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Inland Empire Community Newspapers • January 19, 2012 • Page A7
New owners hope old park makes a splash
IECN PHOTO COURTESY
PHARAOH’S SPLASH KINGDOM
The main feature of the remodeled park will be a 16,000-squarefoot wave pool pictured in this diagram.
IECN PHOTO COURTESY
PHARAOH’S SPLASH KINGDOM
Pharaoh’s operation was leased to Clearwater Development. The company is known for its development and management of waterparks around the country.
W
By Naima Ford
hat was once the popular summer attraction
known as Pharoah’s
Lost Kingdom became an unlikely
rave venue, and then the source of
a long legal battle. It is now on the
road to returning to its original vision.
The water park development
company, Clearwater Development, has taken over operations of
the park after a 30 operations lease
agreement was made between
Clearwater and the park’s owner
Jim Braswell. The deal was made
official on November 1. Braswell
still retains ownership of the park
but Clearwater has rights to operate and develop the park as it
pleases. The new park will be
called Pharoah’s Splash Kingdom.
“It was an amicable agreement,”
said Greg Briggs, president of
Pharaoh’s Splash Kingdom and
executive at Clearwater.
Clearwater specializes in creating
water parks around the country.
The renaming of the park is the
first step in changing the park’s
image into a water attraction. The
park originally had water attractions including water slides and a
wading pool but according to
Briggs they are planning to expand
those attractions.
There will be a lazy river, water
playground for children, and the
biggest attraction, a 16,000square-foot wave pool. The pool
will allow people to surf and play
in the water as if it was an ocean.
According to Briggs, the company is just following the trend of
what it believes is successful. He
says that more and more family
entertainment centers are becoming water parks and being successful. That is what they are hoping
for here.
The groundbreaking for the wave
pool is planned for June 31, the
plan is currently being reviewed
by the city of Redlands.
The other popular non-water attractions such as the miniature golf
course and race track will be replaced by water attractions even-
tually. The arcade will also be removed and the dining area will be
remodeled.
In addition to the attractions, the
new operators are planning to host
a summer day camp, Splash Kingdom Adventure Camp. The camp
will be for children on weekdays.
They will have access to the park’s
attractions and there will also be a
learning component. The current
arcade will be turned into an educational learning center where
children will learn about the ocean
and ocean life.
“We have got a lot to offer our
young people,” said Briggs.
According to Briggs they are
working to make the camp affordable to all families as well as the
park’s other attractions.
The water park will officially
open in May for the summer season, that will also be the official
opening of the wave pool.
Pharaoh’s Splash Kingdom is located at 1101 N California St. in
Redlands. For more information
call (909) 335-7275.
B NSF con tr i but es $1 5 ,0 0 0 to l oca l co mm u ni ty
IECN PHOTO COURTESY
PHARAOH’S SPLASH KINGDOM
The majority of Pharaoh’s Splash Kingdom will be developed into
a water park. Pictured here is the park’s lazy river.
V
Vo lunte er s nee de d f or Acade mic D ecathlo n
olunteers for judging and proctoring events for the annual San
Bernardino County Academic Decathlon competition are
needed for the Jan. 28 and Feb. 4.
The event, which pits high school teams countywide in a series of subject areas, will be held at Arroyo Valley High School in San Bernardino.
The San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools coordinates the
event for the participating county high schools.
On Jan. 28, judges are needed for the interview and speech competitions. An orientation will be held the morning of the event for the judges.
On Feb. 4, proctors are needed to monitor written exams, as well as to
monitor and verify scores in the Super Quiz. Orientations also will be
held prior to those events for the proctors.
To volunteer for the Academic Decathlon, contact Dottie Bryant in the
County Schools’ Student Events office by phone at (909) 386-2630 or
via email at [email protected].
Sunday Morning Service 10 a.m.
Hutton Center, 660 Colton Ave, Colton, CA 92324
A
IECN PHOTO COURTESY
AUW
(L-R) Kenneth Johnson, Director of Administration, BNSF; Knea Hawley, VP Resource Development, Arrowhead United Way; Leif Smith, General Director Transportation, BNSF,
rrowhead United Way (AUW) received a
$15,000 corporate gift from Burlington
Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway to help
fund critical programs in the local community. AUW
and BNSF are longtime partners and have a strong
working relationship. Kenneth Johnson currently
serves on the Board of Directors of AUW, as have
other BNSF employees for many years. This contribution goes above and beyond the campaign dollars
that are raised on an annual basis through BNSF em-
ployees.
AUW will use the gift to fund programs to assist the
local area’s underserved population in education, income, and health. The education programs improve
access to education and promote academic success.
The income programs bring financial stability by assisting with basic needs, job placement programs, and
financial education. The health programs increase
awareness about health risks, improve access to
healthcare, and encourage healthy behavior.
Pastor Frank Sanchez
Special Event :
Inductive Bible Study Seminar. Learning to study your Bible
for all it's worth! Taught by Pastor Dan Finfrock
Thursday Nights, 7-9 p.m.
February 9, 16, & 23, 2012
Frank Gonzales Center, 670 Colton Ave. Colton, CA 92324
More information: ph. 909 272-7322
email: [email protected]