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Quassy Amusement Park A family business forging ahead
Getting On Track Wooden Warrior was conceived several years ago as part of a five-year strategy embraced by Quassy’s owners. Despite some setbacks, the park saw the first phase of the plan come to fruition in 2010 when it added a new family drop tower by SBF/Visa. “Not only do new attractions bring people back to the park, but they also bring in new customers,” highlights Anderson. “Our goal for new attractions is to provide experiences that a family can enjoy together.” Such is the case with Wooden Warrior that it will have more than 1,200-feet (365-metres) of track, yet not be a white-knuckle experience. “That [extreme rides] is not who and what we are,”
With just weeks to go until the start of the new season, Quassy Amusement Park, Middlebury, Connecticut, is buzzing with activity behind the scenes. Ron Gustafson reveals how this small, family- owned business is forging ahead during challenging economic times
rollercoaster nearing completion. “We’ve been fortunate in that our long-term goals in updating the property have not fallen victim to the economic climate.” The birth of Wooden Warrior from The Gravity Group is a prime example of how the park has aggressively continued to reinvest in itself and the community during a timeframe when many small businesses have failed. “We’ve been here more than 100 years and plan on being here for many more to come,” adds co- owner George Frantzis II, whose family purchased the park in 1937. “People certainly wonder how Quassy can be building a marquee attraction like this when the economy is struggling. We strongly believe that had we not made the decision a number of years ago to reposition ourselves as a business – including reinvestment – we probably wouldn’t be here today.”
“W
e’ve had to remain focused in recent years,” says Quassy owner Eric Anderson as he surveys work on the new wooden
adds Frantzis. “We want children to ride their first rollercoaster here at Quassy and do it with their parents and even grandparents.” As Anderson and Frantzis prepare the park for reopening later this month, they also reflect on the condition the lakeside property was in less than a decade ago. “Quite frankly, the park was falling into disrepair during that period,” recalls Anderson, who started working in Quassy’s arcade as a youngster. “We realised then that in order to turn things around, we had to start reinvesting in the park.”
It was in 2002 that Quassy announced it would build Saturation Station, a state-of-the-art interactive family water play area from SCS Interactive/ProSlide, complete with cascading fountains, water cannons, slides and a huge dumping bucket. That, too, was a huge undertaking for the small family business at the time, but one that would quickly reap dividends. “It’s been said time and again that Saturation Station probably saved the park,” Frantzis reveals. “Looking back, we certainly all agree with that observation now.” The $1 million-plus price tag that the new attraction carried with it posed a big gamble at the time, especially when its inaugural season in 2003 turned out to be one of the wettest summers in New England history.
Calm After The Storm
“It rained virtually every weekend that season and really put a damper on our hopes of seeing a substantial
Saturation Station 34
Park owners Eric Anderson & George Frantzis II
A general view of the park, featuring the Galleon ship APRIL 2011
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