Picture from Britanica Encyclopedia

Dan Koslowski, an avid roller coaster enthusiast, will regale us with America’s history and facts about yesterday and today’s roller coaster and carousels. Through pictures, narrations, and music, he will take us on an eye-opening journey from the people who invented these unique rides to one of America’s favorite pastimes, the amusement park. Dan has specifically researched the contributions of the late Bowcraft Amusement Park in Scotch Plains.

Originally scheduled for the Historical Society of Scotch Plains and Fanwood’s September opening program, this fun and enjoyable program had to be postponed at the last minute due to car accident injuries to Dan Koslowski. He is now well and able to join us. On Tuesday, November 25th at 7:30 p.m., Dan will share his passion for roller coasters and take us on a thrilling ride through America’s history.

Koslowski, a 6-year-old at the time of his first roller coaster, has no plans of stopping. He’s ridden over 100 roller coaster and never gotten sick on any one of them. The thrill of speed, excitement and the rush of going fast are what he loves most. He is an active member with the “American Roller Coaster Enthusiasts” and the “National Carousel Club.”

In addition to riding, researching and presenting about roller coasters, Koslowski is a retired instrumental music teacher at elementary schools in Linden. Now he offers private music lessons. Beyond his passion for roller coasters, Koslowski also builds and designs original scratch-built working model roller coasters. His fifth creation, aptly named the “Torpedo,” captivated everyone at the 1994 Greenberg Train and Toy Show at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Hackensack. It won first place for being the most original and unique scratch-built model. The Torpedo took Koslowski 17 months and over 1,400 hours to build, design and model. It was eventually sold to a collector. Koslowski emphasizes that building roller coasters requires patience, dedication, commitment, endurance and extensive research. He believes there’s a resurgence in roller coasters due to the introduction of new materials, innovative ideas and groundbreaking inventions.

Join us for a free and open-to-the-public meeting presented by the Historical Society of Scotch Plains and Fanwood at our Thanksgiving gathering on Tuesday evening November 25th. Bring your friends, relatives and Thanksgiving guests to this event. Experience a journey through time as we showcase a diverse collection of carousels and roller coaster, from the past to the present. Discover iconic rides that once graced Bowcraft Amusement Park and witness the evolution of amusement park attractions. Koslowski’s mission is to educate the public and to preserve our heritage, American history, our folk lore. He aims to foster community preservation and inspire a sense of pride in our shared past. The meeting commences at 7:30 PM and will be held at the historic Shady Rest Country Club, 820 Jerusalem Road (at the corner of Plainfield Avenue) in Scotch Plains. Refreshments and fellowship follow the presentation. (And for this special presentation, Dan will provide a TIP jar.)  For questions, please email Info@HistoricalSocietySPFNJ.org or call 908/322-6700 Extension 230.

Rally for Hitler

As Hitler rose to power in the 1930s, his American strategy was simple:  keep the US from entering with his plans for a European war and genocide. In America, he had plenty of accomplices—some witting, some unwitting and some just witless. Find out about Hitler’s American accomplices—including some based right here in Scotch Plains—at the Historical Society of Scotch Plains and Fanwood next historical true crime presentation with JD Solomon Tuesday October 28th, 7:30 PM at Shady Rest Country Club.

JD Solomon is a Westfield resident and retired journalist who gives presentations about historical true crime at senior centers and community organizations in Union County.  He is the author of two historical novels.  His first, The Tinen Killings, is a thriller about aging Civil War veterans in Philadelphia in 1898.  He second, Home News, is a thriller  about bootlegging set in him home town of Bay Shore, NY, in 1928.

The Historical Society of Scotch Plains and Fanwood invites you to come to this meeting on Tuesday evening October 28th beginning at 7:30 PM to learn the details of our local Hitler accomplices. The meeting is free and open to all and is held at the historic Shady Rest Country Club, 820 Jerusalem Road (at the corner of Plainfield Ave) in Scotch Plains.  Refreshments and fellowship follow the presentation. For questions, please email Info@HistoricalSocietySPFNJ.org or call 908/322-6700 Extension 230.

Spencer Martin, Colby Martin and Reid Buehler Photo by J. Martin

Sydney Vilensky, Max Nicholson and Spencer Martine. Picture by J. Martin

“Pretzels for $2.00! Activities and games! Tours of the Osborn Cannonball House!”