MIDDLEBURY, Conn. – The adrenaline rush begins April 28 and gets an added boost on May 26.

Quassy Amusement & Waterpark here will be celebrating its 110th season of operation and opens the amusement ride area of the park on Saturday, April 28, with a $45 carload special. Up to 10 persons in one car receive an all-day ride wristband for only $45 with parking included. The carload special will also be offered on Sunday, April 29, and will include the park’s annual egg hunt for prizes at 3 p.m.. The weekend benefits the Greater Waterbury Campership Fund, a community service event the park has staged for decades.

“Park enthusiasts will certainly be in line opening day for their first ride of the year on Wooden Warrior (roller coaster),” noted Eric Anderson, a park owner. “Of course, the big news this year is the addition of the Category 5 Rapids waterslides in Splash Away Bay (waterpark). They’ll open Memorial Day weekend along with the rest of the waterpark and Quassy Beach.”

Major Addition

The new three-slide complex, set to makes its debut on Saturday, May 26, represents the largest single investment in the park’s history.

With a combined length of more than 1,000 feet, the water raft rides bring to 15 the number of slides in Quassy’s Splash Away Bay.

Construction of the mammoth slides began last September and was completed in late December.

In addition to the new slides, Quassy also constructed Splash Away Bay Café overlooking Lake Quassapaug. Guests at Quassy Beach and the waterpark will be able to purchase food and beverages at the café and enjoy seating on second floor patio.

Big Thrills On The New Slides

The new waterpark slides were provided by ProSlide Technology, Inc., of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ProSlide was the vendor for the existing 12 slides at the attraction, which was first introduced in 2003 as Saturation Station, a modular water play area with two small slides. The new project is located in an area formally occupied by picnic tables on the north side of the property.

The largest of the three giant slides, which Quassy has named Torrent, is ProSlide’s   TORNADO 18, which will accommodate single and two-person rafts.

The patented funnel shape flushes riders up the TORNADO walls, oscillates each tube multiple times and generates the suspended-weightlessness sensation that is unique to ProSlide funnel rides.

After dropping into the funnel, riders are swept up the wall to the equator line, which is actually perpendicular to the ground. The ride creates the illusion of going over the edge and keeps even the craziest thrill enthusiasts returning for more.

Two gigantic PIPEline serpentine slides, named Quassy Rapids and Serpent, round out the three-ride attraction. The new slides all depart from one platform and conclude in runoff troughs near Saturation Station. The PIPEline slides are designed for single our two-rider rafts.

Quassy has planned a special kickoff event prior to the park’s 11 a.m. opening on May 26. A limited number of tickets are available, which will include the opportunity to be among the first to ride the new waterslides.

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