Carlin's Park is a park in Baltimore, MD that no long exists. It was founded in 1918 by John J. Carlin. The park was noted among members of the outdoor amusement industry for the development of profitable winter operation and activities. Activities during the winter included ice skating

Ice skating

Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...

, winter carnival

Carnival

Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...

s, which hosted some of the best figure skaters in the country at the time, and was the home of the Baltimore franchise in the Amateur Hockey League.

Carlin's park was hailed as "Clean Fun For the Entire Family." A place where the entire family could be entertained. There was a roller coaster

Roller coaster

The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...

, a tea cup ride, a swing ride and many other attractions including a rather large swimming pool

Swimming pool

A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...

, some circus

Circus

A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...

 acts, and fireworks. A common suggestion in ads of the time was to "make a date to roller skate" at Carlin's roller rink

Roller rink

A roller rink is a hard surface used for roller skating or inline skating. This includes roller hockey, speed skating, and recreational skating...

. Carlin's park also held all night dance parties with live bands. Traveling shows, including opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

s would also make appearances at Carlin's Park.

A series of events in the mid-1950s spelled the end of Carlin's Park. The first event was the death of owner John J. Carlin in May 1954. Next came a fire

Fire

Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....

 in 1956 that destroyed the ice skating arena. The final blow to Carlin's Park was being overlooked by the City of Baltimore in the awarding of the new Civic Arena

1st Mariner Arena

1st Mariner Arena is an arena located in Baltimore, Maryland. In 2003, it was renamed by 1st Mariner Bank, which purchased naming rights to the arena for 10 years. It was reported that 1st Mariner Bank will need to pay the city $75,000 for the next ten years to keep the naming rights to the complex...

.

External links

• http://www.kilduffs.com/Parks.html