Six Flags Great America Celebrates Golden Anniversary With a Season of Surprises

Excitement always surrounds opening weekend at Six Flags Great America, but the launch of the new season this Saturday carries added significance.

The landmark amusement park that helped place Gurnee on the map and has long served as a major driver of Lake County tourism is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Lake County’s tourism economy now approaches $2 billion annually.

Beginning June 20, the park will roll out a full lineup of commemorative events, attractions, and nostalgic experiences honoring its five-decade history.

Planned festivities include a nightly stage show and parade, a legacy museum, the return of the Ice Cream Parlor in Hometown Square, live entertainment representing multiple decades, and a memory wall in Carousel Plaza featuring vintage guest-submitted photos.

Despite reaching the half-century mark, the self-proclaimed “Thrill Capital of the Midwest” continues to evolve.

Its pursuit of bigger, faster, and more innovative attractions has fueled constant transformation over the years, with advances in ride technology continually raising expectations.

Now home to 17 roller coasters and counting, the park’s shift toward high-thrill attractions has been unmistakable.

While strolling minstrels, circus performers, dolphin shows, and other earlier-era attractions have faded into history, millions of visitors from multiple generations continue returning each year for the experience and to discover what’s new.

“Just knowing it’s the 50th year, it is a little more special seeing how the park has evolved. It’s our happy place,” said Bob Bendorf, a Gurnee resident and creator of Six Flags Great America Junkies, a Facebook community with more than 17,000 followers.

Bendorf first visited the park as an infant when it opened on May 29, 1976, and still visits countless times each season. He plans to attend opening day this weekend.

Several original attractions remain, including the Looney Tunes characters, the scenic railway, Hometown Park with three original children’s rides, and the Whizzer — a first coaster experience for many guests and a designated landmark by American Coaster Enthusiasts.

As it has for five decades, the park entrance still greets visitors with the dramatic sight of the two-story Columbia Carousel, originally valued at $1 million and framed by a reflecting pool.

One nostalgic fixture in the County Fair section is Johnny Rockets, known for burgers, shakes, and its retro atmosphere. Fifty years ago, the location operated as Burgers on the Run, where longtime Lake County resident John Maguire began his hospitality career on opening day.

On May 1, Maguire will become president of Visit Lake County. In 1976, however, he was a soon-to-be Mundelein High School senior looking for a summer job.

Marriott’s Great America, strategically positioned between Chicago and Milwaukee, was hiring.

Maguire recalled interviewing in the living room of an old farmhouse on Washington Street.

“There was nothing like Great America anywhere in the region,” he said. “Every kid in Lake County wanted to work there. Everybody wanted to be a character, but we all ended up in food service or sanitation.”

Employees at the time wore themed uniforms based on their assigned area. Maguire said he wore orange, green, or neon yellow shirts with puffy sleeves, while female employees wore knickers.

Workers were cross-trained in all restaurant operations as part of what was known as “The Marriott Way,” which Maguire said instilled a strong work ethic.

“I still to this day hear the managers yelling, ‘Clean as you go,’” he said.

Retired teacher Cheryl Ross, a Gurnee village trustee since 2007, said her late father Gordon Gillings — mayor from 1949 to 1973 — participated in early discussions with Marriott regarding development plans and annexation proposals.

“He would sit on the bench out in front (and) people watch,” Ross said. “He had a smile on his face — he was so thrilled.”

Marriott sold the park in 1984 to Bally Manufacturing Corp., then owner of Six Flags. Today, the park generates roughly $4 million annually in amusement tax revenue for the village.

“Six Flags opened in Gurnee when I was 16 years old and it was built upon farmland,” said Mayor Thomas Hood. “I did not foresee the really great and positive changes that were to come.”

Opening day this Saturday is expected to resemble previous season launches, according to regional public relations manager Rachel Kendziora. However, a series of undisclosed anniversary events is planned for May 29.

“We don’t know what they have in store,” Bendorf said, “but I don’t think they’ll let us down.”