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Memories of Nantasket Beach and Paragon Park

Share Your Memories of Nantasket Beach and Paragon Park

 

Cindy St.Amand
Nov 2008

I still remember... how happy I was on the little "boat" ride for toddlers at Paragon Park. It would just go around in circles, but I couldn\'t wait to hear the water lapping against the boat and occasional bell ringing. Never thought I would grow up and move here. Living here now, I still enjoy seeing all the boats. I guess I am a boat lover at heart! I love it here!

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Mike Carpenter
Nov 2008

Nantasket Beach: Early 60's
My dad was captain of the MDC Police in Nantasket at the time. Our family summered there in the early 60's. One summer was spent living on the upper floor of Lahages' (The Clock tower house at the rotary.) The other summers were spent at the Totem pole house to the right of the old police station. It was the best time of my life. Paragon Park, the beach, the times... It was all so magical to be a young kid in that atmosphere. I remember Miles McDonough, who rented umbrellas and beach chairs at the pavillion on the beach, and Michael MacNamara, Tommy Furzz, and all the cool wise cracking teens who ran some of the rides at the Park. The Wild Mouse, roller coaster, Congo Cruise, and The Rotor were my favorites. Thanks for the memories!

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Randy Sorenson
Nov 2008

Bands That Played The Surf

• The Doors
• Kingsmen and The Mysterions
• The Guess Who
• Tremelos
• Freddie Cannon
• McCoys
• The Chambers Brothers
• The Ventures
• The Vanilla Fudge
• The Animals
• Tommy James and the Shondells
• Tony Orlando and Dawn
• Jr. Walker and the Allstars
• BJ Thomas and the Classic Four
• The Allman Brothers
• Til Tuesday
• Duane Eddy
• Sonny & Cher
• Gene Pitney
• Bobby Vinton
• Aerosmith
• Fabian
• Roy Orbison
• Dion
• The Belmonts
• The Shirelles
• Freddie, "Boom Boom" Cannon
• DJ Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsberg
• Local Bands: The Rocking Ramrods, Techniques, Counts, Second Society, Formation, Minus One, Utopia, Pilgrims, The Mods, The Pilgrims

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Earl Cohen
Sept 2008

This photo of Paul and Earl Cohen was taken around 1952. The ride was called the Kiddy Coaster and the building in the background was the old roller skating rink.

Apollo Theatre
Going to this old theatre kept us out of trouble on rainy summer days during the mid fifties.

 

 

 

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Errol Stevens(Tabasky)
July 2008

Paragon Park
I grew up in Hull and graduated from Hull High in 1959. In my junior and senior year during the summers I worked at Paragon Park. What an enjoyable time working at the hoop-la, bear pitch,and making cotton candy. I left in 1973 and have a home in Florida and Tennesse. My wife and I visit Hull every year with our motorhome. My favoite ride was the Tunnel of Love and the Bullet.

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Scott Aronofsky
July 2008

The memories I have from Paragon Park are still etched in my mind. I spent the summers there from 1964-1984. My Grandmother started the tradition by renting a cottage on Hillside Rd. We had so much fun, walking to the beach every day, and going to the park at night. I miss the park alot, and it seems that there are many more who do as well. I created a website dedicated to these memories and its become quite popular. This August, my family and I will be having a beach day re-union and I can't wait. The lights, the sounds and the smells of Paragon Park are long gone, but the memories will live on forever.

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Randy Sorenson
July 2008

Growing Up in Hull
Having grown up and gone to school in town, I enjoy the stories from everyone and their experiences. For me, I was lucky enough to be in the music business at the height of the Paragon Park era, having played at The Surf, The Blue Bunny and The Cove. Every day at the beach! What a great place to call home no matter where you may now live.

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Al Citro
June 2008
When I finally got my driver's license it meant no more trips to the beach with my family. My buddies and I high tailed it to Nantasket Beach and Paragon Park. Lunch at Joe & Nemo's (.25) dogs and burgers) and cold orangeade. My fondest memory though is seeing Fats Domino at the Blue Bunny nightclub in Paragon Park. My buddy Steve and I were barely old enough to drive, let alone drink. A sport coat and tie got us into most any club in those days. Fats put on a great show and we proceeded to get blitzed on long necks. On the way home to Belmont on Rte 128 I was crusing along at 80 mph when a trooper pulled me over. Steve was passed out on the front seat and was not waking up for anything. I'll never forget, the cop's name was Chase. He asked me where we got the alcohol and he let us go. The Lord was watching over us that night.

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By Art Milmore
June 2008

I worked 2 summers at Nantasket at age 14 and 17. The first at the old Tivoli Gardens restaurant right on the beach and at 17 for Paragon Park. With all the beautiful young ladies cruising by all day and night, it was like I died and went to heaven --- and I got paid for this --- wow!! I went on the roller coaster over 1000 times and got to walk it for 3 hours in 1985 photographing it for the builder that moved it to Largo, Maryland. I walked it there too and have the before and after photos. I went on it 40 times over 2 days with the builder, Charlie Dinn and it is now higher, longer and 8 mph faster than it was here.

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By Bob Ganno
May 2008

Fun Times in the 60's
I grew up in Hyde Park, but on the weekends in the summer we use to thumb to Nantasket Beach. i use to go with Mark Goodless, Al Feinberg and Mike Fuller. We use to go to the Surf or a Dance near Kenburma Street. The Park was great, lots of rides and food. Now I still go back to the Beach with my Grand-kids and enjoy the beach. I have a lot of great memories there.

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By Carol Harris
October 3, 2007

I am 73 and the best times of my life are when our family spent time at Nantasket Beach when I was very young. The sky was so blue over the Atlantic and how I loved the wonderful smell of salt air. Nothing in the world is quite like it. You who are so fotunate to live near by, enjoy it. I have lived all over the world and I still long for those times.

 

 

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By Rose McHugh

As a child it was a big thrill to come down (from Quincy) to Nantasket for a day at the beach & an evening on the rides at Paragon - I can remember the thrill of being in the station wagon on George Washington Blvd. & the first sight of the roller coaster as we came around the corner - everyone in the car would want to be the first to yell out "there's the roller coaster!"

As a teenager in high school we would come down on the weekend to go to the beach & hang around the park at night, I was too "chicken" to ride the roller coaster but loved the "Mighty Mouse", "Tiltawhirl" & of course the "Red Mill" (I think that was the name of the ride like a "Tunnel of Love" with a splash down a slide at the end) & also as a teenager loved the Surf on Saturday night to dance & listen to live local bands.

Friday nights we would go to Broad Cove in Hingham to dance, (where auction hall is now on 3A) A big date would be a day at the beach, then supper (pizza) at Al's Spaghetti House (I think that was the name - where Mezza Mare is now.)

When my children were small & we were living in Abington - Nantasket was the beach to go - first I would go to Quincy to pick up my mother who would have packed lunches then to Nantasket where we would drag the playpen & all the beach toys over to the beach from the parking lot near the "comfort station". I do know as a child & even as a young mother I never dreamed of living here - but I'm so glad I do!

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By Lucille Ciani

As spring is finally here my first thoughts take me to Hull where that beautiful stretch of beach sprawls called Nantasket. Even in the midst of the bleak winter my thoughts anticipate when I can stroll along the sand. Hull is truly my primary place to visit in the summer.

Early in the morning is when I love it the most. There is a great sense of seeing a new fresh day soon to burst with a beautiful summer sun glistening on the ocean. Early in the morning there are people walking are always cordial. I usually only stay two to three hours and get on with the rest of my day.

Many of us have so many memories of Nantasket Beach as children. As a child, family and friends together visited Nantasket Beach and Paragon Park frequently. It was so exciting driving into the Hull and seeing the large roller coaster. Us kids would all scream, "Nantasket! Nantasket!"

I have such a fondness in me of Hull that lives on. I almost feel it is home. And as I continue to travel to Hull I am making new memories.

By Al Rossi

I fond memories of summer vacations on Nantasket Beach. I was born in Boston and my family had a summer cottage located on Marginal St. I hail from a large exended Italian-American family and we would all join together to spend enjoyable summers at that location. We all lived in Boston not far from one another and the family would rendezvous in Nantasket to have fun and enjoy the simple pleasures of life that mean so much -- and, of course, Paragon Park. Man, what memories of a by-gone era - a time I'm afraid is past forever.

I now live in Atlanta, Ga and have raised my family which has included my two great sons and a loving wife and from time to time wish that they could have experienced what was, in my estimation, the greatest time of life. 

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By Denise Fontaine

I was born and grew up in Concord,Mass.I remember my Mom packing up the convertible with 6 kids, our dog,barbeque grill and all and heading to Nantasket almost every weekend during the summer.Seeing the blue horizon of the ocean felt like Christmas Eve! As if I was about to enter a magical realm. I now have rekindled treasured Nantasket Beach memories thru my artwork.Creating nostalgic beach shadowboxes,collage,mixed media with vintage embellishments I have collected from local antique shops. I posted one for the heck of it and was amazed by the need for treasured memories of a bygone era.

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