Silver anniversary for Silverwood
<p>JEROME A. POLLOS/Press Shon Chavez sweeps an area of freshly laid bricks Thursday for a walkway leading to new ticketing booths at Silverwood Theme Park.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - If you're not sure how many years Silverwood Theme Park has been around, here are a few clues.
It's charging $19.88 per ticket this opening weekend.
The first 88 folks through the door receive a free souvenir T-shirt.
A 25-minute laser light show is set for July 20 and 21.
This little tidbit might help, but probably not: Visitor number 10 million will walk through the gates and receive a few surprises.
OK. Give up?
This is Silverwood's silver anniversary. And its 25th season, said spokeswoman Nancy DiGiammarco, is going to be a doozy.
"All indications are this is going to be a good season," she said Thursday.
Tickets sales are strong, inquiries are up and the park, offering 65 rides, shows and attractions, is ready.
About 1,400 employees have been hired as Silverwood braces for an onslaught of visitors from the U.S. and Canada and celebrates being open since 1988.
The park will be open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, with a bit of sunshine even predicted to appear.
Rollercoasters including Aftershock, Tremors and Timber Terror will once again lead Silverwood's regiment of rides.
A highlight will also be Nick Norton's "Mysterium," a Vegas-style magic show. New this year and opening on Memorial Day weekend will be Dave Womach, formerly with Barnum and Bailey Circus, and ParrotFX, a mix of magic and birds that include parrots, cockatiels and macaws.
A new entry gate under construction is expected to be finished soon.
The water park, Boulder Beach, is scheduled to open June 2.
Silverwood is also featuring the "Family-A-Day Giveaway." Each day the park is open between May 5 and Sept. 30, it will give free admission to local families who live in a zip code within 50 miles of Silverwood.
"It's our way of saying thank you to the local families who have helped make Silverwood a success since 1988," it says on the website.
DiGiammarco, sales and marketing director who has 13 years with Silverwood, said when she arrived it was a regional park, and the marketing was primarily restricted to the region.
Today, its ad campaign extends to Canada, into Seattle and Portland, and beyond, as Silverwood has become a major tourism destination.
She said the beauty of the area, the easy drive from major markets in Seattle, Portland and Canada, combined with Silverwood's affordability, continue to draw people and have a huge economic impact.
Opened by owner Gary Norton, it has grown from 100,000 guests the first year to more than 600,000 last year.
DiGiammarco believes it could top a million visitors in a season.
Talks are already in the works for new attractions next year, too.
"Gary has the vision and creativity to know exactly what we need to do every year to keep this park on top of our game," she said.