Please join us on July 18th from noon to 1 p.m. in the Level 2 Reading Room of the State Library for a talk from author Rick Geffken on Lost Amusement parks of the New Jersey shore. For this talk he will be concentrating on more of North Jersey, which includes Point Pleasant, Asbury Park, and Highland Beach.

The Jersey Shore has always attracted people seeking relief from summer heat and humidity. By the end of the 19th century, the 120-mile-long coastline of New Jersey was dotted with amusement parks featuring all types of rides and fast-food emporiums. James Bradley in Asbury Park and William Sandlass Jr in Highland Beach created mass entertainment for hundreds of thousands of people. However, their seaside recreation centers along with others that had endured for years are just fond and fading memories today.

Author Rick Geffken has written numerous articles on Monmouth County history and has spoken throughout the state on Monmouth County historical topics. He has appeared on the New Jersey Cable TV show, Family Historian as well. The book Lost Amusement Parks of North Jersey was co-written with George Severini.

Geffken is Past-president and a Trustee of the Jersey Coast Heritage Museum at Sandlass House and is a member of the Monmouth County Historical Association.

He is currently retired as a sales executive for Hewlett-Packard and other positions as well as being a retired U.S. Army officer and Vietnam veteran. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from St. Peter’s University and a Master’s Degree from Montclair State University.

All are welcome. RSVP is appreciated. Please respond to Cindy Warrick at cwarrick@njstatelib.org or 609-278-2640 ext. 172.