Photo's taken in 2004
Music : Keep this forever / Mike Turcotte ( Copyright MTM 2024 )
From Wiki
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Rocky Point Park was an amusement park on the Narragansett Bay shore of Warwick, Rhode Island, United States. It operated from the late 1840s until it closed in 1995. In 1996, the park officially filed for bankruptcy.
History
Captain William Winslow conceived the idea for a family entertainment park in the 1840s. He had purchased land and began to offer amusements and serve dinner by 1847.
In July 1936, the salt-water swimming pool at the park hosted tryouts for the 1936 Summer Olympics.
1940s postcard
Rocky Point Park was one of the most popular attractions in Rhode Island from the 1950s through the mid-1990s. It featured rides such as the Skyliner, Corkscrew Loop Roller Coaster, Log Flume, and the Freefall, which fell 13 stories at 55 mph (89 km/h). It also featured the Shore Dinner Hall, known for its clam cakes, steamers, lobsters, and Rhode Island style clam chowder. It seated more than 4,000 patrons at a time.
Rocky Point also occasionally hosted concerts in its Palladium Ballroom. Musical artists who performed at the venue included:
The Yardbirds (1967)
Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin (1968)
Sly & The Family Stone (1969)
REO Speedwagon
AC/DC and Thin Lizzy (1978)
The Fixx (1983)
Blue Öyster Cult (1984)
Samantha Fox (1989)
Jane's Addiction (1991)
Pat Benatar (1991)
Ramones (1991)
Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam (1991)
Pixies (1991)
Siouxsie and the Banshees (1992)
Public Image Limited (1992)
Sonic Youth (1992)
"Weird Al" Yankovic (1992)
Dream Theater (1993)
Peter Frampton (1994)
Lush and Weezer (1994)
Scorpions (1994)
Roomful of Blues (the venue's final concert, 1994).[3][4][5][6]
Final years
Rocky Point's financial situation became shaky in the early 1990s. The company that owned the park began to lose money in its attempts to leverage Rocky Point Park to fund other ventures. Rocky Point closed in 1995, then reopened briefly in 1996 as a farewell to patrons. Rides were sold in an auction, such as the Flume and Corkscrew, and are now in use at other amusement parks. The Corkscrew was sold for $850,000 to Wild Waves Theme Park in Federal Way, Washington in 1997, where it was renamed the Wild Thing and remains in operation as of 2015.
Post-business era, vandalism
Remnants of the Skyliner ride, 2018
The Rocky Point land was purchased in 2003 for $8.5 million, and its main building called the "Big House" was attacked by vandals who lit it on fire on September 2, 2004.[citation needed]
Another fire started on October 16, 2006, at around 11 a.m., this time in an executive building on the waterfront. Police reported no injuries in either fire. It is unclear if this fire was caused by arson.
On May 7, 2007, demolition of the remaining midway began with a press conference at the park. A handful of stands and minor buildings had already been demolished.
