Open House

I was able to make it to last night’s open house at the Orange Dome in Winter Haven. The crowd was large and appeared to be very excited. There was a mixture of kids and adults wanting to know more about the attraction, people wanting to find out about the anticipated 1000 new jobs, and business people and local residents curious about the larger impact to the Winter Haven area. It looked as if all the local media outlets where there to cover the event. Here is a report from WTSP Channel 10:

I had the opportunity to talk briefly with newly hired Public Relations Representative Jackie Wallace and John Ussher, Legoland’s general manager of development. Both seemed to be genuinely thrilled with the reception and reaction of those in attendance. From my brief exchange with them I hope to learn more about the progress of the project, and I eagerly anticipate being able to pass along new information as the park begins to take shape.

Talking to some of the people who visited the open house gave me the impression that many people in Polk County are not only looking forward to the park opening, but are also excited about the impact Legoland Florida will have on the entire area. There is a general feeling of a “rising tide lifting all boats” as the new jobs and future visitors create new opportunities for Polk businesses.

Sadly, I only had my camera phone and the pictures it takes are less than ideal. I’ll try to upload the others I took later today. In the mean time, Behind the Thrills has more on the open house along with a great slide show.