Six Flags Great America outside Chicago is 50
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Aerial view of the Marriott's, now Six Flags, Great Americaa musement park in Gurnee on May 6, 1978. Photo: UPI/Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
Six Flags Great America celebrates its 50th birthday this weekend.
Flashback: The Marriott hotel chain opened Great America on May 29, 1976, in the north-suburban city of Gurnee, to give Illinois families a summer destination that didn't require a plane ticket or road trip.
- It was a rainy day, but fans were greeted by high school marching bands and the voice of Bugs Bunny, aka the "man of a thousand voices," Mel Blanc, according to an online history of the park.
- About 12,000 visitors showed up on Day 1, with adults paying $7.95 and kids $6.95 to get in. Perhaps the most striking sign of the times — parking was $1, according to the Chicago Tribune.
What they said: "It was built because Americans have demonstrated an affection for the sort of theme park pioneered by Walt Disney and because 27 million of them live in an area that had no theme park before," Tribune reporter Robert Cross wrote in 1976.
- "Rising travel costs have made Disneyland and Disney World harder for a lot of people to reach."
The intrigue: The American Eagle wooden roller coaster was the longest and highest vertical drop in the U.S. when it opened in 1981.
- Other big-time attractions that Great America introduced over the years include Batman: The Ride, which takes riders through the twists and turns while suspended upside down, and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, a water park in Gurnee.
State of play: Six Flags took over ownership of Great America in 1984.
What to expect: Friday's party is the first in a series of anniversary events planned for this summer and features party hats, a reunion performance by the Four of a Kind quartet, who performed on the opening day, and fireworks to close out the night.
- The celebration begins at 11am, and fireworks kick off at 9:30pm.
Zoom in: Events this summer include a new nighttime stage show and parade, a drone show, and nostalgic concessions.
- The Legacy Museum displays memorabilia from the past five decades, and super fans can buy a personalized brick for placement on the Legacy Path.
Details: Daily tickets start at $45 and season passes start at $75.
- Regular hours are 10:30am-8pm.