Don Henley Said It Best..."Don't Look Back, You Can Never Look Back"

My first quarter at the U, my econ professor, Vrooman, explained the lyrics to Don Henley's song, The Boys Of Summer. I had never really thought about the lyrics. He told us that the song was about growing up and realizing things can never be the way they used to be. Today my family and I went to our local amusement park, Lagoon, and that song kept coming back to my mind.

The reason I kept thinking about that song was because of all the changes the place has endured since I last worked there. I worked at Lagoon for almost 10 years and before that, I went there almost every day of every summer growing up. When I say I knew the place, I really knew it, every imperfection in the pavement, every name of every ride, every game and the likelihood of success playing it.

Things have changed.

Here's where the east gate stood. That's going back decades.

They call this a shooting gallery? Come on! Where's the piano player? Where's the owl that bounces up and flaps its wings when the little red light on the rifle hits the target?

From this angle, all I can thing about is, "Get help quick! Bob's having a seizure!"

 

 

The shoe. Back in the day kids could climb all over it. I guess too many lawsuits--or potential lawsuits--ended that forever. This made me miss the Lion garbage can that actually sucked up the trash from your hand...ahead of it's time, if you ask me.

 

 

Remember "Yogi Bear-ing?" I know many of my friends do...an easy target here.

 

 

Pioneer Village had not one, but two steam-driven trains carting patrons here and there. Now there are none, and this engine's scenery.

Here's where the Miniature Golf course once was, and I remember both courses.

This one was tough. I was lucky enough to be a stuntman for 4 years in Pioneer Village. The shows were a blast and something I think the park could really use. They should bring back those shows. That's me in the black hat.

This was perhaps the saddest picture I took all day. I spent so many nights working at Music USA and now the theater is closed and silent as people walk by having no idea just how much fun we had at that show in that theater.

New rides have come and others have gone. We left an exhausted family. As we walked away tonight, I didn't look back.