This is a little slice of nostalgia about my first visit to an amusement park. (It was published in our daily newspaper in its special section commemorating the 350th anniversary of the founding of Montreal.)
Back in the innocent fifties, in pre-La Ronde days, there was Belmont Park. Remember?
It’s 1951. You’re six years old, fidgeting with excitement as you ride the #17 streetcar with your parents. You’re crouched on your knees on the seat, staring out the window at the unfamiliar landscape whizzing by. You twist around to obey your father’s request to “sit properly,” and you notice the criss-cross pattern etched on your kneecaps by the hard basket-weave bench. “Cartierville!” bellows the conductor, as the streetcar reaches the end of the line.
Your parents lead you to the entrance gate. You barely glance at the “Admission: 35¢” sign; you are bedazzled by the din, the people, the gaiety, the laughter… the crazy laughter! Who is that?!
You enter the grounds, your father and mother clutching each of your sweaty little hands. You look about in awe; you can’t even see where it all ends, the crowds and colours seem to go on forever. Oh—now you see who is laughing so loudly: it is a woman, but not real, no, she is a huge sort of puppet, laughing uproariously, head bobbing, trying to catch her…breath?? The big sign under her, which you can read, says THE LAUGHING LADY. You walk on, her guffaws trailing after you.
The first edible treats you spy—and beg your father for—are those glistening honey donuts. Plump donut balls soaked in honey are served to you in a little cardboard carton, complete with toothpick. M-m-m-mm… bliss in a box.
As you meander through the maze of children, grown-ups, and various whirling contraptions called “rides,” you and your parents come upon Kiddieland. Your father joins the queue at the ticket wicket as you hop alongside, pleading, “Get lots of tickets, Daddy! I want to go on all the rides!” A big spender can buy long strips of tickets at once. Some “amusements” require only one ticket, others two or three. But you don’t have to worry about all that; your father will take care of it. The cost—15¢ per ticket.
You find the ponies, boats, train, bumper cars, and carousel rides thrilling—but wish they lasted a bit longer. Soon you’re ready for lunch. Your mother claims a shady picnic table, and lays out tuna sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs and celery sticks, along with thermos, grapes and purple plums. Your father supplements this simple fare with a treat from a concessionnaire: crispy golden patates frites, in the familiar cartons, topped with toothpicks.
Your stupendous day continues with more rides, and gritty pink puffs of cotton candy. Your father tries his luck at one of the midway booths. It costs him a dime for his vain attempt to win a panda bear for his precious daughter, but that’s okay—he seems to have fun trying.
The man with the broken front tooth guesses your weight wrong, so you win a kewpie doll. You love her! She looks so glamorous with her red lipstick and feathery plumes. True, her “skin” dents a little where you squeeze too hard, but you’ll just be more careful from now on. What does “kewpie” mean? Your parents don’t know.
The Haunted House is not really so scary, because your father insists on informing you that the skeletons are made of cardboard, and that the music comes from a record player. You’re actually more frightened on the short boat trip on the “Back River”—you prefer to have your feet on solid ground.
On the way home, the clickety-clack of the streetcar lulls you to sleep. Your merry-go-round dreams will fade in your memory, but never disappear.
In 1971, you return to Belmont Park with your own children. Somehow, the magic is tarnished. Your teeth hurt just looking at the honey donuts—now 75¢! Wasps plague you, litter is everywhere, and look! The park has shrunk! You can easily see the river which marks the northern boundary. You feel disillusioned.
It’s 1991. Your kids are grown. Belmont Park has vanished, a victim of condo-mania. You think back on that Cartierville amusement park of your childhood, the clamor, the enchantment, a wondrous place that stretched to the ends of the earth, the endlessness of your imagination. You prefer to remember it that way.
Belmont Park was before my time
But you paint a lovely picture. Now I feel like I have been there.
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I think it was still open when u arrived on these shores, Ev., but by then it was starting to get, well, tarnished. So no huge loss…
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very sweet tale, brings back so many memories. I forgot how much I loved the bumper cars and floating in the little boats.
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Thank u, and sweet of u to say that! My parents actually took my brother and me so often, the memories of the place will never fade for me. Such a simpler time, too…
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My Dad worked there in the 60s as an electrician!
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Hey! I was 9 in 1971! It didn’t look tarnished to ME! I had finally gotten up the nerve to ride the Cyclone, and I loved POP days, where you got a wrist band instead of tickets!
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Heh, well that’s the difference between 9 and er… much older than nine. 😉
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I have a similar story, only with a park called Kennywood. It even had an original laughing lady preserved outside of one of its oldest rides–a train that circled the park and traveled along a river (similarly marking the park’s boundary) in Pittsburgh.
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Was it an adult-size train, or for kiddies? We also had a small train that went around the perimeter! I forgot about that! I have a photo somewhere; must search! Did Kennywood succumb to condos too?
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Assuming you can find it, could you please post the picture of the train that went around the perimeter of Belmont Park.
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Sorry, I can’t find it.
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Aw, so sad that it’s gone, but even sadder that you were first disillusioned. What a wonderful description of the delights of childhood.
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Thank you so much! 🙂
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Thank you so much for sharing your memories of Belmont Park. I remember going there in the 1960s as a child and having the same sense of wonderment. I also can recall going on the children’s boat ride on the Back River. Wasn’t there a House of 1000 Mirrors and a Magic Carpet ride? And let’s not forget the Wild Mouse. 🙂
The last time I remember going was as a teenager when one of my high school friends had a summer job at the park. It was fun but just not quite the same thrill that I experienced as a child.
– David
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Yep, the House of Mirros plus the Magic Carpet ride, fun too – although not for my 6-year-old self in this piece. And re the Wild Mouse, I *never* went on that! The riders’ screams scared me!! 😀 Sad to see it go. And kinda sad to grow up, huh?
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Reblogged this on Crossed Eyes and Dotted Tees and commented:
It’s officially summer! This makes me think of my little piece about Belmont Park. Remember?
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