Examine individual changes

'{{Infobox amusement park | name = Mountain Creek Waterpark | image = | imagesize = 200px | location = [[Vernon, New Jersey|Vernon]] | location2 = New Jersey | location3 = U.S. | coordinates = {{Coord|41|11|26|N|74|30|27|W}} | address = | phone_number = | homepage = [http://www.mountaincreek.com/waterpark Mountain Creek Waterpark] | owner = [[Mountain Creek]] | general_manager = | operator = | opening_date = 1978 (as [[Action Park]])<br>1998 (as Mountain Creek Waterpark) | closing_date = 1996 (as [[Action Park]]) | previous_names = [[Action Park]] (1978-1996) | season = June to September<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mountaincreek.com/waterpark/operating-hours|title=Operating Hours & Schedule &#124; Action Park, Vernon, NJ |format= |work= |accessdate=2015-06-22}}</ref> | area = | rides = | coasters = | water_rides = | slogan = | footnotes = }} '''Mountain Creek Waterpark''' is a [[water park]] located in [[Vernon Township, New Jersey|Vernon]], [[New Jersey]], US, on the grounds of the [[Mountain Creek]] ski resort. The park consists primarily of water-based attractions and opened in 1998.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://waterpark.mountaincreek.com/park/about/ | title = Action Park Waterpark, Vernon NJ | publisher = Mountain Creek | accessdate = April 3, 2014 | deadurl = yes | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140407070806/http://waterpark.mountaincreek.com/park/about/ | archivedate = April 7, 2014 | df = }}</ref> The park is located on the original site of [[Action Park]], one of the first modern American [[water park]]s, which was open from 1978 until 1996.<ref name="Action Park About.com">{{cite web|url=http://themeparks.about.com/cs/waterparks/a/mountaincreek_2.htm|title=The Action is back at Mountain Creek|author=Arthur Levine|publisher=About.com|accessdate=August 29, 2013}}</ref> It became infamous for poorly designed, unsafe rides; under-aged, undertrained, and often under-the-influence staff;<ref name="Traction Park">Austin, Joanne; "Revisiting Traction ... Er, ''Action'', Park," ''[[Weird NJ]]'', October 2005, pages 20–24</ref> intoxicated, unprepared visitors; and a consequently poor safety record. At least six people are known to have died as a result of mishaps on rides at the original park, and as such it was given nicknames such as "[[Traction (orthopedics)|Traction]] Park",<ref name="Traction Park"/> "Accident Park", and "[[Class action|Class Action]] Park".<ref name="Jersey Ed">Jersey Ed; May 2006; "We Called it Accident Park" in "The Reaction to Traction at Action Park"; ''Weird NJ'', 28.</ref> Despite this, the park was very popular and attracted thrill-seekers from across the [[New York City|New York]] [[New York metropolitan area|metro area]] with its unique rides. In its later years, [[tort|personal-injury]] lawsuits led to the closure of more and more rides and eventually, the entire park. On February 9, 1998, [[Intrawest]] announced the purchase of the majority of the Vernon Valley/Great Gorge ski area, including the Action Park property.<ref>http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Intrawest+Adds+Ninth+Resort+to+Network-a020216861 - Press release announcing Intrawest's purchase of Vernon Valley - Great Gorge's ski resort, Action Park, and GAR owned real estate</ref> After a massive overhaul, which included revamping rides and removing attractions deemed either outright unsafe or inappropriate relative to Intrawest's vision,<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/19980425131249/http://www.actionpark.com/3-98.html - Internet archive copy of a press release on Mountain Creek's website announcing the waterpark's planned opening on June 15, 1998</ref> the waterpark was reopened as Mountain Creek Waterpark. In 2010, the Mountain Creek ski area and waterpark was sold<ref name="Mulvihill repurchase">{{cite news|last=Perone|first=Joseph|title=Mountain Creek resort in N.J. sold to developer Gene Mulvihill|url=http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2010/05/mountain_creek_resort_sold_to.html|publisher=[[Advance Publications]]|work=[[The Star-Ledger]]|location=[[Newark, New Jersey|Newark, NJ]]|date=May 27, 2010|accessdate=September 12, 2010}}</ref> to a group led by Eugene Mulvihill, the former owner of Vernon Valley/Great Gorge and the owner of the adjacent Crystal Springs Resort. It was under the new ownership that the name of the water park was changed back to Action Park beginning in the 2014 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2014/06/28/the-return-of-the-worlds-most-dangerous-theme-park/|title=The dangerous return of the world’s most insane theme park|work=New York Post|accessdate=12 April 2015}}</ref> For the 2016 season, the name was reverted to Mountain Creek Waterpark. ==History== ===Action Park (1978–1996)=== {{Main|Action Park}} The park was opened in 1978 when Great American Recreation (GAR), new owners of the recently combined Vernon Valley/Great Gorge ski area, wanted to create a revenue stream during the off season. Two years earlier, in 1976, they had followed the trend of many other ski areas at the time, and opened a {{convert|2700|ft|adj=on}}-long alpine slide down very steep ski trails.<ref>"So What If There's No Snow, Go Sliding Down Hill Anyway" - Ocala Star-Banner, November 5, 1976 - https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_o9PAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AAYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3698%2C1193697</ref> Gradually, Waterworld and Motorworld came together at the base of the mountain to form one of North America's earliest modern water parks,<ref name="Traction Park" /> which was originally called the Vernon Valley Summer Park.<ref>https://archive.org/stream/towntopicsprince3328unse/towntopicsprince3328unse_djvu.txt - Town Topics (Princeton, N.J), Sep. 13, 1978</ref> They started out with two [[waterslide]]s, and a LOLA race car track in the summer of 1978, and then more waterslides and a small deep-water swimming pool the next year, as well as tennis courts and a softball field. The early 1980s saw more slides along with a huge wavepool that replaced the softball field.<ref>https://www.facebook.com/MountainCreekNJ/photos/a.156936411937.119746.8641466937/10152124195411938/?type=3&theater - Facebook post on Mountain Creek's timeline including an aerial photo of the park from the very late 70s or Early, EARLY 1980s, and the fact that a softball field was where the Tidal Wave Pool is today.</ref> Finally, Motorworld was carved out of the swampy areas the ski area owned across [[New Jersey Route 94|Route 94]]. Ultimately, the small park consisting of the Alpine Slide and two water slides evolved to a major destination with 75 rides (35 motorized self-controlled rides and 40 waterslides).<ref name="Traction Park" /> GAR promoted its new attraction with [[television commercial]]s in the [[New York metropolitan area]], using the [[jingle]] "There's nothing in the world like Action Park!" in several-part harmony<ref name="how to find a video of this ad">The [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]] forbids linking directly to this video at the moment, but entering "Action Park" as a search string at YouTube will bring it up.</ref> (later, "The action never stops...at Action Park!"). By the 1990s, the park was being advertised as the world's largest water park.<ref>Action Park commercial from 1994 (Youtube link) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoqAmcgovZw</ref><ref>MTV's Headbanger's Ball with Alice in Chains at Action Park, Vernon, NJ, July 1993 (Youtube link) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpdCGfaxl7w</ref> Additionally, during the 1990s, up through the park's final season, and into 1997, Action Park maintained a web site at the domain actionpark.com, on which visitors could find information about rides, directions to the park, and lodging, and even enter a lottery for a chance to win park tickets.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/19961227075424/http://www.actionpark.com/ - Internet Archive copy of actionpark.com from December 27th, 1996</ref><ref>https://web.archive.org/web/19970412161034/http://www.actionpark.com/ - Internet Archive copy of actionpark.com from April 12th, 1997</ref> Action Park's most successful years were the mid-1980s. Most rides were still open, and the park's later reputation for danger had not yet developed. In 1982, the deaths of two visitors within a week of each other and ensuing permanent closure of one ride took place, but that hardly dampened the flow of crowds.<ref>{{cite web|title=There was Nothing in the World Like Action park|url=http://sometimes-interesting.com/2014/02/07/there-was-nothing-in-the-world-like-action-park/|website=Sometimes-Interesting|accessdate=16 July 2015}}</ref> The park's fortunes began to turn with two deaths in summer 1984 and the legal and financial problems that stemmed from the lawsuits. A state investigation of improprieties in the leasing of state land to the park led to a 110-count [[grand jury]] [[indictment]] against the nine related companies that ran it and their executives for operating an unauthorized [[insurance]] company.<ref name="NJ Herald">McKay, Martha; May 12, 2005; [http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkyJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2NjkyNjgy Ultimate wine snob]; ''[[New Jersey Herald]]'', retrieved August 27, 2006. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222234456/http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkyJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2NjkyNjgy |date=December 22, 2007 }}</ref> Many took pretrial intervention to avoid prosecution; head Eugene Mulvihill pleaded guilty that November to five [[insurance fraud]]-related charges.<ref name="state investigation">New Jersey State Commission of Investigation, date not given, [http://www.state.nj.us/sci/pdf/hist6.pdf#search=%22%22Eugene%20Mulvihill%22%22 ''Concrete Results: Ensuring Justice, Saving Taxpayers' Money''], 47, retrieved August 27, 2006.</ref> Still, attendance remained high and the park remained profitable, at least on paper. The park entertained over a million visitors a year, with as many as 12,000 coming on some of the busiest weekends.<ref name="Traction Park"/> Park officials said this made the injury and death rate statistically insignificant. Nevertheless, the director of the [[emergency room]] at a nearby hospital said they treated from five to ten victims of park accidents on some of the busiest days, and the park eventually bought the township of Vernon extra [[ambulance]]s to keep up with the volume.<ref name="Traction Park" /> In September 1989, Great American Recreation negotiated a deal with International Broadcasting Corporation that would result in the sale of Vernon Valley-Great Gorge, and Action Park, for $50 million.<ref>"OWNER AGREES TO SELL ACTION PARK, SKI AREA" - The Record (New Jersey) - September 7, 1989</ref> IBC, however, backed out of the deal, feeling the site was not suitable for their needs upon further inspections of the properties.<ref>"FIRM BREAKS OFF DEAL FOR VERNON VALLEY" - ''The Star-Ledger'', The (Newark, NJ) - September 27, 1989</ref><ref>"GREAT GORGE DEAL ICED INT'L BROADCASTING AXES ITS PURCHASE OF SKI, ACTION AREAS" - The Record (New Jersey) - September 28, 1989</ref> In September 1991, Great American Recreation attempted to petition the Vernon Township Committee to put a referendum on the November ballot that, if passed, would have legalized the operation of games of skill and chance at Action Park. On September 23, the petition was rejected by the committee because only 643 of the 937 signatures on the petition came from registered voters.<ref>"VERNON REJECTS PETITION ON ACTION PARK GAMES" - ''The Star-Ledger'', The (Newark, NJ) - September 24, 1991</ref> A few rides were closed and dismantled due to costly settlements and rising insurance premiums in the 1990s, and at last the park's attendance began to suffer as the [[recession]] early in that decade reduced visitation. In early 1995, GAR operated Vernon Valley-Great Gorge with no liability insurance.<ref>"N.J. SKI AREA HAS NO LIABILITY INSURANCE BIG ACCIDENT COULD BANKRUPT IT" - The Record (New Jersey) - February 14, 1995</ref> New Jersey did not require liability insurance, and GAR found it more economical to go to court than purchase liability insurance since they relied on their own self-insurance.<ref>"LARGEST SKI RESORT IN N.J. HAS NO LIABILITY INSURANCE" - Press of Atlantic City, The (NJ) - February 15, 1995</ref><ref>"VERNON VALLEY SKI RESORT RELIES ON OWN INSURANCE" - ''The Star-Ledger'', The (Newark, NJ) - February 15, 1995</ref> GAR purchased liability insurance from [[Evanston Insurance Co]] in May of that year to cover Action Park, as well as Vernon Valley-Great Gorge's skiing facilities.<ref>"ACTION PARK, SKI AREA BUY COVERAGE" - ''The Star-Ledger'', The (Newark, NJ) - May 19, 1995</ref> As 1995 progressed, GAR's financial woes continued to accumulate. [[First Fidelity Bank]], who lent $19 million to GAR, and some 15 other connected corporations, filed suit against them in an effort to begin the process of foreclosing on the debt owed to them.<ref>"SUSSEX RESORTS SUED IN STEP TO FORECLOSURE" - ''The Star-Ledger'', The (Newark, NJ) - May 20, 1995</ref> Law firms owed money for services rendered between 1991 and 1993 also began filing suit.<ref>"TROUBLES MOUNT FOR VERNON RESORTS AS LAWYERS SUE FOR $175,000 IN FEES" - ''The Star-Ledger'', The (Newark, NJ) - May 24, 1995</ref> As November rolled around, GAR negotiated a deal with [[Noramco Capital Corp]], and the [[Praedium Fund]] of [[CS First Boston]], in which they would purchase the debt owed to First Fidelity, temporarily fending off an impending foreclosure.<ref>"VERNON RESORT GETS BAILED OUT, MULVIHILL BOWS OUT" - ''The Star-Ledger'', The (Newark, NJ) - November 14, 1995</ref> In February 1996, the creditors who had taken on GAR's debt petitioned to force GAR into bankruptcy over the $14 million owed by the struggling company.<ref>"Debt avalanche threatens to bury ski resort Court petition seeks involuntary bankruptcy of Great American Recreation in Sussex" - ''The Star-Ledger'', The (Newark, NJ) - February 22, 1996</ref> GAR filed for Chapter 11 protection that following March, but remained optimistic that they could regain their financial footing "within a year."<ref>"Action Park, Vernon Valley seek court protection from creditors" - ''The Star-Ledger'', The (Newark, NJ) - April 3, 1996</ref> Action Park closed at the end of the season as usual on [[Labor Day]], September 2, 1996. Going into 1997, GAR remained optimistic that Action Park would open as expected on June 14, in spite of massive layoffs that occurred at the end of the ski season.<ref>"Great Gorge issues host of pink slips" - ''The Star-Ledger'', The (Newark, NJ) - April 19, 1997</ref> The opening date was pushed back to June 28,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northjersey.com/story-archives/june-25-1997-vernon-s-action-park-closed-for-good-1.438497|title=North Jersey|website=North Jersey}}</ref> then mid July.<ref>"SEASON OF DISCONTENT Bankrupt Action Park remains out of action Great American exec cautiously optimistic on opening by July" - ''The Star-Ledger'', The (Newark, NJ) - June 11, 1997</ref> On June 25, 1997, GAR announced the cessation of all its operations, including Action Park.<ref>"For Action Park, the summer's over" - ''The Star-Ledger'', The (Newark, NJ) - June 28, 1997</ref> ===Intrawest era (1998–2010)=== Following the demise of GAR in 1997, [[Praedium Recovery Fund]] purchased the Vernon Valley-Great Gorge resort, and Action Park, for $10 million.<ref>"Court accepts bid for ski area" - ''The Star-Ledger'', The (Newark, NJ) - September 12, 1997</ref> The investment group put the company [[Angel Projects]] in charge of managing the resort, and aimed to pump in some $20 million to upgrade the ski resort's equipment, trails, and to remodel the water park.<ref>"New owner to reopen Vernon Valley slopes" - ''The Star-Ledger'', The (Newark, NJ) - October 18, 1997</ref><!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Action Park's Wave Pool Under Rennovation.jpg|thumb|right|The tidal wave pool in April of 1998, undergoing renovation prior to the park's reopening as Mountain Creek Waterpark.]] --> Canadian park operator [[Intrawest]] purchased the park, and neighboring Vernon Valley ski area in February 1998. The Waterworld section of Action Park was revamped,<ref>"Days of beer and bungees end as Action Park goes `family' - ''The Star-Ledger'', The (Newark, NJ) - April 2, 1998</ref> and then reopened for the 1998 season as Mountain Creek. The owners, aware of the image problems created during the Action Park era, sought to differentiate themselves from their predecessors.<ref>"New name breeds hope for a new image Operators of Mountain Creek look to shed sour reputation that came with Action Park" - ''The Star-Ledger'', The (Newark, NJ) - June 19, 1998</ref> By this time, Mountain Creek was no longer the state's largest waterpark, nor was it the draw that it was during its original heyday, as other waterparks built around the [[New York Metropolitan Area|region]] have since divided the market. Since Intrawest was a ski resort corporation, the water park would be leased out to Palace Entertainment after the first couple of years. As a result of problems at the original Action Park, New Jersey toughened its amusement regulations. During the Mountain Creek era, many of the rides built during the heyday of Action Park boasted large [[bilingual sign]]s advising patrons of just what the ride entails, how deep the water is in [[metric system|metric]] and [[United States customary units|US customary units]], the age it is most appropriate for, and the state regulatory [[identification number|ID numbers]]. Safety rules are strictly enforced at the new park, although alcohol is still available. ===Sale, Action Park revival, and Mountain Creek return (2010–present)=== In 2010, Intrawest, which ended up in bankruptcy proceedings itself as a result of a [[leveraged buyout]], sold both the Mountain Creek ski resort and the water park to the owners of Crystal Springs Resort. The water park would remain under lease to Palace Entertainment until 2011, when the owners of the resort bought out the operating lease to the water park.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOqERQhWXnc - "Action PArk: The World's Raddest Water Park</ref> This returned control of the former Action Park property, as well as the entire former Vernon Valley/Great Gorge ski area, to the Mulvihill family as they had retained ownership of the ski area that was renamed Crystal Springs following GAR's bankruptcy. In April 2014, the Mulvihill family changed the name of Mountain Creek back to Action Park. However, on May 29, 2016, it was announced that the Action Park name was again retired and that the park would revert to the Mountain Creek Waterpark name.{{Citation needed|date=December 2016}} == Future development == {{update section|date=September 2018}} In the summer of 2014, the Zero-G opened. Located on the tower for H2 OhNo, the Zero-G is a double-looping slide featuring 2 inclined loops. For 2015 and beyond, plans for the park include a new lounge area and pools, relocation of batting cages from their present location to near the Action Putts Miniature Golf Course, and the construction of a go-kart track by the same miniature golf course. The go-kart track, however, will only be around for 1–2 years, as a proposed indoor water park hotel is currently planned for that same site.<ref>http://www.vernontwp.com/government/land_use_board/minutes_april_23_2014/ - Vernon, NJ, Land use Board Meeting, April 23, 2014.</ref> Currently in development by Vancouver-based Sky Turtle Technologies is a ride called the Sky Caliber, a vertically looping water slide that will debut at Mountain Creek in 2016. Unlike the original Cannonball Loop, riders will ride in bullet-shaped aluminum cages. The ride also features a considerably taller and steeper approach, as well as a teardrop shaped loop.<ref>http://www.latimes.com/travel/themeparks/la-trb-action-park-looping-water-slide-20150305-story.html - "Vertical looping water slide, long thought impossible, in test phase"</ref> Current indications are that the slide will be called "Cannonball Loop."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4ZKwaMZqAaI/Vb_1VThmSJI/AAAAAAAAAa4/dnhqe8fhEEs/s1600/ap_cbl_2016.jpg|title=Image of a sign promoting the 2016 opening of the new Cannonball Loop.|publisher=}}</ref> The world's longest water slide, a {{convert|650|m|ft|adj=on|order=flip}} inflatable slide made in Waimauku, New Zealand back in 2013, is being transported to, and installed at Mountain Creek. Testing is scheduled to begin in early July 2015, with an opening date yet to be announced.<ref>[http://www.mountaincreek.com/about/press-releases/action-park-brings-worlds-longest-waterslide-to-us ACTION PARK BRINGS WORLD'S LONGEST WATERSLIDE TO U.S.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620072111/http://www.mountaincreek.com/about/press-releases/action-park-brings-worlds-longest-waterslide-to-us |date=2015-06-20 }}</ref> The park has recently started construction on an even bigger slide called the IceBerg that is supposedly going to go from 500 feet high and be a 45 degree drop underground where people will be able to see underwater ice formations and many different animals that live in the arctic and at the end will shoot up out of the ground into a giant pool and swim with the harmless fish from the area. ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== * [http://www.actionpark.com/ Action Park website] * [http://www.weirdnj.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=39&Itemid=28 Action Park History, Recollections, News Articles and Photos from Weird NJ] * [http://thedod3.com/actionpark/ Narrative description] of Action Park * [http://thecenteroftheaction.blogspot.com/ The Center of the Action], blog by former Action Park employees * [https://web.archive.org/web/20061103102741/http://lifeinabungalo.com/2006/02/21/an-interview-with-an-action-park-employee/ Interview] with a former Action Park employee * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDHqfhyCbbM Action Park 80's Live Action and Cannonball loop] * [http://sometimes-interesting.com/2014/02/07/there-was-nothing-in-the-world-like-action-park/ "There Was Nothing in the World Like Action Park."] ''Sometimes Interesting''. 07 Feb 2014 [[Category:Tourist attractions in Sussex County, New Jersey]] [[Category:1998 establishments in New Jersey]] [[Category:Amusement parks in New Jersey]] [[Category:Vernon Township, New Jersey]] [[Category:Amusement park accidents]]'