Remembering Gaslight Village

I just wanted to make mention of one of my favorite places we used to go with my mom and dad.

When my dad got his summer vacation from work, he would always try to take us to Lake George, at least once. My favorite place to go would be Gaslight Village.

Opened in 1959 by the legendary Charley Wood, who also opened Storytown, U.S.A. now known as Six Flags Great Escape) and several other family attractions.

Don’t forget when you came out to the car at the end of the day, there would always be a piece of cardboard attached to the bumper of the car with the Gaslight Village logo on it.

One of the things it was known for was its entertainment with an 1890s theme. As the old radio commercial went; “yesterdays fun today”. Gaslight Village had a stage in an entertainment hall, known as the Opera House that had seating for a lot of people. There was also the Palace Theater that had continuous showings of silent movies with some of those featuring Charlie Chaplin and many others. There was a bandstand where comedy performances where often held, like those by the Keystone Cops. Gaslight Village also hosted several sing-alongs, plays and live theatrical performances, and even an Ice Revue. We would stop into some of these places to rest and watch the shows. I was always more interested in the rides outside.

My favorite was always the old cars that my dad or mom would take me on. If memory serves me correctly, these were actually on a paved path and not on a conveyor belt type track that pulled the car. You would drive the cars. Even a kid could drive it, which I think every kid really loved. Where else could a kid drive a car?

I have to admit, when I go to Lake George, I almost always look to see if maybe there’s a chance it was going to open again. I just wanted to pay my last respects to a local institution which closed in 1989, and is now being totally demolished, due to disrepair.

Gaslight Village: 1959-1989