2016 To Be Bowcraft Amusement Park's Last?

While not officially announced by the park yet, it seems as though the 2016 season very well may be the last one for New Jersey's Bowcraft Amusement Park.  The family style amusement park isn't the largest in the area, but it's still always sad to see a park close its doors - especially when it's for new apartments!

According to local news, the Scotch Plains Planning Board will be considering next week a plan that would see 190 apartments and 10 townhomes built on the site of the park.  That would imply that the land the park sits on must carry a great value, and also means that when the park closes at the end of this October it will probably be for good.

© Bing

Still, official confirmation should come from Bowcraft soon, though there have been signs of this coming in the past.  The park has had its Zierer designed coaster, Crossbow, listed for sale for a couple years now.  The custom designed ride features a 55 foot tall lift hill, 1,260 feet of track and a top speed of 40 miles per hour.  Other larger rides at the park include a pirate ship, musik express, paratrooper, scrambler and a decent selection of family and children's rides.

The park has also commonly been known as Bowcraft Playland and dates back to 1946 when it operated as an archery/ski equipment store complete with a small ski hill.  It was expanded decades later to include the amusement rides and family entertainment-style fun offered today.