On March 20, 1976 in Santa Clara, California the first of two Marriott’s GREAT AMERICA theme parks opened for the first time. To mark this major milestone, California’s Great America will hold a 50th Anniversary ceremony for the opening of the 2026 season on March 28, 2026. Gates open at 9:30 AM. The ceremony will take place shortly before 10:00 AM at approximately 9:50. At 10:00 AM the park’s 2026, 50th Anniversary season officially begins.
Opening Marriott’s Great America
In the photo above, Bill Marriott addresses the crowds at the opening ceremony for Marriott’s Great America in Santa Clara, California on March 20, 1976.
In the front row of seats, left to right, are Truman Woodworth, General Manager of Marriott’s Great America, Santa Clara; Santa Clara Mayor Gary Gillmor; (partially visible) Mrs. Gillmor; US Senator John Warner of Virginia; and Pamela Lundquist of Marriott’s Great America, Santa Clara. In the second row of seats, to the left of Bill Marriott, partially visible is David Brown and to the right of Mr. Marriott is Michael Hostage. Brown and Hostage were key Marriott employees charged with making the two new theme parks happen. Senator Warner had come from Washington, DC to honor Marriott’s Great America for the United States Bicentennial and to present the park with the official US Bicentennial flag. Warner was the head of the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration. Pamela Lundquist served as Warner’s official park escort and assistant during the day.
In the photo above, Bob Woodruff of Marriott’s Great America human resources, Santa Clara, speaks with Marriott’s Great America public relations team members John Poimiroo, Santa Clara, and Art Larson, Gurnee. Many officials from the Gurnee, Illinois Marriott’s Great America park were on hand for the opening of the Santa Clara park. The Gurnee employees would benefit from what they learned here for the upcoming opening of the Gurnee park on May 29, 1976.
The Fun Country
At the beginning, some of the park’s marketing materials referred to Marriott’s Great America as “The Fun Country”. This did not stay around for too long, quickly disappearing from marketing references to the park. Even the first year’s commercials did not use the phrase verbatim but restated it as “the country of fun for everyone”.
The actors in the photo above, shown in Yankee Harbor, portrayed a family enjoying Marriott’s Great America in 1976 television commercials. The commercials were filmed in Santa Clara prior to the park’s opening. These four actors were taken through the entire park and photographed in a variety of settings, mostly focusing on the buildings and other features of the park rather than the rides. Thousands of photos of them were shot on 35mm film slides. Some of those photos ended up in the commercials such as the sequence of still photos that opens the commercial included below. At the end, note the not-yet-completed Carousel Columbia featured as the closing shot.
Video: The following video shows one of the 1976 commercials used to introduce Marriott’s Great America. Produced in Santa Clara, the commercials were also used for Gurnee. Click on the image below to play the video. Click on the full screen icon in the bottom right to view larger.
Saving Great America
Opening day in March 1976 was a joyous occasion, full of excitement, enthusiasm, and a bright future for the beautiful and thrilling new park. It was also a part of the excitement of the US Bicentennial celebration. Today’s anniversary date for the park’s fiftieth instead has potential dark clouds on the horizon. The park’s future is “uncertain”.
Great America was threatened with destruction in the early 1980s. Amazing, dedicated people stepped up and fought a long, tough, tough battle and succeeded in saving the park with the City of Santa Clara purchasing the park and its operations transferred from Marriott to Kings Entertainment in June 1985.
Their hard-fought victory has kept the park going from 1985 though to the present day. And the park’s future was supposed to be protected. Now it’s in question, with the land being sold out from under the park.
Today let’s give thanks and reflect on the fifty years the park has had and what it has meant to us and to millions of others. Then let’s turn our attention to another bright future for Great America.
We must find a way to SAVE GREAT AMERICA.