Credit: Action ParkOther generations don’t seem to understand how Gen X can be so apathetic. It’s pretty easy to understand if you know they grew up without their parents, drinking from water hoses and spending countless hours watching MTV.
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However, there is also a collective sense of suffering that comes with being in Gen X, and part of that collective suffering came out this week as groups of survivors of the infamous Action Park got together to tell their stories as a way of healing their mental health.
If you don’t know what Action Park was, you clearly did not grow up in the Tri-State area during the 80s. Watching television for a decade was nearly impossible without seeing an ad for the theme park.
But Action Park was more than just a theme park. It was a way for a generation of kids in New Jersey to take their lives into their own hands and prove they belonged. And that’s not being hyperbolic.
People are always asking about Gen X and where we are. Don't worry about us, we're somewhere still healing the wounds we got at Action Park. #GenX #ActionPark #GenerationX pic.twitter.com/9RTLcHXyAI
— 🌑𝕋rina♍️🌙 (@TrinaRese) August 25, 2024
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The amusement park opened in 1978 in Vernon, New Jersey, on the site of a former ski resort and closed in 1996. It featured three separate areas: Alpine Center, Motorworld, and Waterworld, which was one of the first water parks in America.
In its 18 years of operation, at least six people died as a result of injuries they suffered from the park. It got a reputation for having dangerous rides, an inattentive staff, and rowdy, drunken guests.
As a result of the danger, Action Park earned several nicknames, including “Traction Park,” “Accident Park,” and “Class Action Park.”
Action Park – Vernon- NJ
you're lucky if you lived to talk about it 🙂 pic.twitter.com/lF5hZXoCUT— Papa Hemingway (@PopHemingway) August 23, 2024
Despite the threat of constant danger, or perhaps because of it, the park was extremely popular. Now that it has long since closed, it has gained a cult-like following.
This week, former Action Park guests got together to share their stories about the violence, danger, and injuries they sustained at the amusement park.
One guest told the story of how he received life-long scars due to his day at Action Park. He was riding the Alpine Slide, a metal slide without guardrails down a dangerous mountain.
He fell off the ride and slid down the side of the mountain on his side. With blood dripping down his side, he went to the first aid area for medical treatment, and it went about as well as you’d expect from Action Park.
A few days later, I had to get medical treatment because my arm and hip got infected. Forty-one years later, the scar on my arm is still visible. Was it worth it? Oh, yeah!
Guests from all over the Tri-State area gathered at Frenchtown Riverfest in New Jersey to share similar stories about near-death experiences at Action Park. However, it was more important for some to talk about the loved ones they lost at the park.
The story of Action Park was turned into a Max documentary, Class Action Park, that documents the issues and mismanagement at the New Jersey theme park. Thanks to the documentary and the book, Action Park has taken on cult-like status in New Jersey among Gen Xers.
They remember the injuries and pain, but mostly, they remember it was sheer madness.
Share your story with us if you have ever been to Action Park.