Last week, we embarked on a nostalgic journey back to the golden ages of Salisbury Beach. One could only dream of the Salisbury beach that was once a reality. Two amusement parks, ice cream, arcades, venues, on a beach? Salisbury beach was a dream land for many kids and was the spot for couples, too. 

However, not all stories from those days were merry. To kickoff the summer of 73’ a woman falls off the top of the Wildcat Roller Coaster to her death. This resulted in the closing of the Wildcat. The dodgem rides were then taken out of Salisbury Beach in 1975 leaving Shaheen with no competition. These were the years McAskill worked “down the beach.” After working roughly three summers between ‘75 and ‘77, Pirates Park opened in 1979, a neighboring small amusement park that competed with shaheen. This was installed on the right side opposite from the broadway sign that is down the beach now.

The hopes for a better Salisbury looked promising. The beach, being in New England, thrived primarily during the summer, and the harsh winters took their toll, especially during the notorious Blizzard of ’78. This ferocious storm washed away some of Shaheen’s rides like “Pirates Cove” not just leaving a dent in Shaheen’s finances but also leaving an indelible mark on the hearts of regular visitors who cherished the ride. Despite the setback, Shaheen, already reaping substantial profits from his amusements, wasted no time in replacing the lost rides. The Frolics building was also damaged which led to the closing of the building in 1980, a heart breaker to many. If the Blizzard of ‘78 wasn’t enough, on September 27 1985, Hurricane Gloria hit Massachusetts. Fifty residents from Salisbury Beach were evacuated and brought to a temporary shelter at the Salisbury Memorial School. The storm caused major flooding and down power lines. This swept more rides out to sea.

The 90s was the beginning of a depression for Salisbury Beach. Shaheen’s Fun-O-Rama was closed. The Frolics building sat closed, left to decay. Other places like Hampton Beach, a neighboring beach, got better while Salisbury got worse. This was due to the fact the owners were not reinvesting their money; it stayed the same due to the same few families owning it over the years. With fewer tourists coming and now fleeing to Hamton beach, money was low. Mr. Kurt Reise, , an assistant teacher at Triton High School gave a prime example of that. “If I were to go to Salisbury beach or Hamton beach in the 90s, I’d choose Hampton any day. It was a lot cleaner, especially the bars.” And in the year 2000 the Llegendary Frolics building was finally destroyed 10 years after being closed. This marked the end of an era. But as the new century started, plans emerged for Salisbury beach.