OCEAN CITY, N.J.—For generations of vacationers heading to Ocean City, the towering “Giant Wheel” was the first thing they saw from miles away.
The sight of the 140-foot-tall ride let them know they were getting close to the Jersey Shore town that calls itself “America’s Greatest Family Resort,” with its promise of kid-friendly beaches, seagulls, and sea shells, and a bustling boardwalk full of pizza, ice cream, and cotton candy.
And in the heart of it was Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, an amusement park that was the latest in nearly a century-long line of family-friendly amusement attractions operated by the family of Ocean City’s mayor….