N.H. amusement park closes after power fails
The fun and games at Canobie Lake Park in New Hampshire came to a jolting halt yesterday afternoon after a power outage shut the amusement park down for the day.
Officials at the park in Salem, N.H., announced at around 4:30 p.m. that power was out and that it was unclear when it would return, said Wendy Daly, 48, of Milton, who was visiting with family and friends. About a half-hour later, another announcement informed patrons that the park was closing for the day.
The entire town of Salem, which is about 30 miles north of Boston, lost power when a tree fell and took down wires on East Main Street, said Debbie Drew, a spokeswoman for power utility National Grid. She estimated that power was out between 4:30 and 7 p.m.
Daly’s 15-year-old son, Jake, was sitting on the “Xtreme Frisbee,’’ a ride he described as a swinging ship, when the power went down. The Frisbee had not started yet, he said, but all of the riders had to be manually freed from their seats.
“When we were on the ride, they told us just the ride we were on lost power,’’ he said. “Then they announced the whole park and town of Salem had lost power.’’
Visitors were stuck sitting in their cars while everyone attempted to leave the parking lot, Jake Daly said. One bus, he said, took 45 minutes to get from its parking spot to the exit.
“We ended up calling a local pizza place across the road, [and] they delivered the pizzas to the parking lot,’’ Wendy Daly said. “We didn’t know how long the wait was going to be. We eventually waited an hour to get out of the park. Most people were in long, winding lines to get out.’’
No park officials could be reached for comment last night, but a recorded message on the park’s voice mail said it would be open again today at 11 a.m.
Patrons who were at the park when it closed said they were given vouchers good for the remainder of the 2009 season. Despite the gesture, many were upset, saying the vouchers were useless because they were only visiting. Refunds were not provided.
A few angry park-goers ripped out flowers from large plant boxes outside the entrance as they left.
Police did not respond to the scene, but the Fire Department did examine the tree that fell on the wires. No injuries were reported, police said.
