As a moneymaker the Juke Box was shortlived but paid for itself. It debuted at a party on the day we bought it (could have been April 10th but I can't imagine we waited a week). The juke box was set to need coins to play and three plays cost a quarter. That first evening Phil & I netted $12.10 (or 48 quarters and some drunken loose change). The Juke Box was a fixture for 16 months as a pay for play attraction and more as a novelty - though earning the occasional quarter after that - for the remainder of its life. The last recorded net earnings figure was $771.28 as of 10/10/82.
Here are the top grossing Juke Box Days of all-time
1. Fan Appreciation Day $20.40
2. July 3, 1981 $20.17
3. May 23, 1981 $18.10
4. May Day,1981 $16.30
5. Daylight Savings Time, 1982 $15.80
6. Sheryl's Birthday, 1982 $14.70
7. Valentine's Day, 1982 $13.65
8. Reunion, 1982 $12.60
9. Boycott $12.40
10. May 22, 1981 $12.30
NOTES: On Fan Appreciation Day Phil & I invested $35.32 in beer and/or foodstuff from Juke Box profits; as it turned out - after that nights revenues - it was a $14.92 net investment. F.A.D. held the Saturday record. The July 3rd nite was the Friday record. The Sunday record was $11.15 for a party known as Masada. It coincided with the debut of an ABC TV mini-series about the siege of Masada. Apparently it was self-explanatory and hearing the sound was not too important. To put some of these numbers in perspective and to illustrate how many people came in and out of the 340 on a party nite - the $20.40 found in the Juke after the F.A.D. represented 81 quarters or 243 songs at 3 minutes per song it equates to 12 hours and 9 minutes. Now, assuming 8 hours of sleep (generous I know) leaves 16 waking hours. On that day, the Juke Box was playing a song for 76.5% of all possible waking hours. Nuff ced!!!
6 comments:
Gosh! What memories, what times ... April 3, 1981 grossed $12.10 indicating a pretty nice size party ... over 7 hours of Juke Box time ... that record stood for 21 days until the Daylight Savings Time bash ... five days later the May Dap party broke that record ... three weeks later the May 23rd McMorial Day Party set a new standard ... that record laster 40 days until the July 3rd affair which held the honors for exactly one week until the July 10th F.A.D. ... that record still stands.
One more thing, I wondered when Masada was ... I googled it and found that it debuted on ABC on April 5th, 1981 ... meaning the first Sunday the Juke Box was lit up the Sunday record was established. I must inteject herein what a great thing records are. I don't mean 45s or even outstanding achievements, I simply mean the recording of things. I have always counted since I can remember and this blog and this look back to simpler times has given me a greater appreciation of keeping such records. It is a sort of vindication and reinforces my habit.
Ford Amusement was owned by Gene Fulton. He has since sold the business and now dabbles in real estate.
He came in for a case of beer the other night when I was working at Engleside Beverage Mart. Next time I see him I will ask him for any insight on how to keep the Juke Box healthy.
There was an option on the "box" to play a single song for just one "thin dime".
Yeah but what about July 3, 1981 ... was there an option to play anything for a penny? huh ... was there?
I will have to concur with Tee's statement about some "drunken loose change". I seem to recall there were a few of them in attendance.
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