Published: 14 Mar 2024

From The Previous Chapter:

That night, Ken Thomas had a lot to think about. He heard a lot of arguments for announcing the name change during the Grand Re-Opening and most of them made sense. He knew, though, that if they intend to do that, they would need to have the new name on at least a banner to unveil the day of the official Re-Opening.

He told himself that one wouldn’t be needed during the ‘soft’ opening he wants to have to give the ride operators and concession workers time to get back into a safe and guest focused routine, so the people would feel that all their efforts were worth the time, money and effort.

With everything he’d been involved in that day and all the conversations and decisions he was involved in, when the park’s owner laid his head down on his pillow, that night, he fell right to sleep.

It was rough waking up that Tuesday morning, not only for the boys, but also for Mr. Ken. The long trip, coupled with all of the meetings, phone calls and the decision making had all taken their toll on the man, and he was feeling it that morning.

Ken Thomas made sure he got down to the lobby with enough time to have a decent breakfast, before he headed out to the park. When he arrived, he found the seven boys, and one man, Mr. Dennis, were already there eating and that made him smile. The man then went, got his first cup of coffee and then began fixing himself a waffle, which takes about three minutes from start to plate.

On the buffet there were warm pre-made pancakes and pre-packaged syrup, which Mr. Ken also took advantage of, as he waited for the waffle to finish cooking. As the man was finishing his pancakes, Robert brought over his very hot waffle and more warm syrup for him to pour over it. The teen’s dad thanked him and poured the syrup and dug right into the waffle. Charles then filled up his dad’s coffee cup for him.

The Covers talked with their ‘dad’ as he finished his last cup of coffee. He then asked one of the boys to check if their transportation was outside. Learning it was, the Covers loaded into the vehicle and headed out to the park for the next to last day of their trip.

Once they were at the park, Mr. Ken asked Jason if the boys could work on something outside. Jason thought long and hard and said that they could probably help clean the outdoor furniture at some of the food stands. But then he remembered he planned to have them all pressure washed before they were wiped down.

Jason thought about a few other things, but each time he would tell Mr. Ken that either the insurance would keep them from doing it, or the high school students were already working on that.

Finally, Jason asked the owner of the park if he thought the boys would agree to working indoors, again, but this time they could help with the ride parts inventory. The ops manager mentioned that the maintenance men have ordered many of the parts that they could see were missing, or short, but they have yet to make a dent in accomplishing a full parts inventory.

Jason said the boys could help the men out by working on at least one or two rides and that would start the process for them. Mr. Ken said he’d talk to the boys and see what they’d say.

Ten minutes later the seven boys, and Mr. Dennis, were heading over to the Development, Enhancement, Repair, and Restoration (DERR) Work Center where the multiple shops – electrical, mechanical, plumbing, carpentry, landscaping could be found. There Jason introduced them to one of the ride mechanics and told them why they were there. Hearing the reason why they were there put a smile, a mile wide, on the ride mechanic’s face.

The mechanic brought out inventory sheets, explained to the boys, and Mr. Dennis, what they needed to do and then for them to annotate the sheets. He also gave them sheets of orange dots for them to place on the bins that they inventoried, so they wouldn’t have to do them later. The man then took the boys, and one man, to different parts bin aisles. That was so they wouldn’t overlap or interfere with one another.

Phillip was a bit intimidated with the job at hand. He’d only turned eleven a few weeks back and he wasn’t all that confident he would do the job right. After the man left, he went to Billy and told him that.

Billy went back with him to the area he was assigned and had him start doing the inventory. The teen had Phillip check the parts bin against the printout sheet, then had him do the count and then annotated the sheet. Then, with that done, the teen had the youngest Cover place an orange dot on the bin.

Billy had the young Cover do that to a few more bins, and then he told his younger ‘brother’ he knew what he was doing, he just needed some encouragement. The two hugged and Billy told Phillip to come and get him if he had any more problems.

While the parts bins were being inventoried, Mr. Ken and Jason were getting ready for the news conference. Mr. Ken went and found his Owner’s polo and put it on and then he called Ben to tell him about his impromptu brainstorming about when to announce the new name of the park.

Ben listened to what Mr. Ken had to say and he was happy that the man had finally come around to announcing the new name during the Grand Re-Opening. It was then that Mr. Ken asked Ben if he should announce the new name at the news conference that was happening in less than an hour, or should he just hint at the fact the park would get a new name when it reopens.

Now Ben had to decide what he thought was the right thing to do for the park. Ben told the park’s owner that he felt that if the question came up, that a subtle hint that it was a distinct possibility, would be enough to whet their appetite. Mr. Ken said he agreed with that.

Over at the hotel, Collin, Ryan and Mr. Wayne met down in the lobby around 9:15. The college freshmen asked where Mr. Dennis was; only to learn he went in early with the boys and Mr. Ken.

The three Covers then decided to go out for breakfast. But they said they didn’t want to take a long time eating, as they wanted to be at the park for the eleven o’clock news conference. They wanted to hear what Mr. Ken had to say to the reporter’s questions.

With seven boys, and one man, working on the ride parts inventory, they were making good progress. But the group, mainly the boys, were also watching the time, as they also wanted to be there for the news conference. So, when it was close to eleven o’clock, they all finished the bin they were counting, put their inventory sheets aside, and they walked over to where the news conference was being held.

“Good morning, everyone, I am Ken Thomas. I am the new owner of the Edgewood Amusement Park, which will be affiliated with and administered under Three Finger Entertainment, LLC. Ever since I bought this park, my plan has been to reinvigorate it and bring it back to the grand old amusement park it once was.

“My operations manager, Jason Zimms, along with his team, has been doing an awesome job in preparing the park for our projected Grand Re-Opening Day … which is scheduled for on, or about, the first of July.

“He, Jason, brought back virtually all of the previous employees, along with the high school students who also worked here previously. And he’s hired countless more workers and together they have worked tirelessly to make the park look like something you haven’t seen in many, many years.

“Jason has also contracted with many local electrical, plumbing, painting and landscaping companies. They were hired to perform work inside the park, that was beyond the in-place employee’s scope to get done in the short time frame that we had to opening day. That’s not to take anything away from those full-time employees who work in those areas. It is just that there was way too much work for them to do by themselves.

“One thing I also want you all to know … is that with the Rocket’s accident … and the age of most of the park’s rides, I brought in national inspection and repair companies to independently look at every one of our rides … and they also performed any needed repairs.

“Yes, you heard me right. I hired independent national companies to ensure that all of our rides, the family, thrill and children’s rides, will meet or exceed industry and State standards. I want you to know … that we do have qualified ride mechanics … but this was a daunting job, inspecting and repairing all of the many rides here.

“Again, this task was way over the ride mechanics collective heads, to get all of those rides inspected and any needed repairs done in the short time frame that we gave them before opening day. But after the I&R companies leave, they will take over that responsibility for all of the rides from then on.

“One thing you will also find when you go inside the park … is that we removed the Para-Drop and the Swinger from the park. And the Hey Day … it is undergoing a full restoration to bring it back to as close to what it looked like back when it was first installed about sixty, or maybe seventy years ago.

“Also, the State Inspectors … they have been here and have already certified a number of the rides that the I&R companies have released back to us. And they will be asked back, beginning next week, to inspect more of the rides, when they are also released back to us at the end of this week.

“You may also have noticed that the parking lot … that is being worked on as you arrived today was in bad shape; no, it was in terrible shape. We’re having the pot holes filled in and the front third of the lot will be paved and marked with more disabled parking spaces than ever before.

“OK, I guess I’ve pointed out what I feel are the important things that I wanted you all to know about. So … who has the first question?” asked Mr. Ken.

“Mr. Thomas … I know you addressed this once before when you first bought the park … but have you had to fire any more employees?” asked one reporter.

Mr. Ken asked Jason to take that question, since this is the first time Mr. Thomas has been back since those first few days. And Jason told the newsman that he hasn’t fired people, in as much as he has let people go, as they were more apt to do as little as possible than to actually give a good day’s work for a good day’s pay.

Another news reporter asked if it was true that they were going to rename The Wooden Coaster, Patches.

Mr. Ken smiled at the question that the name, Patches, had gotten out into the public. So, he answered that they indeed were going to rename the old wooden coaster, Patches, and when he and Jason would give them a tour in a little while they will understand why.

Another question the owner of the park was asked was if they were going to change the name of the park. Mr. Ken had to be careful how he answered this one. He told the assembled crowd that it dawned on them to do that, as with a new owner that is usually what happens,

But the reporter persisted, and Mr. Ken told him that only time would tell. But that they may want to be there on Opening Day to see if they are going to change the name of the park.

Another question Mr. Ken received had to deal with any new rides that they had planned to install, now that the Rocket was dismantled and hauled away as well as the Para-Drop and Swinger.

Mr. Ken said that it was too late in the season for them to install any new rides, as they are usually ordered now for installation during the off season. Again, he told them to wait and see what they had in store for the park in the coming years. He again hinted that they may want to be there on Opening Day to hear what they have planned for the park.

But the reporter kept on about what new rides had they considered adding to the park, now that three rides had been removed and one ride was being restored.

Mr. Ken told the reporter that they definitely would eventually add rides, but they have to find what rides are now available from the manufacturers and that is what his President of Three Finger Entertainment was doing as they speak. He went on to say that hopefully when they have their Grand Re-Opening, they would have that answer.

Another reporter asked if now that they were repairing the parking lot, if they had intended to begin charging for parking.

Mr. Ken smiled at the question and remarked, “If you did your homework … you already know that the majority of the amusement park operators, namely Disney, Cedar Fair, Six Flags, SeaWorld, Universal and most of the smaller parks around the country already charge for parking.

“I don’t see us charging for parking any time soon. But it is something that will always be on the table, and it could be added at some time in the future when it comes to helping pay to add more attractions to the park. But it is safe to say that economics will come into play at some time, when and if that decision is ever made.”

Mr. Ken then told the assembled group that it was time for him and Jason to take them inside the park and show them what they’ve been working on since he bought the property. He also encouraged them to take pictures and to compare them to any that they may have taken in years past.

The first thing Jason pointed out was how the main entrance had been revamped. He directed their attention to the ground that was now devoid of stains and gum. He told them how they pressure washed the pavers, established a better security inspection area, updated the ticket kiosks and painted them as well as made the entrance clean and fresh.

Once inside the park, the reporters saw that everything inside was also clean and had what looked like fresh paint on many of the buildings. They were surprised that the rides also looked as if they were brand new. They noticed the entrances to the rides were clean, had new paint, the queue posts were painted and the rides themselves were bright and shiny with the seats being clean.

They saw the same thing almost everywhere they looked, with the exception of the rides that were still undergoing inspection and repair. They also saw that the food concession approaches were just as clean as the main entrance. What surprised them the most was that the new owner had replaced, or was in the process of replacing, all of the old food serving equipment in each and every food stand.

When the group approached The Wooden Roller Coaster, they saw all of the new wood all over the structure and they asked Mr. Thomas if it was because of all of the new patches of wood that they are renaming the coaster.

All Mr. Ken did was put his finger on his nose to indicate that they hit the reason on the ‘nose’. He then laughed as did the people in the group.

The reporters who had been to the park after the Rocket’s accident remarked to Mr. Thomas that the park no longer had trash all over and caught in the corners of the rides skirting. They also commented that there weren’t tall grasses and weeds growing all over, as there used to be. They applauded that he was making a difference.

But then one reporter asked him directly if this was a one-time thing, and if the park would go back to what it was before.

That question caused Mr. Ken to stop walking. He immediately got hot under the collar at the question and the inference the reporter had made. It was evident to Jason, and the rest of the group, when Mr. Thomas abruptly stopped and didn’t say anything right away. Mr. Ken then turned and addressed the reporter who asked the unfounded question.

“I don’t know what your angle is, young man? You essentially asked me … if I would allow this park … to go back to being the dirty, no filthy, unkempt, unmaintained joke of an amusement park that it was before the Rocket’s accident.

“And I’ll bet that you don’t even know who I am. What I represent … and how many other amusement parks that I own? Do you? … DO YOU?” demanded Mr. Thomas.

When the reporter didn’t answer, Mr. Ken said, “Sir … I asked you a question. Will you give me the pleasure of a response?”

After a long moment of silence, Ken Thomas continued, “Since the man refuses to answer, I’ll tell you. Besides Edgewood … I own four other amusement parks. … I also own a hotel; an office building and I am currently in the process of constructing a 400-slip marina.

“The marina will have a bait shop and scuba store, along with a separate Sea-Food restaurant. I also have a seven-bay car wash and a boat storage lot. And this man … he thinks I will allow this park to recede back into the doldrums of the past.

“Unlike Disney, Cedar Fair, Six Flags and Universal, who have thousands of investors, I actually own my amusement parks outright! Every penny that goes into them … comes out of my own pocket. And I want you to know that I have a considerable sum invested here in Edgewood. So, why would I want to spend my money just to allow this wonderful amusement park to revert back into its former run-down state?

“So, young man … I would hope that in the future … you would do your diligent research … before you ask such baseless and ludicrous questions again!

“Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you all for coming here today. I hope that I’ve answered your questions, and if I haven’t, please get with Jason, as I will be returning home tomorrow,” offered the owner of the Edgewood Amusement Park, Ken Thomas, as he waved to the assembled crowd and walked away.

As Mr. Ken walked away, his traveling group joined him. He asked his ‘sons’ why they weren’t doing the inventory. They told him they wanted to listen to what he had to say, and that they heard everything he’d said. They also told him they didn’t like the way that reporter treated him, and they were proud of the way he answered him.

The boys then told him it was past lunch time and they all needed to get something to eat. The large group then headed over to the cafeteria to get a late lunch.

After their late lunch the boys and Mr. Dennis, joined by Mr. Wayne, Mr. Dan, Collin and Ryan went back to working on the ride parts inventory. The ride mechanic was disappointed that the group had taken such a long break, but when they returned with four more people to help, he was thrilled.

Mr. Dennis told the man that they would work on the inventory until Mr. Thomas was ready to leave. Collin then asked the man if their computer was set up so that he could update the inventory that his ‘brothers’ had already accomplished. The college junior told him that he could enter the data and that would put them that much further along with that enormous task.

The ride mechanic couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Not only were the owner’s ‘family’ helping with the daunting undertaking of counting all of the major parts for all of the rides in the park, one of them was also going to help enter the count into the computer for them.

The mechanic quickly showed Collin the computer inventory program and explained how it worked and what he needed to do to enter and save the data. The man did a few of the inventory totals to give Collin an idea of what to do. He then had the Cover do a few, as he watched. The man then left to go back out to the rides that were being worked on, to watch the I&R men repair the rides and get some ideas on how to do the repairs in the future.

It was late afternoon where the Covers were, as they worked on the ride parts inventory at the amusement park. But back home it was one hour earlier and their friends were out and about making the best of their time until their Cover friends returned, and they could go back to The Cove to skate, swim and have the barbeques that they so enjoyed.

It was raining and Charles’ friends, Richard, David, Dylan, Tyler and Cooper, had all met at The Mall early that afternoon to go to a movie. The soon to be freshmen walked around The Mall looking at the summer clothes and talking about what they would like to wear when it came time to attend high school that August. They were essentially window shopping until it was time to head to the movie that they all had wanted to see.

During all that time that they window shopped the new summer clothes, what they hadn’t seen were six high school juniors, one of which had a grudge against one of the five boys, and they were looking for the right time to take revenge on that younger teen.

The five friends stopped at the Food Court to get something to drink, and then before heading to the Theater Plex to catch their movie, Richard and David decided to head to the Men’s Restroom to relieve themselves of some excess fluid.

The six high school juniors saw their chance and one by one they followed the two soon-to-be freshmen down a long hallway of the Food Court to the out-of-the-way Men’s Restroom.

Richard and David were each standing at a urinal, when the first two older boys entered, but the soon-to-be freshmen didn’t take notice. But it wasn’t too long afterwards that all six high school juniors were in the restroom standing behind them.

“I told you I’d get back at you one day, Richard,” spoke up Nicholas Crown, the one who attacked Richard out in the school yard two years ago.

David tried to move around the six bigger boys, but was blocked by one of the boys.

“You’re not going anywhere to notify anybody,” now spoke up Owen Shappell.

By then Nicholas had gotten a hold of Richard by his shirt and began taking out his anger on the younger teen for his being arrested after accosting the then seventh grader in the school yard. The high school junior began his attack by first slapping the younger boy and then he began punching him.

When Richard was on the floor, after one serious punch, the young teen reached into his pants pocket and squeezed his coin.

While Richard was being beaten, Owen began hitting on David. The older teen began telling David that he’s going to get what his friend Charles deserved, and since he wasn’t there to get it, he’d get it instead, but only worse.

Owen had Brody hold David’s arms back behind his back, while Owen reared back and hit the younger teen squarely in his stomach. David doubled over and fell to the restroom floor. When he did, he reached into his pants pocket and he also squeezed his coin.

Alexander Dennis saw what David did and when they pulled the younger boy up to his feet the older boy reached into the pants pocket to find what David was reaching for in there. As soon as Alexander felt the object, he felt how warm it was and he pulled it out. He showed it to his friends and that show-and-tell delayed any more injuries to either David or Richard.

Jules Diamond Security Services received the first alert of Richard’s coin being activated and immediately identified its location. The security technician on duty quickly called the Sheriff’s Department and told them of a security distress situation that appeared to be located inside The Mall, at, or near, the Food Court.

Then not more than two minutes later Jules Diamond Security Services received another alert of another coin being activated. And when the same security technician cross referenced its location, he was flabbergasted that its position was essentially at the same point inside The Mall, at, or near, the Food Court.

Jules Diamond Security Services quickly called the Sheriff’s Department again to tell them that they just received a second security distress alert from the same location, but this time telling them it was from a different customer. They stressed that with two devices being activated so close to one another they would understand that this situation must be grave, and that its two customers must now be in serious danger.

While the coins emergency signal was sent out to Jules Diamond Security Services the high school juniors had no clue what was about to befall them. They examined David’s coin and the more they handled it the hotter they felt the coin get.

They began asking David what the coin was doing, and as they did that, they also began roughing him up some more. The older boys hit him to get him to answer them, thus leaving Richard alone for the time being.

What the older teens also didn’t know was that Richard and David’s friends were wondering what happened to their friends, as they knew it didn’t take all that long to empty their bladders. So, with that in mind, the three other friends went in search of their missing friends.

Upon opening the Men’s restroom door, and seeing both Richard and David all disheveled and bloody, Cooper jumped on the closest junior and yelled, “Leave my friends alone!” The soon-to-be freshman put his own safety aside in defense of his friends, who had obviously been attacked and looked badly hurt.

Dylan and Tyler also jumped into the fray and onto a high school junior not thinking of what might happen to them. Their only thought at the time was that they needed to help and protect Richard and David, who were now laying on the floor, from the six high school bullies who had obviously attacked them in that Men’s Restroom.

There was a loud ruckus now coming from that area and it called attention to itself. People began wondering what was happening and they called The Mall Security.

The Mall Security arrived at the same time that two Deputy Sheriff’s arrived outside the Food Court with their patrol cars emergency lights flashing and their sirens blaring. The Deputy Sheriffs rushed into the Food Court asking where the two people who notified Diamond Security that they were in emergency distress.

The Mall Security personnel were perplexed that the Deputy Sheriffs showed up, as they never called them. But they told them of a large ruckus that was emanating from the Men’s Restroom, and that was where they were headed.

The two Sheriff Deputies hurriedly followed the two Mall Security personnel to where they were told the disturbance was. Upon entering the Men’s Restroom, they found a fight going on between some older and younger teenaged boys. And because of the number of participants, the senior Sheriff Deputy called in for additional assistance.

As the Deputies began breaking up the melee, they noticed one boy was down on the floor and was bleeding profusely. They quickly called for an ambulance and then began placing the older teens in handcuffs, with two boys sharing one handcuff, as they only had one set each. But two of the older boys were able to escape from the restroom.

The Mall Security only had the plastic handcuffs, but they worked to help control the remaining boys enough until the additional deputies arrived.

With the nine boys now under control, the deputies quickly checked the injured boy only to find that he had a knife wound. They called for an additional ambulance as they had two injured teens and quickly applied additional pressure to the stab wound and learned that his name was Richard Longger. They also learned from David that Richard and he were attacked by the older teenagers because of something that had happened over two years ago.

When the additional deputies arrived, they separated the teens in order to get their individual stories, as to what happened. But as they did that Cooper yelled out to his friends for them not to say anything without their parents there.

By then the ambulance with Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) had arrived and they had begun attending to Richard. They first attended to his knife wound and established an I.V. line and because of his injuries they immediately transported him to the nearest hospital. Before leaving the EMTs told the Deputies that the second ambulance would have to attend to the second patient.

With the arrival of the Sheriff Deputies and the ambulances, it brought a lot of The Mall shoppers to the area to try to find out what happened. They, of course, took out their cell phones and they caught as much of the action of them as they could.

The police radio traffic, always being monitored by the news media, also brought the news crews to the scene trying to find the reason for the need for several Sheriff Deputies and the EMTs, along with the ambulances to attend to two injured teens.

The news media was late to the story, but they talked to the shoppers who had video of the ambulances taking two injured teenagers away, and other teens being transported via Sheriff patrol cars. They talked to The Mall Security personnel who told them that a major fight had broken out amongst a number of teenagers, and that one of them received a knife wound.

When asked for the names of the teenagers involved, The Mall Security personnel referred them to the Sheriff Department, as they were now doing the investigation into what caused the fight, and who was the person who was stabbed and may have stabbed the injured teen.

The Covers departed Edgewood Amusement Park around five o’clock that Tuesday evening. They all said their goodbyes to Jason and his right-hand men, Braxton and Tucker, and then the boys and men stopped by the wardrobe department and thanked the women one more time for their personalized polo shirts.

All of the ride mechanics stopped by the operations building when they heard that the park’s owner and his ‘family’ were leaving. They wanted to thank the boys and the men for all the work they did on the part’s inventory for them. The mechanics told the group that they put a large dent in that humongous task, and that it now doesn’t look as daunting as it once did to them. They shook all of their hands and wished them a safe journey home.

The Covers stopped for dinner along the way back to the hotel. It was while they were eating that Mr. Ken’s cell phone rang. And then Mr. Dan’s rang, and then so did Mr. Wayne’s. The men chose not to talk at the table, so they got up and walked away.

The boys were curious as to why all of the phones rang almost at the same time. But when all the men got up and walked away from the table, they knew something bad must have happened back home, and they wanted to know what it was.

Billy, Robert, Eric and Charles quickly took out their cell phones and called their best friend to try to find out what happened. Billy, Robert and Eric got through on their first call. But Charles’ call to Cooper went unanswered. He then made a call to David, but it too went unanswered. He tried Richard and the call went immediately to voice mail. The Cover teen became concerned.

Billy, Robert and Eric heard from their friends about the fight at The Mall, but their friends didn’t know who was involved other than it was between older and younger high school students, and that one had been stabbed. They also learned that two of the older students had escaped and were now being sought by the Sheriff Deputies.

Mr. Ken’s phone call was from Jules Diamond Security Services to tell him that two of his coins were activated. Mr. Ken then learned that they had been activated within two minutes of one another, and at the same location, near the Food Court at The Mall.

Mr. Dan’s phone call was a courtesy call to tell him about the melee at The Mall and that two boys had been injured, and that one had been stabbed. The reason they called was to let him know that when he returns, he may be involved in the search for the two missing teenagers involved in the fight, if they haven’t already been found by the time he returns to work.

During the call, Dan learned the names of the boys involved in the fight, and he was saddened to learn who they were, and which one was stabbed. They also told him that the boy was in critical condition, and was in surgery at the time of their call. The Sheriff’s Lieutenant knew it would not be a pleasant issue to discuss with his host, Mr. Ken, when he had the chance.

Mr. Wayne’s phone call was from Dylan, one of Charles’ friends, and one of the boys who was involved in the fight. The teen wanted Mr. Wayne to know what happened at The Mall earlier today, and that two of Charles’ friends were injured and were taken to the hospital.

Dylan told the Estate Master, he figured it would be easier to tell him than Mr. Ken, as he wanted them to know about the fight and who was involved. He also wanted him to know that Richard had been stabbed, and had been in surgery, but he didn’t know what the outcome was.

Dylan also explained that David was also taken to the hospital, but that he didn’t think his injuries were serious enough that he needed to be admitted. Mr. Wayne thanked Dylan for the call and told him that Charles would be home late tomorrow afternoon.

The three adults met after their calls were finished, and the three quickly exchanged information. The question they had between them was when and how do they tell the boys.

The saga of Three Finger Cove continues. Let Chowhound know you are reading his story: Chowhnd at Gmail dot Com

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