Book recounts fun at Great Adventure
BY LAUREN CIRAULO Staff Writer
Harry Applegate and Thomas Benton are not your average theme park thrill-seekers. The pair, who share a mutual love of Six Flags Great Adventure, have not only been avid visitors over the 35 years since the amusement park opened on Route 537 in Jackson Township, they have translated that passion into a photograph based historical website, and most recently, a book of similar format.

Clockwise from top: The Big Balloon served as backdrop for the models of castles in the Garden of Marvels. The best way to get from one side of the park to the other was to take the Skyride, which was originally located at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair and was moved to Great Adventure. Rolling Thunder trains raced one another throughout the course of the ride, passing each other several times before racing side by side back into the station. For 1984, one side had the trains run backward to celebrate 100 years of roller coasters.

"Images of America: Six Flags Great Adventure" is a compilation of vintage photographs provided by the authors, park archives and members of the duo's website, greatadventurehistory.com. The book, published by Arcadia Publishing, also provides a comprehensive history of the New Jersey theme park to accompany the pictures.

"We had a great foundation with the website when we decided to start the book," said Applegate, a Sayreville resident and computer scientist in the logistics department of BASF Corp. "We found that there were only five pamphlet-type books about the park that existed, and thought that we should put out something substantial for its 35th anniversary."

Applegate and Benton started working on the book in February, hoping to have it out on store bookshelves before the end of the theme park's season. That same month, they presented the idea to Arcadia, and it was quickly picked up.

"They were very welcoming about the idea. Nothing had really been done like this. It's brought back a lot of information. People like to reminisce," Applegate said.

From there, the two men faced the daunting task of sorting through thousands of pictures they acquired from the website and their own collections. However, Applegate said they found there were still voids within their photographic anthology, and contacted the publicity department of Six Flags Great Adventure in order fill in the gaps and obtain a more detailed history of the park.

"Harry and Tom already host a history website that is extremely accurate, so they actually didn't need much from us," said Six Flags Great Adventure publicist Angel Aristone. "We gave them access to our entire photo catalog, and the archives were also used for fact checking. They would spend hours scanning in slides and going through old park fact sheets and press releases."

According to Aristone, who praised Applegate and Benton for their professionalism and work ethic, all photos and promotional and marketing materials are archived in the theme park's marketing office. Photo slides, press releases, brochures and park maps also contributed to "putting all the pieces of the puzzle together," Applegate said.

"Our biggest problem was picking and choosing the photos that would go in the book," he said. "We had thousands upon thousands of pictures and maps and fliers. It's a good problem to have, but it made the selection process difficult."

Top: The Wild Safari Animal Park, where carloads of families went on safari without leaving their car, was a popular feature. The baboons often decided to ride on the car hoods and roofs, trying to remove chrome and windshield wipers. Right: The Six Flags Hurricane Harbor water park was added for the 2000 season.

Benton said the book encompasses photographs from as early as 1974 to as recent as the winter of 2008.

"We wanted to get the latest pictures of the park into the book and to have it be as up-to-the-minute as possible," said Benton, a Thompson Reuters employee and Ewing resident.

The book even includes photographs of recent restoration projects on the Big Wheel and the carousel, which is the oldest ride in the park, he noted.

"It's really amazing to see the changes over the years. To think, the biggest roller coaster for a very long time was Rolling Thunder," Benton said. "It's exciting to see the rides get bigger and bigger over the years."

Both Benton and Applegate cite the Sky Ride as their favorite at Six Flags Great Adventure, due to its unique dual cable construction and historical value as part of the 1964 New York World's Fair. Benton even purchased an original Sky Ride car on eBay.

"It's a conversation piece," he explained. "I keep it in the backyard."

Benton and Applegate are obvious longtime fans of the theme park. Applegate started going to Great Adventure at the age of 7 when it opened in 1974 and has been a season pass holder for 31 consecutive years. He worked as a ride operator at Great Adventure in 1985 and 1986.

Benton, also a veteran season pass holder, grew up in Brick Township and began visiting the park in 1979 at the age of 10. He worked several jobs at the amusement park from 1985-91, including a stint as a sand artist and as cartoon character Bugs Bunny.

Portraying the character, Benton had the opportunity to participate in a New York City publicity tour, where he met Diane Sawyer and Joan Rivers.

"Six Flags Great Adventure has always meant so much to me. Each season has brought new things," Applegate said. "You can never be sure what's ahead for the next season, but it's always exciting."

"Images of America: Six Flags Great Adventure" officially hit retail outlets on Aug. 31. Aristone said the book will also be available for sale in the theme park's shops.

"I think guests will find it interesting which attractions have been here since the park's opening day back in 1974," Aristone said. "It adds a story to what they are experiencing in the park."

So far, reactions to the book have been positive.

"I think the best reactions so far are from those employees who have worked here since the park opened," Aristone said. "As they're scanning through the book, you hear 'Oh, I remember that!' "

"Images of America: Six Flags Great Adventure" is available at local retailers, at online bookstores, and through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or by calling 888-313-2665.