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06/27/2007: Summer Megaparty: Wildwood's Dinosaur Beach!

Longtime readers know of my love affair with Wildwood, New Jersey. Everything about that place warms me, but people don't go to Wildwood for anything other than its famous 2.5 mile long boardwalk, home to hundreds of shops, arcades, carnival games and rides. Realizing that those unfamilar will have a hard time envisioning what I'm about to describe, I drew up a handy diagram:

Speaking generally, the long boardwalk is where all of the games, restaurants and arcades are. If you're looking for 99 cent stores or an Orange Julius, that's where you go. The piers are where the rides are kept, and most of the piers run by different companies, each with different rides and a distinct flavor. Some of the piers have had different owners through the years, each bringing new ideas and visions for what Jersey shore vacationers would be willing to blow money on. Over the course of the last half of a century, this setup has meant that Wildwood has cycled through hundreds upon hundreds of rides — probably ten times as many as Disney World has ever hosted.

Trying to sum up decades of history as quickly as I can, a company purchased a flailing pier in the 1990s, hoping to reinvent it and reinvigorate profits. Up until that point, the boardwalk's piers were just areas with random rides that didn't fall under any set "theme." This particular mystery company had something different in mind. Riding the popularity wave of hot dinosaur action set by Jurassic Park and its sequel, a new pier sprung from the abyss and promised to put thrill-seekers face to face with terra cotta dinosaur statues.

Yes, in 1996, the doors opened to Wildwood's newest pier…Dinosaur Beach! The pier only lasted for two years and never managed to become much more than a point-and-laugh-at business venture, but as an eternal dinosaur lover, I was down to party.

There were very few new rides at Dinosaur Beach. Instead, they just kept whatever was leftover by the pier's previous owners and refurbished existing attractions with a dinosaur theme. Since we Wildwood fans are mostly purists who hate seeing the town evolve, I was happy to see some of the rides of my childhood get a second shot at the spotlight.

The "Long Neck Log Flume" and "Raptor Rapids" had each existed at the pier for over a decade prior to Dinosaur Beach's debut. All the new company did was fix the leaks, paint the walls and add prehistoric-looking foliage. This may seem cheap, but it had its appeal. Like when your family paints over its hideous '80s wallpaper — you're happy that they finally got around to doing that, but you're also happy that you can feel the floral wallpaper print beneath those fresh coats of burnt sienna. Not the kind of analogy that I'd seek a trophy for, but I hope it makes sense.

"Raptor Rapids" was originally known as "Rampaging Rapids." That ride opened in 1985, tucked away at the far end of the pier, almost over the ocean. It was probably the first real water ride I ever went on. Changing time and time again as new owners took control of the pier, the Dinosaur Beach version added a bunch of raptor statues that threatened to bite any rafters stupid enough to drift too close.

The final ride pictured above was one of Dinosaur Beach's only truly custom experiences. "Escape From Dinosaur Beach" was a dark ride in which passengers rode in little safari jeeps through parts unknown, fending off gigantic audio-animatronic dinosaurs along the way. Strangely, the ride looked pretty lame from the outside; you'd never know just how nuts it was inside from looking at the ride facade. Ride facades = the ride "fronts" that you see when deciding which one to spend tickets on. Facades were beyond important in Wildwood, and with something better than a couple of steel walls and signage, maybe "Escape From Dinosaur Beach" could've helped the burgeoning pier survive for longer than thirty-three hours.

Dinosaur Beach didn't have many rides compared to the more popular boardwalk piers, and of those I'm not mentioning, most were just regular fare not at all relating to dinosaurs. And not very good ones, for the most part. As cool as I'm finding the dino theme in retrospect, it was far from a grace during the pier's heyday. Older riders wrote it off as a kids-only park, but many kids were scared off by the thought of giant dinosaurs attacking the merry-go-round. Fortunately for the mystery owners of Dinosaur Beach, they had a little ace in their pocket called "The Golden Nugget."

(side view) - (from a mile away view)
The Golden Nugget has a rich history on the Wildwood boardwalk. It was built in the 1960s and survived several different owners to become one of Wildwood's most cherished attractions. Growing up, it was always the first ride on my list, and was usually the only ride I went on more than once during a trip. Kind of a mix between a roller coaster and a dark ride, you'd sit in tiny carts that zipped through caves filled with spooky animatronics (mangy gold diggers, skeletons and the like), with special bonuses like a spinning crystal cavern that made passengers feel like they were riding upside-down. It was basically a combination of sights, props and tricks from every dark ride you've ever been on, put to an old Western theme.

Best of all was a sequence where your cart rolled around a little track on top of the Nugget, offering breathtaking views of the boardwalk at large from the most desolate, quietest spot possible. My friends and I once vowed to break in at night and sleep up there. Never got around to it, but I guess we still could: The Golden Nugget still stands today, in the same exact spot. It's not active and probably needs a lot of work to get that way, but Wildwood purists aren't giving up hope that somehow, someway…the Nugget will ride once more.

When Dinosaur Beach opened, the Golden Nugget remained one of the pier's top rides…only now, dinosaur props had replaced some of the ride's visuals. Where strange statues of miners chipping away at fake rocks once stood, now passengers got to snap photos of nondescript upright dinosaurs who squawked like crows. Though much of the Nugget's original innards remained intact, longtime fans of the ride took a figurative shit on all the changes Dinosaur Beach implemented. To be honest, it never really bothered me. Adding raptors and tiny Triceratopsesesess to a display of old Western skeletons playing the piano is the kind of insane dichotomy that makes me tick.

So what happened to Dinosaur Beach? It's currently owned by the Morey's company folks, who nearly have a monopoly on Wildwood amusement rides these days. They haven't done much with the pier in recent years — it's mainly there for storage space, save for a few go-kart tracks, and the aforementioned standing-but-dead Golden Nugget ride.

Dinosaur Beach opened almost in sync with The Lost World's theater debut. But fads that come from movies are short-lived, and by 1998, dinosaurs were far from the cultural icons they had been even just a year prior. With a dead theme, not enough rides and severe money troubles, Dinosaur Beach closed up shop forever, living on only in small online tributes and the occasional search through archive.org for remnants of its 1997 website.

Wildwood's ride history is pretty fascinating, and if you're interested in learning more about its fallen fun times, I suggest checking out Mr. Boardwalk and Fun Chase, mainly because I stole a few images from them to make this post.

Might seem like a weird thing to write about, but as this site is mainly a collection of the pieces of me, I put it up proudly and buy Ashlee Simpson's #1 hit from iTunes without a trace of irony.

some reason I thought that diagram was a chart about your web server.
And the ocean.

I always thought the cars on the Gold Nugget were so much bigger when I was little. I see the photos now and it's like "Whoa those are tiny." Great piece.

Watching cnn right now for some reasons…there are power outages in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Godspeed on this dreadfully hot day.

My only experience with the Jersey shore was Asbury Park in 1995. It was very dead, but it showed signs of once being something very cool. And it has good music.

I'll have to make it a point to check out Wildwood sometime and reenact the classic Bulbasaur hunt.

Anybody ever go to Delaware beaches? Rehoboth has a pretty sweet (I think) haunted house. Being use to that size boardwalk, the Jersey Shore always seems like a lot of work to completly appreciate.
But I do love some Jilly's fries.

Matt tried to warn Jersey. He knew what had burst forth from under the sand. But no one wanted to listen. But he had to try to save as many as he could. Can a Web Master, a handful of loyal Internet Surfers, and the contents of a closed-down souvenir shop halt the invasion from millions of years ago and hundreds of feet below…. DINOSAUR BEACH?

Man, you need to get on Flickr and join the Tourist Trap group. I only have a few pictures up there from Chocolate World, but you would own that group with all of the pictures you've collected over the years.

I never been to the Jersey shore or Jersey, but I would have love to have gone to Dino Beach. I love those little amusement parks that had little customers, little to offer, but they had a lot of charm.

The Golden Nugget was my favorite thing of all time ever. I'm headed to Wildwood this weekend and a reminder that it isn't there anymore just bummed my mood a little.

kingklash: Awesome. I call dibs on Corey Haim playing me. Somebody else can have that hack Feldman.

Jedoc- Corey Feldman is the cornerstone of my childhood. I heart him. Just think, man- Goonies, Gremlins, Ninja Turtles, Stand By Me, The Burbs- he was in ALL of them.

Mystie- I am a scrapbook addict. It is awesome. It makes me feel like a loser sometimes, until the scrapbooks are actually done and then all my friends are jealous. Ha!

What is this, I leave the office for a week and beach party breaks out. I have spent the better part of the day catching up. Good stuff Matt! I love all the quirks and I admit to at least 1/3 of them. I also loved the gum article, the watermellon has always been my fav because it is MELLOW. Anyway, I feel after reading this entry, that my life will never be complete unless I visit the NJ shoreline. I have been to Disney multiple times but I feel as if I am missing something in not ridding the golden nugget.

Defunct theme parks are one of the saddest images to me. Creepy too.
I have to share something with some of you who are SNL fans. I started my new job waiting tables today. The person I was working alongside asked me to follow and fill water while they served the plates. So I get to the table, pick up and fill the water glass and there's Al frickin Franken. His meal gets set down and my coworker says, "There's your bacon Franken" Apparently he is a regular. I can only hope one day he brings in Dana Carvey or Jon Lovitz.
Oh and beyond that, my new job rules all.

kb - Not to mention that you now have the quintessential struggling-writer job. Congratulations!

Is it just me, Matt, or does it seem as though your blog articles about failed themeparks are always the longest?

Oh, to touch on a subject brought up in the last thread — yes, let's do a Summer Jukebox! Suggestions welcome.

The guy who played Chunk in Goonies can play me. Let's get this casting show on the road, peoples.

I honestly think Matt could cull a fistful of articles and blog entries into a beautiful coffee table book about Wildwood, Seaside Heights, and other great resort towns/amusement parks of the Promised Land.

Yes, yes, and yes. I'd post some Ataris lyrics, but I've only posted that same set about 5 times already. Absolutely love stuff like this.

If You Really Want to Hear About It…–The Ataris
The Other Side of Summer–Elvis Costello
Walking on the Sun–Smash Mouth
Pacific Coast Party–Smash Mouth
Four–Lit

The B-52s - Rock Lobster
Jimmy Buffett - Margaritaville
The Decemberists - Summersong
The Drifters - Under the Boardwalk
The Lovin' Spoonful - Summer in the City
The Surfaris - Wipeout
War - Low Rider
Beach Boys - Any. Hell, any three.
Jedoc and the Sea Dogs - It's Too Damn Hot, Bring on Halloween

Matt, I grew up going to Wildwood (which is how I found X-E and why I am life long fan)but for some reason I have early memories of the covered area from the boardwalk and some skeletons with cowboy hats on. I think they were by a train or something.

Seeing an abandoned old theme park is like seeing an Atari 2600 or Colecovison in a trash heap. T_T When Great America got rid of the Tidal Wave (renamed the Grased Lightning before it died, UGH), I wanted to kill someone.

This place sounds like a good place for a Scooby-Doo mystery…hopefully there are no psychotic, old men who are experts at rigging costumes on the premises.

I'm still not over the day my mom told me I was too old to ride the 25cent horse outside of the supermarket…:*(

Girl All the Bad Guys Want–Bowling for Soup
Surf Colorado–Bowling for Soup
All the Time in Sunny Beach–Mad Capsule Markets
Last Ride In–Green Day. Instrumental. Very Chill. if you haven't hear it, make it a point to.

It's called Age Six Racer, Muppet Baby, but yes w/o a doubt. I should be shot for not thinking of those.

Matt: I seriously think that one of the Megaparty articles should be you and your friends trying to sneak in and sleep on the top of the Golden Nugget. Heck, that'd make a full article all by itself. As for the X-E movie, I'd like to play myself. Though if that's not possible, I'd like to be played by the guy that plays Silent Bob.

On a different, conversation-derailmenting note, I graduated today! I now have an Advanced Diploma in Computer Programming & Analysis from Seneca College. You may begin congratulations.

This reminded me of Cedar Point in Ohio for some reason…I really need to get back there. I guess it reminded me of the old wooden coaster there, the one with the most history that no one rides - wish I could remember the name….

I've collected around 25 songs so far, including many that were suggested. Trying to steer clear of anything too current.

'grats, Doc, 'grats. But, um, if you really don't know his name is Kevin Smith, you are in serious trouble as a human being.

Kevin Smith is one of the many reasons that Jersey is the promised land, one of the BIGGEST in fact. In fact, I'd go so far as to say the top 3 are:

Ooh, jukebox. I have a much more autumn/winter-centric music collection, but there's a few songs that might fit.

I also second Jedoc's suggestion of 'Rock Lobster'. Great song. Strange bit of trivia I learned yesterday, John Lennon said that Rock Lobster inspired him to make the Double Fantasy album after a five-year musical hiatus. Weird.

Oh, and Raining Blood by Slayer. Not a summer song, per se, but I always try to sneak it in to every playlist. Hell, it's on the playlist at my wedding reception. My bride's family is going to love that one.

Shuanfu- I'm guessing you're referring to the Blue Streak. There's also the Gemini and the Mine Ride, but both of those still seem pretty popular.

other reasons Jersey is the promised land: the Monopoly board game and the shitty game room

I'm walkin on sunshine woaaaaah…i'm walkin on sunshine woaaaah
and don't it feel good!

Just tracked down Vitamin C's "Vacation" from the Pokemon movie soundtrack. This is going to be the lamest juke ever.

Best wooden roller coaster? "The Grizzly" at Kings Dominion. I swear to you it jumps the tracks at certain part everytime and you know for sure you'll be hitting the ground soon.
Sounds like your Golden Nugget compares(d) to the Haunted Mountain,with creepy(as in really weird)animatronics through out the thing to til you about lean over and out when you crash into the water. Good times. Damn shame what happened to the place once Paramount took it over. I just cannot accept change.

BTW,"Summer Breeze" by Seals and Croft,sounds so freakin odd with the Indian instruments they use,yet it is the ultimate summer jam for me.

Wildwood posts are some of my fav all-time XE posts. Just wouldn't be summer without them.

phunqsauce: A true classic. I started reading through the archives again this morning. It's hard to believe those were written seven years ago. Except the eBay ones. That place used to rock. Oh, what a time to be alive.

I lived in Wildwood until about a year and a half ago, and some of my family is still down there (including a sister and her son who now lives in North Wildwood, near Morey's). While I don't miss being an actual resident of Wildwood (everything was expensive, nothing to do in the winter, drunk tourists having noisy fights in front of my apartment in the summer, a neglectful landlady, apartment was in rotten shape), I do occasionally miss being near the boardwalk. It was kind of fun to know all I had to do to amuse myself from Easter to mid-October was walk two blocks from my place and bring a lot of quarters.

Like many of you in the Mid-Atlantic area, I grew up going to Wildwood, and I do fondly recall both Hunt's Pier (Dinosaur Beach's original name) and the Golden Nugget. I think the last time I went on it was 1990, just a few years prior to its dino-makeover. I remember it scared my little sister to death and she never wanted to ride again (and this is the kid who a decade later practically lived in Count Dracula's Castle before it burned down and now lives just a few blocks from Hunt's/Dinosaur's).

I have fewer memories of the Dinosaur Beach redo. My little brother was born around that time and, coupled with a move to North Cape May, my folks were feeling the cash squeeze. In fact, I wouldn't really do the Wildwood boardwalk again until I moved there. The only thing I ever saw of Dinosaur Beach was commercials (also recall hearing the radio promotions all over the place).

Fourth of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) - Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band
The Tide Is High - Blondie
Red Rubber Ball - The Cyrkle
The Door Into Summer - The Monkees
Down In The Boondocks - Billy Joe Royal
Summertime - Janis Joplin
A Summer Song - Chad and Jeremy

Every time I think about South Jersey in the summertime I think of the McDonalds Happy meal commercial from '88 with the song "Summertime summertime, sum sum summertime…….at McDonalds." I think they were giving away sandcastle buckets or something.

I am quite jealous of all you east coast folk. I have never been to a "real" boardwalk.

The Sandlot soundtrack
America the Beautiful- Ray Charles
Endless Summer- Aquamarines or someone
anything with steel drums
Summer in the City
Alice Cooper or Megadeth's cover- School's out
Hot fun in the Summer- Sly and the family stone
Beach Baby- First Class
Spill the Wine- War
Dance the Night Away-Van Halen (not Van Haggar)
California Girls- David Lee Roth
Don't Worry Baby- Beach Boys
Happy Together- The Turtles (Ernest Goes to Camp)
Summer Lovin'- Grease

Here's another I would proudly(and sadly)sing drunk to at a Karoke Bar…Wipeout by the Fat Boys.

Thanks Jeff Mack! I knew I couldn't be the onl;y closeted soft music lover. And yes,that is pathetic.LOL!

mungo jerry - in the summertime
bryan adams - summer of '69
blue cheer - summertime blues
the violators - summer of '81
seals and crofts - summer breeze

K- Age Six Racer? Really? Huh. Thanks! I always hate not knowing real titles. That's what the mp3 I downloaded was labled as. I love that song.

English Summer Rain- Placebo
Summer Sunshine - The Corrs
Summertime- Sublime
Six Pack Summer - Phil Vasser
Seasons in the Sun - Terry Jacks
Summer - Modest Mouse
Summertime in the Void - I Mother Earth
Upside Down - Jack Johnson
Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads (featured at the end of 'Little Monsters' when they're on the beach…I'm a strange one, I know!)

the flirts - on the beach
mr t. experience - adjective
jimmy buffet - margaritaville
john fogerty - centerfield
dire straits - sultans of swing
dj jazzy jeff and the fresh prince - summertime

Hello everyone! Great post, Matt! The idea of a Summer Jukebox crossed my mind not long ago. I guess it just makes sense. I love how every other person recommends at least one Beach Boys' song. They're my favorite band! I could almost recommend the entirety of their new "Warmth of the Sun" album. That one has some new stereo mixes. I'll post again later with a list of jukebox recommendations.

Louder Now was the soundtrack to Summer06 for me. It sucked. Why do I still have the album, you ask? Well, albums that soundtrack a good time are time capsule albums, alternately, albums that soundtrack a bad time are Ghost Traps. Kinda want to hold onto them so no one can break them (out) and release bad demons

K- I think I understand how you feel somewhat. Last summer was pretty lousy for me too. I just left university the previous winter, I worked at McDonald's, it was pretty lousy for the most part. Ironically enough, the previous summer was great, cause I got to go on an awesome road trip. Maybe I'll take a trip this year, so there'll be something good to remember. Anyway, I promise I'll post my jukebox recommendations. Being the Beach Boys' (and presumably oldies) expert in this crowd, I have a ton of albums to sift through for material, both original and compliation. I'll try to find stuff that's recognizable, but also some lesser-known stuff I think you'll like.

Matt, do you remember some sort of Arcade Museum on the boardwalk? I'm pretty sure it was in Wildwood, but it could have been Seaside Heights.

Anyway, the place charged you like 10 bucks, gave you a bracelet, and turned you loose on a huge arcade with games from the 90's like streetfighter all the way down to the SUPER old stuff; games from the 60's that were more like shooting galleries than "video" games. All you had to do was find something you wanted to play, then there would usually be a jury-rigged doorbell button wired into the quarter slot that youd press as many times as you wanted credits. It was fucking outrageous.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about here? I remember findingit one time during a vacation and blowing 4 days straight there. I go to the NJ shore at least once a summer, but I never found it again. Sometimes I think I stumbled into Narnia, or that Magic Shop from those old Bruce Coville books. Those were kickass too…

*Long Hot Summer Night - Jimi Hendrix Experinece
*Summerbaby - Polaris (Probably obscure…"Pete's Favorite Song" from the Adventures of Pete and Pete)
*Summertime from "Porgy and Bess" (hey, why not)

The Golden Nugget sounds a bit similar to the Mine Ride at Knott's Berry Farm in California. Especially the part with the cart temporarily going outside for a bit (okay, in this case, it just runs along the facade rather than the roof, but it's kinda the same thing). Disneyland and Universal Studios are really eating up the competition from Knott's; hope it doesn't become the world's largest abandoned amusement park. (More places for Scooby and Shaggy to get lost in!)

As for music, how could anyone forget Dancing in the Street by Martha and the Vandellas? (It doesn't matter what you wear, just as long as you are there; sounds like a good slogan for the X-E blog) And, since things are apparently getting warm in Matt's native NYC, Heat Wave. Also some of the other stuff in the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack besides Somebody's Baby and We Got the Beat (heard that one too much).

And that 80's song "Cool it Now" by… someone who I don't know at the moment. That needs to be up on there as well

WOw, these are some great posts. Looks like everybody got a degree, a job, a brush with celebrity, and the whole town of Bedford Falls saved the local savings and loan.
Great mini-article. I have never been to Wildwood (or New Jersey for that matter) but I still enjoy the articles.

Jukebox-"Tahitian Moon" by Porno for Pyros (my summer jam), anything from "The Chronic", and the "Summertime" song by the Fresh Prince/Will Smith.

The Grip, New Edition sang "Cool it Now". I don't know why I care but click my name.

You know, Matt- whenever you write about things like this, you get me to care about things that I've never experienced.

As for summer jukebox- I agree with the Polaris recommendations (even though the record is more "fall" overall to me), but you've got to have "Saturnine"! Also, all the oldies suggestions are great. If I may add one (current- 2001) one, I'd suggest "Under the Sun" by Sugar Ray. (A lot of their songs make me think of summer, but this one would be good.)

Only one band that everyone else (fairly unanimously) thinks is shitty for me. Any Smash Mouth song sounds like summer to me. I've already shared my World-Tiki-Party fantasy. Their first 4 albums are solid GOLD and then they jumped the shark. A Christmas Album and a stint on Surreal Life for Steve?

Okay, just had a gread memory shake itself lose. Smash Mouth and Sugar Ray will always be linked for me for a very simple reason.

I modeled my form of dress (well my former mode of dress) off of Steve Harwell. I used to always wear khakis and black shirts, just like him. I also look roughly similar. I don't spike my hair, but I'm a big guy, jovial, and I always think I'm cooler than I really am. It fits.

The Colonel, for the same period of time, looked almost exactly like Mark McGrath.

I wear all black now (with colored ties when I'm feeling saucy, or I'm at work) and he IS Ewan McGregor.

California Sun - The Ramones
Biggest Ball of Twine In Minnesota - Weird Al
Alburquerque - Weird Al
Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers
By The Way - RHCP
Under The Bridge - RHCP
Blister in The Sun - Violent Femmes
Scar Tissue - RHCP
Seven Deadly Sins - Flogging Molly
Requiem For a Dying Song - Flogging Molly
Tobacco Island - Flogging Molly (…essentially, Pirate Music)
Life is a Highway - Rascal Flatts & whoever did the original version

…For some reason, these scream "summer" for me. I also agree that several, if not all, Beach Boy songs would be a nice fit to the jukebox.

I admit I'm not very motivated to do research, so I'm just gonna give a quick and dirty list of songs for the jukebox off the top of my head. In no particular order:
1. All Summer Long by the Beach Boys
2. It's O.K. by the Beach Boys
3. Saturday in the Park by Chicago
4. Almost Summer by Mike Love and Celebration
5. Pipeline by the Chantays
6. Walk Don't Run by the Ventures
7. Anything from "Sounds of Summer" by the Beach Boys
8. "California Saga(On my Way to Sunny Cal-i-for-ni-a)" by the Beach Boys
9. "Surf City" by Jan and Dean
10. "Ride the Wild Surf" by Jan and Dean

Congrats Doc! kb, too

Great article. Thanks for the diagram as well, the image of Wildwood I've got in my head from all other articles has finally coalesced. The Jersey shore is way up on my "places to see before you die" list thanks to you.
Cheers for a Summer Jukebox! Everybody's already named all the good ones I can think of right away; nice to see Sublime and The Monkees mentioned. Though I like Pleasant Valley Sunday over Door Into Summer. All I can think of that I don't think was mentioned is Escape (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes. Oh, and definitely Babe I'm Gonna Leave You by Led Zeppelin. And of course there's the Beatles trifecta of I'll Follow the Sun, Good Day Sunshine and Here Comes the Sun.

Blink 182–What's My Age Again?
Counting Crows–Hanginaround
Yellowcard–Ocean Avenue!!!!!!!

I'm stuck on ideas for music, and after reading everyone elses I think I decided to just be surprised.

Hey, for the jukebox, how about "PT Cruiser" by AL Jardine? It even mentions Wildwood Pier in the lyrics!

Aw, I knew my suggestion would be unpopular.

(Still one of my favorite bands, though- don't know what that says about me.)

I do second the Twine Ball and Pleasant Valley Sunday- good choices, Norb and Squee! (Pretty much all of these are awesome- I can't wait to see what we end up with.)

Can't believe I forgot those! Such great Summer Songs. Love Shack takes me back to my Cedar Point trip back in '03. If you play it on the Johnny Rocket's jukebox, all of the waitstaff have to go out to the front and dance to it. Fortunately, to keep it from becoming annoying, they won't do it more than once an hour or so.

Seems like you failed to read my second post on the topic, Rainbow. We all have our vices

K-: I looked for Simon's Quest sprites but had no real luck. I figured you more for old school Final Fantasy….

Mystie- I am a scrapbook addict. It is awesome. It makes me feel like a loser sometimes, until the scrapbooks are actually done and then all my friends are jealous. Ha!

Yeah, I didn't want to get into it cuz it just seems like such a grandma and soccer mom thing to do and I didn't want to seem like a loser. But now I see the whole draw — I can show that my life actually has events in it worth memorializing with expensive paper and fuzzy dinosaur stickers.

Very nice, Shuan. You're paying attention. I found a page full of the sprites here:

But I'll have to actually read your methodology when I'm not procrastinating on writing lesson plans like I am right now. For this reason, I don't know if the ones on that page are acceptable sizes. I'll definitely try to make some, though.

I'd go with the Thief sprite from the original Final Fantasy if I did. Actually this really does need to happen, since my homemade bleach shirts are getting old and ratty. Need to find some sprites of letters to make a new Knegative shirt.

Mystie- I have the same reservations about scrapbooking. I have an aunt who is the perfect example of a soccer mom who bought me hundreds of dollars of scrapbooking stuff that has been sitting in the scrapbooking bag she got me since last Christmas. I really want to use it, but it seems very time consuming. I think I am gonna start as soon as I can afford to get some vacation pics printed off. I just don't wanna have anyone see me use it.

ok, its official, I need to visit Wildwood, NJ at least once before I die….and I hope I can find a green bamboo mystery peanut.

Tell me someone out there has been on the Great Canadian Mine Buster @ Paramount Canada's Wonderland…this year known as "Cedar Point Canada's Wonderland" its probably the oldest, biggest, baddest, rickety-est wooden roller coaster I've been on…and ends with a fast sharp turn through a tunnel hence "mine buster" when I was little I thought it was mind buster but that's besides the point.

I'm pretty sure I've heard Santeria by Sublime at one point or another at ANY summer shindig/camping trip/cottage I've been to. Just a suggestion don't know how other's feel

I'd like to add Doin' Time by Sublime…One of my all-time favorite volume up, car windows down songs…Although, now that I think about it…The lyrics aren't really all that summery…Ah well.

What if I told you I know of a place?
What if I told you that not only could you ride a ride where it's life endangerment level is just as steep as its price-per-person, but you can do so while being surrounded by more mullets, stained and baggy 1986 Kool-Aid points shirts, and stonewashed jeans than you can shake a shaking stick at?

I hand out my inventation to all of you for the Oklahoma State Fair this September.

Annette, I'm sure, has had a jolly time or two there. You'd almost swear they took every perpetrator and family from COPS and gave them free admission. It's that fantastic!

I posted this a couple of days ago and it may or may not repeat what has already been suggested, but here's a few summer song ideas:
Led Zepp - "The Ocean" and "Dancing Days"
LEN - "Steal My Sunshine"
Alice Cooper - "School's Out"
Beastie Boys - "Fight For Your Right"
Mamas and The Papas - "California Dreaming"
Prince - "Lets Go Crazy"
Anything by The Beach Boys, but definitely "All Summer Long", "I Get Around", "California Girls", "Good Vibrations", and of course "Kokomo".

I can honestly say I went to Wildwood when there was a dinosaur theme..and I've been on the Nugget before
That brought back some nostalgic moments..thank you

for summer mixes, you always need some stuff from Frampton Comes Alive! I suggest "Baby I love Your Way" and "Do You Feel Like We Do". You also need some pop-reggae. UB40 "Red Red Wine" and Big Mountain's cover of "Dreamweaver" are some of my favorites.

I've been forced out of hiding. Did I totally miss it, or did no one really mention:

The first song I think of when I think of "summer songs" is "Conga" by Miami Sound Machine. I'm afraid I'll have things thrown at me for suggesting that though. Most of the other songs I associate with summer are just songs I happened to listen to a lot during a particular summer and wouldn't mean anything to anyone else. I have to second (I actually, I think I'm thirding) the vote for Summer Breeze. I love that song. It somehow makes me nostalgic for summers that occured before I was even born.

shortcake 79, I share your opinion on Kings Dominion. I lived in Hanover County for a while and practically lived at KD during the summers of '92 and '93. We were afraid Paramount would tear the place up, so we walked through with a video camera and documented as much as we could once we heard they'd bought it. Paramount may know about a lot of things, but theme parks aren't their forte. I'm hoping Cedar Fair brings back some of the older charm. I don't know how into the park you are, but here's a site with a bunch of old pictures of it. The old Hanna-Barbera rainbow is my desktop picture. I could go on about KD all day. It's kind of a passion.

Matt,
Coming in a little late to the jukebox party, but maybe some of these will grab ya (and sorry for the repeats/obvious picks):

"Summer of '69" by Bryan Adams
"Heat Wave" by Martha and the Vandellas
"The Heat Is On" by Glenn Frey
"Hot Child in the City" by Nick Gilder
"Takin' It to the Streets" by the Doobie Brothers
"Hot Hot Hot" by Buster Poindexter
"Magic by the Cars ("Summer … it turns you upside down …")
"Summertime Girls" by Y&T (hair-metal awesomeness)
"California Girls" by David Lee Roth
"Holiday Road" by Lindsey Buckingham
"King's Highway" by Tom Petty
"Hot Stuff" by Jerry Reed
"The Sun Always Shines on TV" by A-Ha
"Stone in Love" by Journey ("Those summer nights are callin'…")
"Summertime" by Rick Nelson
"Summer Sounds" by Robert Goulet
"Summertime Blues" by Eddie Cochrane

We have "done" Rehoboth for the last 2 summers and I love it! I think the boardwalk is just the right size, especially if you have kids with you. Unfortunately, I have the worst timing in the world, because everytime I go to ride the Haunted House, it isn't running. Argh. I don't think we are going this year… geez, my summer is going to feel incomplete!

Gotta ask (beg) for "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis. I was thinking maybe it wasnt a summer song, but I just found that Back to the Future was the big 4th of July weekend release in 1985.

"The Power and Love" and "Red Red Wine" are definitely good ones. The juke will definitely need to have songs that feel more just in the "spirit" of summer rather than actually being about it. Otherwise, it'd be a 20 song juke.

I cant WAIT for the summer jukebox. I am two songs in to yahoo music's version and I already wish I was outside with a cocktail instead of in this rotten office. With no window.

Yay! Okay, I'm starting to dominate the board, but I dont think anyone has mentioned "Jamming" by Bob Marley.

Summer Breeze by Seals & Crofts, baby - "Summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine of my mind" ahhh yeah

Thunder Island by Johnny Ferguson - "She was the color of the indian summer……"

A summer jukebox … a Wildwood article … and no Doo-Wop mentioned! No Frankie Valli? Tsk, tsk!

'Walking on Broken Glass'- Annie Lennox
'She Drives Me Crazy'- Fine Young Cannibals
'Once in a Lifetime'- Talking Heads
ALL Jack Johnson
'Stand By Me'- Ben E. King (Mostly due to the movie, which took place in summer- love this film)

Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" and Lisa Loeb's "Stay" aren't "summer songs" but everytime I hear them, I think of the summer of 94.

I was on summer vacation from middle school and both my parents worked so it was me and my 2 younger brothers on our own for the most part of the day.

MTV did this weird thing where they played these songs on tv, but they had videos to go along with the music, I think they called them music videos… I can't remember the deets, but it obviously wasn't a very popular concept. I mean, who WOULDN'T rather watch a black guy, a racist white guy, a lesbian, a slutty chick, a homophobe, and a cocky douchebag live together and drink liquor for several weeks straight?

Anywho, these "music videos" would play nonstop that summer. It just reminds me of playing on the roof, riding my bike with my friends through the field behind my house, and going across the street with my buddy to my other friends house who had a pool and her parents were gone at work too. She would get mad at us because all we were fascinated with back then was swimming to the bottom of the pool, pulling down our trunks, and violently humping the pool floor.

We would always watch pornos at her house, burn things, and take everything we could in the kitchen and put it into 1 big pot and cook it and dare eachother to eat it. One time we made this stuff that looked EXACTLY like purple cooked ground beef. I can't remember exactly what was in it, all I remember was a couple melted Freeze-pops, some medicine, and milk. It smelled absolutely horrible and started smoking really bad, so my buddy and I just turned off the burner and left. She had to clean it up but her whole house smelled of burnt… crap… so she got grounded.

Van Halen's cover of "Dancing in the Streets"
ELO's "Mr Blue Sky" heard recently in Sears ads and one episode of CSI
Grand Funk Railroad's cover of "Locomotion"
RHCP's "Love Rollercoaster" cover
If you can't find Original Broadway or Joplin's cover of "Summertime," then the one used at the end of that conjoined twins Farrely Brothers movie will work. The group what did it has slipped my big ol' walnut at the moment.

There's gotta be some Buffett and Bob Marley on there…they just mean summer to me.

And I don't know how many people know it, but what about "Wildwood Days"? That is summer incarnate.

She would get mad at us because all we were fascinated with back then was swimming to the bottom of the pool, pulling down our trunks, and violently humping the pool floor.

Yes, y2jb78! That, Palisades Park by Freddy Cannon or the Ramones … nothing says summer to me like oldies. My folks always listened to NJ101.5 on the ride home from Belmar or Ocean City.

'Girl'and 'Black Tamborine' - Beck
'Malaguena Salerosa' - Chingon (or anything mariachi!)
'Buggin' - The Flaming Lips
'It's Summertime' - the Flaming Lips
'Down with Disease' - Phish
'Santeria' - Sublime
'Hello Operator' 'Hypnotize' 'My Doorbell' 'Icky Thump' 'Screwdriver' 'Fell in Love with a Girl' - The White Stripes

I'm watching Project X. Monkeys make me sad. Especially Virgil. There is nothing more heartfelt than a chip in a red hooded sweatshirt.

I grew up "at the shore" and remember when Dinosaur Beach opened. We went to it for my sister's 9th birthday..and man was it awesome. They had one of those climby things that always reminded me of a hamster house.
The best thing of all was the theme song : dinosaur dinosaur dinosaur DINOSAUR BEACH!!!
Oh and the kinda virtual reality ride was cool too.

I'm sitting in my office eating an Aero bar (forgot how simply delish they are) and listening to Bob Marley and i thought of how a Marley song MUST be included…come on mon.

Hells yeah on the Great State Fair of Oklahoma! Haven't been the past couple years, but it is a fine example of Foxworthy's joke about when you start to think your family is teh suck. Just go to a county or state fair, and ganderize the local yokels. You will feel most fortunate when you see the families of oddballs that are allowed to be out in public. Heck, I might have seen Mr. Nork there and not known it.

"Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer" — Nat King Cole
"Sunny Afternoon" — The Kinks
"Going Up the Country" — Canned Heat
"See You in September" — The Happenings
"Dancin' in the Streets" — Martha and the Vandellas (2nd)
"Palisades Park" — Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon (2nd)
"Tequila" — The Champs (2nd?)
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" — The Tokens
"The Wanderer" — Dion (Runaround Sue is also acceptable)
"Summer Wind" — Ol' Blue Eyes
"Here Comes Summer" — Jerry Keller

"Party Lights" — Claudine Clark
"The Locomotion" — Little Eva
"Only in America" — Jay and the Americans

K- That was a great story that you posted- I laughed. It reminds me- apparently Harwell and McGrath got "S" tattoos together once. And apparently the two bands were recording a song together at one time recently- don't know what the status is on that. Vice bands coming together- it makes the world a better place.

ok i realize i've become quite the poster, but i'm making up for reading Matt's blogs for years and never saying a word. and I just want to put this out there…The Spice girls are reuniting for a World tour! (insert reactions of disgust or glee here) and in honour of said world tour, I think a Spice Girl song should be zig-a-zig-ahhed onto that jukebox baby. I feel like its the summer of '96 all over again.

Seems that most of my stories that can get a laugh aren't jokes at all, but stories based off memories. I still don't know if that's a good thing or bad, because quite often I'm questioning if people are laughing with me, or at me.

Not to sound like a douchey fuck stick, but if you've ever seen the guy at the OK State Fair who looks like they've recently ran their clothes through the wash cycle and also has a hold on personal hygeine, then that was me.

I am here in rainy Anadarko, Indian Capitol of the Nation. Home of the American Indian Exposition, the premier event for greyhound races, War Dance Championships, Frybread Contests, and more Indian Tacos than even Jabba the Hutt could eat. Did I mention it's raining here? Last time we had this much water from the sky, the river left town.

"Summertime Girls" - Y&T
"On a Day Like Today" - Bowes & Morley
"Gone With the Summer" - House of Mirrors

Oh and am I the only one that finds abandoned amusement park rides, or even old pictures of those rides that no longer exist - to be really spooky/creepy? Old abandoned malls and shopping centers and department stores have the same strange weirded out effect on me . Yet i Love reading about them…. strange.

Anadarko isn't too far at all from me, I'm in Midwest City, though you may have already known that. Yes, this rain absolutely sucks. I like when it storms and all, but I would like to be able to get outside and do something active.

My best memories of boardwalks come from the East Coast. As a kid we went to Ocean City MD and I remember having a blast on their boardwalk.

West Coast "boardwalks" have a very different feel to them. The ones I now visit in San Diego or LA are nice, but they can't compare to what's back East.

Maybe it's just the fading memories I have, but there's just something about a good old Eastern boardwalk.

ellaenchanted: Much as I hate to say it, you're right. The Spice Girls do have an undeniably summery flava.

kittygirl: I assume you're already an avid reader of deadmalls DOT com, then. One of my favorite sites to browse through at three in the morning when I'm looking for something pleasantly creepy and melancholy.

I know what you mean. I went on a photo-op one day and took some good shots of a playground merry-go-round and a horse swing in both sepia and black and white and they are some of the creepiest pics I've ever taken.

I think it's just that they look so abandoned when they're designed to have piles of laughing and playing children on them nonstop.

Hello, everyone! Kudos to whoever recommended "Palisades Park"! There have been some great suggestions in this thread. Although I've already given more than a fair share of song recommendations, I'll recommend one more from the Beach Boys: "Our Sweet Love" from the "Sunflower" album. Most of you probably haven't heard it, but it has a great airy feel to it, perfectly appropriate for the occasion. I highly recommend it, for those of you who have not heard it. I'm heading off to work now; I'll be off at 11 p.m. PST. Hope to hear more from my fellow posters when I return!

everyone has already come up really with really good suggestions. i only have one to add

every time i'm driving out in california i play this song.
K-
So you like the new taking back sunday stuff, if this then is the case how do you feel about straylight run. since they are more or less the phoenix risen from the tell all your friends album more or less.

Album is a ghost trap. I don't see myself buying anymore TBS. I do remember straylight runs hit from a while back. It was okay, but not exactlly my speed. Honestly, all I listen to these days is FOB&MCR. I haven't heard anything new and stomachable in quite a while

State Fair-Rasputina
The Passenger-Iggy Pop or Lunachicks
Santeria-Sublime (already suggested a few times)

'Workin' for the Weekend' - Loverboy
'Down Under' - Men at Work
'Paradise City' - Guns N Roses

Muppet Baby: Now I really want to write a pilot for a television show starring a hero who can see into the future, but can only communicate with the world at large through Wikipedia articles. So he's trying to warn us all about these terrible crimes about to happen, and he's constantly being thwarted by nitpicky Wikipedia editors asking for sources. Also, he has a pet mongoose. You know, for comedy relief in between the endless scenes of typing and interspersed bouts of frustrated weeping.

The only question is which network to pitch it to. And how to get Christopher Walken on board.

I'm gonna second "The Tide is High", "Saturday in the Park", "Californication" and "Mr. Blue Sky". Amazing summer songs.

I also wanna nominate one that other people may find terribly annoying, but I can't resist including it because I love it SO MUCH: "The Age of Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In" by the 5th Dimension

Jedoc - i think i just peed a lil bit i was laughing so hard…i like that premise!

Jazzy: As an Aquarius I'm with you on 5th Dimension. That song always reminds me of my great Aunt Bethany. Imagine this: Your birthday, all your relatives and your crazy, elderly aunt singing the entire song "Age of Aquarius" all the way to "Let the Sunshine In" while you have to sit there smiling and the candles on the cake burn all the way down. Awkward.

Jedoc- I love it! Yes, Christopher Walken always does add that much needed touch of class…

Okay, I've got an idea for the Summer Jukebox that is either gonna get me booed off the boards or buried up to my beard in kudos. Now, since the jukebox is going to be an online-only thing, who says that we simply have to stick to commercially-released music? Why not nominate musics from TV shows and video games that carry the whole 'summer' feel along with them? Heck, the themesong from "Denver, the last dinosaur" and the music from the Koopa Beach tracks in Super Mario Kart seem awful summer-y to me.

The "Proud to Be An American" song by Lee Greenwood would be a nice additon to the summer jukebox. This is because they play it at our local fireworks on the 4th and it really gets me in the summertime spirit!

My "summer" jukebox suggestions:
Boys of Summer by Don Henley
Just Like Paradise by David Lee Roth
Ice Cream Man by Van Halen
Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams

maybe too emo for everybody….
everclear- "santa monica", "summerland"
the ramones- "surf city","california sun"
Trashmen- surfing byrd
Van Halen- california girls
(alot of other everclear songs too but that's the concrete ones)

I have a place in my heart for everclear because i believe that is the first band i became loyal with that were a serious band not a little kid music type of band, when i was 15 so it's been 10 years. Woohoo!!

and Mystie darling, about the scrapbooking thing, it can be therapudic there are no rules. Rosie O' Donnell has art collages/scrapbooking that she has done on her site rosie.com that are great. just splattered things together with whatever is laying around, she says you don't need to buy any other decorations, just what is laying around, like tickets for a play you saw that week, or the fancy bow off of a present, anything just glue or staple, and paint.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liWo7ew6IDs here is a segment she did on the view about scrapbooking I hope this inspires you and kb or anybody else that is interested in scrapbooking, the two authors of a book called "the visual cronicles" is on that segment and apparently it's a good book lol. I can't afford to get into it because i don't have a job right now (even though i worked a temp job yesterday augh i'm in so much pain i can barely walk) but i thought i would butt in.

I have several friends, whom are not afraid of jail time, who are willing to spend a night on top of the ride, and take numerous pictures. Just say the word.

Wow crazy how a article on Wildwood gets to become something about summer music but whatever but I rather talk about Wildwood because like most Jerseyians with a good heart know that it is the only place to go to during the summer that has the best free beach that is a mile wide. It's not that wide, but where as most beaches are getting smaller Wildwood's gets better. Anyway I would totally love to see more articles on Wildwood Matt. Such as the motel that you always went to as a kid, or the arades you always went to. For me it was the Shalimer in the Cest for 7 years through my youth, now they expanded it from its 3 floors to 5 but its still a motel rather than the condos that are invading the island.

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