Anybody know the story behind Holiday Lake?

[Debbie]

don schwartz jr wrote:

i remember another lake is south jersey that i went to a couple times called cedar lake. if you wore white shorts they were orange when you got out. not sure where in the pines it was though. i ve had the dream of raising my daughter there as i was,and ill keep looking for that place. and when i look in the eyes of my daughter laughing and smiling in any park, i realize that, to her, where we are now, is her holiday lake. it was not the lake that made the tears, it was those we were near while there.
also to those who read the history ive related, my recollections of the riker men were that of me as a ten year old and are not very accurate. my mother,regina who was at the lake every day with us has told me that i was wrong on those accounts and also that ed driscoll was not mentioned by anyone, he was a large part of the lakes history also.
my cousins and friends played for hours on end on that property. i could still recall every inch of it. from the two dumps sites behind the old barn, to the little stream that connected the boat ride lake to the rancocas creek. and how bout the big slide with the bump on it. the high dive in the middle of the lake. i was able to dive off either platform and swim underwater to the other platform. im waiting for my mom to send some pictures of the lake. ill find a place to post them and who knows maybe you will see yourself somewhere. she has told me most of the pictures will be of our family but im sure they will trigger your internal pictures. im going up to say goodnight to jenna, and be sure that this january when we visit jersey again ill stop at the lake to take more pictures. bye, don jr. 43 yrs old now in ca.

Hi Don,
I grew up in Philadelphia and it was a short drive to Rt. 130 so we would go to Holiday Lake often. I've had some of my best memories at Holiday Lake. I used to go there with my Mom and her friends alot and when I was a teenager a met my boyfriend I got his family interested in going and we would have picnics there. I remember the concession stand, the sliding boards, the dives, the clean soft sand, the paddleboats, the platform in the middle of the lake, the dance pavillion with the juke box. We had so much fun there and I was very dissapointed when they closed. I've tried Olympia Lake and Bellmawr Lake but they were never the same. Also the Lake that you were referring to, Cedar Lake, if this is the same one I'm thinking of it was called Wilson Lake in Pitman,NJ and it had cedar water which was redish brown and the water was warm and it had cedar wood post in the water. I'm not quite sure but I hear that it is still there. The water kind of grossed me out though. There is nothing like Holiday Lake, we still talk about it all the time. We had the best times there and some funny stories from the times we spent there. I often wish I could pack up my trunk and head over to the Lake for the day. My kids have heard so much about it, they probably feel like they've been there.

[EastSeminole]

Brings back the memories from when I lived in Riverside in the '50's- Holiday, Olympia and even the cedar lake.

Too bad to see it has all changed.

[DKM]

In the 50's thrugh early 70's there were so many lakes like this scattered around NJ..and probably outside the reaches of our small world. What destroyed them were the lawsuits and Insurance liability. That's why you cant find these great places anymore..instead you have to go to manufactured waterparks and pay outrageous fees and it's just not the same.

Whoever heard of having a great greased pig contest at Splashworld..or going into the creek behind the waterpark to retrieve the watermelon for after we were exhausted from swimming in the lake all day?

We used to go to Sunshine Lake and Lonnie Lake (Voorhees I think)for great church picnics... which are now just housing developments.

These are our "remeber when" stories that we will tell our children..past good times that likely we will not see anything like again.

[DKM]

Most of the lakes in the Jersey pines are "cedar" lakes..This comes from the tannin from the trees. It will turn the skin and clothes brownish but is otherwise harmless.

Ancient Taners used "TANNIN" to "tan" and soften the hides. Softening is a benefit of swimming in Cedar water.

Wilson Lake is in Clayton, Gloucester County and now goes by the name of Scotland Run Park, I think has been closed to swimming for the last couple of years due to geese droppings. We took my children there for many years as it was free. In the 50-60"s it was a "Pay" lake used mostly by people from Philly. My aunt had a farm around the corner when I was little and we could hear the music loudly all day Saturday and Sunday, it sounded like a lot of fun. It wasnt until later that I started taking my children there after the original picnic pavillions were decayed.

Grenloch lake was a popular lake spot as was the nearby Glen lake. Grenloch lake became owned by the Diocese of Camden and was used for Catholic Day Camp

Almonesson and Blackwood lake were popular as well until they both became polluted

[DKM]

I'm sorry..Lake Lonnie is in Delran where I grew up..Lion's Lake was in Voorhees I think and I'm not sure where Sunshine Lake was? Anyone remember that one?

[Beth]

I went to Holiday Lakes many, many times as a child , probably the last time being around 1974 or 75. I vividly remember it , the lake was one admission and the swim club was an additional fee. They had changing rooms and fast food , showers etc. We would go with several families and spend the day. One disturbing moment I do remember , was in about 1970 ,my family used to take chlldren from the home for children that their parents could no longer take care of for a day trip , this one particular day we had a hispanic girl and negro boy with us , the pool club would not permit them in. Needless to say we never used the pool club again. It was a great fun place it's a shame they couldnt keep it up .

[Beth]

DKM wrote:

I'm sorry..Lake Lonnie is in Delran where I grew up..Lion's Lake was in Voorhees I think and I'm not sure where Sunshine Lake was? Anyone remember that one?

Sunshine Lake was south on route 70 after the second cirle , I believe it is in Berlin, after it was Sunshine it became Alluvium lakes , and now is a beautiful housing development focused around the lake

[Beth]

error Sunshine lake was south on 73 not 70

[MaryLou]

John Safaryn wrote:

We moved to Burlington county from North Jersey several years ago. Driving on route 130 in Willingboro, I've seen this really cool looking retro style gate straight out of the 50's. The sign over it says Holiday Lake. Beyond it lies a dried out swimming hole type pool or man made lake complete with diving boards around the edges and rafts in the middle. Dilapidated buildings that were obviously changing rooms surround the lake. There's an old decaying minature golf course and abandoned playgrounds. The entire scene is somewhat creepy, but intriguing. Is there anybody who remembers going there when it was open? How long has it been closed? It looks like a big church is now on the property, but the lake is still there-and so is that really cool gate.

I grew up in Delanco in the 50s & 60s and Holiday Lake was a very important part of our summer fun.(when we were not swimming in the Delaware River) I think that it was originally built by the Bill Riker(later Riker Chevrolet in Burlington). You had to become a member to gain entrance. Back in the 50s this was apparently a means of discrimination towards African Americans.Many people drove from Philadelphia to spend the hot summer days keeping cool; remember this was before air conditioning and back yard swimming pools. There was always a band or music from a jukebox on the 2nd floor deck where everyone would dance. This was also the time of American Bandstand and we of course thought we had our own American Bandstand. There was a snack bar that served food and of course the miniature golf course (extra charge). The fee for entry (after you bought your membership was fifty cents. The pool area and cabana were used by a more elite crowd that was willing to pay a larger membership. I used to babysit for a family who belonged to the pool and was sometimes allowed to use this area while watching the children. I remember many drownings at the lake and I have no idea why it eventually closed. I can only surmise that just the simple change in times and fads; also the fact that as people began suing over everything, liability insurance must have become astronomical.
On the opposite side of route 130 was a similar place called Olympia Lakes. It usually depended where your friends were going as to which lake you went chose.Sometimes we would go to both on a weekend. Olympia Lakes was more of a natural lake as opposed to the man made Holiday Lake. I know that they were still open in the 60's but not sure of why or when was their demise. Thanks for stirring up some old memories.

[Cindy]

I went to Holiday Lake in the late 70s early 80s. We had a lot of Puerto Rican bands play there. So much for the Negro boy and Hispanic girl incident. Good thing the times changed. Anyway, who owns the place now? I hear a church bought it.

[Dreadfully Yours]

Cindy wrote:

I went to Holiday Lake in the late 70s early 80s. We had a lot of Puerto Rican bands play there. So much for the Negro boy and Hispanic girl incident. Good thing the times changed. Anyway, who owns the place now? I hear a church bought it.

I've never been in the lake or go past those gates, but I've always been curious about it. I do think a church has gained ownership of it. I drive past that thingy whenever I go to Cherry Hill Mall. So it was previously a swimming lake? I had always asked that question and never got a yes or a no on that.

[Independentsoul]

WOW! I have been wondering about this place for years. I would always pass it and see that awesome retro sign. I even took pictures of it about 2 years ago, which now I am desperate to find. I sure hope that I didn't delete them. For years all I could find on the lake was a small blurb about a fishing contest? and nothing else. Then last summer my parents and there friends told me stories of going there for class trips and during the summers in the 1950's. I was born in the 1970's and never got to see the place (I had a pool)but wish I had. What a shame that these places had to go away (lakes, parks, drive-ins) before the generations of today got to experience them.

[Independentsoul]

I have pictures of the holiday lake sign, lakes, buildings and others of the site. They are from September 2004. Is there a place to post them on here?

[Mary]

we used to go to sunshine lake...it was right before the berlin circle on rt73 practically next to lions lake. we used to go to sunshine all the time.

DKM wrote:

I'm sorry..Lake Lonnie is in Delran where I grew up..Lion's Lake was in Voorhees I think and I'm not sure where Sunshine Lake was? Anyone remember that one?

[Mary]

We used to go to sunshine lake. it was on rt 73 right before the berlin circle and almost right next to lions lake. we used to go to holiday and olympia(ic!!) too on rt 130....I wonder when they were done in.

[Tell-You]

I know it sucked as a summercamp they forced church on you they made you pray like 2 times a day, and as a kid I barely got to swim because we spent most of the time talking about god. They are part the reason i'm a atheist now. But just to go there was probaly fun, but as summercamp was a total nightmare. I used to tell my mom but she didn't believe it was like that. and they gave you nothing but a hotdog for lunch and that was it. I used to be hungry as u kno what while sitting there reading the bible in the tent in the back with all that summer heat blazing. Thank goodness that place is closed. Well atleast the summercamp part

[Tina]

Debbie wrote:

<quoted text>
Hi Don,
I grew up in Philadelphia and it was a short drive to Rt. 130 so we would go to Holiday Lake often. I've had some of my best memories at Holiday Lake. I used to go there with my Mom and her friends alot and when I was a teenager a met my boyfriend I got his family interested in going and we would have picnics there. I remember the concession stand, the sliding boards, the dives, the clean soft sand, the paddleboats, the platform in the middle of the lake, the dance pavillion with the juke box. We had so much fun there and I was very dissapointed when they closed. I've tried Olympia Lake and Bellmawr Lake but they were never the same. Also the Lake that you were referring to, Cedar Lake, if this is the same one I'm thinking of it was called Wilson Lake in Pitman,NJ and it had cedar water which was redish brown and the water was warm and it had cedar wood post in the water. I'm not quite sure but I hear that it is still there. The water kind of grossed me out though. There is nothing like Holiday Lake, we still talk about it all the time. We had the best times there and some funny stories from the times we spent there. I often wish I could pack up my trunk and head over to the Lake for the day. My kids have heard so much about it, they probably feel like they've been there.

My father-in-law was the head lifeguard at Holiday Lake for many, many years. You probably all remember him as Jack. He was short, very built and always very tan. My husband has fond memories of the lake himself, wish I would have been a part of those memories, because they always had a good time going there every summer.

[don jr]

you speak of jack acardi i presume. not sure of spelling. i do recall him very well and recall many days watching him on the lake saving lives. it was an everday thing at the lake to prevent a life from being lost. he was always on the job. so many times we would be standing around the lake , anywhere really , and without a word and fast as a flash jack was gone and off to the rescue. and man could that guy run. it seemed he would never stop at times. my dad don sr knew him much better and i just talked to him moments ago and asked if he knew you. hes going to look here on friday.
nice remembering with you,
don jr.

[Garrig]

I remember going to Holiday Lake in the summer 1979. I didn't know it dated all the way back to 50's. Actually I had been living there since 76 and hadn't heard of it before the summer of 79 so maybe it was closed down for a few seasons for renovation? A guy I knew got his first summer job there. Anyway I would love to see pictures from it's heyday, if anyone knows of any and can post them.

[NAHOOD]

I grew up in Beverly and we used to ride our bikes to Holiday Lakes, and Steve's Charcoal Dogs place, every summer. Many a great afternoon spent there - remember the first time I actually made it to the floating dock! A cool place to be in a thunderstorm too - get to the pavillion quick!
Also my dad would take me to Lake Lonnie in Delran, a much quieter place during the hot summer week no crowds. Went to Olympia Lakes a few times - but Holiday was the coolest back in the late '50's and early '60's.