GILROY
– Halfway through what many consider its make-or-break season,
the future of Bonfante Gardens seems as precarious as the park’s
survival was months ago, before a land deal that ultimately saved
the park from bankruptcy.
GILROY – Halfway through what many consider its make-or-break season, the future of Bonfante Gardens seems as precarious as the park’s survival was months ago, before a land deal that ultimately saved the park from bankruptcy.
On a quiet Thursday afternoon, many of the seats at Bonfante Gardens Theme Park’s Mushroom Swings sat vacant.
There were plenty of empty chairs in the Event Place.
But the squeals of children on the Quicksilver rollercoaster and the Banana Split still cut through the air, and at least some patrons are noticing.
San Mateo resident Gretchen Ross came to Bonfante Thursday with her family; she had been to the park a few times before with her grandchildren and said she enjoyed the park’s laid-back atmosphere. Yet, she said, it is that same atmosphere that troubles her.
“I was at Great America a few days ago, and it’s very different,” Ross said. “I like it here because there’s fewer rides here, but there’s also fewer people. I worry about that, because it can’t be good for business.”
While officials remain tight-lipped on this year’s figures, declining to cite either attendance or revenue specifics, both Bob Kraemer, president of the Bonfante Gardens board of directors and Mayor Al Pinheiro, who sits on the board, said things are looking positive for the future.
“Overall we’re having a very good season that’s meeting our expectations,” Kraemer said. “That’s probably as specific as we’re ever going to want to get.”
Holly Perez, spokesperson for Paramount Parks, who was hired to handle day-to-day operations of the horticulturally based theme park, said things for the financially troubled park are looking up.
“We’re having a very strong 2004 season,” she said. “We’re noting that attendance and revenue are up compared to what they were in 2003.”
In addition, she said, the park sold a record number of VIP season passes this year – for $79.99 these passes grant visitors unlimited access to Bonfante Gardens, Paramount Parks’ Great America and Crocodile Dundee’s Boomerang Bay, a new water park located inside the Santa Clara-based Great America. The ticket prices drop to $74.99 when four or more are purchased.
The park turned its first profit last year after Paramount Parks was hired to handle operations, and despite the $70 million the park owed banks and creditors last year, officials said the prognosis for the park is good.
“Numbers are very strong,” Perez said. “The board of directors is extremely pleased for how things are going for the season.”
The park scored a victory last month with the passage of a vote to sell 33 acres of land to Shapell Industries in order to build 118 houses in the Eagle Ridge development. Now the City Council must decide the fate of the park, a decision that could take up to a year.
Patrons such as Kim Oslob and her daughter, Alexia, hope to enjoy the park in years to come. So far this year they have put their VIP passes to use five times, Oslob said, glancing at Alexia as the 3-year-old waved, beaming, from the carousel.
“We’ve been coming like every other weekend,” Oslob said with a smile. “She likes riding the rides.”
