Bay Beach breaks record in revenue

GREEN BAY - Green Bay's Bay Beach Amusement Park closed its doors for the season Sunday.

Officials say it's been a record breaking year, thanks to a new multi-million dollar addition .

Despite the rain Sunday, families still made it out for the final day of the season at Bay Beach Amusement Park.

"We're having fun with our friends and family, just came out to have fun, even though we're getting rained on," said Lorraine Haack of Little Chute. "We're here every year."

City officials estimate the park generated $2.5 million in revenue, more than 50 percent ahead of last year.

Officials say a lot of it has to with the new Zippin Pippin wooden roller coaster, which made its debut back in May. The Zippin Pippin racked up more than 460,000 riders at a dollar a ride. That's twice the number officials expected.

"We knew we'd have a good year, but this has just been awesome," said Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt.

• See photos of the Zippin Pippin as it prepared to open

The roller coaster did have a few setbacks. It opened a few weeks behind schedule due to technical problems. And it blew a fuse here and there.

However, Mayor Jim Schmitt says even with expenses, they're looking to make an $800,000 profit at the park.

"I want to earmark part of that and reinvest into the park, for recreational trails and things, as opposed to spending it on some other things," Schmitt said.

But not everyone has always been on board. The coaster has had its critics.

"It's not what I would have purchased. I look at the park in a different mindset," said Brown County Supv. Patrick Evans.

Evans was opposed to spending the $3.8 million to build and buy the rights to the coaster. But he does concede, he's pleased to see it doing so well.

"We'll see what the whole numbers show, but that's great," Evans explained. "I'm happy they've got their big numbers. I hope they're able to sustain it for years to come."

• Learn more about the Cash Behind the Coaster

The Zippin Pippin is known as Elvis Presley's favorite ride when it was originally in Memphis, Tenn.

Schmitt says he hopes to tie in more Elvis-related activities next year to keep fans of the singer and the coaster coming back for more.

• Take an interactive look at the coaster's history