I remember my first trip up to the upstate area and absolutely loving it. I was about to go into 8th grade and my best friend Brendan's dad was able to secure a vacation home for a week on lakefront property owned by Wantagh Fire Department.
The drive up there was great, and I remember waking up in the backseat of their Jeep Grand Cherokee to see the bright orange Steamin' Demon roller coaster sitting right there on the roadside. I had never seen anything like it before, and of course I asked if we would go there during the week. "Probably not." Crushing words, but it still was one of the best weeks of my life.
(On a sidenote, I somehow managed to roll down a hill running at full speed with a lit sparkler in hand and not catch fire that week, so bonus points for still being alive.) [Double sitenote: Upon getting up from this roll down the hill with lit sparkler, I kept running and the sparkler was still lit. It's a crazy life sometimes.]
So, after 11 years, I finally was able to make it to The Great Escape (now just called Great Escape) when it was open. I explored almost every nook and cranny of the whole park, and I'm absolutely in love with it.
One of my favorite "unique" things about it though was this random statue of a boar. I of course had to check it out, and it became one of my favorite little things about the park. It's a bronze sculpture and is one of only two replicas in the world.
The plaque reads:
"The original - there are only two other replicas in the world - sits in Florence, Italy, in a spot where most ravelers pass as they leave the city. Legend has it that anyone who drops a coin and rubs Porcellino's nose will have good luck and will be sure to return to Florence. So - drop a coin, rub his nose, have good luck and be sure to return to Storytown: All proceeds donated to the American Cancer Society."
I made a wish and hope to return to that area again soon.
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