NEAAPA to induct two industry legends into Hall of Fame

NEAAPA – The Northeast’s Entertainment Association is proud to announce that two of the organization’s long-time members will be inducted into the NEAAPA Hall of Fame on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. 

Joel Golder, owner of Palace Playland Amusement Park in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, has spent more than 60 years in the amusement industry. Growing up on Revere Beach, Golder began working in amusements as a child, helping his father at Paragon Park before expanding to well-known seaside destinations such as Salisbury Beach, Lincoln Park, Wildwood (New Jersey), and Coney Island’s Steeplechase Park. Over the decades, he operated rides, midway games, arcades and food concessions while touring major fairs including The Big E, Topsfield, Fryeburg, Raleigh, Louisville, and West Palm Beach, along with many others across the East Coast. In addition to his traveling operations, Golder also built one of the largest arcades in Maine and New England. 

By the 1970s, he had established a presence in Old Orchard Beach with games and attractions on the Pier, and in the 1980s became a key partner at Palace Playland by leasing rides to the park. In 1996, he purchased the iconic beachfront amusement park, and by 2004 became its sole owner. Under his leadership, Palace Playland has introduced several U.S. ride firsts—including the Preston & Barbieri Sea Viper Coaster and the extended-arm Techno Jump.

Bob Nowak is the entrepreneurial founder and CEO of Rhode Island Novelty, a wholesale distributor of toys and novelties he established in 1986. Under his leadership, the Fall River, Massachusetts-based company has become a major supplier of merchandise to diverse industries, including amusement parks and family entertainment centers around the world. 

Beyond his role at Rhode Island Novelty, Nowak is also the president and founder of Alternate Power and Energy, a solar construction and production company he started in 2015. He is active in civic and business leadership, serving as a board member for Beacon Financial Corporation (formerly Brookline Bancorp) and the United Way of Rhode Island. A fellow board member has described Nowak as an "everyman" entrepreneur who built his business from the ground up.

Please join NEAAPA as we honor these two outstanding leaders of the attractions and entertainment industry on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel, part of NEAAPA’s 113th Anniversary Education Conference and Annual Meeting, held March 2-4, 2026. More information can be found at https://neaapa.com/events/annual-meeting/. 


About NEAAPA
Organized in 1913 and currently based in Southern Maine, NEAAPA - The Northeast's Entertainment Association, is the premier regional attractions association in the United States, representing New England and New York attractions. NEAAPA’s manufacturer and supplier members are located throughout the United States and Canada. NEAAPA follows local, state, and federal legislative activity affecting the attractions industry. Education programs are offered throughout the year, both in person and online, covering topics of importance to our members, with social events and Meet Ups are held throughout the region. For more information, please visit NEAAPA.com.