Theme Park in Waterloo Dealing with Low Attendance

Lost Island Theme Park in Waterloo opened roughly three weeks ago.

The 22 rides located within the park have largely been empty over that time frame.

As the owner of the park, Eric Bertch told The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Lost Island has only seen 100 to 300 visitors per day since it opened its gates.

Bertch and co. were hoping the connection to their waterpark would drive guests into the newly opened location, but the carryover they were hoping for hasn't come to pass -- at least not so far.

As Theme Park Insider says, the two sister parks are "a short distance away across the road, making it impractical to walk between the two gates."

Even on July 4th weekend -- a holiday when outdoor activities, including attending theme parks, thrive -- the total number of guests at Lost Island barely squeaked over 400, reaching 415 total. Bertch added that he's "hoping to reach 10 times those numbers in order to survive."

Lost Island Water Park appears to have continued success, as Bertch told the Gazette that the water park is seeing about 1,500 to 2,500 visitors per day. Earning the label of the second-best waterpark in America certainly helps.

The $100 million theme park did run into some significant roadblocks throughout the process of opening, which may have hindered attendance in the short term.

In early March a fire engulfed a 1500-square foot queue shelter building that was to be used as a barrier for customers while they wait in line. The control board for their Yuta Falls ride was also destroyed in the fire, delaying the ride's usage to 2023.

KWWL reported that Bertch had found the source of the fire to be a temporary heating unit that caught a blanket on fire.

Then, just a week before the scheduled opening date of June 10, the park announced they'd have to delay the opening to June 18 due to "construction delays."

"Supply chain issues" limited their ability to open up the Matugani roller coaster as well. No date has been specified for the opening of the roller coaster -- the park solely announced that it will "make a fashionably-late appearance this summer."