The gates of Arnolds Park Amusement Park will open at 11 a.m. this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, May 17-18 for the season.

Enjoy the ups and downs of the famous Northwest Bank Legend roller coaster and the spectacular view from the Bank Midwest Ferris Wheel. New bumper cars are one of the many new features of the park, while the new addition of double go-karts complete the go-cart renovations at Arnolds Park Raceway.

The two-day pass is another great savings program for our many weekend visitors. The HAPI Family Fun Pak is making its second year debut with a great savings for a family of four, allowing for unlimited rides for the day, free lunch, 20 game tickets and discount coupons for Queen II excursion ride, Pirates Cove Adventure Golf and Queen's Court retail shops.

The Maritime Museum has a new exhibit,"Why We Came," located in the main lobby. The exhibit demonstrates how the railroads influenced the growth of the Lakes region as a vacation destination in the 1800's. This exhibit was funded through Humanities Iowa and was the creation of lakes area native, Chad Gerhold. Gerhold recently accepted a national award for the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum exhibit. The museum opens daily at 10 a.m.

The first Preservation Plaza concert will feature a lakes area favorite, Chubby Carrier, on Saturday, June 28. Willie Nelson will be performing Saturday, July 19.

* The entire concert series can be viewed online at www.arnoldspark.com.