Brigantine Castle Online: Emails 2012

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FROM/DATE	CONTENT
10/6/12 Tim O'Brien, Liberty, NJ	I did one and a half seasons. It was in the summer 78 and 79. I played Dr. Puss, Dr. Rat, Got to be in the portrait a few times (that was fun), Played King Kong, had a blast in the Sacrifice Room (have a great story about that). There was an actor there who was studying hypnosis and he was a great help in relaxing. Still miss it. Oh, also got to meet one of the owners, Cliff Robertson, when he came for a visit. They were short on Security People and I filled in on shifts. He was standing in the lobby when I was there. Why don't we see if we can create a movie based on the Castle? Is anyone who worked there game? I do have one really funny story: One day, very slow day, I was in the Sacrifice Room alone. No one to sacrifice. It was a slow day. The season had not yet really started. I was reading a book, and I heard a commotion. I put my book away and got ready. Two guys (boyfriends), had been chased up to my position with half the Castle staff behind them. They were terrified. I did my little thing and then ordered one of them into this little storage room. I locked the door and told the other to go up the stairs to the Rat Room. The locked up one pleaded, "Please, Don. Don't leave me, Don!" I felt sorry for him, and really didn't want to keep him there, so I sent him on his way with his boyfriend. As they got to the top of the first flight of stairs, someone jumped out and scared the crap out of them. The staff follow them up to the Rat Room, and I went back to my book. After a while, I heard another commotion and looked around the corner to see what was going on. It was the same two guys with the Castle staff behind them again. They routed them through the coffin room and back into the Castle for another round. I went home a little while later, sans makeup. I was waiting for the bus and the two guys, looking like they'd been through a grinder, soaked in sweat, walked by. I asked them what happened (I knew what happened). They did not recognize me. They said they spent most of their time in the Castle on their asses. Those were the days.
8/12/12 Lisa Ricci	Hello everyone this is Lisa Ricci, yes one of the twins who played 1/2 the Jester skit and Theresa played the other half. It is with a very heavy heart that I have to say my dad, Carmen Ricci, passed away on July 21,2012. I read this page as well as the Haunted Mansion page and am so proud of all of you and how my daddy affected all your lives- he is still with us and smiling down (or from below- he he he). He was proud of you all and we always talked about driving from Seaside Park to Brighton every day - he didn't mind, he loved what he did- so I thank you all for making my dad (a/k/a) Mr. Ricci- lol Happy!!!!!
8/11/12 ED Perkins aka:Electron ED	This past week while looking at Youtube I saw some old commercials for Brigantine Castle. After seeing them my mind has since been reflecting on my summer stays even thought they were for only one week in the summers of 77,78 and 79. It's a shame this place only lasted for the time it was there. Kind of miss it and if I could go back in time to revisit it, I would. I did visit the area where it once stood just before Christmas a few years ago and I find it hard to believe that the castle and pier stood in the spot where it was. But it still lives on in our memories.
7/15/12	Hey all, The Pirate's Den is still serving great meals and the Rod And Reel is still a cool place to have a drink. New Years Day is the Polar Bear Plunge at noon. Usually the spot shifts here and there around the old castle location but the fun is all the same. I miss the castle as well as the 70's and the innocence that was had then. I can remember leaving Brigantine in 1977, traveling back to Avalon on Route 9 and we stopped at a Pizza place for dinner. I'm guessing it was located in Linwood. Everything nowadays is so built up,I can't find that old place that was located in the woods with nothing around it.I do remember playing the juke box and hearing," Play That Funky Music".1977 was a fun time! That was then as I make the best of now.
4/25/12	Back in the ’80 there was a gorilla like the one in the picture at Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. You could sit in the hand and get a photo taken. I also have an old Polaroid picture like that one from the ‘80s. That’s a great picture! I was lucky enough to have visited the castle when I was about 8 years old. My father was a union electrician working in Atlantic City on the casinos. We lived in Central NJ so he basically lived in AC for months and we (my mom and 3 sisters) would visit. He took us to the castle and I can tell you it scared me to death! To this day I am absolutely horrified of rats and I still remember the feeling of the “rats” touching me in that hallway. I also remember vividly chastising one of the actors for scaring me. I told him it wasn’t nice to scare little girls. He was so sweet to me and said aww I’m sorry! I was sad when I heard of the Castle closing and later burning. That visit is really one of my most cherished childhood memories. : )
3/27/12 David	I was born and raised in Trenton NJ. I was 14 years old when I visited Brigantine Castle for the very first time with my parents back in the summer of 1978, and when I saw the castle I thought to myself it's more beautiful then the TV commercials. I couldn't wait to get in the castle and see all the spooky props and the actors who would try to scare me, and they didn't just try to scare me, they almost made me pee my pants and it was great. I wanted to go in the castle again and I did an hour later. I told myself when I was 16 I'm going to bring my own kids when they are old enough to go see the castle and go in it, but before that happened the castle closed down and then burnt down. I was so heart broken knowing that happened and knowing that I will never see the castle again and that my kids and my grand kids will never have the same joy that I had when I was young. But alas, I can tell them about Brigantine Castle and go on the internet and show them some photos of the castle. Well, that's my memory. But one question to Carmen J. Ricci or his family can y'all show the blue print of the brigantine castle for all the brigantine castle fans like myself?
3/24/12	I still to this day talk about the great times I had here. I wish someone would do a beach bon fire on the sight so we could all get together and reminiscence of the great childhood fun we all share. Maybe even at Halloween and dress up like our fav character.
2/18/2012 John Gibbons	I was a bit too young to go to the actual castle and then was out of state for it's later years off in the Army. I remember after it closed there was the pier there with a few arcades, and the fishermen used to hang out at the end. I don't remember how long the pier was there after the castle closed, but it was cool to go visit. Here is a picture I took yesterday of the location...all that is left is sand. Some people were riding horses so there are horse prints there in the picture.
1/22/12 Bruce Vale Newark, DE	I have fond memories of Brigantine Castle, even though I only went there once. It was the Castle's first summer, in July 1976. My best friend's family vacationed at Somers Point and would take me with them. I don't remember who heard about the Castle, but we all went there one afternoon. I can still remember the rubber "rats" that would brush your legs and the actors jumping out at you. I also remember the electronic shooting gallery at the pier and can still remember how mad my friend's dad was when we got back to the parking lot and discovered someone had plastered a bumper sticker on his car! The next summer I was driving, so that was one of the last family adventures I remember going on, even though it wasn't even my family. I was thinking about the Castle a few years ago and went online to see what became of it. Even though it had closed, it's a shame to see it gone.