by Jim Futrell
Despite their very different locations and ownership structures, Bay Beach Amusement Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Quassy Amusement Park, in Middlebury, Connecticut, have much in common.
Both parks share a nostalgic charm that can only come from more than a century of operation at a waterfront location. They have each found a successful niche catering to families with small children. They were also the only amusement parks in the United States to add a wooden roller coaster in 2011. While the addition of these rides represented major commitments for both parks, after just a partial season of operation, their operators know they made the right decision.
A Coaster Comes to Titletown
Since being acquired by the city of Green Bay in 1920, the 109-year-old Bay Beach Amusement Park has become a popular community institution. Approximately 1 million people annually enjoy the park’s 18 rides, many of which cost riders as little as a quarter.
In 2007, following two decades of land purchases that added 28 acres to the 45-acre park, the city hired Schreiber/Anderson Associates from Madison, Wisconsin, to develop a master plan.
Schreiber/Anderson recommended a broad-based expansion that would complement the existing facility with four “featured attractions”—a roller coaster, a large Ferris wheel, an observation tower, and a spray-and-play fountain—and a dozen smaller rides, expanded parking, and more picnicking facilities.
The first priority for Bay Beach was the roller coaster; park operators felt it would generate enough revenue to fund other improvements. Meanwhile, the city’s top priority was to complement the existing atmosphere, so steel coasters were ruled out in favor of a wooden model. “We were trying to protect that image because there are so few places like it left,” says Tina Westergaard, special facilities manager for Green Bay.
The park wanted a family ride that would appeal to a variety of ages, so operators looked at a few abandoned wooden roller coasters as candidates for reconstruction at Bay Beach. One of those was the “Zippin Pippin” at Libertyland in Memphis, Tennessee.
“Zippin Pippin” sat unused since 2005 when Libertyland closed and a local grassroots organization, Save Libertyland, searched for a way to preserve it. The ride seemed to be a perfect fit for Bay Beach, having been originally built in 1923 by John Miller, one of history’s greatest roller coaster designers. The size and configuration were just the right fit, and as an added bonus, Elvis Presley was known to have ridden the coaster. It also had a historical tie to Green Bay in that Miller also designed Bay Beach’s last roller coaster, the Greyhound, which closed in 1936. “The ride had a special appeal to us,” says Westergaard.
Green Bay reached an agreement in spring 2010 with Save Libertyland to acquire the “name, design and history of the roller coaster” for $35,000. Since the ride structure was considered unsalvageable, all new lumber and components would be needed.
In addition to the rich history of the coaster, acquiring an existing design reduced Bay Beach’s costs by an estimated 40 percent. Reconstruction expenses were estimated at $3 million, of which the city would finance $2.4 million through a bond issue. The remainder would come from private donations. The bond would be paid off over 10 years at $265,000 annually, including interest. Annual ridership was projected to be 200,000 initially, rising to 250,000. Tickets would cost $1, twice the top rate for the park’s existing rides.
Martin & Vleminckx Group of Haines City, Florida, was hired to oversee construction and provide trains and mechanical components from the “Thunder Eagle,” a roller coaster that operated briefly in Tennessee that had since been dismantled. Gravity Group from Cincinnati, Ohio, provided engineering support.
Construction began in August 2010, and by the time it was completed in May 2011, the final bill on the “Zippin Pippin” was $3.79 million, largely due to $400,000 in cost overruns with the foundation. A reserve fund covered the balance.
New in New England
Owned by the Frantzis family since 1937, the 103-year-old Quassy Amusement Park had been undergoing a renaissance since around the year 2000, when the newest generation of the family took over. George Frantzis II and Eric Anderson began by upgrading the infrastructure and later developed a waterpark.
 Around 2005, Quassy decided to submit a five-year $5 million improvement program to local authorities to satisfy the strict zoning requirements in the community. The plan included two new rides, a waterpark expansion, and a new roller coaster to replace the “Mad Mouse,” which had reached the end of its useful life.
Although Quassy considered a steel spinning coaster, like Bay Beach, the park felt a wooden ride would be the best fit. “You can’t beat the structure and curbside presence of a wooden roller coaster,” says Anderson.
Quassy had several constraints to deal with, including appealing to its young family demographic and complying with a 35-foot height limit. Quassy’s location in a residential area also necessitated the park’s hiring of an acoustical engineer.
To save on costs, the park took a different approach to building the ride, constructing it themselves under the supervision of the Gravity Group, which designed it and recommended suppliers. Experienced coaster construction workers were hired as park employees for the duration of the project.
Overall, Quassy ended up spending $1.6 million to bring “Wooden Warrior” to life, an amount Anderson says would have been significantly less if they did not have the zoning challenges that come with their location, including a twoyear approval process and a lawsuit. “Acoustical engineers are very expensive,” quips Anderson.
The Impact
“Wooden Warrior” opened April 23 with “Zippin Pippin” following on May 21. Almost immediately the parks discovered yet another commonality—their new rides were an instant hit.
“Zippin Pippin” hit its first-year projection of 200,000 riders on July 14. By late August, ridership had passed 400,000. Westergaard further expects to approach 500,000 by the time the season ends in late September. Park revenues are running approximately 50 percent ahead of the record $1.6 million recorded last season. Westergaard mentioned that for the first time in her 30 years at Bay Beach, the park had to order additional tickets. “It kind of took off.”
But more important, according to Westergaard, is how “Zippin Pippin” has been accepted by the community. Concerns by some that the ride would turn the park into a teen hangout have proven to be unfounded with riders in their 90s enjoying the new attraction. She also cites the Five O’clock Club, a group of office workers who stop by each Friday after work to unwind with a few rides. “It has done more than we had hoped.”
“Wooden Warrior” has seen similar success, having hit 200,000 riders by late August, with 250,000 expected by the end of the season. “We would have had another 50,000 to 60,000 if the weather had held out,” says Anderson. He goes on to mention the addition has attracted new group business and increased walk-in attendance, resulting in several record-breaking days.
Anderson goes on to praise the reliability of the ride citing only two hours of down time during the entire season to repair an air valve. Operating as the first of its kind, Timberliner trains from Gravity Group have also proven to be a huge hit. Anderson compliments their comfort and ability to accommodate a wide array of riders.
The amount of speed and airtime coming from a 35-foottall ride came as something of a surprise to Quassy. “It was originally supposed to be a child’s first roller coaster ride,” says Anderson. “Now it’s a brave child’s first roller coaster ride.”
is an industry historian and writer. He can be reached at thefutrells@comcast.net.
|
