Idora Park opened on May 30, 1899, as Terminal Park, a picnic area at the final trolley stop on the south side of Youngstown, Ohio. The name was changed to Idora Park on November 25, 1899. Initial features and attractions included a Dentzel carousel with stationary animals, a casino stage, a bandstand, swings, picnic tables, drinking fountains, and toilet facilities. People flocked to the new park, jamming streetcars to capacity. On August 27, 1899, twenty thousand people crowded into the park. The trolley tracks had to be doubled in number, and many more streetcars were added. On Independence Day, 1901, thirty thousand people came to see the fireworks display. Idora Park needed to expand in order to accommodate these huge crowds. And expand it did. By 1915, the park had doubled in size. On April 26, 1984, it all came crashing down. Fire destroyed the two premier rides and half of one midway. Idora Park did not recover, and 1984 was its final year.

The illustrated and definitive book on beloved Idora Park of Youngstown Ohio. 1899-1984.

NUCKED! 2 More Misadventures with the IDORA PARK EXPERIENCE NINJAS. Join the Ameys and their KNUCKLEHEAD NINJA NUCK and experience: The freight of THE MOUNTAIN LION AND THE WILDCAT, The sting of SWAMP HONEY, The stench of DEAD THINGS ON A TRAIN, The revenge of the CHIPPUNKS, an ELEPHANT ESCAPADE, the HOOTERVILLE HEIST, TERROR OVER MICHIGAN, and much, much more. All in the quest to save Idora Park artifacts.

A collection of social and cultural articles published in regional newspapers over the past decade.

Youngstown, Ohio was a rapidly growing industrial city in the early 20th century. In 1900, the city had a population of about 45,000; ten years later, it nearly doubled to 80,000, and by 1920 had reached 120,000. This phenomenal growth was reflected in a number of structures that dotted the city's skyline, including the Mahoning Bank Building, the Masonic Temple, and the plants of three major steel companies along the banks of the Mahoning River. Youngstown also had new places for its citizens to play during this period-Idora Park, Mill Creek Park, and Wick Park. And this was all preserved for the future through another early-20th century phenomenon-the postcard. Over 190 vintage postcards illustrate this book, which will bring the reader back to the era when Youngstown was rapidly becoming the third largest steel producer in the nation.

NUCKED! Misadventures with the IDORA PARK EXPERIENCE NINJAS is a memoir... sort of. Hang on tight as you join the Ameys and their trusty sidekick, Nuck, a havoc causing 3'3" tall knucklehead ninja, on a series of hilarious, inspiring and sometimes heartbreaking misadventures as the three follow every lead, for better or worse, on their way to creating The Idora Park Experience.The unlikely trio will have you crying with laughter, cheering in victory, screaming out in warning and on rare occasion cursing in defeat, as they criss-cross the country pursuing long lost artifacts from Idora Park, a beloved amusement park in Youngstown, Ohio, that died decades ago as a result of a tragic fire and the dying steel industry.In NUCKED! you'll learn the answers to the three questions the Ameys hear most often: "How did you get started doing this?", "How did you get all this stuff?", and "Are you nuts?"Well, that last one, they leave for you to decide.About the Ameys and The Idora Park ExperienceJames "Jim" Amey, like so many Youngstown, Ohio, natives, spent much of his childhood at Idora Park, an amusement park located on the city's south side. In 1976 at the age of eighteen, with no local job prospects at hand, Jim joined the military and left Youngstown. It would be 17 years before he'd walk the grounds of Idora Park again and by that time, it had been dead almost 10 years.Trespassing onto the old Idora Park property (It's okay, everyone does it), Jim and his wife Toni (he calls her Spike, but that's another story...) were shocked and heartbroken to see Youngstown's beloved Idora Park abandoned, dilapidated and disappearing from existence.The Ameys spent the next 20 years collecting "stuff" from Idora Park as a way of holding on to the memories. What started out as an event poster, ticket stub, or game prize, here and there, eventually became parts to rides and structures and a full-blown obsession (aka passion). Along the way, they met some amazing (and oftentimes odd) people and had some crazy and unbelievable adventures.Their experiences along with the realization that they had inadvertently become the curators of a large part of the heart, soul, and joy that was once Youngstown, led them to believe there must be a higher purpose to what they were doing... otherwise, they were just hoarders. They knew they needed to find a way to share their experiences and collection with others.In 2013 they built a 4400 square foot building next to their home in Canfield, Ohio, to house the enormous collection of Idora Park artifacts and in April of 2014, 30 years after the fire that destroyed Idora Park, they welcomed over 1,000 people to the grand opening weekend of The Idora Park Experience. Because of local zoning issues, the museum only opens a few days each year but has had more than 10,000 visitors to date and enjoys a large social media following. The Ameys are the authors of the book, "Lost Idora Park," published in 2019 by Arcadia Publishing.

Narrative accompanies collection of postcards about Oakland, California.

Founded in 1891 as OhioÃ's first park district, Mill Creek Park encompasses a unique wealth of natural and designed features that have been the backdrop for generations of family memories, spanning three centuries. A remarkable visionary, park founder Volney Rogers argued that the land itself could improve the lives of YoungstownÃ's residents. Through fresh air for mill-weary lungs and tree laced horizons for workroom-bound spirits, he knew a park would make the community a better place for families. And he succeeded magnificently. Rogers and the nationally known landscape architects that he hired created breathtaking vistas of LantermanÃ's Falls and scenic gorges and designed trails, drives, and three pleasure lakes. Other park features include nature preserves, display gardens, recreational fields, a Donald Ross-designed golf course, and a legacy of historic structures. Mill Creek Park indeed has earned its legendary claim as the most beautiful urban park in America.