Groundbreaking Today on the
Largest Entertainment Project in Kansas History
 First phase of the Midwest’s premier year-round entertainment destination
 is scheduled to open summer of 2009

KANSAS CITY, Kansas – The Schlitterbahn Vacation Village, located in Kansas City in Wyandotte County, Kansas, hosted its groundbreaking today. The first elements of the Vacation Village are scheduled to open in the summer of 2009 and will include the first phase of the Water Resort, several lodging components and the initial shops and restaurants to be developed along the projects themed Riverwalk.

Other parts of the Schlitterbahn Vacation Village will continue to be completed through the summer of 2011.

The Schlitterbahn Vacation Village is a $750 million year-round, trend-setting, retail entertainment destination comprised of multiple shopping, dining, lodging and entertainment venues connected by a Transportainment® River System. In the Vacation Village, manmade rivers carry guests between lodging units and a world-class Water Resort along with a covered Riverwalk including shops and restaurants.

The Kansas project is the first expansion outside of Texas for the popular Schlitterbahn group of waterparks. Widely recognized as the leader of waterpark innovation and as the first family of American waterparks, Schlitterbahn currently operates three Texas waterparks – Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark, South Padre Island, Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark, Galveston Island and the award-winning flagship waterpark Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, New Braunfels.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to develop the largest and most elaborate entertainment destination in Kansas history,” explained David Beardsley, chief executive officer for Schlitterbahn Resorts Worldwide. “Our team has been working on the creation and design of this world-class destination for more than two years and we are excited to be groundbreaking today. Without the support of the state and local governments the realization of this dream could not have become a reality”

The 370-acre vacation village is expected to entertain millions of guests per year and will create several thousand jobs, providing an economic boost to the region.

“On behalf of the citizens of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, I am delighted to have Schlitterbahn Resorts Worldwide select our community for the location of its first-class destination resort, the Schlitterbahn Vacation Village,” mentioned Joe Reardon, Mayor/CEO of Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas. “The fact that Wyandotte County was selected over other national traditional resort areas is recognition that our community is fast becoming a premiere resort destination area that is attracting millions of visitors annually. This project will be the largest entertainment enterprise in Kansas. Besides attracting many visitors and tourists to our area, Schlitterbahn will provide jobs for our residents and will also pay property taxes. The community extends its congratulations and best wishes to Schlitterbahn!

Schlitterbahn Background
Family-owned and operated, Schlitterbahn Waterparks has been a leader in family water entertainment since 1979. The company operates three parks in Texas, all of which offer family amenities that include free parking and free inner tubes. Guests are also welcome to bring a family picnic basket, excluding alcohol and glass containers, into the parks.

Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark, South Padre Island
The 26-acre park opened in 2001 and features more than a dozen family attractions including the state-of-the-art Transportainment® river system. Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark has received the industry’s top awards for design innovation.

Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark, Galveston Island
The world’s first convertible, climate-controlled indoor / outdoor waterpark features more than 30 family attractions including three interconnected rivers, two uphill water coasters and an entirely new area featuring seven new attractions for 2007.

Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, New Braunfels
The 65-acre park features more than 40 family attractions, miles of tubing adventures and 238 overnight accommodations. Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort is the most popular summertime waterpark in the United States and has been rated America’s number one waterpark by the Travel Channel. It has been the top-attended seasonal waterpark in the United States since 1995, according to Amusement Business rankings.

For more information, contact Schlitterbahn’s corporate office in New Braunfels, Texas at 830.625.2351 or visit the parks’ newsroom at schlitterbahn.com/news.

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Editor’s Note: Images and an electronic version of this release are available for media use at schlitterbahn.com/news