Toys “R” Us Plotting A Come Back

With the holiday season not far away, Toys "R" Us is plotting a come back. What does that mean for Amazon?

The last time I checked, I haven't heard a Mom say, "honey, warm up the car, I'm off to Christmas shop on AMAZON."

What happened to the stores of our childhood, like Lechmere, Circuit City, Jordan Marsh and Filenes? What about Spags' in Metro West? Jordan's Furniture's Enchanted Village misses the old days so much, they sell the original Jordan Marsh blueberry muffins using the original recipe. Yes, they are awesome!

You can't argue that the convenience of Amazon is overwhelmingly, convenient. Our gift imagination is a swipe, and click away. We can be as creative as ever, without having to leave our couch. Add to that the speed of Amazon is so efficient, the time saved when shopping is incredibly valuable, and a little addicting.

So with undeniable success of Amazon, why is Toys "R" plotting a comeback, with the addition of 24 new brick and mortar stores? New management is deploying an air, land and sea strategy adding stores in airports, cruise ships and traditional shopping malls.

According to CNBC:

The expansion also will bring stores to airports and cruise lines as the company looks to keep up with the rise of travel retail. The first-of-its-kind store at the Dallas airport, in a partnership with Duty Free Americas, will allow customers to shop for their favorite toys and regional merchandise before hopping on a flight, and the company also plans to offer a range of toys and cruise-themed merchandise for that industry.

So it seems the company is going where the people already are: airports and cruise ships. What do millions of people do during the holidays? FLY HOME and travel. I predict ALOT of nieces, nephews and grandkids are going to be very happy, soon.

You can hear Jaybeau each weekday afternoon from 2pm to 7pm on 1057 WROR, 80's and More!

From the people, (me) that brought you Massachusetts Lost Amusement Parks, we now bring you Lost Amusement Parks Of New England! 

Last January, when I read the news of Disney World rebranding Splash Mountain, I became nostalgic for the good ole days of our childhood in New England. 

Growing up in Wista, that’s Worcester for those who are not from here, we were a Nantasket Beach family. Once the decision was made to head to Nantasket was made, the day before, the Dad beach machinery kicked in:

Giant cooler, check

Ice, check

Subs, check

Drinks, (All sugar) check

Fruit, check

Mom, would handle the kids items, sun screen, and first aid stuff.

I remember starting the process to prep my Dad and Mom to take us to Paragon Park after the beach. But as I discovered in later years, we were a bit too young to mingle with the grown up kids at Paragon.

In searching, I couldn’t believe that I found a list of 43 different amusement parks that were once operating in Massachusetts! Yes, there were 43 different local versions of Walt Disney type imagineers, bringing joy to Massachusetts families since the late 1800’s!

Does Pleasure Island in Wakefield ring a bell? How about White City in Worcester? Not to mention Whalom Park in Fitchburg, and of course the lake in Webster with the very long name of Lake Chaubunagungamaug.

With Massachusetts having that many, I got to thinking: there must be MORE abandoned amusement parks. One area I didn't look into was NORTH. We've all heard of Hampton and Old Orchard Beach, and of course, Lake Winnipesaukee. New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine MUST be gold mines of our childhood past.

So, let's hop on our train to the past, and find those Lost Amusement Parks Of New England! 

Source from Abandoned Amusement Parks. 

Auto Rest Park reportedly operated from 1920 to 1959. It had a ballroom for bands, and lots of rides. It was the only legal zoo in Maine! It had a wild animal show! What happened?

In 1875, the Driving Park in Keene boasted one of the biggest fireworks displays in New Hampshire, viewed by over 7000 people. It was one of the first pyrotechnic displays around here!

Developed in 1890 by a guy named H.W. Burgett. His park had a two story casino and a large banquet hall. This place had everything! A bandstand, carousel, penny arcade, shooting gallery, bear pits, fenced in baseball and other athletic fields, lawn tennis courts and a track for bicycle races. Add to that, vaudeville type shows were presented in a 1,500 seat open air amphitheater, and the dance hall decorated with long wall mirrors. It lasted into the 1920's.

Open from 1893 to 1925. Folks would ride the trolley for 25 cents to go swimming, dancing, boating, and ya ready? How about a steamboat ride on the Contoocook River! Today, the river is open to fisherman. But no more park.

This one, we have heard of. I remember it being called "Benson's WILD Animal Farm." Believe it or not, an original incarnation began in 1926 and actually had wild animal acts, like  a circus. But after getting lots of money infused, it still didn't work. In 1987 the name was changed to New England Playworld, but closed shortly after.

A railroad guy had the idea to have a summer resort just under the summit of 3,764 foot Glastonbury, Mountain. He wanted to use his trains to take people there. According to Abandoned Amusement Parks website: a steam power plant was built with two 90 horse power generators, located in Woodford. A casino was built about 4 miles out of Bennington. William M. Freeman put up the wires, and support system. All this was done between May 1895 and July 24 when the first trolley car arrived at Camp Comfort.

This reportedly started 1908 and closed in 1961 after a bad fire.

The website says: "The Ingersoll Amusement Company of Pittsburg, Pennsylvania built and operated a 'figure 8' roller coaster." This place had all the makings of a fun carnival.
Add to that, a restaurant, bath-house, bowling alleys and the main pavilion containing a dance hall, a skating rink and a boathouse were all part of Pine Island!

1906 to 1927

It seems that many of these parks were offshoots of railroads. Most likely because not everyone had a car in 1906. Penobscot Park was created by the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad. This park had a lot to look forward too. It had a dance pavilion, merry-go-round and restaurant. Dinner, was 50 cents.

After World War II Peaks Island was taken over by the U.S. Army as a coastal defense installation!

According to the Abandoned Amusement Parks website: the most populated island in the bay, Peaks Island became a popular summer resort in the late 1800's, with numerous hotels, theaters and amusement parks.

Starting in 1892, this park lasted into the 1940's according to reports! It had merry-go-rounds, beautiful piers, dance pavilions. At night it had state of the art lighting for the times and featured popular bands.

According to the Abandoned Amusement Parks website: "By the 1940's,millions visited the Maine resort each summer enjoying a 'Down East Coney Island atmosphere."