SYLVAN BEACH — When A.J. and Kristen Anderson made the three-hour trek from Amherst to Sylvan Beach last weekend with their five children, they had no idea its iconic amusement park would be shuttered.
The Andersons visit family members with a home on the beach every year, and the kids, who range in age from 6 to 14, always look forward to the park’s rides and attractions.
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“They’re disappointed,” Kristen Anderson said Sunday. “We had fun at the beach, but there is just so much more energy here when the rides are going. We probably would have hung around longer today and had something to eat. There would have been more for them to do.”
The amusement park and Yesterday’s Royal restaurant, which are owned by Empire Attractions, had their traditional Memorial Day weekend openings delayed for the first time. The park now is schedule to open June 28.
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Doug Waterbury, owner of Empire Attractions, said the decision to delay the opening was an effort to improve the efficiency of the businesses, and to also bring its operational calendar more in line with its other attractions such as Santa’s Workshop in the Adirondacks and The Sterling Renaissance Festival. Both are scheduled to open in early July.
He said the new opening date is designed to be timed with the end of the school year, which is when most people are able to travel. And that while opening on Memorial Day weekend does provide a spike, the weeks leading up to the Fourth of July generally don’t generate much business.
“These types of properties are very costly to operate … but I am committed to making it work,” said Waterbury, who purchased the park in 2007 and said he has no plans of closing or selling it. “I understand that change is hard and you are not always going to please everyone, but we know what we are doing. I’m talking the steps to ensure that this will be around for the next 100 years.”
Waterbury said he is in the process of repairing an exterior wall at Yesterday’s Royal that must be repaired before it can reopen. The building was deemed an unsafe structure by the village in March.
According to a state Department of Labor safety report that covered May 17, 2013, to May 31, 2014, all the rides and attractions at the amusement park passed inspection.
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Department spokeswoman Jennifer Krinsky said Monday amusement parks are inspected prior to each season, and noted the department has been told that Sylvan Beach Amusement Park is not ready for inspection.
Sylvan Beach Mayor Gregory Horan said his office is doing everything it can to work with Waterbury to get the park ready, and plans to meet with him later this month to review his plans.
Horan said that with the nice weather the past two weekends, the beach has been packed, and he pointed out that the separately owned Carousel Arcade in the amusement park is open for business, as are many of the village’s restaurant, bars and entertainment spots.
Captain John’s Restaurant and Tiki Bar has been operating on Main Street for 40 years and owner Elaine DePerno-Brown said she has faith that the lure of the beach will overcome the temporary absence of the amusement park.
“I think any business closing has an effect on the area … and obviously we want to see (the park) open … but we rely on regulars and people coming in from the surrounding areas,” DePerno said. “The beach is the big draw and as long as the weather is good, we will be all right.”
Source: https://t-tees.com
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