Opening again: Clementon Park & Splash World amusement park is saved

It looks like the 114-year-old Clementon Park and Splash World will reopen after an investor successfully bid on the entire property in an auction.

Closed since September 2019, the venue off Berlin Road went up for auction on Tuesday, according to a notice by Capital Recovery Group. The buyer had the option of continuing to operate the park or redevelop the property.

The winning bid of $2.37 million was made by an anonymous investor who plans to reopen the park,  CRG Vice President Gary Katz told New Jersey 101.5.

"He bought the entire park," Katz said.

CRG later identified the buyer as Clementon Park Holdings, a division of Indiana Beach Amusement and Water Park. The company operates an amusement park and water park called Indiana Beach in Monticello, Indiana northwest of Indianapolis.

The 52-acre park includes the Thunder Drop, the Ring of Fire loop, Sea Dragon arc swing, Torpedo Rush, Pirates Landing and a 23-acre spring-fed lake with a dam.

All the park furnishings, 300 picnic tables, food prep and concessions, maintenance equipment are also included. It even comes with a liquor license.

Filmmaker and roller coaster enthusiast Jason Pennypacker, who is working on a documentary about the park, was excited when he heard the news. He said the park's last general manager told him the plan is to reopen the water park during the summer.

"The amusement park has fallen a little bit and that will take a lot more time but the water park is in good condition. All they have to is drain out the pool, completely scrub everything down because it's full of algae and fill it back up, get the state to come in and inspect it. Then they have to open two food places, add the lockers back and they'll be fine to reopen," Pennpacker said.

Splash World also needs a paint job and the front entrance needs some sprucing up as it looks "a little dreary," according to Pennypacker.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ