Wooden Warrior Generates Global Interest

Some things in life -- and in business -- are simply worth waiting for.

Such was the case with the Wooden Warrior roller coaster, the newest marquee attraction at the family-owned Quassy Amusement Park, said Ron Gustafson, director of marketing and public relations, in a press release.

The dust settled on the summer season at the 103-year-old lakeside property, giving owners Eric Anderson and George Frantzis II time to reflect on the trials and tribulations associated with building the mammoth ride.

"It was certainly worth it," said Anderson, who serves as the park’s president. "We faced numerous uphill battles in not only getting approval to build the ride on the property, but also during the construction phase. But now that the coaster has seen a full season, we know we made the right decision in building it."

Quassy, family-owned since 1937, put a lot on the line to undertake the largest single project in the park’s history, especially during uncertain economic times, the press release stated.

"Our initial plans were to have the ride for our centennial in 2008," said Frantzis. "Obviously, that didn’t occur because of numerous circumstances. But it’s here now and has had a profound impact on our season and how the park is perceived."

The centennial 2008 season and 2010 season were record setters for the park, thanks to great weather, Gustafson said in the press release.

"We had some real momentum going before the economy went into a tailspin," Anderson said.

The amusement park industry has a history of being resilient during tough economic times, and the current downturn did not take a toll on Quassy, according to the press release.

"But people wouldn’t have blinked an eye if we said we were not going to build the roller coaster for the 2011 season," Frantzis said. "A lot of businesses were closing and people were out of work, yet we decided to stay the course."

Though Quassy officially broke ground for the ride in August 2010, one of the worst winters in New England history made construction difficult.

"We had record cold and snowfalls," Anderson said of the harsh weather. “The site and materials had to be cleared of snow on many occasions before we could proceed with construction. Thinking back, it’s amazing that the ride was completed on time.”

As for this summer, the park owners have few complaints.

"It was a good year for us, no doubt, and the roller coaster really helped make the difference," said Anderson. "When the weather was in our favor, so were the crowds."

The coaster’s influence was far-reaching, as Quassy hosted several coaster and theme park groups during the season, including dozens of guests who traveled from overseas.

Quassy entertained coaster enthusiasts from across the U.S. and as far away as Poland, Australia, Great Britain and Germany.

"It was gratifying to see the response and get all of the favorable comments we did from people that have ridden dozens, if not hundreds of different roller coasters," said Anderson.

The park played host to the American Coaster Enthusiasts, Theme Park Review and numerous editors from amusement park trade magazines.

"We’ve had many coaster fans tell us the Warrior is absolutely the best wooden coaster of its size anywhere and the rave reviews continued throughout the season," said Frantzis.

Park regulars also took to the new ride with a lot of passion, Gustafson said. One youngster rode the coaster 50 times in a day and other locals indicated purchased season passes for the first time because of the ride.

Quassy even designed a specialized T-shirt that read: "Yes, I came all the way from [blank] to ride the Wooden Warrior."

"Guests could fill in the blank with their hometown, state or country," Anderson said.

The designers of the ride are The Gravity Group of Cincinnati, Ohio. The track length is 1,250 feet and the train is a Timberliner, a state-of-the-art roller coaster train from Gravitykraft, sister company of The Gravity Group.

The Wooden Warrior features the first Timberliner train to operate on a new roller coaster in the United States, according to the press release.

Weather Woes Impacted the Season

Quassy opened on April 23 with all of the fanfare focused on its new marquee attraction. An auction for the first ride on the coaster raised nearly $2,000 for three beneficiaries and the winners showed up and rode in the rain, as did elementary students who named the coaster in a contest.

Much of the spring season involved similar weather, which adversely affected early attendance.

"We had more than 20 days of rain in May and lost some crucial weekends in June as well," Anderson said. "That really hurt us."

Things started drying out in early July and New England attraction properties posted a string of solid, dry days. But the rains returned in August and it rained at least one day of the weekend.

Then came Tropical Storm Irene. Weather officials issued alerts and Quassy quickly heeded the warning, the press release stated.

On Friday, Aug. 26, the park staff took down flags, canvas on the rides and tent frames.

"Anything that could become airborne came down," Anderson said of the prep work. "We spent all of Friday and much of Saturday preparing for the storm."

As Irene traveled up the coast, the heavy rains moved into New England on Saturday, Aug. 27, and the park closed all of its rides at 3 p.m.

Quassy announced it would remain closed on Sunday, Aug. 28, when Irene was expected to come ashore.

"Our greatest fear was that some of our older trees would fall and damage equipment, especially the new coaster," Anderson said.

Quassy was fortunate in that the property was pretty much unscathed by the brunt of the storm, according to the press release. Surrounding communities were not as lucky.

The park owners lost power at their homes in nearby Woodbury and a 10-minute drive to the property took nearly an hour, due to flooded roads and downed power lines and trees.

The park managed to open at 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 29, right on schedule.

"We never lost power at the park, yet our homes didn’t have electricity for days," Frantzis said of the storm.

Traditionally, the weekdays prior to Labor Day weekend are good for Quassy as out-of-state vacationers and families with preschoolers make their way to the park for a final spin on the rides, according to the press release.

"Monday was slow as people were still recovering from the impact of the weekend storm," Anderson said. "On Tuesday, we saw a dramatic increase in attendance and people were telling us they came despite not having electricity in their homes. They just wanted to get out and do something."

On Labor Day weekend, Quassy was host to the 15th Annual Constitution State Feis, an Irish dance competition.

Hundreds of dancers participate in the event from as far away as Canada and most were able to make the journey despite the storm-related travel difficulties, according to the press release.

From April 23 to Labor Day, park owners estimate that approximately 250,000 people rode the Wooden Warrior.

Yet, with all of the wet weather, park officials have to wonder what could have been.

"We’ve been in this business a long time, so we know all too well how weather factors into things," Anderson said. "Had we caught just a few more days in June or even in August, for that matter, we could have been talking a record year."

As for the Wooden Warrior, it exceeded the expectations of the park owners.

"We knew we were going to have a good ride, but it turned out to be a great ride," Frantzis said. "Frankly, it’s a lot more exciting than any of us anticipated -- even our guests."

Anderson said people ride the coaster and then get back in line right away.

"That’s the hallmark of a successful attraction," he said.

The roller coaster project marked completion of phase two of a three-phase improvement plan at Quassy Amusement Park, which was officially announced in May 2009.

In 2010, the park added the Free Fall ‘N drop tower ride from Italy as phase one and plans are under way to expand the Saturation Station waterpark.

"We hope to have those attractions ready for the 2013 season," said Frantzis. "The park has made many dramatic improvements in recent years. We’re into our fourth generation of family actively involved at the property and have certainly set the stage for the future."