Clementon Park 2008- New Names and Attractions

[GAcoaster]

Check out all the improvements for 2008!

 

Check Out Their Great New Website

 

South Jersey Family Entertainment Landmark Gets New Owners,

New Name and Sweeping Makeover

 

CLEMENTON, New Jersey, January 10, 2008 – a new century of family fun awaits South Jersey and Philadelphia residents thanks to the recent acquisition of Clementon Park and Splash World by Edmond, OK-based adrenaline Family entertainment, inc. The 100 year-old family park will open on memorial day Weekend in 2008 with new ownership, new management, a new logo and millions of dollars in improvements including a massive new Polynesian-themed multi-level aqua playland to be called laguna kahuna. The park will also extend the operating calendar, adding 34 more days of delight.

 

Sweeping changes at the new Clementon Park and Splash World will begin with a beautiful new welcome sign on Berlin road featuring the family theme park’s modified name, new logo and dramatic lighting. re-surfaced parking facilities, a new park entrance and a whimsical Victorian themed main street area will be the start of a wonderful fun-filled day. lush landscaping, park-wide themeing, new operational and guest service standards, updated restaurant menus and in-park entertainment will complement a collection of kids, family and high-thrill rides and attractions.

 

Splash World, the park’s popular waterpark free with park admission, will also see significant upgrades including the largest expansion in the park’s history featuring one of the country’s biggest aqua play structures – Laguna Kahuna. This all-new park expansion will feature more than one acre of splashing, sliding, drenching, beat-the-heat fun. The Polynesian themed adventure includes 10 slides, 8 different play platforms and more than 125 sprays, jets, bubbles, streams, squirters, waterfalls and wheels. Sitting atop the 50-foot tall structure is the big kahuna himself, a giant jungle water bucket that dumps more than 422 gallons of water on unsuspecting islanders playing in the tropical paradise below. "I am thrilled to be part of the transformation of this Southern New Jersey family theme park,” said the park’s newgeneral manager, David Dorman. “The park is just 15 minutes from downtown Philadelphia, offering arearesidents and groups a clean, friendly, professionally run theme and waterpark right in their own backyard.”

 

 

Groups and area companies will also be thrilled by the newly renovated Forest Pavilions offering seven covered private areas for catered special events, meetings and celebrations. located right inside the action, the Forest Pavilions give groups of 100 to 8,000 or more a place to meet, eat and re-connect during the day.

 

Also new in 2008, Clementon Park & Splash World will be hosting HalloScreams, a hauntingly fun Halloween themed special event, giving guests a way to end the outdoor entertainment season with a scream. The entire park will be transformed into a Halloween super-destination with spooky decorations, special entertainment and frightful fun ranging from mild to wild. HalloScreams and all park special events are free with park admission and free to Season Pass holders.

 

“The new Clementon Park and Splash World will give fun-seekers a classic, quality, family theme park experience with beautiful new improvements at a family-friendly price,” added dorman. “We want this park to be a place families can afford to visit time and again throughout our extended operating season."

 

The best way to visit Clementon Park & Splash World is with a value priced Season Pass which includes morethan 100 days of fun for just $49.99.

 

A full season of thrills and chills – from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend – plus HalloScreams weekends in October can be purchased for $49.99 online now! Hurry, offer ends soon.

 

I'm actually looking forward to the new "Victorian themed main street area". This has now become a must-visit this year.

 

And Tsunami/Sunami/J2 is now being called Puma to go with its reprofile.

[GAcoaster]

New article from NJ.com:

 

Clementon Park gets a facelift

Sunday, January 13, 2008

By John Barna

jbarna@sjnewsco.com

 

Seven decades ago, the operators of Clementon Lake Amusement Park bragged in newsprint ads they were the "largest" such facility in South Jersey.

 

Clementon, today, is still the largest amusement park in South Jersey.

 

It is also the only one.

 

Where Clementon had approximately 20 local competitors including Alcyon Lake Park in Pitman and Riverview Beach Park in Pennsville Township back when it ran a 1938 advertising campaign, today the closest merry-go-round and roller coaster are 60 miles away at Six Flags and several parks dotting the Jersey shore.

 

Entering its second century of existence, the park is undergoing a makeover at the hands of new owners.

 

Adrenaline Family Entertainment three principals are veterans of the Six Flags company has acquired the Camden County park and is promising a new look when it opens Memorial Day weekend.

 

Customers will see a new appearance "the minute they show up on the parking lot," promised David Dorman, the general manager.

 

The parking lot itself is being repaved. There will be a new entrance and a Victorian-themed main street area. The menus will be updated. The picnic pavilions adjacent to the signature J2 roller coaster already sport a new look.

 

"First impressions are very important," Dorman suggested.

 

A new attraction Laguna Kaguna will be added to the Splash World part of what officially will be known as Clementon Park and Splash World.

 

The one-acre expansion will include 10 slides, eight water play platforms and some 125 sprays, jets, bubbles, streams and waterfalls.

 

Look at the top of the 50 foot platform, Dorman suggested.

 

"There will be a 422-gallon tipping bucket" that will dump its contents on guests every "four to five minutes."

 

Exactly when will be part of the fun, Dorman said.

 

Two older rides the Falling Star and Chaos have been removed and the arcade building demolished to make room for the new water attraction.

 

A park staple the Jack Rabbit coaster was ripped out three weeks ago. The coaster was taken out of service in 2002 after it failed a state inspection. However, the tracks remained.

 

"We will use that space for future expansion," Dorman said.

 

Adrenaline is projecting "350,000 to 400,000" guests this season, compared to an average attendance in recent years of 250,000 under the Baker family.

 

Dorman noted the park will be open 115 days this year 34 more than a year ago. The park will operate on weekends into the fall, with a Halloween theme common at many amusement parks.

 

For Adrenaline, Clementon is its first investment.

 

"There is a strategy of acquiring 10 to 12 parks in the next three to four years," said Dorman. The idea is to acquire "smaller parks with large potential located in major metropolitan markets."

 

Dorman has 21 years in the amusement park business, including 15 at Six Flags.

 

CEO Hugh Eichelberger was an executive vice president for Six Flags. Chief Financial Officer Russell Kutman was a Six Flags vice president of corporate finance.

 

"I'm joining trusted former colleagues," Dorman observed.

 

The general manager will live on site.

 

The park includes the Gibbs Mansion, one of the first houses to be built in town.

 

When Clementon opened in 1907, it was not uncommon for a house to be part of the grounds, Dorman noted.

 

Clementon's origins date to 1906 when a hand-operated aerial wave ride debuted, according to the book "Early South Jersey Amusement Parks," on file in the Gloucester County Historical Society.

 

The park went full time in 1907 the same year a trolley line was extended six miles from Haddon Heights into Clementon. That gave residents of Philadelphia and Camden access to the park.

 

A 40-foot diving tower was added in 1915. The Jack Rabbit it cost $80,000 arrived in 1919. A Pretzel Ride a dark attraction with sudden turns and built in Bridgeton debuted during the Depression.

 

The Gibbs family operated the park until 1915 when the sons of Theodore Gibbs formed the Clementon Park Association with several businessmen. The Baker family acquired the park in 1977 a season after the park was threatened with closure.

 

Dorman suggested while Clementon should be a haven for local families hopefully convinced by the value of a $50 season pass it will market itself to those living within up to a day's travel.

[The Master]

I have not been there for a few years, but that will be nice that Clementon will be fixed up.