Barnes & Noble to Host Book Signing for Excelsior Amusement Park: Playland of the Twin Cities

MINNEAPOLIS - Aug. 16, 2017 - PRLog -- Barnes & Noble to Host Book Signing for Excelsior Amusement Park: Playland of the Twin Cities

Local author Greg Van Gompel will be available to sign copies of book

Minneapolis roared into the 1920s as a major metropolis, but it lacked the kind of outdoor amusement facilities common elsewhere across the country. In 1925, Fred W. Pearce introduced the Twin Cities to his "Picnic Wonderland." Crowds eagerly poured onto the shores of Lake Minnetonka by the trolley load.

Luckily, Excelsior Park survived the Great Depression and World War II on the strength of its celebrity acts. Changes in the forms of transportation, combined with innovations in the outdoor entertainment industry such as Disneyland and an aging infrastructure, eventually forced the park to close its gates.

Highlights from the book include:

·         The book answers the question of why Excelsior Amusement Park closed.

·         A large number of the images in the book were provided by the descendants of the park owner, Fred Pearce.

·         Popular musical acts such as the Andrew Sisters, Lawrence Welk, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, and Jerry Lee Lewis, among others, performed at Excelsior Park.

·         Park founder Fred Pearce was known as Mr. Roller Coaster and was so instrumental to the amusement industry that he is a member of the Hall of Fame for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.

Join the author for a signing:

Where:  Barnes & Noble

3216 West Lake Street

Minneapolis, MN 55416

When:  Saturday, August 26th, 2017 at 1:00 p.m.

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.

The combination of Arcadia Publishing & The History Press creates the largest and most comprehensive publisher of local and regional content in the USA. By empowering local history and culture enthusiasts to write local stories for local audiences, we create exceptional books that are relevant on a local and personal level, enrich lives, and bring readers closer - to their community, their neighbors, and their past. Have we done a book on your town?  Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com