the track at one point. Going there was a sad reminder of the closing of a historical gem that being Rocky Point Park. God i call still taste the clamcakes and clam chowder. It sure was fun. Even when I had my daughter, Id bring her there to ride the rides and have chowda, clamcakes and cotton candy. I knew what I had, as soon as I got home I popped it in my old 8-track player and remember exactly what I remember hearing back when I was 4 or 5. Castle Hill Inn. I wish the park was still around, so I could experience it as an adult, and so I wouldnt have to drive to Agawam, MA to pay 30 dollars to get into six flags. I still talk to some friends of mine who lived in the other 2 stoory house next door. Lots of graphite on those floors. I didnt even like clams in those days but the cakes were too good to resist. ROCKY POINT!. When we got older into our teens and my sister got her license, we would go with our friends and then it was all about riding the rides and noticing BOYS! I especially enjoyed teaching the lucky (or unlucky, depending how you look at it) kids sitting next to me on the Freefall how to push up on the safety bar a bit and lift your feet during to freefall to get a better sense of falling. We also have 4 beautiful grandchildren. Ill never forget how scared I was to go on the Enterprise the first time only to realize how much I LOVED it and would ride it countless times after that. Ride all the rides $1 6 p.m. to closing. Even my cheap old man knew a bargin when he saw one. Ill never forget it. Im really sad. Source. Sat, 19 Aug 2023 04:53:12 GMT (1692420792628) The very best house,trance,breakbeat,jungle,and happy hardcore d.js were there, from around the globe. Guess calling greyhound races and guessing peoples ages and weights on that hot midway with a scale and a microphone paid off! Unfortunately, this state doesnt have anything else. The hotel was rebuilt after it burned down in 1883, the 1938 hurricane did damage to many rides at Rocky Point, and the park had to close in 1995 due to its financial struggles . You can always remember the smell of all the clamcakes and chowder.. and you cant forget the sweet smell of cotten candy.. You can always remember every year when school got out that soon you would be there.. looking out your car window for that famous sign saying in big letters ROCKY POINT.. then your heart would beat faster because of the antisipation of running to that first ride So many happy memories.. not enough time wish someone had reopened for all the new generation to see what a great place it really was. the fun we had. By 1847, he had purchased a portion of the land and began to offer amusements and shore dinners under the trees. that was during the aution of selling everything. Now i have been married to the same guy for 35 yrs and we have 3 beautiful girls 2 of which are married. That was a 2 minute ride for 20 cents. Thank you all for posting pictures! I wish i could have walked around one more time and gone on all the rides. (Big Wig, Mike Ike, Stacey, Hacker, Shifty, Maglass, Regain, Elect, Hurry Ivan, Tivoli, Bill Me, etc.) It expanded to include historic properties, new construction, homes, and other structures in northern RI. Why ?? When minimum wage was $1.25/hr my brother in law and I worked the stand one 3rd of July and lost 72 stuffed animals to winners (our most expensive prize was $36/doz wholesale). I was sent out on my first 45 minute break around 3:30PM that afternoon. She had never ridden a loop coaster until the corkscrew, and will never again. Rocky Point Park is Not Forgotten | Rhode Tour Another reason is security. The amusement park itself closed in 1994, but its gigantic Shore Dinner Hall wasn't demolished until 20 years later, in 2014. my dad asked my mom if she had a match to light his cigarette and preceded with all the mush mush that you give someone when you to get there number. The famous saltwater pool was installed in the 1930s, only to be paved over in the last years of the park. Then the skyliner after you go on the flume. PLEASE???????????? In the 1840s, Captain William Winslow began to land his passengers on the land we now refer to as Rocky Point for Sunday outings. to RP just to get us the red and white chowders and the best damn clamcakes in the world. from when i was about 16 to 20. I have many memories of this wonderful and magical place. I was to young to say thanks to the park so I will now thanks Rocky Point, may all children between the ages of 6-13 have the same memories as I do of my childhood. By the way Janet, i read yor anecdote, and it was wonderful that you mentioned Doreen and I. I remember winning a fake grenade cigarette lighter with the claws. it was hard to fall asleep sometimes with those fans going over your head. I hope you are tortured by unrelenting acid reflux for the rest of your life. Rocky Point Amusement Park was an iconic part of Rhode Island from 1847 until November 1994. I recall the last time I went there and stood on the pier, looking over the water. the reason i could go 100 is they shut the ride down. & mind you i always had a way to get one if i could buy one. RIDICULOUS!!! I parked my out of state car just off to the left of the main gate on the lawn. Met loads of other foreign workers and must say it was the best summer Ive ever had in my life. When the park closed in 1995 and subsequently fell into ruin, it seemed that a Rhode Island legacy was lost. I wonder what would happen if we parked the car and went in. I really wasnt paying attention to how to run and what to shut off or on. A $3 million Department of Environmental Management (DEM) cleanup of the Rocky Point grounds that year removed nearly all traces of the defunct park's beloved icons such as the Shore Dinner Hall, the Palladium, and most of the former rides. Everyone knew who we were, we got away with nothing.The flume water ride was forbidden, to many accidents. The first thing we would do is go on the Tilt - A - whirl because the centrifugal force as the ride sped around would force change out of peoples pockets. In 1949, Rocky Point was purchased by Vincent Ferla. In the early 80s I would scuba dive there for clams with my buddy, whose dad was the president of the park. I hope the people responsible for the Mis-management of RP during the final years go to HELL!!! Tim and Bill were entrance booth guards and Rick was the train engineer. This is where they still spend their summers. i miss the rocky point sign:( i saw the movie about rocky point when they tore the sign down. Despite its popularity, Rocky Point Amusement Park faced financial difficulties in the 1990s due to declining attendance and rising costs. We walk up the midway slowly bearing right all they up to where the Corkscrew used to be. People just sat near each other and shared bowl and bowls of chowder and cakes. I remember the House of Horrors. boy, do i miss those songs they played on that ride lol. The Graduate Hotel. Weird Al Yankovic played at RPP years ago, along with Stevie B. On May 7, 2007, demolition of the remaining midway officially began with a press conference at the park. The last vestiges of the beloved Rocky Point Amusement Park, aside from the infrastructure left at the state's Rocky Point Park, will remain at the closed clam shack for the time being, co-owner . The owner told my Dad had an honest face and he could pay him when he could. I just started college and I was on a two week break visiting family and friends. My grandfather, Antonio DeRosa, was the park caretaker when my mom was a kid. The years i cannot remember. The park was forced to close its doors in 1995, much to the disappointment of its loyal fans. And when you were done, you could just drive home. did he make a deal with the city i hope not i cannot belive hes tearing down the houses i have so many fond memories of rp and the park. One more time of enjoying a place for family fuuuuuuuun I took many pictures of that final summer. I have pics of the 3 Stooges and the Yardbirds and Teddy and the Pandas. The dragon with head in claw was especially scary to me. My sister Angela worked in the office. I use to love going on them several times in a row. My first memory of RP was going to the park while visiting relatives in CT (we lived in ME). i kept thinking back to my experiences at rocky point. Then sortly after all that they shut it down. In the nineteen eighties the Park was owned by Captain Rocky, Inc. ("Captain Rocky") and other affiliated entities whose operations were financed by Bank of New England. I have a picture of me and my dad at the Rocky Point Bar with hats on and holding up empty bottles of Falstaff. The most abandoned places in Rhode Island include: Find out more about the most abandoned places in Rhode Island. I can also remember seeing Samantha Fox there back in 88 or 89, I wasnt a fan, I was just there.