Loop 032 printable

Volume 2, No. 8. May 10, 2002

New Arrivals

It’s a water ride!
Adventureland in Des Moines, Iowa, announces the arrival of Saw Mill Splash, April 28, 2002. Measurements: 60 feet high (18 meters), 270-foot slide (82 meters), six person rafts. Delivered by Whitewater West.

Opening day brought a first for this 28-year-old amusement park: it didn’t open.

The weather forecast for that Saturday called for heavy rains and cold temperatures all across Iowa. “That’s not a good mix, obviously,” said Ryan Sullivan, the park’s communications director. “We made the decision before we opened up to not even open.” Sunday’s weather arrived in a much better mood, a bit cool and overcast but no rain, and the park saw a decent turnout, most of which headed directly to the first-in-North America water ride, which maintained 20-minute-long queues throughout the day.

Adventureland placed Saw Mill Splash in its Outlaw Gulch area at the back of the park. “Usually it’s the last place people go to because it takes a while to get back there,” Sullivan said. “It was the busiest area throughout the day. People went right back there.” For the family amusement park, Saw Mill Splash provides something of a signature ride. Owner Jack Krantz was looking for a water ride—a popular draw for summer-sweltered Iowans—that could cater to families. He also wanted something different. “This is a perfect fit,” Sullivan said, and with its waterwheel and geysers it is an attractive piece of fun, too.

The true test came the next Saturday when the park basked under 80-degree sunshine (27 degrees Celsius), a forebear of Iowa’s steamy hot summer. “The ride was packed the whole time,” Sullivan said.