ELYSBURG —Thousands of people took advantage of the mild weather to visit Knoebels Amusement Resort on Labor Day, as the "unofficial" end of summer and family vacations capped an "OK" season, according to a park official.
"The season could have been better," said Joe Muscato, a park spokesman. "We didn't have the weather we wanted to have. It rained a lot, which put a damper on some crowds."
Attendance figures are projected to be on a par with or better than last year, Muscato said.
"More than 1.3 million visits," he added. "Spending by those 1.3 million people probably won't equal last year's spending. It was the economy. People are cautious. Between the weather and that, it wasn't what we might have hoped for."
Muscato declined to disclose revenue figures.
Martin and Laura Cooke, of Sunbury, are frequent park visitors, and both said it was the economy that was keeping them close to home.
"Normally, we'll go to Hersheypark or to New Jersey on holiday weekends, but this year we're enjoying this park, with no entrance fee," Martin Cooke said, laughing. "We normally come here once a year. This year, I'd say we were here four, five times."
Other frequent visitors, Riverside resident Heather Clark, her husband, and two sons, Zac, 6, and Nate, 5, were spending the day at Knoebels.
"We were here on Sunday as well," she said, watching her sons on the Balloon Race ride. "It's so convenient for us to bring the boys here. It's a nice day. And we had ride tickets left over from Sunday."
Robert Cooper, of Danville, hadn't been to the park in many years, but was thrilled to find that it was just as memorable now, bringing his three children with him, as when his parents brought him and his brothers to the park 15 years ago. "It's bigger. The rides are wilder, and my kids love this," he said, as they swung around on the Merry Mixer.
Cooper loved the improvements in the park.
"What a beautiful setting," he said. "I'll be back on one of their weekends in the fall. And next year, definitely."
After Labor Day, Knoebels reverts to a weekend schedule through Halloween.
For more information, call 1-(800)-487-4386 or go to the park's Web site, www.knoebels.com.
News
Related Photos
-
Liz Rohde / The Daily Item
Discussion
Knoebels: Fans buy fewer tickets to ride
- News
-
-
'To Do': Montandon Community Days
MONTANDON - Montandon Community Days will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 26 along Railroad Street.
-
California’s Coronado named nation’s best beach
CORONADO, Calif. (AP) — Like a Hollywood star, Coronado’s 1.5 mile-long beach literally sparkles, thanks to the mineral mica glinting in its sand.
That’s one of the reasons why Coronado — flanked by the iconic hotel featured in Marilyn Monroe’s 1958 film “Some Like It Hot” — has been named the No. 1 beach in the United States in the 2012 survey by “Dr. Beach” professor Stephen P. Leatherman of Florida International University. -
Typical CEO made $9.6M last year, AP study finds
Profits at big U.S. companies broke records last year, and so did pay for CEOs.
-
Barnstorming cattle badger citizens for beer
BOXFORD, Mass. (AP) — Police say a roving group of cows crashed a small gathering in a Massachusetts town and bullied the guests for their beer.
-
'A Day in Towne' tradition draws crowds to Boalsburg
May 25--For the 148th year, Boalsburg will be the gathering place for regional families to remember all ranks of Armed Forces veterans.
-
Fired Pa. president gets more time to clear office
CALIFORNIA, Pa. (AP) — A judge has canceled a hearing to determine whether California University of Pennsylvania president Angelo Armenti can remove his personal property from his former office, because state officials have given him more time to do so.
- Weird crime of the week: Peddler in pickup scams bargain-hunting meat seeker
-
Police Log 05.25.12
A roundup of police news reported by departments across the Central Susquehanna Valley.
-
Four charged in ripoffs that hurt eight local senior citizens
Four Philadelphia men have been charged with operating an elaborate scam that targeted hundreds of elderly residents across Pennsylvania, including eight Valley seniors.
-
Jerry Sandusky charity to shut down and transfer programs
PHILADELPHIA — The charity for troubled youths started by Jerry Sandusky more than three decades ago — and through which the retired Penn State assistant football coach met the boys he is charged with sexually abusing — said today it is seeking court approval to shut down and transfer its programs to a Texas-based youth ministry that serves abused and neglected children.
-
Memorial Day Observances
Here is a listing of Memorial Day events this weekend in the Central Susquehanna Valley.
-
Man pleads guilty in 2006 Penn State student death
STATE COLLEGE — A man whose murder conviction was previously thrown out in the fatal beating of a Penn State student six years ago has pleaded guilty in the killing under a deal with prosecutors.
- More News Headlines
-
'To Do': Montandon Community Days
