In the May issue of Memphis magazine, my ne’er-do-well colleague Michael Finger tells the compelling story of East End Park, one of this area’s most elaborate entertainment complexes. Opened in the late 1880s, East End featured rides, games, fireworks shows, and some of the most bizarre vaudeville performances you could ever imagine. I mean, it’s not every day that you see somebody called “The Human Bomb” in action. But I don’t intend to tell you the whole story here. Please purchase a magazine — a bargain at just $3.99 — and read it for yourself.
But this isn’t about East End Park. Instead, I wanted to mention its neighbor, a little-known amusement park in Memphis called Fairyland Park, which stood (according to some accounts) just east of East End, with an entrance on Poplar or — depending on who you believe — Madison. And I bring all this up because somebody on eBay is currently selling an old postcard (above) showing the Fairyland Park Theatre — a rather elaborate building, judging from the image. Too bad it doesn’t show more of the park, though.
The eBay item number is 390045848837, and the current price is $24.99 — unfortunately, a bit more than I can afford at the moment, though I suppose the Lauderdale Library could apply for a grant or something.
I just wanted to share that with you. If anybody knows anything else about Fairyland Park, well, you know how to reach me.
