"Aqua-cycles," a new lake fountain and African wild dogs are just a few of the new attractions visitors might encounter at Oglebay Park this summer .
Visitors to Oglebay's Schenk Lake have been pedaling the bright yellow, aluminum pontoon cycle-boats around the lake in addition to the traditional paddleboats.
The park recently added two of the new cycles to the paddleboat dock at the lake.
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Photo by Scott McCloskey
Visitors ride a new aqua cycle around the new environmentally friendly fountain at Oglebay Park's Schenk Lake.
Caren Knoyer, marketing director for Oglebay Resort & Conference Center, said the park decided to add a couple of the new boats to Schenk Lake "just to add something different." Knoyer said people might normally see such cycles when they visit summer beach resorts at the ocean.
Another new feature at Schenk Lake is a more environmentally friendly fountain. Knoyer said the old fountain, which provided the "Cascading Water" shows, needed to be replaced.
She said not only was the old fountain in disrepair, attendance to the water shows had declined over the past few years. Knoyer said the new fountain does not have lights.
"The new fountain is definitely much more environmentally friendly. ... It doesn't take as much energy to run as the old fountain," said Knoyer.
Oglebay's Good Zoo has new additions as well this summer, featuring two new African wild dogs and a new spectacled bear. The zoo welcomed a 2-year-old female wild dog and an 18-month-old male.
The transfer of the wild dogs is part of planned breeding recommendations from a species survival plan. The new dogs can be viewed daily at the wild dogs exhibit. The African wild dog has become an endangered species in its native range due to a combination of factors, including habitat fragmentation and disease.
The zoo also welcomed a male spectacled bear, Joaquin, from Connecticut's Beardsly Zoo in April. The spectacled bear is the only species of bear in South America, and wild populations have become endangered due to hunting and habitat loss.
Also, Knoyer said in conjunction with the new Spider-Man 3-D movie due out in July, the Good Zoo will have a "Meet Spider-Man Live" event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 14 and a special Good Zoo Member's Only Preview from 7-9 p.m. July 13. She said the Good Zoo is also sponsoring a "Capture the Wild" photography contest through July 31, with amateur and professional categories. For contest rules and entry forms, visit the zoo's website www.oglebay-resort.com/goodzoo.
