Since its opening in 1893, Lunenberg’s Whalom Amusement Park, with rides like the wooden Flyer Comet Coaster and the Tumble Bug, has been a favorite summer fun spot for generations — and a humble yet dignified rejoinder to brash young upstarts like Six Flags New England. In September 2000, however, "the playground of central New England" was put up for sale and has since remained closed.

But its owner, Whalom Park Amusement Company, has yet to sell the 33-acre site. An auction slated for January 8 was canceled, but another is scheduled for February. When that day comes, there’s a good chance the new owners will prefer the filthy lucre of real-estate development to the charm of the carousel. So a group of true believers is mounting a last-ditch effort to reopen the place true to its original glory.

True-believer-in-chief Allyson Bowen is heading up Save Whalom Park (SWP), an organization trying to cobble together the many millions needed to make a viable bid. The bulk of the group’s financing comes from a handful of people, with some ponying up as much as $100,000. But Bowen is also enlisting the public’s help: anyone with fond recollections of lazy summer days at Whalom can buy a "whale" for $50. In addition to helping SWP reach its goal, the purchase of a "whale" gives the owner discounts on admissions passes if and when the park reopens. Bowen hopes to make $500,000 from whale sales. (If the money isn’t raised, or if SWP is outbid, all donors will be reimbursed.)

Bowen sees four equally valid reasons to buy a whale: "First, you’ll be preserving a part of our cultural, architectural, and local history. Whalom is one of the 10-oldest amusement parks in the country, and it’s right in our back yard. Second, you’ll get discounts at the park next season. Third, you’ll be impacting the economic well-being of the community by creating jobs. Finally, on a gut level, this is for people who can’t stand the thought of having condos or a strip mall or some other noxious development built where they remember riding a roller coaster or eating cotton candy."

If the group succeeds in purchasing the park in the next month or so, "we could conceivably open for the 2002 season," Bowen says. "It would be a lot of work, but it’s doable."

Checks, made payable to Save Whalom Park, can be sent to 110 Narrows Road, Westminster, MA 01473. Call (978) 874-0836 or visit www.savewhalompark.com for more information.

Issue Date: January 10 - 17, 2002

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