Peony Park

Peony Park was an amusement park located at North 78th and Cass Streets in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1919, over the next seventy-five years the 35acre park included a 4.5acre pool, beach and waterslide, a ballroom that billed itself as "1 acre under one roof," an open-air dance area for 3000 dancers, amusement rides, and various sundries. The park closed in 1994. Throughout its existence the park maintained its status as Nebraska's largest amusement park.HistoryPeony Park was begun by local entrepreneurs Godfrey Malec, and brothers Jerry and Joe Sr. in 1919 with the help of investor Frank Srb, a family member and business man from Dodge, Nebraska. The brothers opened a gas station and restaurant on the Lincoln Highway. Carl Rosenfield's neighboring Peony Gardens were established 35 years earlier, in 1884, with 25acre of peonies in several hundred varieties. When the Gardens became a highway stop along the burgeoning Lincoln Highway, the Malec brothers added amusements to this already busy roadside attraction. The park became the official headquarters for the Lawrence Welk Band in the 1930s, which made it immensely popular. Other events included the Coca-Cola Date Night and Polka Days, and numerous appearances by The Les Brown Band, The Woody Herman Band, Harry James and his Band, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey and the Glenn Miller Band Originally built outside city limits, the park was annexed by the city of Omaha in 1958.In the 1980s, Omaha's Italian community began holding their annual celebration called La Festa Italiana at the park, and continued until its closure. La Festa is now held at il Palazzo.