Bay Beach, Baby! by Darlene Buechel
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s a kid growing up in the 1960s and ‘70s, no summer was complete without a trip to Bay Beach. Green Bay was less than an hour away from our Hilbert home, so several times a summer we would hop in the station wagon and set out for a funfilled day at the amusement park. Of course, planning and dreaming of Bay Beach was half the fun. The day before the trip Dad would gas up the station wagon and check the oil while the rest of us planned the picnic lunch. Ground bologna sandwiches and potato chips were usually standard fare, as well as Orange Crush soda and a Diet Tab for Mom. Mom and Dad sent us to bed early the night before, but who could sleep knowing action and adventure was just around the corner? My brother Dennis would dream of the crashing and smashing of Bumper Cars, while sister Diane and I plotted what to do first—the Helicopter, Ferris Wheel, or Scrambler. The next morning we’d be dressed in a flash and slurp down our Captain Crunch in record time before starting the chorus of “Is it time yet?” Finally Mom and Dad would load the cooler and tell us to pile into the back seat. I was the middle child who never had to sit in the middle since I got easily car sick and needed to hang my head out the window like a Saint Bernard. Dennis and Diane would have a short spat about who got “stuck” in the middle, but soon enough we’d be on the road and the chorus of, “Are we there yet?” would begin.
Diane (left) and Darlene braved the Zippin Pippin. A cheer of joy filled the air as we pulled into the Bay Beach parking lot. Dad would stand in the ticket line while the rest of us headed to the bathrooms. Bay Beach has always been affordable fun. Back then tickets were 10 cents each and our eyes always bugged out when Dad returned with a stream of golden tickets longer than we were. Bay Beach hours zipped by at lightning speed and soon enough we’d load our sunburned selves back into the station wagon for the much quieter ride home. Most trips ended with more tickets than time, but that only meant we had to make a return trip before school started again. My kids, born in 1985 and 1987, spent many summer days at Bay Beach when they went with Grandma and Grandpa Totzke. My parents were brave enough to take all six grandkids and since tickets were still a dime in the 1990s they could have a fun day and not break the bank. They usually ate a picnic lunch, too, and made sure to bring plenty of extra bread or donut holes to feed the flocks of pigeons on the Bay Beach grounds. Fast forward a few decades and I’m going along to Bay Beach with my
Fun was had by all on a trip to Bay Beach in Green Bay last August. daughter Dani, son-in-law Mark, and grandkids Maverick and Axel. When I tagged along on Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019 Bay Beach was still fun, exciting, and affordable. Tickets were now 25 cents each and some rides required more than one ticket, but it was still a big entertainment bargain. We agreed to meet my sister Diane, brother-in-law Pat, and their 20-month granddaughter Riley at Bay Beach on that warm (but not humid) Saturday. Diane and Pat had charge of cute little Riley while her parents were in Door County so they thought it might be a good time to introduce the toddler to her first amusement park. Axel, almost 6, planned to accompany Riley on the Ladybug, Boats, and a few other “little kid” rides, but Riley was a bit too scared. Still, she went on the train and braved the helicopter with Grandpa Pat. Riley also enjoyed a carousel ride with her grandpa, so much that she didn’t want to get off! Grandpa just shelled over more tickets and—problem solved— another fun ride for the toddler. After that Riley spent over an hour on the free playground equipment and enjoyed a good lunch. SPRING 2020|
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