Earlier this summer, Hayley wrote a funny piece that chronicled the "13 Stages of a Visit to White Water Bay."
Even though I haven't visited White Water in over 30 years, I thought it was brilliant. It triggered some massive nostalgia, and based on my recollection of extremely hazy memories, hit the nail on the head. I wasn't the only one who felt this way. 20,000 Oklahomans read the piece, likely nodding and laughing in agreement with all the floating Band-Aid references.
One group who apparently wasn't laughing was the water park's out-of-state owners and operators. I don't know if they were abused or infected by Band-Aids as children, but after seeing their precious brand get tossed and turned like a kid clinging to a raft in the wave pool, I guess they decided to change the park's name to something more boring, generic and opportunistic.
Via KOCO:
Popular waterpark White Water Bay in Oklahoma City, will be rebranded to Hurricane Harbor, and the park will debut a new attraction, officials announced Thursday.
According to the park’s official Facebook page, a new high-speed racing complex, Wahoo Racer, will make its debut in 2020.
It’s a multi-lane water racing slide that gives riders two uniquely different experiences.
Yep, in a classic end of summer new dump, they announced they are changing the name to Hurricane Harbour. Weird, huh?
Until this week, the only time you ever heard the word "Hurricane" mentioned in the OKC Metro was when Barry Switzer would have nightmares about the mid 1980s. Now we not only have to worry about inland hurricanes, but we have to think of excuses to get out of trips to Hurricane Harbor. It's funny how quickly things can change.
Although I can see how a move like this would make sense to short-sighted corporate overlords who want all their water parks to fall under the same national brand and identity, I think the move sucks. As the Ominplex has taught us, it will take decades to squeeze the name White Water from the local vernacular. The park has been around since 1981 and is a local institution. I will always call it "White Water" and always refer to it as "White Water." I'd encourage you to do the same.
That being said, I will probably re-title Hayley's "13 Stages" article. Not only will that appease search engines, but maybe it will convince the out-of-state owners to change the name back to White Water. We'll see how that goes.
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