Steven Spearie
The State Journal-Register
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Sliding on down
Part of the consent agenda that was approved Tuesday included an ordinance authorizing a sponsorship agreement between the city and Doug Knight, the owner and general manager of Knight’s Action Park and Splash Kingdom, who is trying to buy the Giant Slide from a Minnesota businessman.
The nearly 40-foot-high slide has been a mainstay at the Illinois State Fair since 1968.
The $30,000 annual payment for four years would help with the operation of the slide, said Scott Dahl, director of the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The idea is to open the slide to the public outside of the regular fair run, which is Aug. 11-21. The slide would also be open on Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m. through the end of August.
It could also be part of a marketing campaign around the city and the Route 66 Experience at Gate 2 of the fairgrounds. The “Mother Road” celebrates its centennial in 2026.
Knight told The State Journal-Register last week that the city’s support “makes the difference of the deal happening or not.”
The asking price for the slide is $250,000.
Ward 7 Ald. Joe McMenamin asked if the city could put a clause in the contract that made Knight agree to keep the slide there.
“After the subsidy (is up), he could try to sell it,” McMenamin pointed out.
There was no immediate word Tuesday on the update of the sale.
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Joe McMenamin for Ward 7 