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“The season is shaping up to be a little better than last year,” said Lagoon vice president of marketing Dick Andrew.
He made those comments as the park prepares to host its last regular full day of operations this Sunday. After that, it will be open weekends through October, as well as Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 6.
“The factors that affected us last year are still with us,” he said. “In spite of what they tell us, that the economy is bouncing back, I don’t know that we’ve seen a lot of evidence of that.”
Relatively, though, the park is still pulling big numbers, strong evidence of its ranking as among one of the state’s top attractions. Andrew says nearly 1.2 million people are expected to pass through the turnstiles by season’s end.
By comparison, heyday years of three or four years ago saw more than 1.3 million flocking to the amusement park. But that included unveiling of the new Wicked roller coaster ride.
“We depend so much on group business, pre-arranged company parties, etc. We’ve been struggling with that both last year and this year. If a company is fighting to stay alive, or laid off some employees, it’s pretty hard to justify having a party,” he said.
Although weather threw a wrench at park attendance early in the season, that blemish appears to have passed, Andrew said. “We seem to actually be getting stronger as the season progresses. We have high hopes for our Halloween promotion, Frightmares.”
A lot of people have been looking for “deals,” bargains on different promotions, he said, adding, “People apparently are willing to look around and see what they can find to save a few bucks. You can’t blame them for that.”
One big business element that has stayed constant is supplied by the thousands of school children. Some travel by bus from as far away as Montana, along with many from southeastern Idaho, southwestern Wyoming, eastern Nevada, and many parts of Utah.
He admitted no new rides were added this year, partly, at least, in response to the down economy.
However, “a couple of different entertainment packages” have been booked, including a European-style circus called Circus Nostra, which was extended through mid-August. Now, a bird show is featured called Extreme Parrots.
Lagoon serves as an economic engine for everything from hotels and restaurants, particularly for out-of-state guests to the park, but also in terms of employment.
“On a seasonal basis, we have 2,200 or 2,300 employees. We did have more applicants (this year),” Andrew said.
Of Sunday being closing day, he said that’s driven by the fact most of the park’s seasonal labor force are students in the Davis School District, which starts regular classes Monday.
Will there be a new ride in 2011?
Andrew, who has decades of experience serving as the park’s chief spokesman, carefully answered: “We’re always thinking about new rides. And it is a rare year that we do not have a new ride or attraction.”
tbusselberg@davisclipper.com
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