MONTICELLO, Ind. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A northwest Indiana landmark has a new buyer and a new lease on life.
Several months after announcing it was closed for good, Indiana Beach Amusement and Water Park in Monticello, Indiana has a new owner and a new opening date.
The new ownership group plans to open the park sometime in July.
"The city of Monticello is excited to learn of the sale and new ownership of Indiana Beach. We look forward to working with Gene Staples and his family," Monticello Mayor Cathy Gross told the Northwest Indiana Times. "We were so encouraged this week when we saw that Indiana Beach had turned on the blue lights at the Ferris wheel in support of Light Monticello Blue for essential workers. We hope and believe this is just the beginning of a great relationship and want to thank everyone that has made this possible. What is good for White County and our lake guests and residents is good for Monticello, and what is good for Monticello is good for them. This is truly good news and we welcome them to our community family."
Indiana Beach, known for its "there's more than corn in Indiana" jingle, is a regional landmark. According to the NWI Times, Indiana Beach dates back to 1926 and once drew more than 750,000 visitors a year. The 376-acre park and resort on Lake Shafer in Monticello features roller coasters, a water park, zip lines, an arcade, mini-golf, multiple children's rides in Kiddieland, a boardwalk and a sand beach on the lake. It has attractions on land and sea like an aerial ropes course, Bumper Boats and a sightseeing paddlewheel boat that packed in tourists from across Indiana and the Midwest.
People camp out at the park over the summer and a number of families from northwest Indiana own vacation homes nearby.