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Arthur Gaulker, a successful real estate scion, gathered investors to create Electric Amusement Park in 1906. Gaulker's park was located near the Belle Isle Bridge just a few miles from downtown Detroit. Morris Wolff opened his Wolff's Park in 1906 directly across the street from Electric Park. Both parks spent lavishly and went bankrupt within a few years; however, other parks replaced them. By 1927, city officials had grown tired of the noise and widespread gambling, so they closed down the parks. Eastwood Park, Jefferson Beach Amusement Park, Edgewater Park, Walled Lake Park, and Bob Lo Park filled the void for years. Big bands got the parks through the Depression, multiple wars, and an onslaught of televised entertainment. However, costly fires, local opposition, and corporate competition became too much for the local parks, most of which were family-owned. Bob Lo Park, which closed in 1993, was the last to go out of business.

For over a half century Olympia Stadium was THE entertainment venue in Detroit. Almost every major sports and entertainment event was played there. The major tenant was the Detroit Red Wings. Most of the major touring ice shows also skated at the Olympia; great entertainers such as Elvis, the Beatles, KISS, Isaac Hayes, Alice Cooper, Lawrence Welk, John Denver, the Lone Ranger, and the Globetrotters stopped by to perform. In Remembering Detroit's Olympia Stadium, the author leads the reader on a fascinating journey, through the use of over 200 historic photographs, allowing us a glimpse into that building on Grand River and McGraw that was a second home to many. This volume also features the people behind the scenes who made the popcorn, cleaned the ice, sold drinks and food; took your tickets; saw you to your seats. The media, which reported the events on radio, TV, and in the newspapers, and the Red Wing Alumni who have been skating for over 40 years in old timers games rising money for charities, are all part of this celebration of Detroit's history.