Retro Review – Crystal Lake, The Aqua Twister and Dan Plesac

Note – All images of Crystal Lake are credited to Brian Brown. His page featuring photos of the lake can be found HERE.

There is a place where I spent several summers as a kid and I so wish it was still around today so I could take my girls. I’ve always been a fan of water parks and as a kid from South Georgia, I learned early in life to be close to water during the summertime if you didn’t want to spontaneously combust. This place was an absolute dreamland for us kids and was better than any of the large commercial parks you find today. It was just good old-fashioned family fun and could be as relaxing as it was thrilling. It could also be a little chilling at times.

About an hour east of where I live now is Irwin County, Georgia. They have a pretty good high school football team and it’s the home of the Georgia Sweet Potato Festival. I don’t know much beyond that about the current state of affairs of this Southeast Ga locale. But from about 1985 until the late 1990’s, I knew all to well about a bustling recreation spot called “Crystal Lake.”  And no, it’s not THAT Crystal Lake! This was a small pond that turned into a small lake thanks to a sinkhole and spring that fed its growth. And it was around a long time before 1985 but that’s where the story begins for me.

This lake was a large oblong circle of cool water that was surrounded by a pristine white beach. I don’t know how deep the lake actually was because we never ventured too far out unless we were in paddle boats. We didn’t really have a need to venture out, thanks to the attractions along the beach, but I’ll get to that in a minute. One of the more troubling reasons I didn’t venture out too far was the presence of hydrilla once you reached an area where big square wooden rafts were floating for girls to lay out on. At 10 years old, I wasn’t too sure that there wasn’t something lurking in those weeds below my feet.  I’m still not convinced today that creatures didn’t live down there.

About the rafts themselves, they were in water that was over my head but we still went out and climbed on them to jump and show off for the chicks. That was until I watched Creepshow 2 at my Uncle Speedy’s and watched the episode called, “The Raft.” Let’s just say I’ve been skeptical of floating docks and any foreign substance on top of the water since then. But as for Crystal Lake, I never swam out further than those wooden docks so I don’t know how deep it actually got. I don’t know how comfortable I would be today swimming past the rafts and I’m 41! There was just something about those rafts and the twisted things a youthful mind could conjure up.

Luckily, there was plenty going on at the waters edge so we didn’t really spend a lot of time worrying about the middle of the lake. Initially, there was a slide called the “Aqua Twister” that was an enclosed twisting slide and was one of the hottest attractions. This was a nice, pleasant slide that wasn’t too intense for young kids but the older kids still loved it. There was also a nice swimming area at the bottom of the slide where you could hang out. I actually learned how to catch small bream with a styrofoam cup and bread in that swimming area.  I thought I was hot stuff the first time I landed a fish in my cup!

There was another slide next to the Aqua Twister called “The Rampage” that was high and steep and required a hard plastic sled to ride down. This slide was the most fun for me because it was an adrenaline rush but you had to work if you wanted to ride it.  These plastic sleds were not light for a kid and technology hadn’t advanced to the point of having a conveyor that took them to the top, like today. No, you picked these up, slung them over your shoulders and started the climb up the stairs. If you were really lucky like me and had a younger brother or girlfriend (even better), you had to navigate two of those sleds up the stairs because they couldn’t carry them. But once you got to the top, it was all worth it!

Across the street from the actual lake was a 3 lane slide called “The Slippery Dip.” This was a classic “mat slide” where you rode down the concrete twists and turns on a foamy mat. This was fun too but the gravel road you had to walk across and the typical long lines were a deterrent at times. They later built a dual slide on another section of beach that had a tube/mat combo. This was pretty cool but it was built around the mid 90’s so I didn’t get many years with it like the others.  The last attraction to be added was a huge slide that carried large rafts (4-8 people) down like a river raft ride or something. I bet I rode this slide 5 times total.

I’m pretty sure 1997 was the last season the lake was open to the public.  There were a lot of rumors as to why the lake ultimately closed. There was the rumor that it closed because of some sort of bacterial outbreak. Then there was a drowning and insurance costs were to blame. Ultimately, the reasons I’ve heard most (and are most likely) were related to upkeep costs, insurance and declining attendance. I read on a message board that the spring became clogged at some point due to the sand that was constantly brought in. They had to start pumping water into the lake to keep the levels up and it was becoming too costly.

I don’t suppose I’ll ever know the real reason it’s closed but that doesn’t really matter at this point. What I do know based on the photos is that the lake is basically dry at this point, with the exception of the main spring head. What’s interesting though is that the amenities on the lake look as if they just closed one afternoon and the world ended. The slides are still there, along with umbrellas and those creepy wooden docks. The place is locked up and heavily guarded from what I understand so just going to see the remnants isn’t even possible. The lake has been closed for 20 years now but so many people in my part of the state still remember it as if they went just this past summer. My kids would’ve loved it.  I know I did!

There is a really cool video from 1995 on this FaceBook Page!

Here’s a short video of what it looked like recently.

Also, here is the link to Vanishing South Georgia where all of these cool photos and more can be found.

Shifting over to baseball cards, because you know there is always a transition; I’m going to talk about a set (and company) that is no longer around anymore but like Crystal Lake, was also enjoyed by me and many of my friends. Fleer tried for many years to break into the hobby and finally did so in 1981 with Donruss. Just like Donruss, they started off with a pretty weak effort thanks to such a short amount of time to produce the set. Though I’d argue that the ’81 Fleer release was much better than the ’81 Donruss release.

Fleer had some good sets, bad sets and some “what were they thinking” sets throughout the 80’s and 90’s. There most popular set (and one of the most popular across all brands) was the basketball release for 1986-87. Those boxes can be found in the $30,000 range for certified boxes. But in baseball, 1984’s Update Set is the most sought after, thanks to a solid design and a killer rookie class. Fleer experimented with a lot of colorful borders but the white border of ’84 has always stuck as a one of my favorites. It should be no surprise then that my second favorite is that of 1988.

Baseball cards in 1988 were at an all time high for production and an all time low for value. Each of the flagship sets from 1988 are some of the cheapest products you can find on the market today. The Topps design was one of their most bland of the 80’s, Score was marking their first release and Donruss was just plain bad that year. But Fleer sort of gets lost in the shuffle in my opinion. I think in terms of Fleer only, the design for ’88 could be called iconic. The classic white border was accented with red and blue stripes that weren’t overbearing but added an appropriate amount of flair. Even the wrappers are some of the better looking wax packs for Fleer. Remember those terrible ’89 wrappers?

I picked up a box at the LCS recently and I realized that these aren’t as readily available as some of the other junk wax staples in my area. This by no means is to indicate that ’88 Fleer is rare but my LCS has a CASE of ’88 Topps and this is the first ’88 Fleer Box I’ve seen since they opened in 2015. Two things were noticeable about the box. (1) The Box was not in the best shape. It looked like it might have been found at the bottom of Crystal Lake when it dried up. (2) And yes, that sticker on the box does read $68! That’s not what I paid for it but at one time, this was the sticker price for a box of ’88 Fleer. I find that pretty amazing!

As I mentioned, the design is really nice for 1988. The white border was always my preference for Fleer, though I did like some of the gray borders and I LOVED the black bordered Pro Vision cards. But the design in ’88 was not psychedelic, overbearing or too busy to enjoy the actual photo. It’s really pretty clean. The team logo is in the top right and isn’t too large and the player name and position blends well at the top.

This Dan Plesac Card was always a fun one for me. This is a pitcher, in the American League, who has eye black and is in a batting pose, with wrist bands and batting gloves. The 80’s version of Shohei Ohtani? Also, I loved the old Brewers logo!

As with other Retro Reviews, the featured catchers are pretty slim. But Tony Pena almost always makes the cut and this Benito Santiago was an easy pick.

I decided to plug in some less featured infielders than I usually post because these guys were quite good in the late 80’s, but often overlooked. Some of the usual suspects are included but that bottom row pictures some new guys for my review. Alvin Davis was the best player on the Mariners roster for many years. And Kevin Seitzer was a fan favorite in KC. Ken Caminiti was a tough out and had a rocket for an arm. Finally, Kelly Gruber wasn’t my favorite player because of what he did to the Braves in ’91 but he was certainly good.

There are a couple of new faces here as well. Ellis Burks is one of the more underrated outfielders from the late 80’s. Vince Coleman was the junk wax version of Billy Hamilton but he got on base a lot more. Mookie Wilson was a speedster too. I wish Andy Van Slyke played for another team because I liked him but I hated the Pirates thanks to those early 90’s playoff rivalries.

Frank Viola was quite a stud with the Twins and he had thankfully moved on before that fateful World Series battle with Atlanta. Chuck Finley was a great pitcher on horrible teams and Jack McDowell made music on the mound in the early 90’s but actually started making music soon thereafter.

A usual subset for Fleer in the 80’s were the multi player star cards. They usually featured multiple players from different teams that specialized in certain areas. The exceptions were the McGwire Rookie Home Run Card, The Ripken’s and the Red Sox Outfielders, which featured another classic underrated star in Mike Greenwell. Donruss is trying to produce these now but the lack of team logos really hurts.

As usual, ’88 Fleer was mostly swinging and missing with their identification of prospects. They hit on Mark Grace though. And I suppose John Burkett was pretty solid for a few years.

The least desirable card in the set from a design perspective was the All-Star card. These were just plain ugly if you ask me. I pulled all American League stars in this box.

Perhaps the biggest knock on 1988 Baseball Cards, beside production numbers, is the rookie class. Aside from a few bonafide stars like Greg Maddux here and Craig Biggio in Score, it was a pretty weak class overall. Edgar Martinez and Matt Williams were very good major leaguers but collectors aren’t clamoring for their rookie cards. Kevin Mitchell was one of my favorites and before we all started setting up retirement plans with the ’89 Gregg Jefferies Future Star, there was this ’88 Fleer. I included Sam Horn because he was a big stick at times but couldn’t quite piece it all together. There is a Ron Gant in the set as well but I didn’t pull one.

Fleer has a lot to like in 1988. The design is truly one of my favorites, the wax pack is a nice keepsake and it is relatively cheap when you are looking for it. I like the multi player cards and like the action shots in most of the photos. There are a couple of things to dislike as well though. The All-Star set is pretty bad and the rookie class is rather thin. But Greg Maddux, Ron Gant and Kevin Mitchell are enough of an offset for me to still chase some of the rookie class. I really like this set and I think it’s about as underrated as Ellis Burks was. I wish the card stock was a little better but if Fleer hadn’t stopped producing cards in 2007, I can see this as being one of their go to “throwbacks” that are so often found in modern products. But much like my summer days at Crystal Lake, Fleer is simply a memory from my youth that is no longer around to enjoy in 2018. I suppose it’s for the best with all the license shenanigans today but I do think that retro Fleer sets get a bit of a bad rap with modern collectors. If you have the opportunity, pick up some ’88 Fleer and I think you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.

J-Dub

Scoring Scale

1.Let me be the sacrificial lamb so you don’t have to buy these cards.  Just read the post and thank me later.

2.There is worse but there is much better – not worth the effort though.

3.Middle of the road – I wouldn’t talk you into buying these but I certainly wouldn’t talk you out of them.

4.You should probably go out and buy a box and enjoy the rip – I did!  It has some downside but worth the ride.

5.Stop reading and find a box to buy and get to Breaking!  What are you waiting on?