By Ryan Smith

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

CONNEAUT LAKE PARK — After Conneaut Lake Park successfully opened to an estimated 25,000 visitors over the start-of-summer Memorial Day weekend, officials there are confident the park can make another big splash during the Fourth of July holiday.

For the first time since 2006, the water park and its attractions are set to be open this weekend, officials said recently.

With that portion of the amusement park back in operation, many other rides up and running and other events planned, “we’re hopeful we’re going to have a good Fourth of July weekend,” said Jack Moyers, chairman of the park-owning Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park.

The park’s Kiddieland rides and other adult rides, including a 76-foot tall tumbling Ferris wheel, Tilt-A-Whirl, Flying Scooter, Paratrooper, Tumblebug, Dodgem cars, Devil’s Den, Witch’s Stew, Trabant and the carousel have been operating since late May. Lisko & Sons Amusements of Lowellville, Ohio has signed a multi-year lease agreement with the board of trustees to operate the rides and the water park.

“We’re excited they’ve moved to get the water park going” in recent weeks, said Moyers. “That’s been our goal — (to) continue to build” on the work that’s already been completed.

“I personally see improvements every week,” Moyers said.

And it appears other people have been noticing as well. The Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau reported it’s been inundated with calls about Conneaut Lake Park — many from Pittsburgh, Ohio and as far away as New Jersey and Florida — since the news broke of the park’s rides being back in operation.

“It’s encouraging,” said Moyers. “That’s our goal — to bring the park back” to being what it once was: a premier destination that keeps visitors from around the country coming back for generations.

Financial problems at the 117-year-old park, which is more than $2 million in debt, kept its rides from operating in 2007 and 2008.

“We are working very hard to get the park back to what everybody remembers” it as, water park employee Joe Bellisario said recently. But “it is very hard” to fund such improvements, he added, “so please come out — and bring a friend — because every penny we make we are putting back into the park.”

And with that kind of support from the public, coupled with the continuing efforts of operators, administrators and employees, Bellisario said, the park will soon again be “a very nice place to spend the day.”

Ryan Smith can be reached at 724-6370 or by e-mail at rsmith@meadvilletribune.com