After growing up in Vernon, New Jersey, it is safe to say that not much changes. Don’t get me wrong- there is enough to make up for it with beautiful scenery and places to hike and explore. Even though I love spending time in a place surrounded by nature, the downside is that Vernon is essentially in the middle of nowhere. Sure, there is a supermarket and stores in the middle of town, but if you want to go to a mall, it would be about forty-five minutes, and to take a trip into New York City would be about an hour and twenty minutes. Growing up in such a secluded place also made it difficult to get around, because with no sidewalks or public transportation, it was easy to get stuck at home with nothing to do and nowhere to go.
When I started college and became friends with people from all across the country, and everyone got to know each other and where they were from. It was no surprise that no one knew that Vernon even existed. If any resident from New Jersey were to recognize Vernon, it would be at the mention of Mountain Creek. To me, Mountain Creek had always just been the place that half of my friends worked at every summer and winter, and it was just a reason for there to be an abundance of tourists at peak times of the year. Even though I live a few minutes from a water park and ski resort, I surprisingly enough never learned how to ski or snowboard, and have only gone to the water park a handful of times.
Over the years I heard stories of how the water park used to be called Action Park, or sometimes nicknamed "Accident Park", and that the attractions were so wild that a handful of people died over the years. Most recently in 2015, the Department of Community Affairs ordered Mountain Creek to shut down a ride that had reportedly caused multiple injuries. Just recently, I mentioned Mountain Creek and Action Park to my friend that is from South Jersey and he was so surprised and said that his parents had told him stories that they had heard about Action Park and said it was practically an urban legend, and that he had no idea that was my town.
Last week, Johnny Knoxville announced that he is going to start filming a movie based on the idea of Action Park and filming will start this spring in South Africa. While I'm not normally a fan of watching TV, I have seen some of the movies Knoxville has produced or starred in, and they do make for good, blunt comedy. The announcements that have been made so far don't quite explain why it is being filmed in South Africa, or when the film is to be released, so North Jersey residents should keep an eye out for this film, because it might put Vernon on the map.
