Closure of Wild Rapids in Sylvan Lake end of an era, creator says

The creator of the Wild Rapids waterslide park in Sylvan Lake is mourning the closure of the iconic roadside attraction.

Architect Dave Dubeta developed the water park, the first in Alberta, in 1982. This weekend is the park's last. The current owner has sold the property and the slides are up for sale.

"I feel quite sad about it all," Dubeta said Tuesday during an interview on CBC's Edmonton AM. "It was a project I was quite proud of. I think it benefited the town a great deal."

The park came about almost by accident.

In 1981, Dubeta, worried about this province's cratering economy, moved from Alberta to Kelowna, B.C.

Soon after, his children asked him to take them to a water park. The concept was new to him.

"We had a great time. I thought, 'Why not build one back in Alberta?'"

Water parks, still in their infancy at the time, were almost always built on hillsides.

So, being from Edmonton, Dubeta immediately thought of the city's river valley, but after the city dragged its feet, he moved on to Red Deer.

As that effort was falling apart, it came to him — Sylvan Lake.

Town crowded with tourists

"It occurred to me that every time I drove through the town, the town was crowded with summer tourists," he said. "I thought being halfway between Edmonton and Calgary, it would be a good place."

But if the park was to be near the action, the slides would have to be built on towers.

He sat down, designed the park from scratch and built a model.

"(I) presented it to the town and that's how it all started."

During the 25 years he owned the park, Dubeta developed and patented a number of innovations now taken for granted by water park visitors.

He said he is most proud of the Sidewinder, basically a half pipe, added several years after park was built. It was the first slide of its kind in the world. Dubeta still holds the patent.

He also designed a gizmo he called the Flash Flood, which allows water to build up and be released all at once, taking the rider down the slide.

Dubeta has been inducted into The World Waterpark Association Hall Of Fame for his contributions to the development of the water park industry, his wife Ria said.

She also noted that the year that Wild Rapids opened, Alberta was at the height of the recession with record-setting interest rates and tourism levels bottoming out.

Still, Dubeta was able to make a go of it.

With the new park in place, Sylvan Lake registered a four-fold increase in visitors to the town that year, she said.

The park helped put Sylvan Lake on the map, helping the town to become one of the most desired destinations for tourists and also developers and homeowners, she said.

While an era is coming to an end in Sylvan Lake, Dubeta believes waterslide parks have a place in the future.

"They will always be popular with the younger crowd. Parents have as much fun as the kids. It will continue to be a popular attraction."