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Local amusement parks were also popular destinations. In 1906, there were two in the Bangor area regularly advertising their attractions. Riverside Park in Hampden was operated by the Bangor Railway and Electric Co. It overlooked the Hampden Narrows on the Penobscot River near the site of the present-day Avalon Village. One could travel there by trolley or boat. Amusements included a bowling alley, a dance hall, a merry-go-round, a shooting gallery and alligators displayed in pools, according to Richard M. Newcomb in his history of the park. An open-air theater featured vaudeville acts, plays, concerts and movies. Attendance rose as high as 10,000 on some summer weekends.

The opener for the 1906 season in late June offered a typical show including Ward and Raymond, wooden shoe dancers; Mudge and Morton, musical entertainers; Reed's Boston terriers, canine entertainers; Victor LaSalle, comedy acrobat; and Howard and Colby, novelty sketch. Reed's Boston terriers "do everything but talk. If they did talk they would probably have something to say of more consequence than many men," commented a Bangor Daily News reviewer.

Opened in 1898, the park closed 18 years later. "In 1916, with the advancement of World War I and the availability of automobiles to enjoy new horizons, the park lost attendance and closed. The buildings were destroyed. Today there is no visible sign where the park was in operation," according to Newcomb.



CREDITS:EXCERPTS"The Bangor News--The City of Bangor: The Industries, Resources, Attractions and Business Life of Bangor and Its ... By Bangor (Me.). Board of Trade