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PARAMOUNT PARKS AND BONFANTE GARDENS
ANNOUNCE FIVE-YEAR MANAGEMENT CONTRACT
Parks are optimistic about future joint entertainment options
for Bay Area Families
Santa Clara, Calif. (February 4, 2003) -- Bonfante Gardens' board of
directors in Gilroy, Calif. and Paramount Parks, headquartered in Charlotte,
N.C., have entered into a five-year agreement wherein Paramount Parks
will assume management of Bonfante Gardens. Paramount Parks is the parent
company of Paramount's Great America, located in Santa Clara, Calif.
Bonfante Gardens' board of directors approved the contract, which states
that Paramount Parks will oversee complete management of Bonfante Gardens
and will provide strategic guidance to Bonfante Gardens on financial
decisions and long-range planning.
"We were looking for the best in the business and Paramount Parks
was clearly the right choice," said Bob Kraemer, chairman of the
board for Bonfante Gardens. "We are delighted that our management contract
with Paramount Parks will allow us to be true to our mission of entertaining
young families and garden lovers and educating them about horticulture
and its contribution to our community."
Al Weber, president/CEO of Paramount Parks, concurred, stating, "Bonfante
Gardens is highly respected as a beautiful property and we are pleased
to have the opportunity to nurture and grow the vision of Michael Bonfante
and the city of Gilroy. We are proud they have chosen us to manage the
park."
As the two teams begin to converge and develop plans, both parks are
excited about the synergistic opportunities that exist. The agreement
enables many opportunities for Bonfante Gardens to work with Paramount's Great
America to drive tourism in the South Bay and to better serve the
community.
As part of Viacom, one of the leading entertainment companies in the
world, Paramount Parks is consistently identifying new opportunities
to expand the entertainment choices the company can offer its customers.
The association of Paramount Parks and Bonfante Gardens creates an inviting
combination of entrepreneurship and experience that will generate benefits
for Bonfante Gardens and better family entertainment value for Bay Area
families.
"We know how important Bonfante Gardens has become to many families
in the South Bay community, and through our management agreement
with Bonfante Gardens, we plan to maintain the beauty of the park consistent
with Michael Bonfante's vision," said Tim Fisher, EVP and general
manager of Paramount's Great America.
Bonfante Gardens is a unique park where young families enjoy a day of
fun together in an incredibly beautiful environment. With spectacular
waterfalls, rides for children, stages of entertainment and excellent
restaurants, young families experience a day of fun and are delighted
by the beauty of their surroundings. The park's focus is the family, education on
the benefits of trees, and horticulture and its contribution to the
world.
Paramount's Great America is owned and operated by Paramount Parks.
Paramount's Great America has the most kids' rides,
the most coasters, and the most water rides in Northern California.
And, it's the only place in the Bay Area where kids can meet and play
with their favorite Nickelodeon friends. Paramount's Great America opens
for the 2003 season -- weekends only -- beginning Saturday, March 29,
2003. For more information about Paramount's Great America, guests can
call (408) 988-1776 or visit the park's web site at www.pgathrills.com.
Paramount Parks is a leading developer and operator
of world-class theme parks and location-based entertainment attractions,
entertaining more than 13 million guests annually. The company currently
owns and operates five of the most popular theme parks in North America
including: Paramount's Kings Island (Cincinnati, Ohio); Paramount's
Kings Dominion (Richmond, Va.); Paramount's Great America (Santa Clara,
Calif.); Paramount's Carowinds (Charlotte, N.C.); and Paramount Canada's
Wonderland (Toronto, Ontario, Canada). The company also developed and
manages the award-winning Star Trek: The Experience® at the Las
Vegas Hilton (Las Vegas, Nev.) and manages Terra Mitica theme park (Benidorm,
Valencia, Spain). More information about Paramount Parks is available
at www.paramountparks.com.
Viacom is a leading global media company, with preeminent
positions in broadcast and cable television, radio, outdoor advertising,
and online. With programming that appeals to audiences in every demographic
category across virtually all media, the company is a leader in the
creation, promotion, and distribution of entertainment, news, sports,
and music. Viacom's well-known brands include CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon,
VH1, BET, Paramount Pictures, Viacom Outdoor, Infinity, UPN, TNN: The
National Network, CMT: Country Music Television, Showtime, Blockbuster,
and Simon & Schuster. More information about Viacom and its businesses
is available at www.viacom.com.
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