This morning, en route to a meeting downtown, I hit the scanning jackpot: “Fire on High,” by ELO.

For me, this is one of those songs that they play rarely enough on the radio that it’s always a treat when I hit upon it.

It’s also a song that I knew for decades before I knew what its title was. In my house, growing up, it was known as “the Astrosphere song,” for the ride whose soundtrack it supplied at our local amusement park.

The Astrosphere at Funtown U.S.A. was one of those sort of scrambler rides, except encased in a large dome. The ride operated in the dark, with flashing strobe lights, “Fire on High,” and grotesque, horror movie faces projected onto the dome. I have no idea if they have rides like this everywhere. I’ve never encountered another, but then I’m not exactly an expert on amusement parks. The concept, though, now strikes me as supremely weird.

My family would go to Funtown once a year when I was growing up, always with my two cool cousins and my cool aunt. The outings were one of the highlights of my young life–not just the amusement park aspect, but the rare chance to hang with my aunt and cousins, whom I adored. I rode the Astrosphere with them when I was probably far too young for the ride, just to go along with what the cool kids were doing. I loved the speed and motion of it–it was also the only air-conditioned portion of our summer Funtown trips–and I liked the music, but I clamped my eyes tight against the scary images. Even when I was old enough that they didn’t bother me any more, I still preferred to experience the Astrosphere with eyes tightly shut.

Oh, Funtown. Such good memories I have of you! Cousins and Astrosphere and fried dough, sometimes followed by pizza on the pier at Old Orchard Beach. Dad pretending to terrorize us all on the bumper cars. Aunt being a sport and riding the Tilt-a-Whirl with me, even though she probably hated it. Good, good times.

I kind of can’t believe the place is still up and running, but it is. Long live Funtown U.S.A.

PS Also my destination, as I listened to “the Astrophere song” this morning, was a place called the Saturn Club. That may be fitting only in my messed-up head, but that’s fine by me. Amen, ye gods of FM.

Advertisement