Park Update
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The new Family Kingdom grew rapidly and successfully,
including the acquisition of a water park on the beach across the street, that had opened in 1977 as “Wild Rapids,” which stood (with a long term lease) on land owned by the Ammons Family. “In 1997 the owners of Wild Rapids decided to sell the water park to us. Renovations were made to the property such as adding a Lazy River, kiddie pools and larger slides.”
Expansion A second major expansion occurred just two years later. Amusement entrepreneur John Arie had opened his first Fun Spot FEC, right next to the original Grand Strand Amusement Park, in the 1970s, and for a while the two parks offered a customer-pleasing complement, until Arie moved his rides to Florida in the mid-1990s to open his two “Fun Spots” in Orlando and Kissimmee. “Family Kingdom got a long term lease on the Former Fun
Spot Park property, and 1999 we had a major expansion with an OD Hopkins Flume Ride, a Figure 8 Go Kart Track, Water Bumper Boats, King's Model T Ride, Zamperla's Kiddie Speedway ride, we leased an existing building to the (east coast) Friendly's Restaurant franchise, and we expanded our parking lot.” In the meantime, its neighbor and competitor, Myrtle
Beach Pavilion, continued to grow and add new rides, including in 2000, “Hurricane: Category 5,” a 100-foot (30 m) high, 3,800-foot (1,158 m) long wood-tracked, steel- framed coaster from Custom Coasters International. But despite its larger size and impressive number of rides and attractions, Burroughs & Chapin, owners of Myrtle Beach Pavilion, closed in 2006 due to, its owners stated, “financial instability” that forced them to shut down. Although its carousel and a couple of flat rides are now at the Pavilion Nostalgia Park, located at the Myrtle Beach entertainment complex, Broadway At The Beach, it can't fairly be called an amusement park. I asked Donnie Sipes how Myrtle Beach Pavilion had weathered the same hurricanes and financial challenges as Family Kingdom, and yet Family Kingdom remains.
The obvious star “Both parks had the same challenges,” Sipes explains, “short operating seasons, higher ride maintenance cost, rising insurance premiums and higher labor cost. But Myrtle Beach Pavilion made major improvements in the year 2000 by
adding the $6 million Hurricane roller coaster, and if I remember correctly, they spent an additional $10 million on other rides and improvements. I don’t think by spending $16 million that year, the park's attendance increased much over the prior years. My personal opinion is that the MBP and Family Kingdom targeted two different type of guests. Family Kingdom marketed to families with preteen children and the MBP customer base was mostly teenagers and older guests. I think Myrtle Beach’s main customer base is families and Family Kingdom was able to get their share of that market. We have maintained that segment of the Myrtle Beach market and I believe that’s why we are still operating as an amusement park today.” It would appear that Family Kingdom and its Splashes
Oceanfront Water Park, sitting on the coast of what is a major American destination (for golfers in particular), and with no longer any competition, would now be able to effortlessly reap a captive attendance...and that's basically true. “We only advertise locally,” Sipes explained, “and we're not particularly aggressive about adding new rides. We like to add rides over time but do not feel the need to add something every year.” I had a wonderful seaside evening at Family Kingdom. The
wooden Swamp Fox is the obvious star of the park, and is a surprising anomaly from John Allen, who famously said “Riding a wooden roller coaster should be like sipping your morning cup of coffee.” With Swamp Fox, Allen seems to have spiked his coffee with a couple shots of brandy. The coaster is beautifully maintained, fast and smooth. And it's wild, especially given its modest 72 foot (22 m) height and 2,640 foot (805 m) length. As one teenager screamed during my ride, “Wow, this thing kicks butt!” And it does. I rode it just once, wishing my 70-year-old body was 20- something again so I could enjoy it numerous times. The kids, seasoned with the steel monstrosities of theme parks— Carowinds is 170 miles (274 km) away—are clearly satisfied with Swamp Fox, and re-rides are plentiful. Family Kingdom, with its Splashes Oceanfront Water Park,
is a true survivor, keeping the tradition of oceanfront amusement parks alive. It has room to continue to grow, has proper support from its city (in 2017 Swamp Fox was declared a historic structure by the city of Myrtle Beach), and day or night, it literally sparkles on the American Southeast Atlantic Ocean. May it continue to grow, prosper...and sparkle.
36
SEPTEMBER 2019
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