Youngsters splash down the yellow slide on the opening day of the new Wings & Waves waterpark. The slide is one of four that curve out of a 747-100 that tops the waterpark building.
Marcus Larson / News-Register

A swimmer zips through the Tail Spin water slide.
Marcus Larson / News-Register

Wings & Waves Waterpark

What:		This new waterpark is the latest addition to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum campus.
Where:		500 N.E. Captain Michael King Smith Way off Highway 18 in McMinnville.
When:		Open daily 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
How Much:		See the waterpark website for ticket prices

read: 4666 / emailed: 0 / share: email June 06, 2011

Wings & Waves Waterpark splashes down in McMinnville

By STARLA POINTER
Of the News-Register

A pair of fourth-graders shot around the final bend of Tail Spin, the second-most daring slide at the new Wings & Waves waterpark. As their clear vinyl innertube slowed, the boys staggered to their feet, eyes and mouths wide, hands clutching their chests in mock terror.

“Let’s do it again!” one shouted to the other. Laughing, they grabbed the tube and headed for the stairs.

The scene was often repeated this morning as more than 240 splashed and screamed and students helped christen the new waterpark. Eight winners of a water science essay and drawing contest and their entire classrooms were special guests during the first hour the 70,000-square foot facility was open. 

The public opening was at 11 a.m., and plenty of people showed up for that, too. Some said they wanted to be among the first users; others said they love water and waterparks, and wanted to take advantage of the place before it gets busy.

Evergreen founder and chairman Del Smith opened Wings & Waves with the press of a giant button after students counted down, “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...”

Smith and museum director Larry Wood urged the students to have fun at the waterpark, not just in the pools and slides, but also in the children’s museum upstairs. 

The museum features hands-on exhibits about space exploration and the water cycle. It’s part of the educational focus not only of Wings & Waves, but also the entire campus of the Evergreen Aviation Museum, which opened 10 years ago today, and Evergreen Space Museum, which opened three years ago today.

That’s what made a water essay contest an appropriate way to choose the first users of the waterpark, museum officials said.

In his opening remarks, Smith urged the essay contest winners and other students to keep up the good work. “Study, study, study,” he said. “Be willing to set goals and go the extra mile.

“Every day, believe in yourself and your maker,” he added. “God gave us the gift of life. We owe God for this.”

As they waited for the opening countdown, students said they were interested in the educational parts of the waterpark. Some were especially intrigued by the climbing area with tall trees, over which a firefighting helicopter hovered with a giant bucket of water. Others liked the view from the windows upstairs, which overlook the fans and filters that keep the waterpark operating.

Justine Reiter, a first-grader at Yamhill-Carlton Elementary School, won her grade level division of the entry contest. She depicted the water cycle by drawing, painting and adding glitter to a waterfall, the ocean and the sun.

“My class was really surprised and so excited when I won,” Justine said.

Y-C District schools finished up last week. But 16 students in Justine’s class were able to make it to the opening, along with several parents, their teacher and principal.

“We want to go to the fountains! We want to go the pools,” first-graders said as they waited. Some just looked up, awed by the colorful waterslides snaking down from the 747 on top of the waterpark.

Kate Ford, a third-grader at Memorial Elementary School, won a trip to Wings & Waves for her classroom by writing an essay about the life of a raindrop. Writing in the first person, she described how she evaporated, rose to the clouds, then snowed down on the ground below. 

“I wanted to win the essay contest for my class,” Kate said. “I love water, and I love to swim.”

When her teacher announced that she had won, she said, “we screamed and everybody hugged me.”

Monday morning, the third-graders vibrated with anticipation as the clock ticked down the final moments before the opening. “I want to swim in the wave pool first,” Kate said. “I’ll get to the slides later.”

Wings & Waves is open 10 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. Admission is $30 per person, or $25 for those under 42 inches in height. Entering the children’s museum only costs $15. For more information, check the website, www.evergreenmuseum.org.