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Beginning in 1950, Casey became interested in a site that would allow him to continue running a carnival but give him some relief from the strenuous life on the road. Lockport (also known as St. Andrew's Locks), Manitoba, on the east bank of the Red River became the place Casey had envisioned as an ideal home for a permanent and "glamorous" amusement park. Rendezvous Park was a fully realized expression of Casey's carnival aspirations. Billed as "Manitoba's Fun Spot," Rendezvous Park consisted of fifteen acres filled with fourteen rides (such as Caterpillars, Loop-O-Plane, Flying Saucers, and The Boomerang), a "Kiddie Land" (stocked with Jeep rides, a merry-go-round, boat and train rides, kiddie cars, aeroplanes and ponies), as well as a bevy of concessions, games (including bingo, darts, hoop-la, glass pitch, and a penny arcade), parking for a thousand cars, picnic tables, hot water, and established fishing grounds. Not only could visitors enjoy rides, play games, and eat treats, they could also participate in dances and attend musical shows (such as the Grand Opry and Don Messer and His Islanders). In addition to Manitobans, American visitors formed a "big part" of Rendezvous Park's business, indicating that the site was a major attraction in the region.

The Park's mission was to provide clean, decent, honest fun for families, where parents could engage in some nostalgia and delight their children with "economical" entertainment. Carnival workers were reminded that their goal was to "make little hearts happy." Indeed, Casey continued to offer free children's days, once again with the cooperation of local charitable organizations such as the Lions Club. Casey could always be counted on to share proceeds to various local charities, such as the March of Dimes, and pitch in when disaster struck, as he did during the 1950 Red River Flood. Casey and his carnival staff played an important role in helping Winnipeg recover from this flood, which saw Casey and thirty five members of his staff set up canteens to supply necessary food; provide trucks and generators to carry sandbags, tow vehicles, illuminate clean up efforts in neighbourhoods and lend manpower in the form of staff electricians and able bodies. In recognition of Casey's services, he was named Man of the Year and awarded a plaque by the Riverside Lions Club.

E. J. Casey was no stranger to natural disasters himself, having experienced downturns on the carnival circuits due to flooding, high winds, a railroad strike, and the inevitable road accidents that disrupted his convoys. Fire was one natural disaster that had not struck the carnival until 1965 when a fire destroyed a substantial portion of Rendezvous Park during the off season in December. Undaunted and determined, Casey and his staff nevertheless opened the Park on time in 1966.

After nearly forty years in the carnival business, Casey retired on his eightieth birthday, May 24, 1974. He passed away July 14, 1976 in Saint Boniface, Winnipeg, Manitoba after a lifetime spent working to make the lives of his fellow community members better during some of the country's darkest and most dynamic times.

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Article Announcing the Opening of Rendezvous Park
5 August 1950
Rendezvous Park, Lockport, Manitoba, Canada

Credits:
North American Carnival Museum and Archives, Casey Fonds
Charron, Glenn
Walker, Jennifer

3

The Beginnings of Rendezvous Park
Circa 1950
Rendezvous Park, Lockport, Manitoba, Canada

Credits:
Casey, Edgar James, Quote Taken From "The E. J. Casey Story," An Unpublished Autobiography, 2004
Jackson, Clay
Charron, Glenn
Walker, Jennifer

4

Front Page of a Rendezvous Park Brochure
Circa 1955
Rendezvous Park, Lockport, Manitoba, Canada

Credits:
North American Carnival Museum and Archives, Casey Fonds
Charron, Glenn
Walker, Jennifer

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Inside Pages of a Rendezvous Park Brochure
Circa 1955
Rendezvous Park, Lockport, Manitoba, Canada

Credits:
North American Carnival Museum and Archives, Casey Fonds
Charron, Glenn
Walker, Jennifer

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Back Page of Rendezvous Park Brochure
Circa 1955
Rendezvous Park, Lockport, Manitoba, Canada

Credits:
North American Carnival Museum and Archives, Casey Fonds
Charron, Glenn
Walker, Jennifer

7

E. J. Casey Operating the Miniature Railway at Rendezvous Park
Circa 1950
Rendezvous Park, Lockport, Manitoba, Canada

Credits:
University of Winnipeg Archives, Western Canadian Pictorial Index, E. J. Casey Shows Collection, Image Number 50657
Charron, Glenn
Walker, Jennifer

8

Pow-wow at Rendezvous Park
Circa 1952
Rendezvous Park, Lockport, Manitoba, Canada

Credits:
University of Winnipeg Archives, Western Canadian Pictorial Index, E. J. Casey Shows Collection, Image Number 50693
Charron, Glenn
Walker, Jennifer

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Invitation to E. J. Casey's Annual Rendezvous Dinner
Circa 1955
Rendezvous Park, Lockport, Manitoba, Canada

Credits:
North American Carnival Museum and Archives, Casey Fonds
Charron, Glenn
Walker, Jennifer

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Winnipeg Press Club Pass for Rendezvous Park
15 August 1951
Rendezvous Park, Lockport, Manitoba, Canada

Credits:
North American Carnival Museum and Archives, Casey Fonds
Charron, Glenn
Walker, Jennifer

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Funhouse at Rendezvous Park
Circa 1950
Rendezvous Park, Lockport, Manitoba, Canada

Credits:
University of Winnipeg Archives, Western Canadian Pictorial Index, E. J. Casey Shows Collection, Image Number 50656
Charron, Glenn
Walker, Jennifer

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Dixie Blandy at Rendezvous Park
Circa 1954
Rendezvous Park, Lockport, Manitoba, Canada

Credits:
North American Carnival Museum and Archives, Casey Fonds
Charron, Glenn
Walker, Jennifer

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Go Kart Track at Rendezvous Park
Circa 1960
Rendezvous Park, Lockport, Manitoba, Canada

Credits:
University of Winnipeg Archives, Western Canadian Pictorial Index, E. J. Casey Shows Collection, Image Number 50643
Charron, Glenn
Walker, Jennifer

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Arial View of Rendezvous Park
Circa 1960
Rendezvous Park, Lockport, Manitoba, Canada

Credits:
University of Winnipeg Archives, Western Canadian Pictorial Index, E. J. Casey Shows Collection, Image Number 50640
Charron, Glenn
Walker, Jennifer