Dale Queenan

Sorry I missed Bob Mclaughlin when he was a guest on the Avon Access channel (Around the Crackerbarrel).

His appearance did spark a few memories of my own however. It must have been '64 or '65 and my father was working for a Food distributor. One of his products was a nasty soft drink called Nu Fizz which was something like a flavored Alka-Seltzer which you dropped into water. If remember correctly, this product was promoted on Rex Trailer's Boomtown which leads to the Pleasure Island connection.

One Thursday evening my father drove up to our Stoneham home in a larger rental truck. He called me over, opened the overhead door of the truck, and there inside was this large "amusement". At one end was a large fiberglass cowboy in a black hat, and on the other end was a wraparound holster with a six gun. The way this amusement operated was that you stood up leaning against the holster, facing the "cowboy". When the timer went off you would draw the gun which would shoot a light beam to a spot on the cowboy. the Cowboy would respond by saying "oohh, you got me", "your too slow, try again partner"

As it turned out, this was to be part a promotional contest being held in conjunction Rex Trailer at Pleasure Island that weekend. The event was call the "Fastest Gun in the East" Contest", and I was going to get to tag along with my father. As one of the promotional folks, my father got to dress up in cowboy clothes and hand out balloons, Nu Fizz, pictures of Rex and help with the crowds of kids. How cool was that for a ten year old to be part of!

I remember getting to the park early that Saturday, getting to walk around the park before it opened, hanging with Rex, getting to ride the rides for free, and being the envy of all the kids in my neighborhood.

For years promotion signs and give-a-ways were stored in our various basements until many moves and 40 years took their toll and they all disappeared.