A Conversation on the Lost Theme Parks of Northern California
March 24 | 7:00 - 8:00pm | Free with admission to the museum
In 1955, Walt Disney opened his now legendary Disneyland theme park. The success and sheer brilliance of creating a magical place that was clean, friendly and safe appealed to budding park enthusiasts who opened scaled down versions of various themes in their hometowns. During the mid-twentieth century, the Bay Area boasted thirty plus parks during their baby boomer era hey-day. Today, many of the parks have disappeared due to economics and city redevelopment, but still hold a powerful connection in the collective memories of those who went there.
On March 24th, take a trip down memory lane as NUMU presents: “Lost Theme Parks of Northern California.” Join roller coaster and theme park enthusiast, Kris Rowberry along with filmmaker, Nicholas Laschkewitsch as they team up to present a lively discussion on the history and enduring memory of local Northern California theme parks of the past. Learn more about the parks in our current “It Takes a Village,” exhibit featuring: Frontier Village, Santa’s Village and Lost World. The duo will also share images and history from other lost Bay Area parks such as: Pacific City in San Mateo, Luna Park in San Jose, Manteca Waterslides, and the little known history of one of the most prolific amusement park ride developers, Arrow Development in Mountain View.
In 2013, Rowberry and Laschkewitsch teamed up to produce the film series: Lost Parks of Northern California. Their work has been featured in Time Magazine, NBC, KGO, KLIV, The San Jose Mercury News and the San Francisco Examiner.
Nicholas Laschkewitsch is the Video Promotions Coordinator for the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) along with being an Executive Producer and the Lead Editor for “Lost Parks of Northern California.” In addition to being the Regional Representative for the Northern California Region of ACE, Nicholas has a strong passion for history and preservation, both of which are part of ACE’s mission. He is currently studying Mechanical Engineering at San Jose State University with the ultimate goal of designing roller coasters soon after.
Kris Rowberry is the host of "Lost Parks of Northern California," in addition to being the weekday afternoon news anchor at 1590 KLIV-AM in San Jose. He fell in love with roller coasters and amusement parks after a ride on the legendary "Tidal Wave" at Great America in Santa Clara back in 1994. He's ridden nearly 200 different coasters ever since.
