GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – One of Northeast Wisconsin’s favorite family attractions is set to open this weekend. About a million people a year visit Bay Beach Amusement Park.
And, for the first time in more than two decades, those visitors will be paying a little bit more.
State inspectors are visiting Bay Beach Amusement Park this week, checking all the rides. Working with park staff to ensure everything from the Ferris wheels and bumper cars to the swings and scrambler are ready for riders.
“These rides are operating year round and they really get a lot of wear and tear over the season so you’ve got to keep things tight so something doesn’t pop out and cause a safety hazard,” said Sec. Dan Hereth with the Department of Safety and Professional Services.
The inspection comes as the park prepares to unveil an updated version of the Bay Beast, 15 feet higher than the original one.
The Nebulaz will be open for the entire season too, as it was introduced for the first time in September – just weeks before the park closed for the season.
And along with new bumper cars, designed with a Corvette feel — the stairs on the big slide are in the process of being replaced so that ride won’t open for at least another week.
According to Jason Arnoldi, superintendent of Bay Beach Amusement Park, “Over the past couple of years we’ve upgraded a lot on the scrambler, the buckets. We’ve upgraded the Ferris Wheel buckets. Just a lot of different costs have gone into these rides over the last couple of years and now they’re ready to go for another 20 to 30 years.”
It’s been more than 20 years since Bay Beach, which funds itself and uses no taxpayer money, increased the cost of rides at the park. Back in 2003, tickets went from 20 to 25-cents.
“As our costs have gone up it’s kind of forced us to look at some of our pricing structures and really still try to remain affordable for everyone,” said Arnoldi.
The park planning to increase the number of tickets needed for 10 of the 22 rides, including an extra two tickets for the Zippin Pippin. The small kiddie rides, however, will be free on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The ticket increase allows the park to continue to upgrade rides, when needed, and pay summer staff.
Arnolid added, “For the first time in five years we’re sitting really well in our staffing. Our concession staff is full, we need about a handful of ride operators, so it’s really the best position we’ve been in at the beginning of the year, going into a season in a really long time.”
The slide isn’t the only Bay Beach attraction that won’t be ready for opening weekend.
Park officials said the new all-inclusive playground isn’t ready yet either, but it remains on schedule.
While the equipment for the new space has been installed, the ground work is not yet complete.
When the playground is done, park officials have big plans for the west end of the amusement park.
“Once the playground opens we’re going to have a little stop on that west end train where we can pick people up coming from the playground so you don’t have to walk as far going into the park. And then next year, we plan on running the full train ride out to the new playground, having a bathroom facility, a train depot out there where people can ride into the park as well,” added Arnoldi.
Bay Beach officially opens on May 4 at 10 a.m..
The all-inclusive playground could be open by the end of May.
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