(39) On the bay side of Beach Street is the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, At age forty-two Swanton was a millionaire, opening his Neptune Casino βwith a.
Santa. Cruz's. lost. architecture. One of the main features of the available Hotel (), the first Santa Cruz High School (), and Neptune Casino, built by.
Friday at the historic Lorenzo Theater at Hesperian Blvd. The cars wound through darkened passageways punctuated by weird noises, rascals and other apparitions meant to frighten the riders. The new Casino and Natatorium opened on June 22, After a bankruptcy in and subsequent takeover by private financiers, the boardwalk mostly prospered, its evolution often mirroring that of the country. They are not alone in counting summer days at the boardwalk among their memories. More in News. Judy and Bob, who met as San Jose high school students in , courted for five years before marrying. Generations of visitors, more than half from the greater Bay Area, simply keep coming back. By Jeff Thomas Mercury News. The nightly act involved a guy who donned several layers of thick clothing, wrapped towels around his head and was doused in gasoline and lit on fire. Its most dramatic act was part of its heavily advertised water carnival. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.{/INSERTKEYS}{/PARAGRAPH} We called it the Tunnel of Love β all of our friends did. Judy Lyon remembers fondly, if a bit sheepishly, the haunted house ride, then called Pirates Cove. Report an error Policies and Standards Contact Us. Alameda County Fire Department crews are at the scene of a fire that started about p. Emeryville police announced temporary road closures in effect for Friday night "to deter criminal activity. It was the site of state beauty pageants, and business and fraternal conventions. It burned to the ground 22 months later, but Swanton immediately rebuilt in an even more grandiose fashion, constructing a larger casino and adding a ballroom, an indoor swimming area called the Plunge β featuring heated sea water β and, of course, a boardwalk. The balance of old and new is a constant concern, said Kris Reyes, community relations director for the Seaside Co. But the new rarely forced out the old, a strategy that makes the boardwalk stand out from, say, a bigger park such as Great America. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! In fact, a new hotel is in the planning stages for across Beach Street from the Casino. It is the most popular ride at the boardwalk. Such intentions were lost on some, however. In , that meant a carousel handcarved by Charles I. {PARAGRAPH}{INSERTKEYS}There are perfectly logical reasons why the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is thriving while similar seaside parks across the country are dying. Through it all, the private firm running the boardwalk, the Santa Cruz Seaside Co. Contact Jeff Thomas at jthomas mercurynews. Other boardwalks have closed β the most recent last year in Myrtle Beach, S. As technology improved and other amusement parks offered faster, taller and more stomach-challenging rides, the boardwalk did the same, adding a high-tech roller coaster β the Hurricane β in , and the foot Double Shot in , among many others. Technically, the park could be celebrating its rd birthday this year.