Echoes Of Laughter

It has been referred to as the “Home of American Music”, “America’s Musical Showpark” and promised “Great Shows, Great Rides and Great Times”. The park originally opened  with 120 acres of rides and attractions. It opened on June 30, 1972 and remained open until December 31, 1997. At the parks peak in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s the park enjoyed the attendance over 2 million guests annually. Welcome to Opryland USA. Opryland USA, which was usually referred to as Opryland was born due to the popularity of its namesake The Grand Ole’ Opry and the move of the Opry…

Mom, Dad are we there yet? I wanna ride the doll ride mommy, you know the one at the Pepsi Building. NO DAD we rode that last time cause sis wanted to. I wanna see the Dinosaurs and ride in the Mustang. All right children, quiet down now We’ll be there anytime now and your father will decide what we do first… How many times was this scenario played out in 1964 through 1965 if you happened to be in New York? On this episode of Echoes of Laughter both T. Mic and Bill Cotter will revisit the 1964 New…

Here’s a story for you. It is of a young boy’s trip to Florida in 1979. The first real vacation his family ever took and was it one to remember and I’d like to share some of our story as well as the stories of three of the attractions that we visited that year that are no longer there to be enjoyed. Hi! This is T. Mic and this Echoes of Laughter will be a little different. It is a trip down memory lane and not just any trip but my own. To the 11 year old boy that I…

In this episode we will be exploring the origins and history of Chippewa Lake Park, once located in Medina County, Ohio on the shores of Ohio’s only natural lake; Chippewa Lake. From it’s early days in the late 1800’s through it’s 1978 closing and into it’s year’s of becoming a legendary urban ruin; you’ll hear all about this wonderful old park as we take a virtual tour of the park through time. The park had a long history of hosting famous musicians, dances, and park guests over it’s 100+ year history and despite it’s closing in 1978, it continued to…

This episode features an interview with Bill Cotter, published author of several books on World Fairs, Disney Television, and co-author on several other books. T. Mic (show host) & Bill discuss the 1984 Louisiana World’s Exposition at length. They will take you on an audio journey through the fair, area by area, they will discuss some of the individual attractions as well a the pavilions that were located in the 84 acre site on the Mississippi Riverfront in New Orleans Louisiana. They also discuss the origins of the fair, its challenges, highlights, and where you can still experience a few…

Echoes Of Laughter - 002 12/5/2010 - Riverview Amusement Park  1903 - 1967 This episode we are featuring Riverview Amusement Park. Once located in Chicago, IL this 74 acre amusement park, located on the banks of the Chicago River and bordered by Western & Belmont Avenues entertained millions of guests during its 64 season run. Once home to unique attractions and thrilling rides this once world famous, and beloved by Chicago-ans, amusement park's lights blink no more. In this episode we will have interviews with Mr. Ralph Lopez, the last manager of the "Shoot-The-Chutes" ride and modern day expert on…

Echoes Of Laughter - Episode# 001 10/10/2010 - Ponchartrain Beach Amusement Park, New Orleans, Louisiana  Welcome to Echoes Of Laughter Introductory Show. This is T. Mic and I will be your host on our journey through history as we explore the amusement & theme parks of yesterday. This will be a monthly podcast and will feature interviews and discussions with individuals intimately involved with these attractions and the people that enjoyed them. We’ll travel back in time to the heyday of these parks and emurse you in the experience of visiting these parks in a way that you will never…