Ahhhhhh, Willow Point Park. I remember it well. A true treasure in Webster, New York. Willow Point Park was located about 1/4 mile North of the intersection of Bay Road and Empire Blvd (Rt 404). It was owned by an individual named Jack Garliner. It consisted of a small arcade, driving range, go-cart course, putting green, and some smaller rides. One ride was a large caged swing that one or two people would enter and sway back and forth until it went over the top. Very exciting and generally created a very upset stomach with the usual consequences afterward.
It was sold after Garliner died in the mid 60's and now is a housing development. The whole area around the Bay/Empire Blvd., which once was mostly residential and undeveloped land along Irondequoit Bay is now largely commercialized plazas. Nearby was Kidd's Castle, a large stone mansion with property that ran from Bay Road to the bay shore. The mansion was turned into a small YMCA where, in the mid 60's, teen dances were held on Saturday nights. Lots of fun was had there and kids from East Irondquoit and Webster would get together for dancing and pizza. In the 70's the Y developed the land and built a more extensive facility which still stands today.
I worked at WP Park one spring helping clean up the place for opening. After two days of hard work raking leaves and painting for Mr. Garliner (something on the order of 12 hours total), he paid me with tickets for two buckets of golf balls on the driving range. I still remember looking up at him with tickets in my hand and noticing the large diamond stick pin in his necktie and even larger diamond ring on his pinky finger. When asked why the pay was not money, he said we never negotiated up-front so nothing was on the table. Tough but valuable lesson for a 13 year old.
I got him back several years later when I carved a copy of the ink stamp used gain entrance to weekend dances held there. I distinctly remember the purple ink used as I had to go into Rochester to a stationary store to get that rather unusual color ink. The cost to enter at the dance hall entrance...$1.00, my stamp applied in the darkness of the parking lot...$.50. Satisfaction...priceless.
The rumor of the day was that Garliner was so crooked they would have to screw him into the ground when he died. I do not know when he died or or the method used to bury him.