Silverwood ready for season
Silverwood Theme Park opens for the season Saturday.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the park’s Porter Steam Locomotive, Old Engine No. 7, tickets will be $19.15 this weekend.
The park got its start after Gary Norton bought the locomotive and installed 3.5 miles of track at what was then Henley Aerodrome and Museum of Transportation. That was 1988, and that first year it was just the train and some air shows, said Mark Robitaille, Silverwood’s director of marketing and communications.
The train stunt show has been updated this year, with two new animatronic characters – Sasquatch and Professor McGillicuddy.
The park’s magic show has a new name, “Dr. Kosmos Presents Phantasm Starring Nick Norton,” and is incorporating a steampunk theme.
Other updates for this summer include infrastructure improvements, including upgrades to buildings and rides that “people might not notice, but they’ve really enhanced our abilities” to entertain, Robitaille said.
One example: his favorite ride, Tremors. The ride has new wheels and brakes, plus improved tracks on the curves for a smoother ride.
“Never better,” he said.
Robitaille said Silverwood has a variety of offerings to appeal to all ages.
“Come early and stay late to get a full-day experience,” he said.
Kimberly Lusk
When: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through May 17; daily (hours vary) May 23-Sept. 7. Boulder Beach is open June 7-Sept. 7.
Where: 27843 N. Highway 95, Athol
Admission: $46.99 for ages 8-64, $23.99 for ages 3-7 and 65 and older, online and group discounts available
May admission specials: $19.15 Saturday and Sunday; Mother’s Day weekend – Mom’s ticket is free, others are $36.99 or $19.99; May 16-17 – all tickets are $23.49; Memorial Day weekend – military personnel, veterans, police officers and firefighters admitted free (with ID) and their spouses and children admitted for $23.39 or $11.99.