I spent all my summers there when I was young I went there with grandparents from 1957 too 1975 love every visits great video thanks and he ant all Knowing i !ived there every day n the summer,,,
In the 1960's my family lived one block off the beach & about a 15-20 minute walk to the Ocean View Amusement Park. I loved going to the park when it would open for the summer. 20:48 Rosele theater. That right across from the park. I remember going to see a movie and then go over to the park before walking home. Memories flooding back. I still remember our house address, 917 Hillside Ave. I left Norfolk in 1967 and I have gone back a number of times. The first time was in the early 80's. I found that our house along with a number of other homes had been replaced with run down apts. I thought when I became an adult on my own I would go back to live there, but then the US navy sent me to where I could live in Florida. That was better. Considering how things really have gone down hill where I grew up in Ocean view. PJ
I grew up in Norfolk in the late50s and60s. My family and alot of my cousins spent many a good time at Ocean View. We had huge family picnics there, rode rides, played in the water. My favorite ride was the scary house thing. It was scary but we loved it. I must've rode that thing 100 times. I think Ocean View amusement park should have been saved, definitely.
I'm a great niece of the last owner, Dudley Cooper. I never went to the park, but my dad worked there as a little boy and my grandfather helped manage it, I think. My dad was sad to see it destroyed. I'm so glad this documentary exists. I hope I can get to the museum one day.
This is so well done. I love the pacing. What an effective and sincere host. This feels like a hundred years ago, just the shooting of the video. So soothing.
I remember the first time I rode the Rocket as a kid. Scared standing in line, but after the first ride, we rode it several more times. People used to think that old wooden roller coaster was unsafe & might fall down. (Some people think the flex in the wooden structure enhanced the experience). When they shot the movie on location at the Ocean View Amusement Park, they tried to stage an explosion and the crashing down of the roller coaster. They had a heck of a time bringing it down with explosions and bull dozers. So much for it "falling down".
What a horrible thing to witness and the ignorance of people that think wooden roller coasters are unsafe when in fact they are pretty solid. The Rocket didn’t go down without a fight! I feel the loss even though I never rode on that coaster. My home park is Six Flag Magic Mountain, home of Colossus. It was famous and held the record for the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world. Over the years hyper coasters like Goliath and Tatsu showed up but Colossus still resigned supreme for 36 years. I guess people didn’t appreciate its iconic charm and the steel coasters were getting faster and much more extreme, leaving Colossus almost forgotten. They closed it in 2014. But it didn’t get demolished! Instead it got a hybrid makeover and became Twisted Colossus! I would rather see it transformed than destroyed completely.
I lived in an apartment across the street in 72-73 with my wife and young daughter while I was stationed aboard the aircraft carrier uss independence ----------- i'm not so connected to the park like the locals, but understand how they would miss is greatly -------- we want good memories ----- to last forever!
Greedy developers have killed MANY small amusement parks across America. But hey who cares about history and a great place for people to go when overpriced condos or shopping centers can take the place of engineered thrills and a lifetime of memories? *rolls eyes* I want the Euclid Beachs, Ocean Views and West Views to live again.
I have a tag from the bath house. Stamped made in occupied Japan. Found it on the beach. My grand father worked on the "rocket" in 33 and said there was rot then. I still have Skeeball prizes. I was an "extra" in "the death of OV park.
very interesting history ---------- at least if you can remember the park ---------- that's better then nothing. I live in Sandusky ohio, home of cedar point (the rollercoaster capital of the world) and could never imagine it not being there ------------ and I can remember 60 years ago, and i'm 64. ----------- hold on to your amusement parks, as long as ya can!
Small amusement parks are going to be coming back. Funtimes Park in Alliance, Ohio is developing. They are interested in building a wooden coaster for their park. Conneaut Lake Park in Pennsylvania is now a restored historic landmark that is run as a nonprofit park and is doing well. Bushkill Park near Allentown is rising from the ashes too. Coney Island NY is becoming a ride laboratory again which is the Holy Ground of the Amusement Park Industry. Now let's look forward.
I grew up in east OceanView in the 60’s and 70’s I loved going to the amusement park I grew up on 10th bay st. I remember in the 70’s and early 80’s the beach and motels would be packed . Now nothing they destroyed OceanView by building high dollar houses 5 feet apart ! EOV now is filled with people from places that Virginia Beach because they can’t afford to by homes there so they come here and act like they’re true locals when they’re just faking the Funk !!!
