Family News

Old-timey Sandy Lake Amusement Park in Carrollton closes after 48 years

Riding along on a carousel, trying to catch up to you.

Courtesy photo

After nearly 50 years in business, Sandy Lake Amusement Park, an amusement park in northwest Carrollton, shut down on October 17. The owners posted a notice on Facebook announcing that the park had been sold.

"After 48 successful years, the owners have sold the property," the post said. "The owners truly appreciate the millions of patrons, thousands of organized groups and special events we’ve hosted at the park. If the park's legacy is leaving most people with golden memories or pleasant thoughts, then the park has done its job."

The park was sold to its neighbor Southwest Landscaping, which will use the property for storage of trees and plants. The property will no longer be available for public use.

Proprietors were Tom and Suzy Self, and Suzy's brother Frank and Vickie Rush. They represented the third generation of the Rush family, which established Craterville Park in 1923 near Lawton, Oklahoma. Their family purchased Sandy Lake in 1971, which went on to be recognized as one of the finest "traditional" American parks.

Their open season ran from mid-March to mid-September. Attractions included more than 20 rides, a swimming pool, mini-golf, paddle boats, picnic pavilions, a game arcade, and food stands with popcorn, hot dogs, and pizza.

They also hosted the annual Fun Fest, a music festival every May for middle school students from all over North Texas. There were already plans underway for its return in 2019.

Suzi Self told NBC DFW that "we just felt like it as a good time to sell."

The Facebook post traces the park's history and its role in the community.

"While the history of the landmark swimming pool dates back to the 1930’s, popularity of the park really blossomed in 1971 when the amusement rides, picnic grounds, and other attractions were added," it said. "The park also hosted events like Santa Fe Days in the Park, DubSplash, thousands of company picnics, reunions, birthday parties, and more."

"Widely known for Bar-B-Que catering, many groups planned their annual events based on the food service provided by the park," it said. "Over the years the variety of attractions and extensive picnic grounds became more and more popular as the city grew up around the serenity of the park."

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All Eyes on Them

Dallas alt hip-hop group wins prestigious Tiny Desk Contest by NPR

Cure for Paranoia/Facebook

As winners of the Tiny Desk Contest, Cure for Paranoia will record their own Tiny Desk concert and go on tour.

Few live recording studios or musical web series have the cultural sway of NPR's Tiny Desk, and a Dallas band is poised to make an impactful debut: Cure For Paranoia, an alternative hip-hop project by rapper Cameron McCloud and producers Tomahawk Jonez and Jay Analo, has won the high-stakes annual Tiny Desk Contest for 2026.

They'll record their official Tiny Desk show "soon," the announcement by NPR says.

Winning the concert also means Cure for Paranoia is going on tour. The only Texas stop will be at Emo's Austin on June 24.

Tiny Desk is known for platforming both niche and majorly successful artists — NPR posted a new Foo Fighters set on YouTube on May 13 — for stripped-down sets that are literally played behind former All Things Considered director Bob Boilen's old desk. (Fun fact for Texans: Tiny Desk was created because folk artist Laura Gibson was disappointed with the sound at her South by Southwest show in Austin in 2008, and she wanted a redo.)

Most artists who appear on Tiny Desk more than 15 years later are already well-known, at least in their specific circles. But the Tiny Desk Contest, which launched in 2015, helps a growing group of newer, unsigned artists get their foot in the door. Contestants record one video of them performing a single song behind a desk, and a jury of radio staff and musicians chooses their favorite.

In their audition video, Cure for Paranoia gathered 11 musicians around a truly tiny desk and in front of downtown Dallas' iconic gigantic eyeball sculpture. They played the song "No Brainer," a frenetic track that starts with clever boasts and becomes a criticism of racism in the United States.

McCloud, a pre-school teacher, is known independently of Cure for Paranoia for rapping to his social media following about politics and current events. Some of those lyrics made it into "No Brainer." He says he started the group because he found that music was more helpful than medication for coping with bipolar depression and paranoid schizophrenia.

Alex Marrero, host of the Austin-based KUTX show Horizontes, was one of the judges this year. He was impressed with the visuals in Cure for Paranoia's audition.

“When this popped up, I immediately felt something different," he wrote in a blurb for the announcement. "It just jumped out. The visuals were super cool and creative, BUT I could still totally envision them bringing the heat behind the Desk.”

Madison McFerrin, jazz vocalist and daughter of the famous singer Bobby McFerrin, was one of the musical judges.

"Cure For Paranoia’s energy is infectious, fresh and distinctly theirs — exactly what you want in a Contest winner!" she wrote.

McCloud's post on Instagram announcing the group's win has only been up for three hours at the time of this article's publication, and it already has more than 8,000 likes. The YouTube audition has garnered 74,000 views.

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