I started to work in Sussex County late in 1983. The Playboy Club had already been sold to Americana Resorts and Action Park had been open for 5 years. Sussex County was a growing tourist attraction and many families were moving here for the lifestyle and jobs. The Americana was still a beautiful hotel. Thousands came to Action Park each summer day, especially on weekends. Those were fun days to live and work in Sussex County. A few weeks ago it was great to reminisce with Andy Mulvihill on WSUS. He just wrote about his dad Gene who built Action Park. One thing he said was very true. Back then people loved the idea of a park that let people control the rides themselves. Many came back every weekend to get better and faster on many of the rides. Young people loved the water park too. They loved the chance to show off for their friends. Some people went too far and got hurt. None of it would be allowed today. I think kids will always love taking risks while they have fun. Today's kids love doing tricks on their bikes and skateboards. To me what they do today looks just as risky as some of the Action Park stunts we did decades ago. The new documentary is a project of film maker Chris Charles Scott. It was directed by journalist Seth Porges. Who remembers going to Action Park as a child. Look for "Class Action Park" on HBO Max starting next month.
Source: NJ.COM