Belmont Park in Mission Beach will begin its "Family Night" festivities every Tuesday from now through August, starting at 4 p.m. The park will offer $3 rides on the "Giant Dipper" roller coaster and the Wave House will offer $10 surfing for two hours. All rides are half-priced and there will be some great deals on food. Everything from nachos to frozen bananas to hot dogs will be buy one get one free.
While these new discounted prices may draw more families to the park, some feel that safety may be an issue. Over Memorial Day weekend, a shooting occurred near the Park. Belmont Park's Coaster Company General Manager Wendy Crain responded to these concerns, saying that the park didn't see any of that recent violence.
"I've been here for years and I've never felt unsafe, so I'm surprised that this even happened," said Crain. "We are in a large beach community and stand out as one of the icons so, when things do happen, we end up kind of targeted in the reports."
She encourages local families to come down and see the park for themselves. Crain said they don't advertise these deals to tourists, instead they want locals to be able to enjoy their park. These "family nights" have been going on for years and have a large following and are a safe event that's fun for the entire family. Plus, Crain says, there's actually parking!
