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Fried food, rides, miles of beach - what's not to love about OOB?

By DEIRDRE FLEMING / Staff Writer July 22, 2007

OLD ORCHARD BEACH — The sculpted sand octopus and swinging pirate-ship ride parked beside the ocean could be at any beach along the East Coast. Ocean City, N.J., or Rye Playland in New York? These destinations share with Old Orchard Beach the same ocean, similar carnival rides and generous helpings of cheap fast food. OK, so maybe the french fries are better here. But Old Orchard Beach offers nothing novel, and certainly nothing that could be described as "of Maine." Maybe that's why so many love it here. In Maine, Old Orchard Beach is unique. The beach has brash T-shirt shops; crazy, high-flying rides; and the heavenly smell of fried dough like other ocean-side amusement parks. With beachgoers strolling about in cowboy hats, studded T- shirts or nothing but bathing suits, it's a people-watcher's paradise. People come to Old Orchard Beach for all of it: the food, the rides and the beach fun. In fact, the reasons fans of "OOB" return is a combination of all three of these draws. It's listed among Maine's longest beaches. But, before you get to the ocean's edge you must first stroll through the main concourse with its arcade, wide, crowded walkways and the fast food vendors.

CARNIVAL FOOD GALORE Most who visit Old Orchard's roughly two-mile-long beach get to it by Old Orchard Street, where traffic fans out onto East and West Grand. Many come here hauling coolers strapped to dollies behind them. However, carnival food and enticing smells are not far away. The Pier, first built in 1889, offers everything from temporary tattoos to toe rings, as well as food and a bar stool with a view of the crashing waves below. Beachgoers stroll back and forth along the boulevard, particularly at lunchtime, which in this town might be 10:30 a.m. or as late as 3 p.m. Kristen Aulbach of Andover, Mass., was getting her family lunch around 11 a.m. one weekday. She'd visited Old Orchard Beach as a child, 31 years ago, and wanted to give her children the full OOB experience, which meant Pier Fries. "We took the day (off). They're playing in the water. I had to get them these french fries," said Aulbach, 38. "This place is exactly the same." The Original Pier French Fries has cultivated a following over its 70-plus years in business. Other culinary landmarks include Bill's Famous Pizza, open since 1949, and Lisa's Pizza, known for its fried dough. Vendors offer fish lovers fried clams, shrimp and scallops, while landlubbers can find snocones and soft-serve ice cream. There's plenty of fine dining in Old Orchard, but here along the main strip, the food is fast and the food is cheap.

RIDES TO FLIP OVER The rides of Palace Playland are another draw. At noon, when the carnival rides open, a few small children and parents wander about, admiring the lights. But other youths run to and from the rides, looking for their favorite stomach-turner. Nicole Cella comes with her family from Boston to stay at a nearby campground every summer, all summer long. Cella, 13, and her three sisters could ride boogie boards in the ocean, but they prefer the crazy amusement park rides at Palace Playland. They've ridden so many of these rides so many times, they offer advice on how to sit on one called Adrenalin, which has a swinging arm that nearly flips over. "You put your shoes over there. Because the bottom will drop out," Cella said. The ride starts slow and then, like a massive pendulum, swings back and forth. It stops just before throwing the riders who are facing down over onto their backs. A few teenage boys laugh. Everyone else screams. Cella's reaction is a combination laugh-scream. This upside-down, spinning circus is not even the scariest ride Cella's been on at Palace Playland. "The Power Surge is the worst. It goes really, really fast, and spins and turns. Then, the bottom drops out, so it feels like you will fall," Cella said. "It feels like you will flip out." Spoken like an OOB pro.

BEACH BRINGS 'EM IN Certainly,...