New Owners Revamping Americana

Thomson Newspapers
May 1996

MONROE – With new owners coming on board this winter, Americana Amusement Park won’t just look different this summer, it will sound, smell and taste different, too. But the doesn’t mean no one will recognize the 74-year old park.

“We’re committed to the heritage and the history of the park,” new general manager John Ellison said. “The people here deserve a good park.”

On Feb. 1, the owners of Cincinnati’s Coney Island added Americana to their amusement park portfolio. And even though they’ve had the park for just a little more than three months, they have plenty of changes in store.

All-new entertainment with Broadway and country revues as well as magic and puppet shows. New food vendors, including LaRosa’s Pizza and Skyline Chili. And new rides, including a classic brass ring carousel that will help to sell the park’s history – and live up to its name.

To compete against the mega-parks like Paramount’s Kings Island, one has to see nostalgia.

“I think Americana is a good name – it sums up what the park is all about,” says Mary Shumacher, vice-president for the Coney Island Group.

The first impact will strike guests before the even get to the parking lot – as the park’s new logo and color scheme come to life in teal, tan and magenta.

The second impact will arrive once guests step inside the front gate – that’s where the brass ring will rest, right next to the Serpent roller coaster. Also, set to open this year are three new kiddie rides – a bumper boat attraction in the Logger’s Run area, a Kiddie Turnpike with mini four-wheelers and an old Hampton with helicopters and trains that spin riders in a circle.

It’s all part of more than $1 million worth of improvements the new owners plan to make before the first ticket is even sold, Ellison said.

On tap are new safety controls for the rides, including a new brake system on the log flumes. Those are important precautions if owners plan to take advantage of the park’s already existing attractions.

The Screechin’ Eagle wooden roller coaster has made a name for itself among coaster enthusiasts who laud it for “out-of-seat” time, the number of seconds that a rider actually loses contact with the train.

Americana also has several attractions that no other park in Ohio can claim, including a Cinema 180 theatre, an IMAX predecessor that will give audiences the illusion of motion during “Fantastic Flights,” and the classic sky ride that other parks like Paramount’s Kings Island long ago abandoned.

“Our line at Coney Island is “Where Fun is Easy,” Schumacher says. “But that’s really what we sell at both park – it’s easy.”

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Coney Island Owners Purchase Cincinnati’s Americana Park

By Don Muret
Amusement Business
February 12, 1996

The owners of Coney Island in Cincinnati have acquired Americana Amusement Park, located in nearby Butler County, Oho, said Vic Nolting, president of both parks.

The closing was announced Feb. 1. No financial details were released.

Newly created Park River West purchased the 74-year old facility from Leisure International Corp. of Middletown, Ohio. Park River West is a sister company of Park River Corp. of Cincinnati, parent owner of Coney Island.

The previous owners, Leonard Gottstein, Joe Faggionato and Don Robison were credited with pulling Americana out of bankruptcy woes in 1991, according to William H. Robinson, the park’s longtime marketing coordinator (AB, Nov. 15, 1993). In 1993, Americana reported a 25 percent attendance increase over the previous season.

“They have a good patron base established. It wasn’t like we had to start from scratch. It’s a very strong picnic park right now with a good foundation to build from. It’s a classic amusement park much like Coney Island,” said John Ellison, Americana’s executive vice president and general manager.

Ellison, an 18-year park veteran, was most recently Coney Island’s vice president of operations. He will be responsible for Americana’s day-to-day operations. Tom Rhein, a 14-year veteran of Coney Island, has been named Americana’s VP of retail operations. Mary Schumacher will direct marketing and sales efforts at both parks.

“We’ve done some things at Coney Island that have proved successful and we’ll carry over that philosophy and management style to Americana to make it grow,” Ellison said. “The park business can be tough, from a person point of view. Those three guys put their heart and soul into the park over the years.”

Nolting told AB that within the next five years Park River West will invest a “considerable amount of money” in improvements and new attractions at Americana. The park presently has 17 major rides, including the Screechin’ Eagle, its classic wooden roller coaster.
In addition, there are 13 kiddie rides, three live show stages, a 1,500-capacity amphitheatre, children’s interactive play structures, 180-degree cinema, Olympic-size and kiddie swimming pools and a large corporate picnic grove for 4,000 guests.

Americana operated as LeSourdsville Lake until 1978. Its target markets are Dayton, Middletown, Hamilton and the northern Cincinnati suburbs. Coney Island, entering its 110th season in May, draws primarily from the east, west and central suburbs as well as northern Kentucky.

“Coney Island developed into a niche business on the southeast side of Cincinnati. We think we can develop a niche business at Americana as well,” said Ellison. “There will definitely be differences in the types of business we do. Americana has more rides, but it doesn’t have the Sunlite Pool.”

That pool, billed as “the world’s largest,” measures 400 by 200 square feet, said Nolting. It holds more than three million gallons of water and is circulated six to seven times daily. “These are two businesses that don’t compete with each other, except sporadically for group customers. They’re different products,” said Nolting.

Coney Island also has waterslides, 17 kiddie and family attractions, miniature golf, pedal boating on Lake Como, and live entertainment and dancing at historical Moonlight Gardens.

Nolting said corporate outings provide a major portion of total business at Coney Island. Parker’s Grove at Coney Island provides tennis, basketball, sand volleyball, softball, shuffleboard and ping-pong. “Coney Island was the major the park in this area, but it fell on hard times. We’ve spent the last several years rebuilding the park,” he said.
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Americana Sold

Dayton Daily News
February 9, 1996

Park River West, a sister company to the owner of Coney Island near Cincinnati, acquired Americana Amusement Park in Butler County on January 31. Terms were not disclosed.

Ron Walker, an executive with American Financial Group in Cincinnati, how is the primary stockholder in both parks, said spokesperson Vic Nolting. He said the new owners plan to give the park a facelift and make other improvements.

Americana had been owned by Leisure International Co. of Middletown since 1991, in turn was owned by Don Robison, Joe Fagginato and Len Gottstein.
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Americana’s New Owner Hopes To Compete With Kings Island

Columbus Dispatch
February 5, 1996

The new owners of Americana Amusement Park hope they can compete with Paramount’s’ Kings Island by attracting families and company gatherings.

Park River Corp., owners of the Coney Island amusement par near Cincinnati, bought Americana last week for ran undisclosed amount.

Americana, halfway between Middletown and Hamilton, has operated since 1921.

Victor Nolting, president of both Coney Island and Americana, said he thikns the parks will compliment each other because they're far enough apart not to directly compete.

He said they can co-exist with the larger Kings Island, near Mason, by focusing on attracting less expensive family outings and company picnics.

“It’s affordable and a darn nice product. Its’ a different strata and commitment than Kings Island and we think it has a very nice niche,” Nolting said.
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Coney Island owners buy Americana Park

Dayton Daily News
February 2, 1996

MONROE (AP) – The owners of Coney Island amusement park in Cincinnati have bought Americana Amusement Park, the president of Coney Island said Thursday.

Americana is about 15 miles north of Cincinnati.

“We are already planning for Americana’s future. We intend to take the park to the next level to ensure that it offers a quality mix of rides, attractions and live shows affordable to all families,” said Coney Island president Vic Nolting.

Terms of the sale were not disclosed. The Butler County recorder’s office said a $2.8 million mortgage on the property was filed for Park River West Corp. and Par River Corp.

Park River Corp. is the Coney Island ownership group, and Park River West Corp. is a newly created sister company, Coney Island officials said.

Americana opened in 1921 and was known as LeSourdsville Lake until 1977, when then owner Howard Berni changed the name. It was acquired by Leisure International in 1991.

Coney Island, which is entering its 110th season, and Americana offer some rides and amusements but compete with the larger Paramount’s Kings Island near Mason by filling a certain niche, such as the corporate picnic market.
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Americana Sold To Coney's Sister Group

By Patrick Larkin
Cincinnati Post
February 2, 1996

The folks who bring you Coney Island are now going to bring you the Americana Amusement Park.

Park River West Corp., a sister company of Park River Corp., which owns the 110-year-old Coney Island, said Thursday it has purchased the Butler County amusement park.

No price for the transaction was disclosed. The Butler County recorder's office said a $2.8 million mortgage on the property was filed for Park River West Corp. and Park River Corp., but that may not represent the purchase price.

While no major changes are anticipated for the coming season, John Ellison who was named general manager of Americana, said there will be a lot of cleaning and painting done for the coming season, which opens Memorial Day.

Ellison, former vice president for operations at Coney, also said customer service will be stressed this season.

Park River West hopes to develop Americana into a niche amusement park for families serving the north side of Greater Cincinnati similar to the role played by Coney Island for residents on the east side.

''This park has great potential,'' Ellison said.

''We are already planning for Americana's future. We intend to take the park to the next level, to ensure that it offers a quality mix of rides, attractions and live shows affordable to all families,'' said Coney Island president Vic Nolting.

Coney Island and Americana which offer rides and other amusements compete with the larger Paramount's Kings Island near Mason by focusing on less expensive family outings and company picnics.

Inside Americana

Americana Amusement Park is on Ohio 4 near the Ohio 63 intersection between Middletown and Hamilton.

It opened in 1921 and was known as LeSourdsville Lake until 1977, when then-owner Howard Berni changed the name.
Leisure International acquired it in 1991.

Americana has 17 rides including the Screechin' Eagle, a classic wooden roller coaster. It has 13 children's rides, three stages, a 1,500-capacity covered amphitheater and swimming pools.