July 24, 2008 Issue                                       

©2007 The Chestnut Hill Local

Local Life

Our Own Version of Coney Island
When Chestnut Hill had its own amusement park
by JIMMY J. PACK JR.

The grand lake, which was part of Chestnut Hill Park, on Bethlehem Pike.

After the opening of the Chicago Columbian Exposition in 1893, often referred to as “The White City,” many Americans were inspired to dream, to create, to make profits. One of those Americans, George C. Tilyou, a native New Yorker whose family owned a restaurant on Coney Island, would take his dream of building his own Ferris wheel and create an empire. In 1897, with only an initial investment of $2.50, Tilyou opened Steeplechase Park on Coney Island, one of the most influential amusement parks ever created.

Not wanting to let Tilyou keep all the fun to himself, other area businessmen developed the land as well; Frederic Thompson and Elmer Dundy would open Luna Park in 1903, and Dreamland would be opened a year later by Tammany Hall-affiliated businessman, William Reynolds. It was Reynolds’ idea to open an amusement park that was of a much higher class than Steeplechase or Luna Park, for the latter two mostly attracted the common working man.

The storied Annie Hart tells stories with heart
by PAMELA ROGOW

As a child, Annie was “always strangely fascinated by indigenous peoples, reading Thor Heyerdahl and stories about New Guinea, native Americans and other ancient storytelling cultures.”

Annie Hart is a storyteller, with a twist. She has incorporated her training in hypnotherapy and neurolinguistic programming (NLP) to unfold tales that are captivating and may shift the perspectives of her listeners. In the space between shaman and therapist lives Annie Hart, 49 years old.

Annie was raised in Blue Bell with her father, Charles (Chick) Hart, a golf pro at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in Chestnut Hill, and her mother, Louise (Gina) Hart, a longtime nurse at Chestnut Hill Hospital. As a child, she was “always strangely fascinated by indigenous peoples, reading Thor Heyerdahl and stories about New Guinea, native Americans and other ancient storytelling cultures.”

In her 20s, she began to wonder how to make this a better world, and to focus on imaginative “inner and outer worlds.”

“Stories are about changing our inner reality,” she points out. “Stories take us to other beautiful worlds that help us remember the magic and light that can infuse our lives. Problems disappear, and people become happier and more alive when they change their inner story.”

Her interests took her to the University of Oregon where she earned a degree in rhetoric, then worked as an Italian interpreter, artist and community organizer before moving to Santa Cruz, California, where she earned “consultant and trainer” certification under NLP pioneer Robert Dilts.

An apple a day keeps common sense (and money) away
by MIKE TODD

There may come a time in your life when your significant other decides that you need to buy a wheelbarrow’s worth of apples, and that you should spend a weekend afternoon picking these apples yourself. Never mind that, ordinarily, you eat about an apple a month, and that the grocery store very nearby tends to stock plenty of exotic fruits, often including the rare and elusive apple itself.

Lifelong Hiller a ‘Hoops’ star without jumping through them
by MARLENAH VERONICA BARKER

Marlenah does her hoop thing during a recent Saturday class in Pastorius Park. (Photo by Danielle Devine-Gill)

Marlenah Veronica Barker, 21, has lived and worked in Chestnut Hill her entire life. A graduate of Springfield Township High School, she is now studying to be a Registered Nurse at Montgomery County Community College, and she works at Apothecary Garden, 7721 Germantown Ave.

“Hooping” became a passion of mine the day I discovered it in June of 2007. I’ll never forget the goofy grin that spread across my face the first time I was able to keep the hoop rotating around my waist for a full five minutes.  In my experience, it seems to bring out a child-like joy in everyone who picks it up. I can’t tell you how satisfying it is to see that same grin on the face of someone who had told me only minutes before, “I can’t hula hoop!”

Aside from being a fun and challenging form of exercise (believe you me, we SWEAT when we hoop!), it is also performance art, an outlet for emotion and a form of meditation. When I’m angry, when I need to celebrate, when I need a bit of alone time, I hoop. And now I have this amazing opportunity to share this part of my life with other people. It’s very exciting for me.