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<\/a><\/p>\nIncluded with admission, patrons also got access to the waterpark, which opens May 23.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, fireworks will paint the night sky on May 24<\/a>. Additional fireworks displays are slated for July 4 and Sept. 6.\u00a0<\/p>\n SPONSORED<\/p>\n Since first welcoming guests five decades ago, the park, located at 4701 Great America Parkway Drive, continues to showcase its iconic features \u2014 its double-decker carousel to the first-of-its-kind, single-rail rollercoaster, RailBlazer, highlighting the park\u2019s evolution from its \u201cMarriott\u2019s Great America\u201d roots to a modern-day destination.<\/p>\n On hand for the festivities were several employees from the park\u2019s first year.\u00a0<\/p>\n Among them was John Poimiroo, who served as the park\u2019s publicist in its early days.<\/p>\n \u201cThe park has always been really important to the city,\u201d he said. \u201cI remember it as a very loving portrayal of America\u2019s greatness \u2026 It continues to be a very important part of the community of the Bay Area.\u201d<\/p>\n As a theme park, Great America used to emphasize a common thread throughout its various portions of the park \u2014 Hometown Square, County Fair, Yukon Territory, Yankee Harbor, Orleans Place, Carousel Plaza.<\/p>\n The park\u2019s carousel cost $1.5 million at the time, the most expensive at the time.<\/p>\n But sensibilities change. The park has seen a gradual evolution since its inception. Over the years, park management has eliminated underused attractions, homogenizing the park in the process.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s changed is the themes have been lost,\u201d Poimiroo said. \u201cThere isn\u2019t an obsession with communicating that theme \u2026 the shops, the shows, the rides \u2026 were all themed.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Poimiroo said adjusting to guests\u2019 expectations is just good park management.<\/p>\n In addition to lifelong friendships, working for Great America taught him creativity, aggression in marketing and to never overlook an opportunity.<\/p>\n Now operated by Six Flags Entertainment Corp., Great America has changed hands six times since opening.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2019, Cedar Fair bought the 112 acres of land beneath the park, and in 2022, it sold it to Prologis,<\/a> which agreed to lease back the land for six to 11 years. After absorbing Prologis, Six Flags CFO Brian Witherow said last June that the park would close after the 2027 season if the company didn\u2019t extend the lease.<\/p>\n No announcement to renew the lease has been made.<\/p>\n When visiting Santa Clara, Poimiroo said, the amount of development surrounding the park struck him. In the beginning, it was all \u201copen fields and dirt.\u201d These days, he said, you can barely see the park\u2019s entrance.<\/p>\n \u201cSilicon Valley has become too valuable. All along, the value of Silicon Valley \u2026 was going to overwhelm the amusement park as successful as it is,\u201d he said. \u201cYeah, people are going to be upset to see the park go. It is a likelihood, but it is not a certainty.\u201d<\/p>\n Contact David Alexander at\u00a0d.todd.alexander@gmail.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n SPONSORED<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/banner-v_21_page-0001.jpg\"\/)
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<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"California\u2019s Great America kicked off the season celebrating its gold jubilee, perhaps the last major milestone the regional…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":255781,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[6036,95223,88,90,89,197,2921,2922],"class_list":{"0":"post-255780","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-jose","8":"tag-bay-area-news","9":"tag-californias-great-america","10":"tag-san-jose","11":"tag-san-jose-headlines","12":"tag-san-jose-news","13":"tag-santa-clara","14":"tag-santa-clara-weekly","15":"tag-silicon-valley-voice"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}