FARMINGTON — Lagoon, Utah's amusement park, will open Saturday at 10 a.m. — weather permitting — for its 119th season.
You can already "Cliffhang," "Rocket," "Catapult," "Tilt-o-Whirl," "Scramble" and "Skyscrape" at Lagoon. And sometime soon you will be able to go "Batty."
"The Bat," a new $3 million suspended roller coaster, will open northeast of the park's mini-golf course.
According to Dick Andrew, Lagoon spokesman, it won't be known until the last minute whether the Bat will be ready on opening day. He said it is possible, but not a certainty, that the new ride will be operational by April 9.
Unlike Lagoon's other four roller coasters — Fire Dragon, White Wooden Roller Coaster, Jet Star and Puff — the Bat will have the track overhead instead of under passengers' feet.
The Bat can carry up to 650 passengers per hour. Each roller-coaster train has 10 coaches, with room for two people in each, or 20 passengers per ride. The ride will reach a maximum height of 50 feet on a 1,122-foot track.
Lagoon selected this ride because of its high degree of reliability. It is the first ride at the park to use a magnetic braking system that is considered to be smooth and dependable.
A family-friendly ride, the Bat will allow any healthy passengers who are at least 42 inches tall.
Andrew said one other ride, the Jet Star, will not be operating on opening day. It is still being refurbished. Lagoon-A-Beach water park will open Memorial Day weekend.
The park will be open Saturdays and Sundays, until June 3, when daily operations will begin. The park opens earliest on Saturdays at 10 a.m., while the start time is 11 a.m. on Sundays. The park will stay open until about 6 p.m. — weather permitting — during the pre-season.
The pre-season is usually a great time to visit Lagoon, because the lines are shorter than in the summer. However, jackets are recommended.
Lagoon's regular prices for the 2005 season will be $32.95, plus tax, for those 51 inches tall to age 64; $27.95, plus tax, from age 4 to 50 inches tall; and $21, plus tax, for senior citizens, ages 65 and over. Parking will be $7 a day.
Season passport prices through June 5 are $72.95 each, plus tax, when four or more are ordered, and $82.95, plus tax, for one to three passports. Prices increase by $9 each after June 5. A season parking pass is $38.
The "X-Venture Zone" rides — Skycoaster, Top Eliminator, Catapult and Double Thunder Raceway — charge extra beyond gate admission.
Lagoon's entertainment will begin later in May with "Rock U 2 the Top," the park's rock music revue, starting May 21; "Hooray for Hollywood," a large-scale revue in the Music USA Amphitheater, on May 28; and the newly revived Lake Park Brass Band, which will march around the park, on June 4.
For last-minute questions regarding inclement weather closings, call 451-8000.
For Lagoon information, go online to www.lagoonpark.com.
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com