Page 20 - AAA Every Day – AAA Hudson Valley – May/June 2019

years, Splashwater Kingdom has added rides and attractions and this season will reopen with a new name, Hurricane Harbor.
By 1996 Wood’s “little” park had become quite the draw and just seven years after he sold it the first time, Wood sold it again. This time, however, he was smarter about the sale. He told Funworld Magazine that he was paid in cash and
also accepted a position on the board of the new owner. Premier Parks had been
on a buying spree in 1995 and 1996. The company went public in June 1996 and made its offer for The Great Escape in late August. Premier Parks continued shopping, eventually buying Six Flags Theme Parks
Inc. in 1998 and changing its name to the more recognizable name in 2000.
Wood used the money he made from the sale of The Great Escape to become quite the philanthropist in Upstate New York. He made millions of dollars in charitable contributions to healthcare, the arts and children in need in the Glen Falls area, including a $1.4 million gift to the Glen Falls Hospital. He also
founded, with the help of actor Paul Newman, the Double “H” Hole in the Woods Ranch (Lake Luzerne) for children and their families dealing with life- threatening illnesses.
Wood died in 2004 at the age of 90, or as his New York Times obituary stated, “having lived 10 years after doctors ordered him to stop riding his own roller
coasters.”
Upon hearing of his death,
John Collins, the then current vice-president and general manager of The Great Escape, told the Albany Business Review that Wood was “a true pioneer and visionary.”
“His foresight and imagination that led to his founding of Storytown U.S.A. in 1954 ... paved the way for the modern theme park industry and for a new form of entertainment for millions of children and adults
across the globe,” Collins said in a statement.
And that, apparently came from a simple plan that Wood once shared with The Capital District Business Review.
“I just wanted to own places that people had a good time at,” he said.
AAA MEMBERS CAN SAVE UP TO 35% ON TICKETS TO THE GREAT ESCAPE & HURRICANE HARBOR! VISIT AAA.COM OR YOUR LOCAL AAA OFFICE TO FIND OUT MORE.
20 I MAY/JUNE 2019