Great Amerification of Bonfante Gardens

There is quite a buzz around town now that Paramount has been
brought on board to oversee the daily management activities of
Bonfante Gardens.
There is quite a buzz around town now that Paramount has been brought on board to oversee the daily management activities of Bonfante Gardens.

It seems to me that there are two schools of thought regarding the Paramount/Bonfante marriage. One group, which would include the bigwigs in the city and the Bonfante board, see this as a perfect fit. They tout the name recognition of Paramount and the success of the various theme parks associated with Paramount. All of these things are true. Paramount’s Great America is a huge success, with large crowds, good advertising and plenty of marketing appeal. The deal with Paramount comes with a lot of other perks that will make our park more of a destination than it currently is. As such, the Visitors Bureau is also thrilled with the Paramount news.

Who else is happy about this deal? Well teenagers are probably happy. Bonfante Gardens offered very little for them to be excited about. My oldest was getting pretty sick of riding on the same two or three rides all day long this past summer. Teens also know that the rebirth of Bonfante Gardens offers them the chance of gaining local summer employment.

But some people are undoubtedly not so thrilled by the arrival of Paramount. What local people loved about the park were just the things that could keep it from succeeding.

The park is appealing to senior citizens and families with very young children. Seniors tend to spend less time on the rides, and more time in the gardens. Mothers could bring young children to Bonfante and feel they were in a safe haven. The play areas, the dancing waters and the multitude of kiddie attractions are appealing to a lot of the young families in South County.

When Bonfante Gardens first opened, part of its charm was that it was the “anti-Great America.” It wasn’t overcrowded, it wasn’t teeming with bus loads of teenagers, and it wasn’t too much of a commercial for television or movie characters.

But every time I took my children there and we didn’t have to wait in line for the rollercoaster, I felt a little bit guilty. I knew that the maze you needed to get through to arrive at the mine roller coaster was designed to hold many people, and those people were never there. I wanted Bonfante to add some thrill rides and a log flume to cool us down, but I knew that those attractions would draw bigger crowds.

After reflecting on it, I decided that I wanted those benefits, even if it made the park a little more like Great America. I guess I would rather wait in line with my kids for better rides than see the park shut down in its present form.

I know that the Paramount team has been here to survey the park. Unfortunately, it is difficult to understand in January just how hot Gilroy is in July. The first order of business should be immediate work on a water feature that will cool off the throngs of people who will be spending their lazy summer days at Bonfante.

Keep the gardens and the circus trees; keep all the kiddie attractions, too. Just remember that the tweens and teens have a lot of disposable income, and without them, the park is sunk.

I am not championing the Great Amerification of Bonfante Gardens. We already have a theme; just give us a little more amusement park in our own backyard.

Denise Baer Apuzzo has lived in Gilroy for 5 years. She is married and is a parent of three children who attend Gilroy public schools. You can reach her at: lu*****@ea*******.net. Her column is published each Thursday in The Dispatch.