At historic Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury, Conn., the decision for the 95-year-old family-owned park to add a new water attraction was the first step to preserving its original identity.

The land on which the park sits, most significant because of its large central lake filled with white catfish and blueback herring, was once inhabited by Native Americans, who named this water and food source Lake Quassapaug, meaning “big pond.” In the colonial days, the lake provided amateur fishermen a place to catch buckets of fish for 50 cents a day.

For decades, most people who visited the 20-acre property came to swim in the lake’s sparkling waters. In 1937, three regional businessmen—John Frantzis, Mike Leon, and George Terezakis—bought the property and turned the park into Quassy Amusement Park. They added a picnic area, paddleboats, a carousel, a hot dog stand, a roller rink, and a tearoom to entice patrons from afar.

Following World War II, the property began its morph into a full-fledged amusement park, with the lake as its centerpiece. “When I was 16, I was a lifeguard at the beach and the place was packed,” says John Frantzis, president of Quassy. “The beach was the reason people came to the park in the 1950s. The rides were secondary.”

But in recent years the beach activity has dwindled dramatically, playing second fiddle to the 25 rides and attractions in the park. Also factoring into the decline of beach patronage were the region’s large theme parks, which have installed waterparks and water-based attractions in recent years. Six Flags New England, which just expanded its waterpark, and Lake Compounce both present formidable opponents and often overwhelming obstacles. It became evident that the long-running marriage between Quassy Amusement Park and its beach had stumbled upon some rocky road.

The huge crowds, which once flooded the waterfront to frolic in the lake and soak up the summer sun, seemed to disappear. “We really started to notice the change around a decade ago,” John Frantzis notes. “The beach business really died, but people continued to come for the rides and entertainment in the park.”

A Time for Change
The Frantzis family realized it had to make drastic changes to pump new life into the once prosperous beach area.

Despite the addition of the Big Flush water coaster in 1999, Quassy was still one of the few parks in New England without major water offerings. And the lack began to take its toll.

Loyal patrons have always enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere of the traditional amusement facility, but they too began to encourage the park to invest in water attractions to make the park more enjoyable during the sweltering New England summer.

With corporate outings also playing heavily into Quassy’s slump, the Frantzis family took note when a growing number of individuals and organizations started talking water. “Every survey we conducted in recent years came back the same—‘water attractions,”’ George Frantzis II, vice president of the park, says. “And nine out of 10 phone calls we received requesting park information inquired if we had a waterpark. It didn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that that was direction we needed to head in.”

In the spring of 2002, the park drew up plans for a full-fledged waterpark to be installed adjacent to Quassy Beach. For the small, family-owned facility it meant putting everything on the line in hopes that the investment would pay off. But the stakes proved too high. “We soon found that our initial waterpark plan was far too expensive for us,” John Frantzis recalls. The blueprint called for a 4,600-square-foot wave pool, a lazy river for tubes, and a tree house structure with slides and a variety of fountains. “Our accountants and creditors said ‘no way’ to that plan.”

But instead of throwing in the towel, the park forged ahead and explored other avenues to make water activities a reality on a tight budget. Frantzis attributes the project’s salvation to Eric Anderson, co-owner of the park and his son-in-law, who came up with the idea for Saturation Station. Unveiled at the IAAPA Orlando 2002 Annual Convention and Trade Show in Orlando, Fla., Saturation Station is KoalaPlay Group’s first WaterColors play system to be installed. KoalaPlay, of Englewood, Colo., is a union of Delta Play Co., SCS Interactive, and Superior Foam Inc. The joint venture installs play equipment for FECs, restaurants, and other commercial venues. Anderson was attracted to the station because the modular design of the system was not only attractive, but it would also make expansion extremely easy.

Saturation Station consists of two multi-tiered platforms incorporating various water elements, including cascading fountains, water cannons, bucket falls, and slides. Users can control the flow of water at many of the activity stations by turning valves. A number of the fountain and spray elements can be aimed in different directions, so it offers an interactive element that young children enjoy.

Two suspended bridges and a rope climb lead to the center attraction of Saturation Station: the huge dumping bucket tower. Atop the 30-foot structure is a gigantic bucket, which pours more than 300 gallons of water onto the crowd below, creating a miniature waterfall. As the bucket reaches the two-thirds-full mark, a water wheel kicks into action and starts ringing a bell to alert those below that the big spill is on its way. A crowd then gathers to get drenched.

Rough Spots
To make way for the attraction, the park had to clear trees from part of its lakeside picnic grove, a process that began in January. Heavy snowfall throughout the rest of the winter delayed preliminary excavation work, but the infrastructure was in place by mid-May, when tractor-trailers delivered the components for the attraction.

When construction crews spread the contents of the shipping cartons at one side of the parking lot, it looked like a mammoth erector set had been delivered by Paul Bunyan himself.

Despite persistent, heavy rains during much of May, the project remained on target during its construction phases. Landscaping around the attraction was completed in late June. And the concrete slabs in the wet area of the attraction will be sealed and painted after the beach closes late this summer.
The main beach bathhouse at the park—constructed in 1966—was also refurbished during the winter and serves as the main entrance to Quassy Beach. American Locker installed new guest lockers, and a refreshment area and beach merchandise booth were also added.
For additional water activity at the beach, two Surf Slides were acquired from Future Beach. Quassy also purchased dozens of new lounge chairs for Saturation Station, which has a lakefront view.

Market Success
The process for naming the new water play area was quite simple. Members of the Quassy management staff were asked to submit a list of possible titles for the project, and Saturation Station was selected from the submissions at a manager’s winter meeting.

The park also designed its own marketing strategy for the project. First, a color logo was conceived and incorporated with an artist’s rendering of Saturation Station for a flier to send to corporate and school groups.

Next, KoalaPlay provided photos of a similar bucket tower for use on the cover of Quassy’s 2003 color brochure, which went to press in January. The cover of the 2003 press kit, released in February, was also dedicated to Saturation Station. A plastic squirt gun was attached to the cover page to get patrons in the mood for summer.

Additionally, the park released a special business feature about the expansion project that appeared in several newspapers and magazines. The park also issued photos to the press during various phases of construction. “The good thing about providing those photos during that process was that some newspapers picked up on the idea and sent their own photographers out here,” says Frantzis.

A massive media campaign to promote the attraction included television, radio, and print coverage. The home page of the park’s web site was also updated, placing the new water element in the limelight. Video for more TV commercials will be shot during the height of the summer season now that the attraction is fully functional.

A special media preview ceremony was held at 11:11 a.m. on June 12 to unveil the water play area and renovated Quassy Beach. Park planners had hoped to open its new facility on Memorial Day Weekend, but rain virtually washed away those plans as well as much of the early season at the park.

One local paper featured the unveiling with a full-color photo of Saturation Station on the front page that week. Another newspaper had color artwork and a write-up about the ceremony on its local page. KoalaPlay also presented a stainless steel plaque to the park, recognizing the installation as the first WaterColors project.

The Right Stuff
By all indications, Quassy made the right move in changing gears on its water project, which cost an estimated $1.2 million—the largest single investment in the park’s history.

Interactive water play fits into the niche market that Quassy targets: families with pre-teenagers. This enormous jungle gym consisting of pipes, faucets, and fountains is clearly great fun for any age group, but the majority of those using the facility are families. “The beach area was virtually dead at this time last year. Now look at it,” Anderson said on a hot and humid day in late June. “There isn’t a lounge chair that isn’t occupied.” The perimeter of Saturation Station was filled with parents and grandparents relaxing in the sun and watching children enjoying getting soaked. “It’s exceeded my expectations,” George Frantzis II notes. “It’s a great addition to our facility . . . making Quassy a very well-balanced family entertainment center.”

Virtually everyone who sets foot onto the fabricated platform at Saturation Station quickly gets caught up in the interactive water battles. And once guests make their way across both suspended bridges, the two water slides—60 and 90 feet in length—await them. The family-friendly slides (ProSlide Technology) have all the thrills of their big brother counterparts, but conclude in shallow water troughs instead of pools. Beach admission is included in the price of an all-day ride/water wristband ($12.95 and $15.95), or may be purchased separately for $6. The beach is included with a season pass ($45). “This is the first phase of waterpark development for Quassy,” Anderson notes. After weighing the success of Saturation Station, the park may move ahead with plans to incorporate other elements such as a wave pool, lazy river, and more slides.

For now, taking the plunge into water attractions appears to have been a wise choice by the Frantzis family and their historic Quassy Amusement Park.