Fantasy Island, located on Long Beach Island in downtown Beach Haven, will welcome its customers back to the family casino arcade at its “Grand Re-opening” during Presidents Day weekend. The arcade will open, weather permitting, at noon on Saturday, Feb. 16, and Sunday, Feb. 17, as well as at 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb 18. Closing times will vary.
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| Photo via Google Fantasy Island's giant wheel was rumored to have been swept into the ocean during Hurricane Sandy. However, the Ferris wheel is reported to be standing strong. |
“This is an exciting time because this is where children go in the summer and during the winter,” said Diane Frey, marketing director at Fantasy Island. “This is where they’re used to going on the weekends and during school breaks, and we’ve been trying really hard to get it open for them.”
The family-friendly game room, which usually stays open for business year ’round, sustained 6 to 10 inches of floodwater from Superstorm Sandy. The staff has been working “around the clock” for the past three months to repair the damages to the walls and carpeting.
“We’ve been working nonstop, six to seven days at times,” Frey emphasized.
All of the arcade games are currently undergoing maintenance checks to make sure they are functioning properly. The staff assured they would be ready for use next weekend.
“We didn’t want to keep anything that may harm people,” said Frey. “We don’t want mold in the air, so everything has been bio-washed and cleaned and ripped out.”
Prizes, fun and games, and possibly a few special guests are planned to make the grand re-opening extra special for the organization’s loyal clientele. The staff has received many inquiries via phone and Facebook from patrons who wanted to support Fantasy Island’s recovery process. The number of people who reached out and offered to help clear out debris or bring food was overwhelming, said Frey.
“The (grand re-opening) is an enormous thank-you to the first responders that made it possible for us to be at this point, but most of all to the children that visit this park,” she noted. “The way that these children are so excited about going to this arcade, it’s what they consider part of their childhood memories growing up on this Island during the wintertime. We miss them; we’re anxious to see them,” she added with a happy chuckle.
Fantasy Island’s outside park will open as scheduled, beginning Saturday, May 18. The park will be open on weekends throughout the month. Rides will resume daily activity in June. So far, no issues with the rides have been reported.
“There are no damages to the rides that we’re aware of. We’re making sure at this point that we’re taking all of the motors apart (and) that everything is as it should be,” said Frey.
The giant wheel, which was rumored to have been washed away into the ocean during the storm, was tested last week. No problems were noted.
“The Ferris wheel is running beautifully. It’s standing strong,” said Frey.
For more information, visit http://www.fantasyislandpark.com/ or call 609-492-4000.
This article was published in The SandPaper.
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