Tuesday, February 20, 2001

Sale sign reminds that Rocky Point is a treasured location worth saving
By Franklin S. Prosnitz, Editor

The for sale sign is up at the several hundred acres they used to call Rocky Point Amusement Park. It's a beautiful piece of land that overlooks the bay, property that developers and conservationists are sure to fight over. But no matter what happens, what's gone is the laughter, the special moments that are now only memories for generations of Rhode Islanders.

The for sale sign is not only up at what was the Rocky Point Amusement Park, but its very presence is a reminder of so many parks that have been lost in East Providence, Warwick or Portsmouth -- Crescent Park and Vanity Fair in East Providence and Island Park in Portsmouth.

Some years ago, researching some of these parks, you would hear the stories of visitors from New York coming to Rhode Island by train or boat about the turn of the last century to visit the state's amusement parks.

There would be the stories of Vanity Fair, the park along the water in East Providence that's now a six-hole golf course and collection of oil tanks. The huge hump that remains in the middle of the course is said to be the remains of the park's most treasured ride, the Chute the Chutes. And Vanity Fair was said to be in competition with that park across the water, Rocky Point in Warwick.

Vanity Fair was around only a few years but while it was here it was home to some of the famous wild west shows, Buffalo Bill and his band of cowboys, Roughriders and Indians, for example. It charged an admission, and suffered, some have said, because a lot of would-be paying patrons discovered a hole in the fence that offered a far more reasonable admission.

Rocky Point had a much longer history, not only becoming famous for its midway and flume, but for its chowder and its Palladium. The Rocky Point Palladium became the home of many an event in Rhode Island, from charitable functions to the political gatherings.

If its walls could speak, the stories would probably curl the hair of most Rhode Islanders.

So the for sale sign is out at Rocky Point, a symbol of an era long past, but one that many recall with great fondness.

The battle will ensue between the conservationists and developers.

For the conservationists, if the amusement park can't be preserved, its magnificent view can for thousands of Rhode Islanders who would be sure to travel to the spot for breathtaking views of the bay.

For developers, this is prime land, where plush housing projects could be built to complement the already upscale homes that line the streets of Warwick Neck, where Rocky Point is situated. For some city officials, the concern is that with houses come children for schools, and a need for more public services, and usually higher costs than taxes can recover.

I think I come down on the side of the conservationists. If we can't preserve this as the amusement park it was, then we can keep the area in the public domain as a park where generations of Rhode Islanders can begin to develop their own memories.

Published 02/19/2001