FROM THE ARCHIVES BY MARY WATSON
THE STORY OF PLAYLAND PARK
Playland Park was a permanent amusement park located where the municipal parking lot on
Mosley Street west of the Mall exists today. It was established in 1932 by William (Bull) Fielding,
and contained rides such as a tilt-a-whirl, merry-go-round, twister, scrambler, bumper cars, the
wild mouse roller coaster, a bowling alley, arcade, and much, much more. The property was not
the wide-open area you see today, but was surrounded by buildings on all sides which were
privately owned and operated businesses. The amusement park was contained behind these
buildings.
Bumper Cars
Scrambler
The Park operated from May to September, and many local teenagers had summer jobs there,
working in the concession booths and food trailers. The rides were operated by Bull Fielding’s
staff, known as “carnies”. The closing of Playland Park in September marked the beginning of the
end of a busy summer tourist season in Wasaga Beach. In later years, many of the rides were
taken to the CNE by Conklin Shows and brought back for the next summer season.
One of the entrances to Playland Park was at the foot of Main Street on the northwest side. A
second entrance was located between the Bingo building and the Candyman on the west side of
Main Street (the Mall).
The Ferris Wheel was a very popular ride located near the end of Main
Street on the northwest side off Beach Drive. Its lights could be seen from Collingwood on a clear
night, and the highest seat on the Ferris Wheel gave a view of the bay and mountains that was
spectacular! Many boaters could see the top of the Ferris Wheel when coming towards the mouth
of the Nottawasaga River.
Bull Fielding operated the amusement park until his death in 1954. The ownership of Playland
Park passed on to his son Donald, who ran the park until his death at age 44 in 1974. The park
was subsequently passed on to Donald Fielding’s nephews, Barry and Bill Connell, who owned
the park until 1986. Playland Park was operated by Conklin Shows for several years during this
time.
The End of an Era
In October of 1985, all the rides, equipment and thousands of miscellaneous items related to
Playland Park were auctioned off and the property put up for sale. As time went by, a lot of the
surrounding buildings were demolished, which opened up the site considerably. Eventually, the
property and surrounding lots were sold to the private sector, and the large parcel of land was
operated as a private parking lot for several years.
The Town of Wasaga Beach subsequently purchased the property and created a properly paved
and lined parking lot, known as the Playland Lot. Over the years, Councils have wisely kept the
“special event” style designation on the property, and we now enjoy amusement rides every
summer for about four weeks. These rides are owned and operated by Albion Amusements. This
parking lot is also the site of many special events, such as Beach Cruise and Corvette Weekend.
These events are vital for the promotion of tourism in Wasaga.
A few years ago, Joe Zaffuto, a long-time resident and builder, happened upon one of the original
carousel horses from the Merry-Go-Round in Playland Park. The horse, which was built in 1915,
was purchased and lovingly restored by Joe, right down to real horse hair on the tail. He donated
it to the Town in 2006, and John Robertson, the owner of Albion Amusements, donated the brass
pole on which the horse stands. The carousel horse is located in front of the Council Chambers at
this time, and will be moved to the Archives when room permits. It is a constant and warm
reminder of days gone by at Playland Park.
First printed in the Wasaga Sun on 12Nov08