By: Colby Howell

Hawaiian Falls, Waco

WACO, TX — A local waterpark hosted a fun day in the sun for the town of West.

Hawaiian Falls in Waco will be donating money from Friday’s event to West ISD.

The park let kids from the district in for free and offered a generous discount to all other residents of West.

First responders of the April 17th fertilizer blast were also in attendance.

Park managers said it’s an easy way to help the community.

The gates opened at 10:30 a.m and by noon, hundreds were already getting wet.

“We’re donating a portion of our front gate proceeds to the town of West,” said Evan Barnett, manager of Hawaiian Falls. “We’re doing it in part to give back. We are about the community. We are about fun. We just want to give one day where they don’t have to worry about anything. They can just come out and have a good day with their families.”

West ISD needs money to help replace two schools and a football field destroyed or severely affected by the explosion.

WACO, Texas (May 24, 2013) – Hawaiian Falls Waco is hosting a special day at the waterpark to raise funds for the West Independent School District from 10:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Friday, June 7.

“Our hearts go out to the residents of West,” said Hawaiian Falls CEO David Busch. “We wanted to host a fundraiser to help the kids impacted by the recent tragedy, but, more importantly, we want to give the people of West a day where they can just have fun together. Our company’s mission is to bring families closer together and Splash 4 West is a great opportunity to create happy memories.”

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Hawaiian Falls Garland to set record non-stop riding The Rush slide

Hawaiian Falls will celebrate its 10th birthday at its original waterpark in Garland on Monday, June 10. As part of the celebration, the public is invited to help set a record of 10 hours of continuous sliding down The Rush, a dark tube slide with multi-sensory special effects such as lights, misters and music.

“We are so excited to mark this milestone with our friends,” said Hawaiian Falls CEO David Busch. “First, we thank Garland’s city leaders who had the vision to join us in this amazing public-private partnership. And we want to recognize the loyal families who have made our park their own for the past decade. Many kids have grown up at our park. Some grew up and came to work with us. Many have gone on to start careers and families of their own. We’re blessed to be part of so many happy stories.” Read More»

Help Hawaiian Falls in Garland set a record for sliding down this tube on 6/10. (Kye R. Lee)

By Nancy Chumin – The Dallas Morning News

It’s good to be 10, especially on 6/10 when Hawaiian Falls celebrates its 10th birthday by offering free admission for 10-year-olds at all five locations, with a reduced rate of $10 for ages 9 and younger.

The water park is also hoping to set a record  of people sliding down The Rush, a tube slide with lights, misters and music, for 10 consecutive hours, at its Garland site. The other sites are in The Colony, Mansfield, Roanoke and Waco.

Ten-year-olds must arrive before noon to get in free. Kids 9 and younger will need a special coupon, available at hfalls.com/bday, to get the $10 admission. Look for  food and drink specials at each park throughout the day on June 10, too.

David Busch, owner of Hawaiian Falls Waterparks, lives for the summer. Since the first park opened in 2003 in Garland as part of a public-private effort, his business forecast has been mostly sunny. Read More»

Staff photo— Rod Aydelotte Workers at Hawaiian Falls Waco pour concrete for a new 2,500-square-foot interactive splash play area. The park opens Saturday, but the new play area won’t be ready until the first week in June.

Hawaiian Falls Waco will debut a remodeled slide when it opens to the public Saturday, but a new 2,500-square-foot children’s play area will remain under construction for a few more weeks.

Hawaiian Falls, which operates five water parks in Texas, is spending $350,000 on the improvements and additions in Waco, company president David Busch said.

Workers poured the concrete base for the new children’s area called Waikiki Waterworks on Thursday. Read More»

By Robert Cadwallader

After a record-setting season last year that including the debuts of three new rides, Mansfield’s Hawaiian Falls doesn’t appear to be resting on its laurels.

For its sixth season, which kicks off Saturday during the Memorial Day weekend, the water park will feature a new, 400-foot-long, winding tube slide called The Rush, like the one unveiled to much acclaim at the Garland Hawaiian Falls last year.

The ride at Mansfield was re-engineered from the existing purple slide on the main slide tower. It’s designed for two people on an inflatable raft and is enclosed and dark except for interior strobe lighting synced to the rhythm of music. Riders can choose from about 50 available songs, mostly contemporary with a few oldies included, officials said. Read more»