Cliff's Amusement Park

 A unique symphony of giggles, laughter and screaming greets the guests at Cliff's Amusement park as they walk through the entry gate into the realm of excitement. Kids, parents, teenagers and entire families quickly become immersed in the fun and let themselves experience the thrill of the roller coaster and scream as they plummet, or laugh and giggle as they anticipate the next ride.

"What is really fun is when you walk outside and hear the screaming," said Linda Hays, co-owner of Cliff's Amusement Park. "People love to scream. They love to really experience things."

Cliff's has been providing family fun and excitement in Albuquerque for 51 years and has been owned by the same family the entire time. Hays was raised helping her parents at the park since she was nine years old. She and her husband took over the business 35 years ago. Their children also grew up working at the park and still work there today. "People need entertainment and that escape from life to enjoy things," Hays said. "We all just need that release."

Not only is family important in running the park, but family is the core audience targeted at the park in every decision made. "We've decided to cater to the family," Hays said. "Families are really trying to find things they can do together as a family, and we find rides that mom and dad can ride with the kids."

The park is transitioning out all the rides that leave the parents sitting and watching the kids have fun and replacing them with rides that allow the parents to sit with the kids. They also have a lot of middle size rides that older children can enjoy with their parents. Then, when the kids are old enough--and brave enough--they can join their parents on the thrill rides like the new Super Fire ball that goes around in a vertical loop 80 feet tall. Riders will be "whipped upside down and back around 13 times per minute," according to the Web site.

As a child, Hays said, she could never get enough of the rides and loved them all. Part of the thrill of owning and working at an amusement park is sharing that love with young kids and watching them during their first time at the park. "When the little kids enter the park," Hays said, "they know something exciting is going on."

Then, when they get on a ride for the first time, Hays said, they are nervous and watch the operator's face for clues as to how to react. Hays said when she was a teenager operating the rides, she would be sure to look at the kids and go "Weeeee!" Then, the kids would know it is ok and would go "Weeeee!"

"It was fun to watch their faces," Hays said. "It made me realize that this is why we are doing this."

- by Julie Medina, Albuquerque Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)