Elena Gastaldo | (TNS) The Idaho Statesman

A giant tipping potato bucket called Tippin’ Tater that contains 750 gallons of water. A grumpy ram lifeguard keeping an eye on everyone. Two baby bears sliding down a log. Blue birds on a diving board.

Camp IdaH2O, the latest expansion of Roaring Springs Waterpark, is a celebration of life in the Pacific Northwest, says Tiffany Quilici, the water park’s chief marketing officer.

Meridian is the home of the Northwest’s largest water park. And it just turned 25 years old.

Here are six things to know about the park:

1. It employs hundreds of teens.

The Treasure Valley’s largest employer of young adults, Roaring Springs has 700 employees. About 200 of those are lifeguards, who rotate from one attraction to the next every 20 to 30 minutes. ‘‘That really helps to keep them alert and vigilant,’’ Quilici said.

Lifeguards show up around 9:30 a.m. and ride test every attraction to make sure they are all safe for visitors to go on.

Only 10 employees work full time year round.

Quilici said it’s a privilege for the park to be the first workplace for many teens in the Valley. ‘‘We get to teach them and mentor them in all the qualities they need to launch their future dreams,’’ Quilici said.

The water park is open mid May through mid September and has welcomed 6 million visitors in the past 25 years of operation.

Roaring Springs Waterpark in Meridian, Idaho, is the Northwest’s biggest water park. It requires 700 employees to operate. (Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman/TNS)

2. It uses a lot of water that it must keep clean.

On a typical day, the park’s operations team starts working at 6 a.m. and includes a crew of pressure washers cleaning the concrete.

Roaring Springs uses 1.5 million gallons of Meridian city water that circulates through the water park all season long. That’s enough to cover a football field 3½ feet deep. Like all Meridian city water, it comes from the water-bearing soil and rock of the Snake River Plain aquifer that underlies Ada County.

A certain amount of water gets lost to evaporation and when people walk out of pools and rides, so additional water is used every day. Aaron Forsythe, the water park’s operations manager, said the park takes in 10,000 to 15,000 gallons of water every day but ‘‘it’s hard to measure’’ exactly how much gets lost.

Quilici said the staff is ‘‘extremely vigilant about any leaks from pools and from slides.’’

The water goes through massive sand filter tanks and a chemistry process to keep it clean. Quilici said that the park also has ultraviolet lights that ‘‘kill every bug’’ in the water.

When asked about the park’s efforts to promote sustainability, Quilici said that they ‘‘certainly have some advanced energy efficiency devices in place to operate the pumps and motors at their optimal rate.’’ Deck drains at the end of the slides collect and recirculate water too, Forsythe said.

3. It uses a network of security cameras.

Roaring Springs was the first outdoor water park nationwide to install the Ellis Aquatic Vigilance System, which is supported by artificial intelligence and video analytics, a technology that uses a special algorithm to analyze digital videos and provide security-related services.

Cameras are installed throughout the park. They can see under water. Roaring Springs has two command centers with operators who are alerted through radios when a danger is perceived by one of the cameras.

Forsythe said Roaring Springs uses the cameras as an ‘‘extra layer of security’’ on top of the lifeguards.

4. Those teen employees get free passes and parties.

Employees get a free season pass, numerous half-off tickets for friends and family, and get to attend work-related parties ‘‘to make it a really fun social experience,’’ Quilici said.

Roaring Springs also has a scholarship program for employees in college. Quilici said that about $30,000 in scholarships was awarded last year.

A seagull perches on top of a cameras from Ellis Aquatic Vigilance System at Roaring Springs Waterpark in Meridian, Idaho. The system uses artificial intelligence to help identify dangers in the park. The camera can see under water. (Sarah A. Miller/Idaho Statesman/TNS)

5. Missing your dentures or wedding ring?

The park employees find lost items daily. Some of the more unique findings include a hammer, dentures, and a wedding ring. To get their belongings back, guests fill out a form and have one week to collect them. The park donates unclaimed items, Quilici said.

6. New attractions are planned.

Roaring Springs recently opened Class 5 Canyon, the Northwest’s first wave action river, which simulates a whitewater experience.

Quilici and the CEO Pat Morandi travel around the country, and sometimes the world, to try out new rides, get inspired by other water parks and bring back new attractions’ ideas for Idaho.

Camp IdaH2O is just the first of seven phases of Roaring Springs’ plan to expand. A major new water attraction will be added every two to three years for the next 10 years, Quilici said.

________

Today is Thursday, July 4, the 186th day of 2024. There are 180 days left in the year. This is Independence Day.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by delegates to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

Also on this date:

In 1802, the United States Military Academy officially opened at West Point, New York.

In 1817, construction of the Erie Canal began in Rome, New York.

Related Articles

Today in History: July 3, Union wins Battle of Gettysburg

Current, former residents of St. Paul’s West Side Flats call for redress for historical displacement

Today in History: July 2, Civil Rights Act signed into law

Today in History: July 1, Princess Diana’s birthday

Laugh (or cringe) at these history-making moments from presidential debates

In 1826, 50 years to the day after the Declaration of Independence was adopted, former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died.

In 1831, the fifth president of the United States, James Monroe, died in New York City at age 73.

In 1855, the first edition of Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” was published.

In 1863, the Civil War Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, ended as a Confederate garrison surrendered to Union forces.

In 1910, in what was billed as “The Fight of the Century,” Black world heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson defeated white former champ “Gentleman” Jim Jeffries in Reno, Nevada; race riots across the country following the fight killed more than 20 people.

In 1912, the 48-star American flag, recognizing New Mexico and Arizona statehood, was adopted.

In 1939, Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees delivered his famous farewell speech in which he called himself “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

In 1946, the United States and the Philippines signed the Treaty of Manila, recognizing Philippine independence from the US.

In 1960, the current 50-star version of the US flag was adopted.

In 1976, America celebrated its bicentennial with daylong festivities; President Gerald R. Ford made stops in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Independence Hall in Philadelphia and New York, where more than 200 ships paraded up the Hudson River in Operation Sail.

In 1987, Klaus Barbie, the former Gestapo chief known as the “Butcher of Lyon,” was convicted by a French court of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison (he died in September 1991).

In 1995, the space shuttle Atlantis and the Russian space station Mir parted after spending five days in orbit docked together.

In 2012, scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva cheered the apparent end of a decades-long quest for a new subatomic particle called the Higgs boson, or “God particle.”

In 2013, the Statue of Liberty reopened on the Fourth of July, eight months after Superstorm Sandy shuttered the national symbol of freedom.

Today’s Birthdays:

Actor Eva Marie Saint is 100.
Tuskegee Airman Harry Stewart Jr. is 100.
Queen Sonja of Norway is 87.
Actor Karolyn Grimes (“It’s a Wonderful Life”) is 83.
Broadcast journalist Geraldo Rivera is 81.
Funk/jazz trombonist Fred Wesley is 81.
Vietnam War veteran and peace activist Ron Kovic is 78.
Singer John Waite is 72.
International Tennis Hall of Famer Pam Shriver is 62.
Christian rock singer Michael Sweet (Stryper) is 60.
Actor-playwright-screenwriter Tracy Letts is 59.
Actor Becki Newton is 46.
TV personality Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino is 42.
R&B singer Melanie Fiona is 41.
Singer and rapper Post Malone is 29.
Malia Obama is 26.

Organizers of the Breakaway Music Festival say the two-night celebration of electronic dance music outside Allianz Field drew some 24,000 patrons last weekend to the first major music event since the soccer stadium’s opening in 2019.

The stadium area’s inaugural rave-style music festival also drew its share of noise complaints from residents as far away as Mendota Heights, including the Trudeau family, who figured the amplified sound “might be cheeky neighbors having a party. We could hear it indoors even with the television on — especially on the first night.”

While some neighbors east and west of the festival grounds barely heard the DJs, residents south of the stadium appeared to have an unsolicited front-row seat because of the way sound travels, which can be highly dependent on weather, speaker positioning and other variables. Ramsey County emergency dispatch received some 200 noise complaints last weekend, most of them likely linked to the stadium.

In a written statement this week, festival organizers promised “further sound engineering studies to improve upon the layout of our event, hopefully mitigating more of the impact to local residents” before a “hopeful return to St. Paul in 2025.”

Some St. Paul residents welcomed the arrival of so many visitors to the Midway, and called non-soccer events on the grounds well overdue after five years of limited economic activity in the United Village space outside and around the stadium itself.

Jarrod Fucci, president of Breakaway, issued a statement this week calling St. Paul’s event the largest Breakaway Music Festival of the season to date. Some 6,000 pounds of waste were diverted “through robust recycling programs, and unique to our event here in St. Paul, an event-wide composting program.”

The event team, he said, amassed the equivalent of more than 200 hotel nights, 90 flights and dozens of rented vehicles, and “we partnered with local vendors for event infrastructure like restrooms, fencing, barricade, tents, etc. and featured local food trucks around the event property.” There were also after-parties at local bars.

As for the sound, he said sound engineers will examine the positioning of stages, as well as start and end times to “optimize the event for both attendees and the surrounding community.”

“Breakaway prioritizes listening to the community and we hear their feedback regarding the amplified sound,” he continued. “We look forward to engaging with them as we plan our hopeful return to St. Paul in 2025.”

Related Articles

Can music help someone with Alzheimer’s disease?

Why these 10 American anthems deserve a spot on your Fourth of July playlist

St. Paul: Breakaway Music Festival draws fans — and noise complaints

Minnesota Orchestra president and CEO Michelle Miller Burns to depart in September

Minnesota State Fair opens auditions for the annual talent contest

Saints starting pitcher Louie Varland is a reluctant interview these days.

The 26-year-old right-hander’s responses to questions are as brief as they are guarded. No offense should be taken. Nor, for near certainty, is any offense intended.

The St. Paul native simply is more interested in finding answers in a season with more than its share of ups and downs, and spending a lot of time talking about it in the media probably doesn’t seem to him to be a good use of his time or energy.

Varland enters Thursday’s start at CHS Field with a 3-6 record and an earned-run-average of 6.56. He’ll make his 11th start of the season for the Saints with some momentum, having blanked the Iowa Cubs over five innings in his last start.

His last start at CHS Field, however, was a disaster. He gave up 11 earned runs on 11 hits in 2 1/3 innings against Toledo on June 23. Varland left the ballpark without making any comment and acknowledged on Wednesday prior to the Saints’ 21-6 loss to the Gwinnett Stripers that the rough outing indeed weighed heavily on him.

“It sucks; it’s not what you want at all,” Varland said. “Any competitive baseball player, it’s going to weigh a lot on them.”

Varland said he entered his start against Iowa with the mindset that he couldn’t wait to put the previous outing behind him. His success raised the question of what he changed from one start to the next.

“Nothing,” Varland said, adding, “That’s baseball.”

What made the start against Toledo all the more surprising was that Varland was coming off two solid outings with the Twins — one as a starter and one out of the bullpen. Once again, he chalked it up to, “That’s baseball,” but Varland knows he will be well served to find some consistent success.

The best way to do that, he said, is to learn from the bad and stay focused on doing the things needed to allow him to continue to improve.

Varland has worked with coaches this season and last to develop new pitches while fine-tuning others. His current repertoire includes five pitches: cutter, four-seam fastball, changeup, curveball and an occasional two-seam fastball.

Varland said he doesn’t have a pitch he considers his best, although his fastball reaches the high 90s. He said he typically throws his fastball 30% of the time.

“I’m going to throw every pitch every game,” Varland said. “It depends on the lineup and what the hitters struggle with.”

Varland has made 28 career appearances with the Twins, including 20 starts. It remains to be seen if his future is as a starter or a reliever.

“I think what’s best for the Twins (right now) is backing up starting pitching,” Varland said. “That’s why I’m at Triple-A, to be built up as a starter. I think everybody knows what I can do out of the ’pen,” referring to last year.

“So that can happen at any time. But the most important thing to help the team is starting pitching.”

It will be a win-win if he can get himself straightened out. He might even have something to say about it.

Briefly

Saints pitchers gave up a season-high 24 hits after allowing 20 on June 23. Infielder Diego Castillo pitched the ninth and gave up a grand slam.

The Stripers started the fifth inning with six consecutive hits against Saints starter Caleb Boushley and reliever Scott Blewett en route to a five-run inning.

Left-handed reliever Aaron Rozek, a Burnsville native, was called up from Double-A Wichita.