Memories of Summer Daze Celebration Aug. 9th
- MS Wulfgar
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
B’nai Israel Synagogue hosts a free indoor/outdoor event on August 9th celebrating Playland Park & Speedway.
Where the eastern landing of the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge now pours into modern day Council Bluffs, there once stood Playland Park. It was the premiere regional summertime destination of the 1950’s and 60’s. Families and friends would enjoy a myriad of exciting rides, stock car races, games and prizes, and one of the largest wooden roller coasters of its time. There was simply nothing else quite like it in the region. If you grew up locally, the park, the rides, and the atmosphere—something you might find on an east coast boardwalk—joyfully etched themselves into the minds of many (if not all) of the folks who grew up and still live in the Omaha Metro today.
Janie Fox Kulakofsky fondly remembers her parents happily ferrying her and her two brothers, Jonathan and Danny, to the park on the way to their grandparent’s house. Mark Singer casts his mind back to the anticipation and excitement of the ride to come on the massive wooden roller coaster stretching along Broadway for three city blocks, its silhouette framing the skyline like a mountain made of crisscrossed toothpicks. Jim Fried muses on the whimsical carnival atmosphere, “I loved the bumper cars and tilt-a-whirl. YIPEE!” and Susan Krasne McKinley is transported back to her younger self riding the beautiful carousel horses with her first cousin.
Truly, everyone who reminisces about the park in its heyday gets the same youthful glint in their eyes as they speak of the magical times shared there.
Playland Park opened its gates in 1948, after renowned gangster Meyer Lansky’s short-lived dog track had closed shop five years prior due to pressure from the mayor. Brothers Abe and Louis Slusky purchased the surrounding 14-acres to build their amusement park. Helen Epstein recounted that her husband, Tuffy, was only thirteen when the park opened. “He and his brother, Ira, had read about the opening in the newspaper. The article said free rollercoaster rides for all visitors who attended the Grand Opening. So, the pair walked all the way from 20th & Martha Street to Playland and had a great time for free!”
While Louis tended to a similar venture the brothers created in Texas, Abe partnered with local Council Bluffs businessman Harry Cohen, owner of Iowa Clothes. In 1949, they swallowed up the dog track, converting it into a dirt race track, henceforth known as: Playland Speedway. “My Dad was good friends with Abe Slusky,” recollects Rick Katelman.
“Abe would give us tickets, and my dad and I would go to the stock races all the time. It was a lot of fun. They were still driving the deuce coupes (1932 Ford)!”
The Speedway was upgraded over the next decade and would go on to become the most enduring aspect of the entire venture. By 1964, they had more than quadrupled the expanse of the park and speedway, growing from the original 12 acres to a whopping 60. Unfortunately, when the city moved to construct Interstate 480, the original rollercoaster had to be downsized to make way for the bridge, and the park shrank to 20 acres. Still eager to create a memorable experience, a new steel roller coaster was added, The Wild Mouse. It was smaller, but faster. The Wild Mouse thrilled into the next the decade. “It was one of the scariest things I have ever done!” laughed Gail Krasne Kenkel.
By 1970, the park officially closed save 12 rides still attached to the speedway. By ’77, the speedway shuttered its doors forever. Despite the best efforts of some to keep some to keep a piece of the land intact, no trace of Playland Park & Speedway remains. And yet, judging from the reactions of those who still hold these memories dear, it is a safe bet that even as other memories may fade—the colors, the lights, the smell of popcorn and cotton candy, the taste of ice-cold lemonade on a hot summer day, or the throaty roar of the stock car engines will not. The joy of an amusement park is a universal human experience. It fulfills a need. For community, for joy, and for excitement (yes, even when it’s a bit scary).
B’nai Israel invites one and all to ‘Memories of Summer Daze’ for fun and games inside the synagogue and outside on their east lawn. On August 9th from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, rain or shine, you can revel in nostalgia and delight in the memories of those unforgettable summers. Or make new ones. There will be games, food, music, and prizes for the entire family; pony rides, a bouncy house, their own version of the famous Octopus Ride, face painting and much more. The museum will also be open for tours if you’d like to explore local history or take a trip down memory lane.