Thrill Ride (Paperback)

Paperback. More than an amusement park linked to a chocolate empire, Hershey Park in its early years was an extension of industrialist Milton Hersheys paternalistic capitalism. Hershey sought to avoid the labor strife seen in other industries by giving his workers a better deal. He provided employees with affordable homes, free schools, utility subsidies, and municipal services as well as amenities including a theater, library, and amusement park. In exchange, he expected hard work, loyalty, and no strikes. Eventually the Hershey Company faced intense market pressure from its competitor Mars and discontinued the services and amenities the community had come to expect. By the 1960s, the park had become so run-down that Hershey officials decided it needed a redesign, and they refashioned it into a Disney-style theme park. What had been an old-fashioned, pay-as-you-go amusement park for chocolate workers, their families, and the community would become a major mid-Atlantic attraction. Haddads engaging and accessible social history explores how this remodel of the park strategically used symbols of the past and future to help the Hershey community cope with change. The new park guided patrons from depictions of the Old World through subsequent eras, culminating in a space exemplifying modernity, with colossal steel structures and sophisticated thrill rides.Drawing on deep archival work and personal interviews, Haddad charts how memory and feelings are tied to locations and how people respond when change threatens those locations. "Traces the history of Hershey Park from its 1906 founding as a community amusement space to its 1970s transformation into a modern theme park. Explores Milton Hershey's original vision, community ties, local resistance to change, and the park's eventual success as a reimagined attraction"-- Provided by publisher. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability. …