NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — With temperatures above 90 degrees in parts of Central Pennsylvania, Tuesday was one of the hottest days of the year.
It was a good day to be at Knoebels Amusement Resort near Elysburg.
People were happy to cool off on and around the "Sklooosh."
"I think it's fabulous. It's great to see all the kids out here having a great time after it's been a few rough years, so I'm very grateful to see this ride open. It's one of my favorites," said Kristy Grey, Souderton.
The Sklooosh is one of several rides at Knoebels that did not open last year because of staffing.
According to Knoebels' staff, last year, the park opened an average of 40 out of its 60 rides per day.
This past weekend, there were 53 rides open, which is the most the park has had open in two years.
"Our team has really put forth a great effort this year to recruit team members, to let them know how awesome it is to work here at the park. Everywhere from our increased wages to our team member perks," said Stacy Yutko, Knoebels' spokesperson.
This year Knoebels Amusement Resort added $1.5 million to its payroll as a hiring incentive.
The park's new employee bonus program starts next week.
"We have more team members now than we did at the peak of our hiring last season. We're going to hopefully continue on that upward trend," said Yutko.
Parkgoers tell Newswatch 16 they notice a difference.
"Just going around the park, there's more kid rides that are open, which is great for the kids. We don't have to go from this part of the park all the way over to the other side of the park. We can stay for our little kids in a centralized area. It's easier to navigate around the park with more rides that are open," said Kenny Staner, Coal Township.
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