Overview

"Minneapolis roared into the 1920s as a major metropolis, but it lacked the kind of outdoor amusement facilities common elsewhere across the country. In 1925, Fred W. Pearce introduced the Twin Cities to his ""Picnic Wonderland."" Crowds eagerly poured onto the shores of Lake Minnetonka by the trolley load. Luckily, Excelsior Park survived the Great Depression and World War II on the strength of its celebrity acts. Changes in the forms of transportation, combined with innovations in the outdoor entertainment industry such as Disneyland and an aging infrastructure, eventually forced the park to close its gates."

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9781540217288

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Never being one to appreciate amusement parks when he was younger, Greg Van Gompel never was truly that interested in amusement parks until a friend of his asked him to join her for a weekend event with the National Amusement Park Historical Association (also known as NAPHA) back in 1988. He has been hooked on amusement parks ever since. In 1990, Van Gompel became legal counsel to NAPHA and for about six years was editor of its magazine publication, NAPHA News. Combining his thirst of knowledge for historical information with his passion for the amusement industry, Greg peruses postcard collections, the Internet, libraries, historical societies and industry publications to increase his knowledge on the amusement industry. He finds the topic of Excelsior Amusement Park and its owner, Fred Pearce, and his family intriguing and hopes you do as well.

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