Memorial Day heat offered the perfect chance for hundreds of Texomans to hit the water park. Castaway Cove has been open as city property for just two weeks, but with people from so many walks of life flocking to cool down, the park is meeting budget projections -- despite rainy days at the beginning of the season.
"This is the perfect water park weather. I mean, today is supposed to be 95 degrees, sunny, a little breeze. You couldn't ask it to be any better," said Sales and Marketing Manager Ed Michel.
Management isn't alone in its thinking. A group of tech students from Sheppard Air Force Base came to the park for the first time today. One man says Memorial Day was the ideal time to come.
"We've been waiting to get out here in the sun, have a good time, get off base, do something. This is the thing to do in Wichita Falls, right?" he said.
And the thing for the city to do last year was to announce that it would purchase the water park. Michel says the new ownership has given the park a face lift.
"The Parks and Recreation, they have certain new standards that we're getting to enjoy, especially with our landscaping, and it's making it really nice," he said.
Ticket sales at the park are matching projections so far. People like Sheryl Boe and her friends have been going on a daily basis.
"I've been here three hours every day just going around the lazy river and walking and swimming," she said.
The exercise has been good for her. She was on a heart transplant waiting list, until her doctor told her the exercise she got at the water park had made her heart stronger. She no longer needs a transplant.
"I love it. I just do. I love it. I love swimming," she said.
The park operations are expected to be self-supporting at this point, now that the city has paid for paint jobs, and a new irrigation system. But, park patrons usually have one thing on their minds.
"I just want to try all the slides out. The bigger the better," one man said.
All in all, Michel expects about 1200 or 1300 people to hit the park today. He says Memorial Day is usually when the most people buy season passes. By 3:00 today, tickets sales at Castaway Cove had already surpassed sales from Memorial Day last year. Michel says today's activity surpassed the park's budget by 30%.
Spencer Blake, Newschannel 6.
