Wisconsin Dells Businesses Trying To Rebound After Slow Summer
Area Was Hit Hard By June Flooding
Updated: 8:26 pm CDT August 29, 2008
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WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. -- Labor Day weekend means tourists are packing the Wisconsin Dells for one last summer fling, and business owners are welcoming them with open arms.
VIDEO: Watch The ReportThe Wisconsin Dells is trying to rebound after a tough summer affected by flooding and it's held its own -- that's the word from the Convention and Visitors Bureau about how Dells businesses fared this summer.The area has had to deal with high gas prices, a slumping economy, flooding and the loss of Lake Delton."I think we're very lucky to be looking at good weather for this weekend," said Maria Yohn of Captain Ron's Original Jet Boat Tours.It's the least that could be done for businesses that have struggled through challenge after challenge after kicking off the summer with the catastrophic Lake Delton breach."We had a slow summer, definitely slower than in the past," said Yohn.Loyal, returning customers are what saved them, but they'll end the year in the red, and that’s the same story at the Holiday Shores Campground."It started out slow obviously, but as the summer went on the weather definitely cooperated with us, so I think it was a pretty normal year after the flood. The waters receded, and everything got back to normal," said Jim Ward of Holiday Shores Campground.The campground had gone through much this summer."Especially in June, we had hundreds of phone calls asking 'Are you in business?' -- if everything was still here, if the business was normal as usual. So, it took awhile to overcome that," said Ward."I'm hoping that people come up especially with gas prices really going down," said Yohn.The Convention and Visitors Bureau has done a quick survey to see where things are standing as of right now.It said a few places like Noah's Ark are reporting numbers up for the month of August 10 to 15 percent but said that and many businesses will finish flat for the season overall, WISC-TV reported.Captain Ron's expects to have packed jet boat tours all day Saturday and Sunday, and Holiday Shores expects to have a packed campground by Friday night.
VIDEO: Watch The ReportThe Wisconsin Dells is trying to rebound after a tough summer affected by flooding and it's held its own -- that's the word from the Convention and Visitors Bureau about how Dells businesses fared this summer.The area has had to deal with high gas prices, a slumping economy, flooding and the loss of Lake Delton."I think we're very lucky to be looking at good weather for this weekend," said Maria Yohn of Captain Ron's Original Jet Boat Tours.It's the least that could be done for businesses that have struggled through challenge after challenge after kicking off the summer with the catastrophic Lake Delton breach."We had a slow summer, definitely slower than in the past," said Yohn.Loyal, returning customers are what saved them, but they'll end the year in the red, and that’s the same story at the Holiday Shores Campground."It started out slow obviously, but as the summer went on the weather definitely cooperated with us, so I think it was a pretty normal year after the flood. The waters receded, and everything got back to normal," said Jim Ward of Holiday Shores Campground.The campground had gone through much this summer."Especially in June, we had hundreds of phone calls asking 'Are you in business?' -- if everything was still here, if the business was normal as usual. So, it took awhile to overcome that," said Ward."I'm hoping that people come up especially with gas prices really going down," said Yohn.The Convention and Visitors Bureau has done a quick survey to see where things are standing as of right now.It said a few places like Noah's Ark are reporting numbers up for the month of August 10 to 15 percent but said that and many businesses will finish flat for the season overall, WISC-TV reported.Captain Ron's expects to have packed jet boat tours all day Saturday and Sunday, and Holiday Shores expects to have a packed campground by Friday night.
Previous Stories:
- July 17, 2008: Fox Sports Network Aims To Help Dells After Floods
- June 23, 2008: Wisconsin Dells Magician Performs Benefit Show For Lake Delton Families
- June 11, 2008: Resident Captures Footage Of Lake Delton Washing Houses Away
- June 11, 2008: City Leaders: Wisconsin Dells Open For Business
- June 10, 2008: Engineers Assess Lake Delton Flood Damage
- June 10, 2008: Rain-Swollen Lake Delton Floods, Destroying Homes, Highway
- June 10, 2008: Dells Resort Owners Fear Tourism Dollars Could Dry Up With Lake
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