Meyers Lake Park & COMET roller coaster ~ Canton, Ohio

[tlane78]

@raridan1 The Carousel is in Hartford, CT. I had the pleasure of riding it a year or two ago!

[congear]

This is a wonderful memory for me. It is some of the best memories of my mom and dad. I was a little boy. I am now 45 and live in California. It was very nice to see. Thank you for this.

[fncz]

The destruction footage of the COMET actually brought a tear to my eyes! Sadly I never got over there to ride it, even though I was traveling since 1970. I didn;t think it was operating that long! Come to think of it, I didn't hear of that ride until the later mid 70's. DAMN!!! It looked good!!

[emc351]

Thanks for posting this! I spent many hours on that wooden roller coaster and it brings back such good memories.

[evguyohio]

Wow that was very, very nice. The music was timed beautifully. Impressive, thank you.

[ScoutStark]

Fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing. We just posted this on our Stark County interactive community website. Our first video. Thank you again.

[markb082]

wow. i live in canton, and i have to wonder, why would they take this down?

[raridan1]

@markb082 Unfortunately there was a lot of vandalism and roving gangs of troublemakers either causing or as a result of poor attendance. Many other small parks like Chippewa Lake were also abandoned. Made more money for the owners to remove the amusement park and build condos. FYI the carousel is still operating but I can't remember where they moved it to.

[tlane78]

@raridan1 It's at Bushnell Park in Hartford. Can't post the link for it!

[JazzEthics]

Watching the video of the actual coaster ride i remember every hill and turn from riding on it so many times over the years... Sad that its all gone....

[goingto34]

Thanks for the great memories. I cant count the number hours I spent on that coaster. Every year my Dads plant has its annual employees party there and the rides were all free. Then there was the Meyers Lake Ball room with big bands in the evening....and the fireworks show on the 4th of July...God it was great to be a kid back then...all through the 50's. Too bad its gone, but the memory lives on...thanks again.

Dozer

[Unit430]

This was when Meyer's Lake was worth the drive. It's sad that it's become just another private lake.

[fdp1968]

I remember my parents taking me there as a kid. To bad it is gone. With the hard times, people like to do local things.

[Paneeks1960]

It always kills me to watch a classic wooden coaster being bulldozed or even blown up to shoot a stupid movie. I guess with superb footage such as this one you can at least flash back and remember the good times. Thanks for another fantastic video of a park that was once a happening place.

Paneeks/Boston

[espiritmaddy]

My grandmother used to tell me how she loved this place. Her and her friends would go there on the weekends and hear big bands play. My grams had an autograph book that she'd take with her. She said it was here when she saw and heard Cab Calloway.

[evildad311]

Canton used to be cool.

[WHITEHOUSETEAMALPHA]

Thanks so much for posting this. I used to go the park every year for the Massillon Community day. I have memories of the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, the Bug, The Laff in the Dark (where my eyes were scrunched shut until I was 8 or 9!), the shooting gallery (with a posted Deputy sheriff never far away), bags of groceries given away, lots of food as our neighbors and friends picnicked, the ballroom, the arcade, skeeball...thanks again.

A little sad at the end...

Jace Smith

[jjloveless11]

looks like canton used to be a nice place

[gmswife]

Oh, and I spent many days and evenings in this park as a child..so sad to watch this vid :(

[gmswife]

Thank you so much for posting this video. I remember Myers Lake fondly. It is a shame that

Canton let it go to waste as it did. The County back then could have stepped up and updated it and kept it going. But, just like all of the nice things we have had here in Canton, it was trashed ! And the city let it go! Sad

[Moose9105]

that was nice to see. I never got to Meyers Lake.

[mr40sfan]

Thanks a lot for posting, I have a few videos and a book about it from my grandma & grandpa who went there often. My Grandparents now live there so I've been to meyers lake many times, it's beautiful, but there's only one part of it that's still left. It's the wall that once stood behind the moonlight gardens. There's also a gazeebo where the rocket ride used to be. I also know a guy who has real signs and lights from the moonlight gardens that came from the park.

--Logan

[7855waldo]

Great films; superbly edited; profoundly moving.

Thank you, and a hex on those who destroy their heritage for mere profits (ask Tiger if being a billionaire can bail your ass out of trouble).

[MicheInOhio]

As far as I understand the amusement park changed ownership and the new owners ran it poorly. B/c of that attendance dropped dramatically. I'm too young to really remember the park (it shut down when I was 2) but my mom LOVED it. I still live in the area and it's nothing but housing, condos, and a lackluster shopping center.

[KatLyn852]

This video brought back such fond memories of my childhood. I went to the park every summer as a child. The Comet was my first experience on a roller coaster.......and I was hooked. I am in my late 50's and still love them. It's sad to see all the changes to the area, all condos instead of amusement rides. I guess it's progress??

[raridan1]

I rode the Comet not too long before they closed it down. There was a little flex in the wooden structure that added a bit of thrill. I miss that park.

[SaintPaulGrrl]

I went on this roller coaster once as a child back in 1964. It scared the crap out of me and I haven't been on a roller coaster since! That being said, I have fond memories of our trips as a family to Meyers Lake Park.

[sgp1066]

I loved this park when I was a kid in the 60's. That damn roller coaster scraed the crap out of me each time I rode it. There were no safety belts or anything holding you in that car...what a ride!!!

[7october7]

I only got to ride the roller coaster once before the park closed. :-\ Before then I was too young to ride it when our family went there. Looking up at it, I always thought it would fly off when it rounded the bend going so fast. I remember riding the rockets, the kiddie coaster and the merry-go-round.

[jmr206]

I moved to Canton in 1986 so I missed out on the park. So many people speak fondly of it,.... what I want to know was why did it close ? Wasn't there alot of revolt against it closing ? Was it just about money ? It doesn't make sense.

[GBofOH]

I used to go to Meyers Lake when I was young. I remember it as old and run down. That's what they do in Canton, tear down rather than restore. What a shame. I really enjoyed this video! The silver rockets that went out over the lake were my favorite!

[elitepaint]

i went there once before they took it away from the children it seems to me that canton has a history of taking from the children to move in thease big corporations

[redhair003]

wow..what memories..are there any pics of the ballrrom out there? I remember the red footprints leading in! I'd love to see them..thanks for the brain jog!

[kwhit1516]

This was the good old days

Now it seems canton has become nuts cases runing around with guns .

I can not belive how much it change sinces i move away only 11 years ago.

I lived off fulton road

[emc351]

Thank you for the wonderful memories. I can't even attempt to remember how many times I rode that roller coaster and strolled through the park. That first hill was amazing! In the mid 60's, we also had bands and dances on the beach area. Great times for teenagers in a very troubled war era.

[rjp58]

I remember in the late 60s me and a buddy rode our bikes right in thur the open doors of the ballroom and round and round we went till some guy yell at us to beat it. My Dad and Mom still talk about the Goodyear dances they went to at the Moonlight Gardens.

[Willow77tb]

Thank you for the footage - My mom always talks about how much fun it was when she was young, and i grew up (now would be right across the street) and currently have a home near the "Lake", but to see that it really WAS an amusement Park and what more it could have been. Oh this is sad at the end. Tim's Tavern, Still has the drawing on the wall, but the Lady is gone?I think their was talk of a sea world their (glad it didn't happen, my childhood would have been completely different.(neighborhood

[orthadox69]

i lived across the street also.

[raybucks1]

My dad use to take me to Myers Lake just about every weekend in the summers when I was a kid. It was good seeing the park the way it was. Too bad they had to close it down. I have a lot of good memories. Thanks to who ever posted this clip.

[submom]

Beula the laughing lady at Meyers Lake, will be on permanent display at The William Mckinley Museum in Canton, Ohio. The opening will be on Sept. 25, 2009.

[mssilverfox]

Friends and I once rode this roller coaster 17 times before getting off.. And who could forget dancing under the stars at Meyers Lake Ballroom! what beautiful memories !

[usedtobe803]

amazing. im born and raised in canton and my mom used to talk about going there when she was a kid. i know tim's tavern has a lively mural on their wall in tribute to this. it's really nice to see such clear footage of this park.. it seemed like a great place to go for it's time. such a shame it's gone.. maybe canton's economy wouldn't be so bad if it were still here..? anyway, thank you very much for sharing.. i was always curious what it looked like for real :

[ellieb1961]

I wish I could have gone to this park. Love the coaster!

[Maverick626FD]

It looks like the Comet footage may have come from the local radio stations attempt at the world record for coaster riding around 1970 +-,our family went there for years and I worked there several summers ,games & the bullet thanks for the memories

[swampfoxer]

You are correct. A small portion of that Comet footage was from the coaster marathon of the 70's. You can notice the coaster operator running beside the train trying to give the riders a drink as it leaves the station.

[deejroz]

Ah, what memories! I was raised in Wadsworth. My older brother's company (General Tire) picnic was there every summer. Used to go to Chippewa Lake several times every summer, too! It was a better time then, for sure!

[bigwes1976]

You forgot to mention about all the people that drowned in the lake there.

[cruizincaly]

This was a really nice video . I remember having alot of fun at Meyers Lake,thanks for sharing some great memories.

[tjloverlisa]

I loved Myer's Lake, spent many shop picnics there with my family as a child. My Mom & Dad used to go to the ballroom dancing. This brings back so many wonderful memories & brought tears to my eyes as I watched it tumble to the ground. Thanks so much for this.

[repaskyd]

I lived across the Lake and in the summer, Scott Hall and I would ride our bikes to the Penny Arcade and spend the day playing games. Later, Sandy Hindmarsh and I would go to the dances in the ballroom. I learned to love the Big Band sound, listening from my window to the sounds of Glenn Miller, and the Dorsey's. What a GREAT time to grow up. We were all Beaver Cleaver's then.

[Catjo111]

Wow, the memories! My Dad's shop picni c was always at Meyers Lake Park. I understand the laughing lady is in the Smithsonian. Those were great times. The Sinclairs were great people too. Sure miss the innocence of the decade. Thanks for sharing.

[x2112charlie]

Great video!! I remember all of my Dad's Diebold plant picnic's there!! One thing missing though, the laughing lady!!

[musicman101353]

Wow...what a great video. This certainly brings back lots of memories for many people.

[ReesiePuffs64]

I've never seen on-ride footage of the comet! Thank you! You really played to the viewer's emotions through editing and music. Great job!

[bigsis2004]

I worked at meyers lake in the sixty's i still live out here in one of cottage I've been here forty years it was a great park and we had some wonderful times there it was really sad tt see it tore down.

My husband used to walk that track everyday when he was a kid. Thanks for the memories.

[ReesiePuffs64]

You're very lucky to have a firsthand, behind the scenes experience at that place. I envy you. I'm sure it was like a second home.

[parrishc57]

Hello worked at the park in the 60s as well started in 1965 collecting re-rides on the coaster and continued until I went in the service in the summer of 69 this clip really made me homesick and happy/sad all in less than 5 min remember Mead Dunkin he designed the coaster, cuddle-up also remember Gene Overchasher, the two sheriffs Herb and I think Pat remember the smell of the nuts roasting and the caramel corn from the loading platform on the coaster the sound of the chain Potters Picnic

[rubyvermillion]

Thanks for posting this video. It was wonderful!! I too remember the Comet well. Your choise of music was perfect - I could feel the exhileration and anticipation on the first hill as I did that very first time.

[Fiestylady2554]

Thanks for the memories remeber the coater very well fainted my first time on it at the age of 8 or 9 and worked at the park for the summer in 1971 at a concession stand. It is a shame that it is no longer.

[awizardalso]

Thank you Swampfoxer for your efforts. I moved to Canton at 17 in 1971. At least I got to see the last couple years of the park. The Comet was about the scariest coaster I'd ever rode. You never knew if you'd make it back to the station! One of the last things remaining of that era is Cleo's Ice Cream shop, and relatively unchanged after all these years.

[drauad099]

We just wached your Myers Lake video and enjoyed it very much.

Martha and Dave

[MeyersLakeFan]

There are two copyrighted DVD's for sale on Myers Lake entitled Meyers Lake Park Remembered and Meyers Lake Park Revisited.

[mcpojimmyt]

I worked at this park for three years, ran the Octopus,Kid train, small put put boats worked in the Midway.

This brought back a lot of memories.

Thanks a lot

[XenoDev]

My Grandfathers house was just up the park walk. Myers Lake Park was not only pat of my child hood but my mother's as well. I went down to the park the day they pulled the comet down and it was a very sad day indeed! Nice Vid Swampfoxer!

[usamacka]

Thanks for posting this video. I went to every church picnic and company picnics here! I have lots of black and whites from the late 50's and 60's from this park!

[MTigers006]

Latest victim is Geauga Lake in Auoura, Ohio. Victim of greed and selfishness.

[gmswife]

My point was that it was not "west of Canton". Geeez!

[tribeisone]

HA, I live where the ball field once was..or that is what my deed to my home says.

[gmswife]

You had me in tears as well! I can remember this park well. I grew up in Canton in the early sixties. Meyers Lake Park was a huge part of my childhood. I remember the roller coaster catching on fire after the park was closed. You are so very fortunate to have obtained footage from the park! The laughing lady from the laughing house was still around a few years ago (at the fair). The rocket cars from the ride over the lake are at Baylor Beach. Gonna rate vid high! Good job!

[gmswife]

Also , Meyers Lake Park was in Canton, not west of it.

[carolynh2]

I'm wiping the tears from my eyes.  I have so many fond memories of this park. Thank you.

[abigllama]

What a shame that looks like such a fun ride. I love these videos so much, but the demolions at the end end - it's like watching someone's beloved pet get euthenized. Regardless, great stuff and thanks so much for sharing!

[mhvoivod]

fantastic

[carousel19]

Good work on this video! I have seen too many small amusement parks fall to progress.I'll still take the smaller park over the theme parks.

[woodencoasterfan]

Absolutely great video and it's also sad to see that many of our local amusement parks are now gone.