The crowd that gathered at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort on Friday was made up of teachers, choreographers, retirees, engineers, even a fire chief.
But 50 years ago, they were the lifeblood of Marriott’s Great America, dressing in Bugs Bunny costumes, dancing in music shows and building lifelong friendships at the regional icon of a park.
Nearly 200 people crowded the event hall Friday evening, calling out to each other, hugging and sharing memories as old park tunes — including vintage Great America ads — played over the speakers. For some, it was the first time they’d seen one another in years, maybe decades.
The event, co-organized by fellow park alumni David Carter and Dave Wolowic, was to celebrate those who worked in the Show Operations Department at the park from 1976 to 1984, and in the Entertainment Department from 1985 to 1998, when the park came under the ownership of Six Flags.
After the cocktail reception on Friday, attendees also toured the park the following day.
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The park’s early operations department boasts several notable alumni, among them Broadway actress Liz Callaway, award-winning Broadway producer Bill Damaske, former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Garyt Kroeger, the late actress Lisa Ann Kelly from “That ‘70s Show,” and voice actor Mark DeCarlo — who some may recognize as the clueless pie-loving father from “The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron.”
That evening, musical theater choreographer and director Kenny Ingram — who first started as a high school senior dancing at the Santa Clara park — was enjoying the nostalgic atmosphere. He wouldn’t have entered into his professional career in musical theater without his time at the parks, he said.
“It taught us stamina, it taught us discipline, it taught us how to know your stage hands, what their names are,” Ingram said.
Jan Heyn-Cubacub worked at the parks in its early years as a college student dressing as Bugs Bunny in the theater show. She continued dancing long after her time at the park; she only just retired as a dance, drama and visual arts teacher in Chicago. She recalled how much fun it was to be in character.
“When you’re in the costume, all bets are off,” Heyn-Cubacub said. “You become larger than life.”
Something emphasized by many was just how unique the experience was: the high caliber, demanding nature of the performances, the connections with professional artists, mixed with the camaraderie of youth.
“It was a really unique time,” Heyn-Cubacub said. “I have really great memories of participating in this theater, being these characters.”
It was the first job for Pleasant Prairie Fire Chief Craig Roepke. His work was more behind the scenes, not in the costumes, but he spoke glowingly of his time at the park, working with “fun people” who nevertheless “pursued excellence.”
Wolowic said that while many had taken wildly different paths in the decades since, they all “still have that same shared experience.”
“It made us raise our game, stretch our talents to be as good as the shows we were in, and then we were with like-minded people that were transforming into someone better as well,” he said.
There was also the nightlife after the park closed, he recalled.
“You spend 24 hours a day with these people for all summer long; it’s hard not to form really deep bonds,” Wolowic said.
Ingram shared the sentiment. Over those months working constantly together, everyone became family.
“It took a village, and that’s what we had at Great America,” Ingram said.
Being at the Marriott hotel was also a full-circle moment — it’s where they had auditioned for the park all those years ago. And while the park is no longer owned or operated by Marriott, the hotel treated them very well, Wolowic said.
Meeting back up after all the years was an unusual experience for many. It was “crazy” to see everyone again, Roepke said, although he noted how easy it was to talk with old friends as if they had only just parted.
Wolowic had another take: “It’s surprising how old they all are,” he joked. “It’s just fun. It’s just nice to be around with everyone.”