GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Bay Beach is ready to open their doors this weekend, even though their new main attraction still needs some work.
The first chance to jump on your favorite ride will be this Saturday, as doors open at 10 a.m.
The park will be open again Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., before shutting down for the work week.
“It’ll just be Saturday’s and Sunday’s from ten to six, until we hit Memorial Day weekend,” he explains. “And then we’re ten to nine on weekends.”
Jason Arnoldi, Park Superintendent, says they open “for good” on Tuesday, May 21.
He’s excited to see kids enjoy the rides, but says adults venturing into the park should have plenty to get excited for themselves.
“Well I’m personally excited about the frozen cheesecake dipped in chocolate on a stick,” explains Arnoldi.
He says the staff focused on improving their food offerings over the winter and are excited to roll out more options.
Another favorite of his is mini donuts, which staff is expecting to be a crowd pleaser for young and old alike.
The good news for families is that even with the exciting rides and food options available, it shouldn’t break the bank to come out for the day.
The main reason behind that is free parking, free admission, and ticket prices which have remained untouched over time.
“Tickets are twenty-five-cents a piece,” he explains. “Most [rides] take between one and two tickets.”
The big thing everyone wants to know about though, is the status of the parks newest and biggest attraction.
“The Big Wheel” is set to be a ten-story high Ferris Wheel, which was made possible through the communities support and an over $2-million donation from the park’s fundraising group.
Work is still ongoing to get the ride ready, but unfortunately, crews are fighting an uphill battle to make up for lost time due to harsh winter weather.
Because of that, it’s not easy for park officials to pinpoint a specific target for opening the Ferris Wheel.
“Our target is for this summer,” says Arnoldi. “Anymore concise than that would be a wild guess at this point.”
Big Wheel or no Big Wheel, he says there still will be plenty of excitement for the park’s opening, as there is every year.
And even though the park opens for good in the middle of the week, the parking lot always ends up being filled with excited faces looking to get back on their favorite ride.
“It’s packed with a bunch of kids that are excited for the summer coming,” he explains. “And what better place to start than here.”
