Excelsior Amusement Park: Playland of the Twin Cities: Landmarks

Never being one to appreciate amusement parks when he was younger, Greg Van Gompel never was truly that interested in amusement parks until a friend of his asked him to join her for a weekend event with the National Amusement Park Historical Association (also known as NAPHA) back in 1988. He has been hooked on amusement parks ever since. In 1990, Van Gompel became legal counsel to NAPHA and for about six years was editor of its magazine publication, NAPHA News. Combining his thirst of knowledge for historical information with his passion for the amusement industry, Greg peruses postcard collections, the Internet, libraries, historical societies and industry publications to increase his knowledge on the amusement industry. He finds the topic of Excelsior Amusement Park and its owner, Fred Pearce, and his family intriguing and hopes you do as well.