Central Park (Allentown, Pennsylvania) Central Park (Allentown, Pennsylvania) Central Park is a former amusement park in the Rittersville section of Allentown, Pennsylvania. It was closed in 1951. Central Park's origins date to 1868 when J. Frank Reichart laid out a race course north of the Allentown-Bethlehem turnpike (Hanover Avenue) which was opened for trotting and pacing from May to August. In 1872 the Rittersville Park Association was organized. The park was enlarged to 16 acres and was known as Manhattan Park. When the Allentown & Bethlehem Rapid Traction Company took ownership of the area from Thomas Ritter it was called The Greater Central Park.
Diana Ross Live in Central Park Diana Ross Live in Central Park Live in Central Park is a DVD by Diana Ross released in 2012. On July 21, 1983, Diana Ross' concert at The Great Lawn of New York City's Central Park, attended by 450,000 fans, was cut short by a massive lightning storm. The concert was staged as a benefit to raise funds for a children's park, later known as the Diana Ross Playground, located inside the park at West 81st Street and Central Park West. The concerts were aired worldwide on the Showtime cable network, and directed by Steve Binder, who produced Ross' 1981