City Owned Amusement Park In Dodge City Doing Well

Attendance at All 4 Fun is already almost double what it was last year.

And that’s good news for Dodge City Parks and Recreation officials, who realized before they opened this season that it was do-or-die time for the city-owned amusement center.

This season is the final year of the lease/purchase agreement that the city made three years ago, when it took over management of the amusement center.

The move was controversial, prompting some complaints that the city was simply bailing out a failing local business. At the time, the city defended its decision to keep the park open.

Now, city officials are holding out hope that the third year’s a charm.

Recreation superintendent Randi Clifford said the park has already brought in close to $35,000 worth of revenue since it opened May 1.

That’s roughly 3,000 individual passes, he said.

“We’re doing very, very well,” Clifford said. “We’ve more than doubled from the previous year, so we hope that carries over.”

Clifford chalked the improvement up to lower admission prices, opening the season two weeks early and a media blitz informing the public of the park’s hours and features.

An $8 wristband buys two hours of total access on a weeknight, while $12 will get you four hours. Weekend wristbands run a bit more at $11 and $15, respectively. Unrestricted season passes are available for $70.

Call Clifford an optimist, but he’s keeping his hopes high.

“We hope to see it continue,” he said. We’re hoping to extend it and run into the fall. That’ll make that easier for us to meet our revenue goals.”

And maybe keep All 4 Fun open just a little longer.