Job-seekers crowd Fantasy Island

Photos and story by Karen Keefe
Grand Island Dispatch, April 29, 2005

Autumn Kaiser, 14, a freshman at Grand Island High School, is interviewed by Susan DiPietro, who manages all the retail outlets at Fantasy Island.

More than 400 eager teens crowded into Fantasy Island’s Basgetti’s Pizza and Pasta House this past Saturday, but it wasn’t pasta they wanted – it was jobs.

The popular amusement park also is an extremely popular work site for teens. The annual job fair is practically a rite of spring on Grand Island.

On this particular Saturday, it was miserable out, and more like winter: Rainy, cold and bleak. But most youngsters seemed to be enjoying the experience. They were there with their friends – parents brought them by the carful – and they were happy, giddy with excitement and nervous over that first job interview.

Variety of Jobs

They came to work in food service. They came to be ride operators. They came to work the games. They came to be lifeguards. They came to be caterers. They came to be EMTs. They came to be front gate people. They came to be gardeners.

They came in search of that first paycheck.

Hired on the Spot

For many it was an exhilarating experience, because they found out, on the spot, that they were hired.

That was the case for Autumn Kaiser, 14, a freshman at Grand Island High School.

She came with her sister. April, 16; her cousin, Matt Lewis, 15; and her friend, Harlyn Torres, 15.

Autumn Kaiser stood in the line for those who wanted “games or food.” It would be “literally my first job, except for baby-sitting,” she said. She was interviewed by Susan DiPietro, who runs all the retail locations – about 50 – in the park. She is the wife of Martin DiPietro, park owner since 1994. This was the 12th annual job fair, Susan pointed out. ”When everything’s said and done, there’s a lot of people here,” she said. It was the biggest one she could remember. “We see a lot of good kids.”

Later, Autumn Kaiser proudly announced to Nicholas Picholas, morning host at KISS-FM, 98.5, that she had been hired. Picholas was doing live remote cut-ins for the radio station.

Always a Turnover

Many were just as lucky as Kaiser. But hope is not gone for those who want a job but didn’t get the thumbs up on Saturday – or even for those who didn’t apply yet.

“There’s always a turnover. Sometimes if you don’t get a job now, you’ll end up with one anyway, because we do have a turnover, which I guess is the nature of the beast,” said Mike McGuire,” who is in charge of public relations and marketing for the park.

600 Jobs

By the end of the summer, he said the park will have employed more than 600 people. Some are returning from previous years’ employment at Fantasy Island.

“We get some really good applicants – a great diversity of ages,” McGuire said.

He said the applicants are divided by departments they applied for. Once their applications are checked, they are called for an interview. After that, the interviewers sit down and determine who stays.

“Some do get jobs right on the spot,” McGuire said.

Age Categories

There are three age categories that determine the kinds of jobs the youngsters are eligible for.

He said that 14- and 15-year-olds are restricted to certain kinds of work by the state, based on the kind of working papers they are issued.

Other jobs are open to 16- to 18-year-olds. Ride operators and food preparation workers are those 18 and over.

“We invite KISS every year,” McGuire said. “They make it more of a happening instead of just a job fair…. That’s our demographic,” he said.

Park Opening Schedule

“We’re the best family amusement park around. Our target audience is the young family,” McGuire said. “There’s a new coaster this year, the Crazy Mouse. It’s a family ride that everybody can go on,” he added.

McGuire pointed out the most popular ride is still the Silver Comet, a wooden roller coaster patterned after the one of the same name from the old Crystal Beach amusement park in Canada.

Fantasy Island opens May 14 for weekends only, from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The park opens full time on June 16, when it will be open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Then, in July and August, the park is open Saturdays until 9 p.m.