The Pecan Park Eagle

Once Upon a Time, south of the Astrodome, there was a place called Astroworld, and it was treasured by Houstonians and visitors alike.

The original Astroworld radio/tv commercial jingle, as The Pecan Park Eagle remembered it:

“Astroworld! Astroworld! It’s a Wonderful World of Fun, Fun, Fun!

Astroworld! Astroworld! Where the Music Has Just Begun!

Games and Rides are Everywhere! Smiling Faces Say We Care!

Astroworld! Astroworld! Always Happy as the County Fair!”

The same jingle, as sung by Dene Hofheinz and contributed here by Bob Hulsey of Astros Daily:

You can find the commercial at AstrosDaily….

http://www.astrosdaily.com/audio/68astrowd.mp3

In the recorded version, Judge Hofheinz’s daughter, Dene Hofheinz,  actually sings the jingle she wrote:

“Astroworld! Astroworld! It’s the wonderful world of fun, fun, fun!

Astroworld! Astroworld! Where the party has just begun!

Smiling faces everywhere! Happiness for all to share!

Astroworld! Astroworld! It’s the wonderful world of fun!…”

Astroworld Sidebar: Some of the young hippie LSD users of 1968 took the “ASTROWORLD” bumper stickers of that era and transformed them into virtually identical stickers that read as “ACIDWORLD.” As a member of one of those treatment teams that worked with the hallucinogen user population, all I can say is that the Summer of 1968 in Houston was not an exact copy of San Francisco’s “Summer of Love” in 1967, but it was certainly a dedicated attempt by teens and the growing so-called counter-culture population in the Montrose to hustle Houston into the “Dawning of the Age of Aquarius.”

And here’s an Editorial from The Galveston Daily News, Wednesday Morning, June 5, 1968, Page 4~

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New “Astroworld” truly Wonderful World of Fun

Astrodome Attracted large crowds on opening weekend in spite of threatening weather and intermittent showers.

We predict the crowds will grow in size – and continue – from now on.

Astroworld is that kind of place. It’s designed to appeal to everyone. We think it does.

Although it is basically patterned after Six Flags Over Texas at Arlington, it is different enough, both in physical looks and types of rides, that the veteran visitor to Six Flags will enjoy Astroworld probably just as much someone who has never seen either attraction.

Astroworld, like Six Flags, has hired scores of clean-cut, nice looking young people and dressed them in attractive, colorful costumes and taught them how to smile sincerely and to be genuinely helpful to visitors.

Astroworld is clean and kept clean. The architecture is appealing. The landscaping is attractive. Most of the rides are interesting and entertaining enough to attract visitors of all ages, although there are a number of thrill rides that pack in the kids.

This New Houston “tourist and home-folks” attraction is the direct opposite of the old-time dirty carnival, (with) its high-pressure hawkers and its Skid Row type employees.

Astroworld is the kind of place where you can turn the children loose and not worry about them.

It’s a place where the adults can spend a few leisurely hours enjoying hr adult-type rides. taking in the architecture and browsing in the many shops.

Parking is not a real problem. Astroworld will never run out of parking space in the huge area south of the Astrodome. Enough trams make regular runs from the parking lot to the Astroworld entrance that there is no long waiting.

The price of admission, which covers everything except what you spend on food and shopping, is reasonable. So are food prices.

When compared with Six Flags or Disneyland, Astroworld is not nearly as sophisticated in the handling of large numbers of people fast and efficiently, both at rides and food service establishments. The lines, we thought, grew too long and moved too slowly for the number of people there. Part of the problem, no doubt, will be solved when large numbers of people learn their new jobs.

But From The overall point of view, there is little to criticize, but much to praise at Astroworld.

It doesn’t take a crystal ball to predict that Astroworld will continue to grow and develop in the years ahead and steadily become an even greater attraction. The fact that Astroworld is located adjacent to the Astrodome is an important factor.

There’s one other important point to make. Astrodome will work for Galveston, too. That’s because he Island is part of “astro-Universe” ad we think its only logical that a number of visitors to Astroworld will take time to visit Galveston’s beaches, Marineworld, and other attractions.

Astroworld is a great addition to this entire Gulf Coast area of Texas.

~ Editorial from The Galveston Daily News, Wednesday Morning, June 5, 1968, Page 4.

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When a community has media like The Galveston Daily News, who needs a Chamber of Commerce?

Tags: 1968, Astroworld Opens

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