On 26 April 1984, a $2.5 million fire struck Idora Park on Youngstown's South Side,  destroying the Lost River ride, part of the Wildcat roller coaster, the park office, a dozen concessions and games, and two homes pf park employees on the property ; the park would closes for good on September 2^nd after a dismal season. Later that year, spectators and bidders alike came to see the remains of the park auctioned off and go their separate ways. 

        On 3 May 1986, another fire would strike the closed park, destroying even more of what remained from the first fire including the Heidelberg Gardens, built during the parks first season and the oldest structure still standing at that time of the fire. Today the remains of the park are sparse. The famous French fry stand, home of the Original Idora Park French Fries, collapsed in the winter of 1999 from heavy snow on the roof. Earlier this year, on March 5^th, 2001, a fire broke out at the Idora Park Ballroom. The two-alarm blaze destroyed the last remaining structure that was once the grand trolley park. With that, Idora Park is nothing more than a neglected and empty stretch of land where kids once laughed and good times were had. People say history repeats itself. When it comes to Idora Park and fires, that rings true.