originally posted on 4/2/2021 2:07:54 PM
Photo: Bobby Nagy. View full-sized image.
Coaster fans always mourn the loss of an amusement park. Like a piece of art, whatever might replace it can never feel the same.
The March 23 auction of Clementon Park (Clementon, New Jersey) had many locals speculating. There was buzz of some parties interested in buying the park as a whole, but more than 200 people registered to make bids on parts and pieces.
A few hours transpired with things being sold piecemeal. Reports stated that the Hellcat wooden roller coaster went for $7,500. Other rides and waterslides went. It was an auction process that went on for hours.
Photo: Michael Horwood. View full-sized image.
[View this report from New Jersey here: https://bronx.news12.com/mystery-bidder-saves-iconic-new-jersey-amusement-park-with-bid-of-2-3-million]
But just when any hopes of the park itself being saved seemed hopeless, a few hours into the procedure, a sole-owner bidder stepped in. The price? $2.3 million. This bidder took everything.
This seemed like good news. But was the sole bidder interested in keeping the park as a park? The answer was yes, and it was a bidder whom ACEers are getting to know.
This scenario played out in 2020. Even with a global health crisis, the storied tale of Indiana Beach still made headlines. But a family man fond of classic family parks couldn’t stand to see that park sold off and closed forever. Having visited it with his family in years past, Gene Staples stepped up and rescued Indiana Beach. COVID-19 or not, Staples and his team got the Monticello, Indiana, park up and running last summer.
And now he is at it again.
It was indeed Staples and his team who stepped up to rescue Clementon Park. Apex had let Indiana Beach go. Clementon Park’s former owner was Premier Parks. In both cases, Staples served as an amusement industry superhero.
Photo: Jason Wollenberg. View full-sized image.
“We are BEYOND excited with today’s announcement. It’s a great day for Americana,“ Indiana Beach’s Tom Crisi told ACE News, once the announcement went public.
In a simple statement released March 25, Staples remarked: “We were successful in reviving Indiana Beach in 2020. This amazing opportunity for Clementon was brought to our attention in late February. Our goal now is to use what we learned at Indiana Beach and bring that knowledge to relaunching Clementon Park.”
Local ACEers who have observed the storied 117-year-old park through its revolving door of owners and management know challenges remain ahead. However, someone with the right vision and the right passion could be the person to turn the park around. At first glance, Staples and his team might be just the right fit.
— Tim Baldwin, ACE News Editor
Gene Staples (right) stepped up in 2020 to help save Indiana Beach. View full-sized image.
Photos: Jeffrey Seifert and Don Hurd. View full-sized image.
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