ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

No book can be possible without the support of numerous individuals and organizations. First and foremost, I would like to thank Paul Nelson of Waldameer Park. He has dedicated his life to making the park what it is and ensuring that it is successful for generations to come. His memories have been priceless in bringing this book to life as has the access he granted to the park archives. I would also like to thank Paul’s family for all of their help—his wife, Lane Nelson; son-in-law and daughter, Steve and Nancy Gorman; and grandson and his wife, Brian and Allison Gorman.

Also providing critical support are two longtime Waldameer Park employees—Janet Little and Randy Skalos. They share a special affection for the park and have been very generous with their time and memorabilia. Good friend and fellow Arcadia author Dave Hahner also proved to be a valuable resource for images.

Four people deserve my special gratitude for making this book a reality—my wife and best friend, Marlowe, and our sons, Jimmy, Christopher, and Matthew. They share and appreciate my passion for amusement parks and understand when I had to spend time working on this book when they might have wanted me to do other things.

Finally, I would like to give a special thank-you to my parents, Jim and Joanne Futrell. When I was a young kid, just starting to discover my amusement park passion, they never dismissed my interest. They went out of their way to encourage and support it. They will always have a special place in my heart for that.

The images in this volume appear courtesy of Jim Futrell (JF), Dave Hahner (DH), Janet Little (JL), Randy Skalos (RS), and Waldameer Park (WP).