There’s more than rides at Indiana Beach

February 27, 2008 10:41 am

— Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong and Duke Ellington played there. Thousands “play” there now every summer.
For most of the past century, Indiana Beach has been a summertime mecca for people from the Logansport area as well as other parts of Indiana and Illinois.
Word last week of Indiana Beach’s sale is one that ends an era. The Spackman family who has operated the amusement park for three generations is doing what many families do when generations are added. They move on to other things.
Yet the legacy of the Spackman family is one the new owners could have a difficult time replicating.
Consider for a second what the likelihood of creating an amusement park off the beaten path of a four-lane highway would be in 2008? It would be a tough sell to investors.
What Indiana Beach has done for Monticello and White County is create a destination. Arguably, Lake Shafer and Lake Freeman would be destinations anyway if Indiana Beach were not there, but for those who own property on the lake, it is the frosting on the cake — neon lighting up the summer evenings, a paddlewheel boat ferrying past resort homes and fireworks reflecting a colorful spectrum over Lake Shafer on the Fourth of July.
In a sense, Indiana Beach has been all summer things to all people. For those looking for an amusement park closer than Cincinnati or Chicago, it’s handy. In fact, Indianapolis for all it’s amenities and attractions has nothing similar.
As a summer resort, there are few attractions other than state parks like it in Indiana, especially when you consider there are lakes to be enjoyed.
As a boon for the regional economy, it’s a plus. It’s a seasonal employer for young people in particular, but it’s the place that adds value to the economy because of the money spent by people traveling to and from it.
As an economic force that spurs other investment such as motels, restaurants, outdoor movie theaters and miniature golf courses, it adds more value.
The much worn slogan of Indiana Beach, “There’s more than corn in Indiana,” has a great deal of truth to it. The Spackamns proved their loyalty to their investment many times since 1980, adding roller coasters and rides that have made Indiana Beach a greater attraction on warm summer nights from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Mind you, I’m not much of an amusement park person. In fact, the lone time I rode the Sky Ride at Indiana Beach, I think my fingerprints were indelibly etched in the safety bar. Heights in open areas are not my strong point.
But a strong point for Indiana Beach and its future is that it bridges generations, just as it has bridged the generations of the Spackman family. In short, if you’ve lived in this area of Indiana for any number of years, you probably have been there at least once. You may have eaten in the Sky Room where musicians from Logansport once performed. You may have rocked with bands at the Roof Garden only a few steps away. You may have purchased carmel corn on the boardwalk or bought a gift at the Emporium, or fed the carp some popcorn as they linger around the boardwalk’s edge.
Can Indiana Beach not only become more than it is? That’s a question for new owners to answer and it’s one many should hope they will answer in a way that means more jobs and economic impact for a prosperous part of our area. Resort property on the lakes is some of the most attractive real estate around and it makes for a sound tax base for a school corporation and local government.
It all started with the name “Ideal Beach” after the Tippecanoe River was dammed. Ideally, this beach represents a chance to further a legacy that is truly one-of-a-kind in Indiana.
Dave Kitchell is a columnist for the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached through the newspaper at ptnews@pharostribune.com

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