'It's bittersweet': Hundreds say goodbye to Gillian's Wonderland Pier on its last day
OCEAN CITY, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Sunday marked the end of an era on the Ocean City boardwalk as Gillian's Wonderland Pier closed for good.
Hundreds stopped by to say their last goodbyes before it closed over the weekend.
Even though the park was set to close at 6 p.m., officials kept it open an extra hour to give guests one final goodbye.
Visitors said it was the busiest they had seen the pier in a while, as some waited nearly half an hour to go on the rides.
"Everybody is giving tickets away because everyone has extras and everybody is sharing. It's nice," said Kathy Hoover from Ocean City.
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"Everyone's having a great time but at the same time, we're feeling a little sad too, because we know it was the last Ferris wheel ride. It was the last time on Raiders. I remember that when I was a kid. Just the last time. It's been a little emotional," said Donna Sadeghi from Avondale, Pennsylvania.
The landmark has been a part of the boardwalk for 94 years.
Jay Gillian, the former owner and current Ocean City mayor, said the pier was getting difficult to maintain and was no longer a viable business.
As this chapter of the boardwalk came to a close, many reminisced on the community staple.
"The kids always loved it here. I loved it when I was a kid," said Mike Felicione from Mayfair. "It's just very sad that they're closing this place because I had a lot of fond memories from when I was a kid. My dad used to bring us here as far back as the '60s."
"Me and my brother came a lot when we were kids and now I get to bring my two. It's sad," added Lisa Felicione from Mayfair.
"It's bittersweet. We're just excited we could be here on the last day and experience it before it closes but we've had a lot of great memories here," added Ashley Callaghan from Ocean City.
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City leaders say the owner of the property -- Eustace Mita, who also owns ICONA Resorts -- has less than six months to decide what's next for the area.
Many are holding out hope that the amusement park will reopen in some capacity and are encouraging the owner to revamp it.
Some say it's important to the community to maintain the pier's iconic Ferris wheel and arcade games.
"It just brings everyone joy. Everyone is happy here. Like do you hear anyone crying right now?" said Jaydon Sadeghi from Avondale.
One group known as 'Save Wonderland' is fighting to protect the pier.
"It's in our gut, it's in our hearts," said Donna Saber, a member of Save Wonderland.
Saber says the group's goal is to keep the community staple but give it an upgrade.
"Mita is ICONA and Wonderland is iconic, let's join the two together. Let's maintain, restore, and reopen Wonderland," she explained.
"The turnout today showed there are too many people that still love and enjoy it and cherish the memories they create here," said Darion Howard from North Philadelphia.
Residents should know more about the park's future come March, officials say.
