A REVIVAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19803, 31 May 1926, Page 9

A REVIVAL.

EXHIBITION THRILLS AGAIN. AMUSEMENTS .PARK REOPENS. Once more Logan Park became a popular destination for pleasure-seekers on Saturday afternoon and evening, when the Amusements Park offered its thrills and pleasures to those whose interest in the pleasureland of the Exhibition has not waned. The reopening was, perhaps, a daring experiment by the new company which intends to run the Amusements Park for a week before it is removed to Auckland, but the weather was favourable and success crowned the initial sessions. The brief glow of Exhibition life before Logan Park is finally turned into open grounds was indeed a welcome one, bringing back Exhibition sights sounds, and memories that many thought belong to tile past. When the gates of the Exhibition Joylaud opened at 2 o’clock in the afternoon hundreds arrived in the same manner and by the same route to which they had been accustomed during the Exhibition months. Outwardly the famous Amusements Park was unchanged—yet there was a difference, a difference that was particularly noticeable in the evening when the lights of the devices emphasised the shadow and silence of the big pavilions. The heart of the Exhibition was dead and the lights and sounds of the Amusements .Park were but a brief spark of revival before the final dismantling of the buildings. Since the Exhibition closed a large mechanical staff has been constantly at work on the devices, renovating and repairing all sections. All the devices purchased by the company, which will shortly transfer its activities to Auckland, have been so treated, and on Saturday afternoon they were in even better condition than was the case when the Exhibition closed.

When the main pates were opened and the early coming crowd streamed in it was quickly evident that, although the Amusements Park would be quieter and less gay than before May 1, it still held a definite attraction for Dunedin residents. Whether thlt attraction will continue for the whole of this week will depend greatly on the weather, although the Winter Show crowds are sure to find their way to the Whip, the Caterpillar, the great Scenic Railway, the Fun Factory, the Water Caves, and the other devices that will be open and in full working order. Thoughout the afternoon each device worked quietly, but attracted a steady patronage of happy people, who sampled again the joys and thrills that American ingenuity placed at the disposal of Exhibition-goers. Rain threatened late in the afternoon, but the interest of those who strolled through the quiet grounds did not wane, and the cars of the Scenic Railway were seldom without their full complement of passengers In the evening the presence of the St. Kilda Band, which played an attractive programme of popular music under the lights in the centre of the amusements area added greatly to the success of the venture, and for the time being transformed the Amusements Park into a little city cl bustling joy, reminiscent of the Exhibition period. The attendance was again fair and the fine weather helped in no small measure to tempt pleasure-seekers to Logan Park. The Amusements Park will be open again this evening and for the remainder of the week.