October 15th 2024

Sunday marked the end of an era on the Ocean City boardwalk as Gillian's Wonderland Pier closed for good.

Hundreds stopped by to say their last goodbyes before it closed over the weekend.

Even though the park was set to close at 6 p.m., officials kept it open an extra hour to give guests one final goodbye.

Visitors said it was the busiest they had seen the pier in a while, as some waited nearly half an hour to go on the rides.

"Everybody is giving tickets away because everyone has extras and everybody is sharing. It's nice," said Kathy Hoover from Ocean City.

City leaders say the owner of the property -- Eustace Mita, who also owns ICONA Resorts -- has less than six months to decide what's next for the area.

Many are holding out hope that the amusement park will reopen in some capacity and are encouraging the owner to revamp it.

Some say it's important to the community to maintain the pier's iconic Ferris wheel and arcade games.

"It just brings everyone joy. Everyone is happy here. Like do you hear anyone crying right now?" said Jaydon Sadeghi from Avondale.

One group known as 'Save Wonderland' is fighting to protect the pier.

"It's in our gut, it's in our hearts," said Donna Saber, a member of Save Wonderland.

Saber says the group's goal is to keep the community staple but give it an upgrade.

"Mita is ICONA and Wonderland is iconic, let's join the two together. Let's maintain, restore, and reopen Wonderland," she explained.

"The turnout today showed there are too many people that still love and enjoy it and cherish the memories they create here," said Darion Howard from North Philadelphia.

Residents should know more about the park's future come March, officials say.