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Today Thursday Dec 12

The Morey Story

Gather 'round. It's story time.

Today’s story is one that reaches allllllllll the way back to the year nineteen hundred and fifty. Ah yes, this tale is one of intrigue, drama, suspense, laughter, heartbreak, fear, betrayal (wait until you get to the part about Curley) and we threw some tears in there for good measure.

1950s

1950

Brothers Bill and Will Morey were both successful entrepreneurs in the Wildwoods, NJ. Bill operated concessions along the boardwalk, while Will was a successful contractor and developer, building the "Doo Wop"-style motels that now characterize the town.

1960s

1968

The brothers spotted a giant 12-lane fiberglass slide operating near a shopping center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the fall and knew that such an attraction would be a success. They purchased a similar ride, called it "The Wipe Out" and officially entered a life long passion in the amusement business.

1970s

1970
New: Zipper and mini golf

1971
New: King Kong airplane ride

1972
New: Haunted House

1974
Curley Fries stands introduced. 

Land Acquisition: between 25th and 26th streets in fierce bidding war. 

New: Poseidon Adventure, several kiddy rides 

1975
New: Planet of the Apes ride (later known as Star Wars) and Jumbo Jet roller coaster 

1976
Land Acquisition: Marine Pier 

1977
New: Enterprise, Wave Swinger, Pirate Ship 

1978
New: Waterslide complexes built at both Mariner's and Surfside Piers

1980s

1980
New: Dante's Inferno dark ride. Unfortunately, King Kong, one of the pier's most distinctive landmarks, collapsed.

1981
Major fire at Mariners Landing and Starlight Ballroom.

1982
New: Ripley's Believe it or Not, Mariner's Arcade

1983
The Flitzer roller coaster

1984
New: Sea Serpent roller coaster

1985
New: The Giant Wheel, Zoom Phloom, Schlittenfahrt, Katapult, Fun House, 

Waterslide complex becomes full fledged waterpark called Raging Waters

1986
Land Acquisitions: Fun Pier 

New: Circus on Fun Pier 

1988
New: The Condor ride, Acapulco Cliff Dive

1990s

1993
New: Go cart tracks, Bungee jumping, Rock climbing, Helicopter rides 

1994
New: Hydroworks and Shipwreck Shoals kids play areas at both water parks

1995
New: The Great Nor'easter roller coaster

1996
New: The Great White roller coaster, Skyride, Carousel, Jersey Junkyard

1997
The Morey family amusement businesses were combined under one holding company known as The Morey Organization, trading as Moreys Piers. 

New: Sky Ship and the Sky Cycle

1998
Will Morey, Sr. and his wife, Jackye, both pass away within six months of each other. 

Land Acquisition: Morey's negotiated to purchase the old Hunt’s Pier for future expansion and build state-of-the-art maintenance facility. 

New: Doo Wopper, a Wild Mouse type roller coaster added

1999
New: Rollie's Coaster, The Storm, Shark Bite, Jumbo's Seafood restaurant 

2000s

2000
New: RC 48 rollercoaster, Moby Dick, Maelstrom ride 

2001
Ne: Rock'n Roll ride, Camp Kid-Tastrophe built at Raging Waters

2002
Will Morey, Sr. inducted into the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Hall of Fame, the highest honor bestowed upon individuals in the industry. 

New: Fireball Express, Kite Flyer, Bonsai Beach kids area

2003
New: Rendezvous Beach Picnic Pavillion

2004
New: Rockin Tug, Dante's Inferno renovated, Dark River transformed into the Pirates of the Wildwoods. 

Two new retail shops opened on Mariner's Pier (Doo Wop Boardwalk Museum Shop and Create-A-Bear Factory).

Two new mascots (Sunny and Curley) were introduced.

2006
New: Atmosphere Drop Tower, water park on Surfside Pier completely overhauled and re-themed into Ocean Oasis Water Park and Beach Club.

2007
All X-treme rides (Skycoaster, Skyscraper, Spring Shot, Screamin Swing) brought under the umbrellas of Moreys Piers.

2008
Fire strikes Mariners Landing again New Pier Attractions - Cygnus X-1, Magic Bikes, New trains for Great Nor'easter.

2009
40th Anniversary book launch

2010s

2010
New: The Ghost Ship haunted attraction, Joe's Fish Co. restaurant, Adventure Maze, Captain Jack's restaurant, Breakfast in the Sky (on the Ferris wheel), Wiki Kiniki Kabanas at Raging Waters.

New breakfast at Oasis Cafe

2011
New: "IT" on Surfside Pier, Jumbo's Boardwalk Grille & Eatery gets a facelift and now serves a selection of beers, wines and specialty drinks, The Wild Half Marathon, Morey's Fears: Terror on the Boardwalk Halloween event, Souper Sunday Chowder and Chili Cook Off.

2012
New: The Lazy River at Raging Waters gets an extreme makeover into River Adventure complete with hand carved rock faces, waterfalls and geysers. At Ocean Oasis, a 6-lane racer slide called Wipeout! invites friends and family to race together head to head!

2013
New: [artBOX] debuts on Morey's Adventure Pier. A 10,000 sq. foot interactive artists' colony crafted from 11 re-purposed shipping containers featuring local artist studios, Tokyo 4B serving fresh sushi, Exit Zero Museum Shop, and live musical entertainment.

2014
New: Soar to new heights like never before on the brand new Wave Swinger. Fly high in the Wildwood sky, experiencing amazing views of the beach and boardwalk. This classic ride is a true work of art, displaying 72 vignettes of Wildwoods' yesteryears and today.

2015
New: 35 years later KONG makes a colossal return to Morey's Piers. Eight vintage world war planes duck, dive and navigate around the infamous gorilla, bringing riders 26 feet in air. After sunset, KONG lights up the night sky with a rotating light on top of the lighthouse and enhanced LED lighting outlining each ride vehicle.

2016
New: Across from the world-famous “WILDWOOD” sign and next to the retro Starlux Boutique Hotel, The Starlux Miniature Golf Course might just be the coolest mini golf every built. Features inlcude; 27 holes, two levels, three incredible themes (beach, ocean, and boardwalk), plastic palms trees, a giant sand castle, water features and more. 

2017
New: During the winter the beloved Great Nor’Easter located on Surfside Pier underwent a five-million dollar re-tracking project. The upgraded coaster now boasts a 95-foot drop, a sleek ocean-themed paint job and 2,170 feet of new and improved track that delivers a smoother and faster ride for adrenaline-seeking guests.

2018

New: The Wild Whizzer new family-friendly ride opened on Mariner’s Pier.  It is a small spinning coaster with carts customized to look like personal hovercrafts. 

New: Pirates of Wildwood on Mariner's Pier was completely revamped for the season, the ride has refreshed interior scenes that have been painted with 3D fluorescent paints giving the illusion of movement when guests wear 3D glasses. Captain Bones, the ride’s cartoon mascot, leads guests on an interactive adventure to find the treasure of the Wildwood boardwalk. 

New: PigDog Beach Bar both family and dog-friendly opened.This new breed of beach bar serves tasty barbecue classics, cocktails and local beers on tap. Pooches and guests of all ages are invited to kick-back and enjoy the laidback atmosphere accessible via Raging Waters Water Park, the beach, and the boardwalk. 

New: Wilhelm's Bier Garten opens as an ode to Oktoberfest. Located on Mariner's Pier, Wilhelm’s Bier Garten features a German themed menu and serves up both German and locally crafted beers.

2019

New: The Runaway Tram family-friendly coaster opens to kick off Morey's 50th season of celebrations. Located on Surfside this ride is themed after the recognizable Wildwood Sightseer Tramcar, an icon of the Wildwood Boardwalk. A total investment of four million dollars, the Runaway Tram climbs 40 feet before coasting, twisting and turning riders along 922 feet of track. The Force 280 coaster was manufactured by Zierer and features one train with 10 two-person passenger cars. Attraction Design Company JRA is custom designing the ride’s train and station. To make room for the new ride Morey’s Piers had to move 7 rides and completely reconfigure Surfside Pier.