boldikus Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 (edited) If there is a thread dedicated to this park I could not find it, my apologies please merge. Sad News: Scotch Plains Amusement Park Bowcraft Is Closing The Scotch Plains amusement park staple, Bowcraft, will be closing its doors after this season. The land was recently sold to a developer who plans on turning it into apartments and townhouses. Since 1946, this small amusement park was a Route 22 landmark for families. While lacking the big fancy rides of Six Flags or even the Land of Make Believe, it had plenty of old school options like the Merry-Go-Round, Balloon Ride, Super Slide, Dragon Coaster, Tilt-A-Whirl and more. The park feels, which makes visitors feel like they’re at a gigantic carnival remains one of the more affordable options for summer afternoon or weekend fun. The Scotch Plains Planning Board meets to approve the developer plan on Sept. 26. It seems that the park will remain open on weekends through early October as per their schedule. Edited October 2, 2016 by larrygator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njcoasterguy34 Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 I actually went to the park for the first time a couple months ago. It's a shame they're closing at the end of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 (edited) The land under that park is too valuable. I'm surprised they held out from selling for this long. It's been a couple of years since I've been there, but Bowcraft did serve great pizza. Edited September 16, 2016 by larrygator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 This really sucks. That was a really cute little park and Crossbow is actually a lot of fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njcoasterguy34 Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Maybe Knoebels can purchase Crossbow and save it from the scrap heap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFOG1991 Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 I wish this was announced a bit earlier! I was in the area just two weeks ago and would've changed my schedule to go there had I known it was closing down. Sad to see any park close down, especially considering there are almost never new parks opening in the U.S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted September 16, 2016 Share Posted September 16, 2016 Crossbow has been on the market for years. This decision makes me wonder if the actually recently sold it and then decided to move on to the park sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirkFunk Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 Somethingsomethingmarketsomethingcapitalismsomething. There, that chain of gibberish was better than most park closure analysis. On a serious note, I tried to go on Crossbow a few years ago and they had it closed up for the fall. It sits on a flat piece of land, so I expect it to be of interest to someone out there. Maybe it moves closer to me; lol yeah right. Seriously though that park actually put in effort for some of the infrastructure. I remember they installed concrete pavers for a bunch of it instead of just cheap shitty blacktop like a lot of places. Oh well, I'm sure the condos that may or may not ever get built on the site will be popular another real estate price deflation from now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 Apparently this place is 30 minutes from me and I've never even heard of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 Apparently this place is 30 minutes from me and I've never even heard of it. You still have time to go and honestly you should. If I had Crossbow 30 minutes from me I'd ride it quite a bit. It's not amazing but it's a fun ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 Wow thanks for letting me know. I was planning on going to Adventureland tomorrow while I was in the area, but this will change my plans to go to Bowcraft before they close. It's a shame to see small family places like this go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 Apparently this place is 30 minutes from me and I've never even heard of it. You still have time to go and honestly you should. If I had Crossbow 30 minutes from me I'd ride it quite a bit. It's not amazing but it's a fun ride. I might try to get over there before it closes, anything else worth going on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 I never like to see a park shut its doors for good, even if the park isn't on an Astroworld/Geauga Lake scale at closing. The Zierer Crossbow looks like it really packs a punch for its size -- I'd be surprised if it doesn't find a new home sooner than later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 I might try to get over there before it closes, anything else worth going on? Not really. If you're into credit whoring they have a kids coaster and I think adults can ride it but I don't know for sure since we're not about that life. They also have a Paratrooper which we rode because I love them, but there's nothing about it that makes it noteworthy. It's not like it's the Fun Spot America paratrooper of death that everyone needs to go out of their way to experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 I have vague recollections of this park existing. Here's our report from when we visited in 2011 complete with some POV's! http://www.themeparkreview.com/parks/photo.php?pageid=319&linkid=10878 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djcoastermark Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 It's always sad to see a small local park close in the name of "progress" if one can really call it progress. They may not be big on the wow factor, but they have their charm and many of us have grown up on them and is what led us to our bigger adventures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philrad71 Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 ^ Well, there's always the slim chance that it could be Conneaut Lake'd for the next 20 years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djcoastermark Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 ^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 I might try to get over there before it closes, anything else worth going on? Not really. If you're into credit whoring they have a kids coaster and I think adults can ride it but I don't know for sure since we're not about that life. They also have a Paratrooper which we rode because I love them, but there's nothing about it that makes it noteworthy. It's not like it's the Fun Spot America paratrooper of death that everyone needs to go out of their way to experience. I stopped in for a little bit earlier today. Crossbow had a nice layout and I liked the trains, but it was rattling the whole ride. The Dragon Coaster does allow adults (I may or may not know from experience). Outside of that, the park has some classic flats and kiddie rides. The antique cars looked particularly nice with safari statues next to the layout. As a thrill seeker, the park wouldn't have warranted a return trip from me. However, the park had an excellent collection of rides for the younger crowd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djcoastermark Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 I guess that was kinda my point, a great little park to start the young-uns out at before they are ready for the big time. Sometimes the big parks are too overwhelming for kids and these small family parks help ease them in to the majors. Plus, they are a lot of fun for the whole group from toddlers to grandmas. Sad there are not to many left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatdaddy Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 I have vague recollections of this park existing. Here's our report from when we visited in 2011 complete with some POV's! http://www.themeparkreview.com/parks/photo.php?pageid=319&linkid=10878 I vaguely remember... Mysterious woman whores out dragon coaster credit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 ^At least I had a child with me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 So Bowcraft just posted on Facebook that they're NOT closing! It was (according to them) all rumors and the media ran wild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boldikus Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 So Bowcraft just posted on Facebook that they're NOT closing! It was (according to them) all rumors and the media ran wild. Welp, sorry for perpetuating internet bullsh*t. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njcoasterguy34 Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 Hey, it happens to the best of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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