GREATAMERICAparks.com

I never heard of MGA doing anything like that.
How very cool!
Did you ever buy any more Marriott's stock after that?

The Demon WAS scary! My 8-year-old says it still is. What scares me is that more and more kids today seem immune to fear. But once they get on the ride, the fear comes back to most! :) and buddy, you are NOT the only one who cried when Tidal Wave went away! TW was my third favorite ride (first was O...

Gurnee. Avalon and In-Laws are right next to each other near the intersection of Rt. 21 (Milwaukee) and Rt. 132 (Grand Avenue). The Amoco is right on the corner, the VFW with the tank is just on the other side. To get to Poor Richards Pub, just head east on Grand and turn off onto Old Grand Avenue. ...

Thanks for sharing that, Rick!

You guys are good!

Thanks, Steve. I probably will.
Everyone seemed friendly back then.
That's one of the reasons MGA was so fun!

FYI: Some of the links on the bottom of the Gurnee/Shows Photos pages are linked to older pages (departmental pages with lists of names of folks who have registered or been found). One instance is the new last page (9) of the Shows pictures. If you scroll to the bottom and click on "Theatre Att...

I just found mine (from 1985 or 1986), and it had a small red "I Care" heart affixed to the nametag. Employees would get them after receiving five "I Care" cards as recognition for doing a good job. I found the "I Care" cards as well, but cannot remember what the differ...

Cool photo! Amazing any of those cups survived.

The last time I visited the park (Gurnee), the vending machines were $2.75 for a 12-oz Coke.

That is more than I paid for an entire meal (cheeseburger, fries, soda) in the employee cafeteria 23 years ago.

3 places jump to mind on the way to MGA:

Avalon restaurant (has been flooded twice and burned down at least once since 1983). Good history, bad food.

In-Laws (oh gawd, the drinking.....)

Poor Richards Pub (oh gawd, more drinking....)

Redfish, those models are incredible!
Although I never visited Riverview, my father remembers it fondly.
He was amazed at your models - they brought back lots of memories for him. THANK YOU!

That's a fun one!

The Characters and Show Wardrobe folks (Gurnee 1984-1987) were nuts! Jo Michaels, Gretta Star, Vicki Cooke, Wenders, Rob Proce, John Foos, Javier Rivera . . . the list just goes on! Fun times with top-notch people! One of the funniest memories was when a marching band member wore Bugs' feet during a...

The cheeseburgers were soooo tasty. In Gurnee, the employee cafeteria was near the Shows Wardrobe area.

Well, I never worked for Rides, but I remember the Theatre Attendant spiel for Theatre Royale: Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls: Welcome to Marriott's Great America and this presentation of "Its a Magic World". For your safety and the convenience of others, we ask that you refrain from...