Good news for Gurnee: Great America attendance up in 2015
Six Flags Great America in Gurnee hopes to build on a successful 2015 that included increased attendance at the theme park, according to the park's president.
Hank Salemi appeared before the Gurnee village board this week when tourism was the topic. Great America, Gurnee Mills and KeyLime Cove Water Resort are part of a mix that brings about 26 million visitors to the village annually.
Salemi said Great America drew more patrons last year than in 2014, when the roller coaster Goliath debuted at the park. Goliath is billed as the fastest, tallest and steepest wooden roller coaster in the world.
Last year's attendance increase without the benefit of a major new attraction bucked conventional wisdom, Salemi said. Six Flags Entertainment Corp. does not release exact yearly attendance figures, but officials say about 100 million customers have visited Great America since it opened in 1976.
Great America focused on some basics to improve guests' experiences last year, such as repaving parking lots and adding Friday night fireworks, Salemi said. However, he told the village board Monday night, good fortune also played a role in the attendance spike.
"After the Fourth of July, our weather, for us, was just about perfect," he said. "Just about as spectacular as it can get from July Fourth through the end of October."
Great America's attendance increase is good news for Gurnee's bottom line. The village amusement tax levies a 3 percent surcharge on Great America tickets, which accounts for most of the category's budgeted income of $1.9 million in 2015-16.
"I'm glad you had a great season," Mayor Kristina Kovarik told Salemi.
Hoping to build on last year's success, Salemi said he's excited about the addition of a 4-D interactive thrill ride called "Justice League: Battle for Metropolis." Riders will become members of the Justice League Reserve Team and join Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern in a battle against Lex Luthor, the Joker and their henchmen.
The ride will be in a 22,000-square-foot building in the park's Southwest Territory. An amphitheater was demolished to make way for the new ride, which is to open in the spring for Great America's 41st season, with lifelike animatronic characters and wind, mist and fog effects.
Salemi said the new structure is up and completely enclosed.
"They're working inside now for the balance of the construction season," he said. "We'll have a gift shop that's attached to that - a brand new gift shop."
Village board members also heard from an upbeat Stephen McCulley, general manager of Holiday Inn Gurnee Convention Center. McCulley said his hotel recently was selected to house media covering the LPGA's UL International Crown from July 21 to July 24, at the private Merit Club in Gurnee.
Considered a top LPGA tournament, the International Crown involves the top four players from eight qualifying countries for a team competition. It launched in 2014 at Caves Valley in Maryland near Washington, D.C.