Indiana Beach Amusement Park owner Gene Staples has revealed himself to be the mystery buyer who paid $2.37 million at auction for Clementon Park & Splash World in New Jersey.
The 114-year-old park in Camden County, one of the few remaining trolley parks in the U.S., has been closed since September 2019. It was auctioned off on Tuesday without the buyer being identified.
The reveal came in a press from Staples and Indiana Beach. “love Americana and vintage amusement parks”, Staples said. “We were successful in reviving Indiana Beach in 2020. This amazing opportunity for Clementon was brought to our attention in late February, and we were lucky enough to acquire it at auction. Our goal now is to use what we learned at Indiana Beach and bring that knowledge to relaunching Clementon Park.”
As for when the park will reopen, Staples said the new ownership will “do our best to have the Splash World portion of the park open by Memorial Day weekend, if not a refreshed park as a whole.” For the time being, further updates about the park will be made using Indiana Beach’s existing social media accounts.
The purchase is reminiscent of how Staples, a Chicago businessman, swooped in to save Indiana Beach. That park’s former owner, Apex Parks Group, had announced in February 2020 that the park would close permanently. After a brief flirtation with the owners of Fun Spot America, Staples bought the park in April.
Indiana Beach fans will see improvements from the ownership in its 2021 season, with Staples adding two new rides, including a triple loop coaster from legendary coaster designer Anton Schwarzkopf.
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