- September 13th, 2004, 12:05 am
#8002
I witnessed the most rewarding event working on September 15, 2001 (the first day the park opened after Sept 11. There was talk the park would not open due to the previous week’s circumstances. After all, all major sporting events were cancelled, the skies were still empty over the park, but Paramount Parks decided to keep the parks open, unsure of the results.
The national anthem played at 9:58 as it does every park operation day, but this day EVERONE in the park (instead of just security) turned to the flag, hoisted at half-mast on the skytower, singing the national anthem. Once it was complete everyone applauded.
We went into this weekend unsure of how many people would actually come out to the park, expecting many would stay home.
Turned out, it was the largest weekend of the 2001 season (which says a lot, because we didn’t have the waterpark (season ended the week before) and there was not one guest complaint for the entire weekend.
September 11, 2001 was a horrible and tragic event, but it was nice to see people truly enjoying themselves, with family and friends spending time together.
After all, that’s what amusement parks are really for, right?