The laughter of the children and the noise of the devices could be heard before reaching the corner of 23 and 18 in El Vedado, Havana, but since the Jalisco Park closed its doors several years ago, the entire area fell silent. Now, the recreation center has passed into the hands of a MSME that seeks to restore its former splendor and attract families again.
Where before the carousel with the little horses turned, the small roller coaster stood up and the colored boats floated, currently only the empty land remains on which the new attractions will be placed. “This is going to be Hollywood style,” jokes an employee who guarded the compound this Thursday, located a few meters from the Colón Cemetery.
The worker confirmed to 14ymedio that the management of the emblematic amusement park has passed into private hands and it is expected that the new devices will begin to arrive in the coming months. At the moment, a brigade of masons is repairing the exterior walls that had deteriorated due to neglect and lack of investment.
“They are going to bring crazy cars, other very modern devices and it will keep its original name,” adds the employee, who feels optimistic about the move to private managers
“They are going to bring crazy cars, other very modern devices and it will keep its original name,” adds the employee, who feels optimistic about the move to private managers. “The children are going to recover this place that is very well located and before it was always full.”
Nearby neighbors also welcome a MSME take care of the recreational park. “Everything in this neighborhood revolved around this place, but since they closed it the area has become very depressed. Before near Jalisco Park you could eat anything from a pizza to a snack and now you have to move further to find anything,” he says. Josué, 26 years old and born in the neighborhood.
The park also had a square for shows with clowns and magicians. “That was the way they made a living and when they closed those people lost their jobs,” explains the young man. “Recreation [Empresa de Recreación y Turismo] She was the one who ran the park and she left it to die because she had no resources to repair it. The devices were very old and gradually broke down.”
When the original attractions began to stop due to breakages, Recreatur leased part of the space to self-employed workers “who brought inflatable dolls and were also the ones who sold food because the state cafeteria also ran out of supplies,” recalls Josué.
“Recreation [Empresa de Recreación y Turismo] She was the one who ran the park and she left it to die because she had no resources to repair it. The devices were very old and gradually broke down”
It was not the first time that Jalisco Park languished. In the 80s, the recreation center was also closed for a long time and the story of its decrepitude inspired the singer-songwriter Carlos Varela to make it a song. “They wanted to derail the roller coaster, because of all the slander of parental authority and then the father took my little friend to ride the boat and never came back,” says the song, one of the troubadour’s most popular.
In the 90s the place reopened its doors, but without several of its original attractions. However, it was always very crowded due to its central location, which contrasted with the more glamorous Coney Island, currently known as Isla del Coco and located in the municipality of Playa, or the distant Parque Lenin on the outskirts of the city.
“Families made the journey to eat at the Cinecitta pizzeria, go through Jalisco Park and then end up with the children at the movies,” recalls another neighbor. “On the weekends it was very crowded. My children have very fond memories of this place and they remember it as great, although when you look closely it is a small space for an amusement park.”
Although the name of the small private company that will manage the recreation center has not been made public, neighbors point to the owner of a nearby restaurant as the main investor. “The question that everyone asks is how much will it cost to bring the children here,” adds one of the interviewees for 14ymedio.
. “Every time they repair something they put it in hard currency or very expensive.”
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