FARMINGTON, Utah -- For the first time this season, Lagoon has re-opened a portion of their park for business – now in the midst of the pandemic, they are answering questions as to when rides could reopen and what options are available for season pass holders.
So far, the 2020 season has been a quiet one for Lagoon amusement park.
Right now, the parking lot sits empty, turnstiles are still, walkways are open and rides are dark. Silence echoes through the park with the occasional vocal outburst from one of the park’s many peacocks.
“It feels weird to us to not be open,” said Julie Freed, Lagoon’s Director of Special Events.
On a beautiful spring day, this would be an unusual sight for any amusement park.
“Economically, I think Lagoon has been one of the hardest-hit companies in the state,” Freed said.
Lagoon typically opens to the public in late March, but in the midst of a pandemic, the 2020 season still hasn’t started. Bottom line, things have been tough for the local organization.
“We can’t wait for the day when we can open the entire park,” Freed said. “We are hoping very much that our community will come out and support us when we do get a chance to open.”
Thursday, they were finally able to take one socially distant step in the right direction – reopening the Biergarten, featuring new beers and menu items.
“Welcome! We are inside the BierGarten right now,” Freed said as she threw her hands in the air.
As Freed walked around the space, she pointed out the tables which are now closed off to maintain social distancing, the ‘6-foot’ stickers on the floors, and the hand sanitizer dispensers posted at each doorway.
“We are following all of the guidelines,” Freed said. “As you can see, cleaning and sanitizing regularly and frequently, we’ve got our masks on and social distancing is really the name of the game right now.”
Step outside of the dining space, outdoor tables are also appropriately spaced and sanitized. With the new table arrangement, Freed said they have the capacity to safely host 200-guests.
Given that Lagoon is located in Davis County, come this Saturday the establishment will move into the yellow, ‘low-risk phase’ under Governor Herbert’s plan to re-open Utah.
Still, Freed said that does not mean they will be able to reopen all together.
“Our plans to open depend entirely on the state of Utah, their guidelines for us, and our partners at the Davis County Health Department, so we will just follow their guidelines and whenever they tell us, we are ready to open,” Freed explained. “We’re really partnering up and putting plans and procedures in place so that when the time is right when it’s appropriate, we can open here safely with social distancing.”
So, for now, they don’t know when they will be able to hear screams coming from the rollercoaster, or see a child’s face light up on the carousel. But, when the day comes, they’ll be ready.
“I feel like there’s a glimmer of hope, moving into the yellow, the Biergarten open today, I feel like that’s really good news,” Freed said.
“We can’t wait to get open again, we’re in the business of fun,” she continued. “We are ready to provide new, happy memories for 2020.”
As for season pass holders, if a season passport is unable to be used during the 2020 season, it will rollover to the 2021 season. If guests were able to use their 2020 season pass, they will be given the opportunity to take advantage of a “better than Black Friday” deal when purchasing a 2021 pass (so long as it is purchased before June 30, 2020).
Families can visit the Biergarten every Thursday and Friday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., no admission is required and parking is free.