Indiana Beach rebounding nicely

MONTICELLO, Indiana — Attendance and annual pass sales at Indiana Beach in Monticello have gone up from last year since it reopened in May under Apex Parks Group, its new owner. Apex Parks invested millions of dollars in renovations across the park, including refreshing its iconic Chance Rides Giant wheel, updating signage, repainting rides and recoating the water slides.

Originally opened by Earl Spackman in 1926 as Ideal Beach, the park had been in the hands of Thomas Spackman until 2008. He sold the park when he was in his 90s. He was unsure how to divide the park between his five children and selling to a third-party buyer seemed to be the best solution.

RV campground operators Morgan Recreation Vacations purchased the park in 2008, but it soon became evident that the company had no idea how to run an amusement park. Park attendance declined and the effect was felt throughout the Indiana Beach area. Fortunately by the end of the 2014 season, Morgan was ready to give up the park, and Apex Parks was willing to buy it. Apex, led by former Paramount Parks CEO Al Weber, knew very little about running a campground, but it did know how to run an amusement park. Apex Parks has invested several million dollars in the park, but the company isn’t done yet. There is much work to do but the park is certainly on the right track. The company is already planning five years in advance, but of course specific details have not been released.

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