The season before the season

When the first Monday in September (Labor Day) rolls around in the US, most breathe a sigh of relief  ̶  summer’s crowds have dispersed, routines settle back in and the pace slows. But for Baynum’s amusement park road crews, Labor Day is the starting gun for a seven-month amusement park refurbishment marathon.

Behind every polished ride and freshly-installed structure is a road crew that’s been working  ̶  literally  ̶  around the clock, across the country, and through every kind of condition to make that happen. Because in this business, Memorial Day (the last Monday in May) isn’t a starting line; it’s the finish line. Work doesn’t stop when the rides do.

The hidden amusement park refurbishment season

As soon as the music fades and guests exit the gates after Labor Day, Baynum crews get to work. For us, that’s when the real season begins: our road teams pack up and hit the highway, moving state to state with a singular goal: restore, repaint, rebuild and be gone before opening day. Some crews are tackling restoration and coatings, others are craning in new ride systems or installing multi-slide towers. By the time spring arrives, we’ve clocked up nearly 10,000 field hours across more than 20 states, with five to 10 active road crews working at any given time.

This post-season window  ̶  between Labor Day and Memorial Day  ̶  is our busiest time of year. It’s a fast-moving, high-stakes stretch that demands precision planning, logistical flexibility and serious endurance. There’s no easy way to describe the effort it takes to pull it off, but for those who do it, it’s a badge of honour.

Weather isn’t a forecast; it’s a factor

In this industry, you don’t fight the weather; you plan around it. The type of  amusement park refurbishment work we perform is heavily dictated by temperature, surface conditions and even regional humidity levels. Specialty coatings can be modified to work in colder conditions, but there are limits.

“You can swap out a part B component to drop your application range to the 30s,” says Adam Kimbrough, who leads Baynum’s restoration and coatings crews. “But that doesn’t mean it’s ideal to be 200 feet (60m) in the air with wind chill – we find a way to get the work done – but planning matters.”

Gelcoat application, for example, requires consistent temperatures above 55°F (13°C). For parks in cooler regions, that often means tackling projects early in the autumn, or waiting until late spring when temps rebound. And sometimes, it’s not about the cold; it’s the rain. 2024 brought one of the wettest springs in recent memory, which meant entire days lost to standing water, soaked surfaces or unsafe equipment operation. Every one of those days had a ripple effect.

That’s why timing matters. Parks that confirm early and finalise scopes before winter hits open up more flexibility for our crews to plan around unpredictable weather. Parks that wait until March to call us in? They’re crossing their fingers that Mother Nature cooperates.

 

Don’t underestimate installations

New installations  ̶  whether a relocated coaster or a brand-new tower slide complex  ̶ carry their own layer of complexity. These aren’t just build-outs. They’re multi-trade operations involving concrete, utilities, design approvals, structural inspections and crew sequencing that’s often down to the hour.

“We’re lifting 30,000-pound (13,600kg) rides into place and coordinating every trade on-site to support it,” says Terry Stephens, Construction Manager. “When you’ve got cranes, trucks, and timelines stacked, any slips in prep or permits can affect the whole project.”

This work isn’t plug-and-play. Each site comes with unique access requirements, surface preparation challenges, ride configurations and crew safety considerations. And the more we can front-load  ̶  permits, equipment rentals, material deliveries  ̶  the smoother things go once we hit the ground.

It takes a symphony

Successful amusement park refurbishment projects are symphonies of coordination. Park maintenance managers clear work areas, facilities teams unlock gates at sunrise and supply vendors deliver resin and paint just in time. When the entire operation hums, the result is seamless: no surprise boardwalk detours, no muddy staging areas and no last-minute product swaps. Together, we transform closed-off maintenance zones into vibrant guest attractions.

Behind every amusement park refurbishment job site is a project manager coordinating equipment deliveries, a foreman managing scope changes and a support team back at HQ tracking every moving part. From our crews in the field to our logistics and admin staff, it takes a team to keep this machine moving.

“At any given time, I could be coordinating multiple active installations in several states  ̶  each one with its own weather patterns, staging plans and construction needs,” says Kevin Fife, who oversees Baynum’s aquatic slide tower installations. “Our success depends on everyone being where they need to be, when they need to be there.”

Helping deliver the best result

Each off-season, we prioritise projects based on scope, crew availability and weather conditions. And while we always try to accommodate as many parks as possible, the truth is: we book up fast. Especially for gelcoat work or full attraction repaints, locking in your spot early gives us the chance to get your project the attention it deserves.

It also helps avoid the ‘April panic’, where last-minute calls collide with weather limitations and tight deadlines. Starting those conversations in the fall ensures your project is on our radar  ̶  and on our calendar. The best outcomes come from strong partnerships and proactive planning.

Here’s what helps:

• Early scope confirmation: The earlier the project is confirmed, the more flexibility we have to schedule it during the ideal climate window and assign the right crew.
• Full ride access: Whether it’s a repaint, a slide repair or a full installation, our crews work safer and faster when we have access without obstructions or delays.
• Prepared sites: Power, water, access paths and staging areas matter. The more ready the site is, the faster our work proceeds and the fewer change orders arise.
• Documentation: Even a simple walkthrough video of problem areas goes a long way in helping us scope, estimate and plan logistics long before arrival.
• Contingency mindset: Spring storms, wildfire smoke (like the California crews navigated last year), supply chain delays ̶ it all happens. When plans shift, flexibility keeps the work moving forward.

 

The human factor

Our road teams are a different breed. They go where the amusement park refurbishment projects take them, and stay until the job is done. That could mean a month in Ohio, three weeks in Georgia, or back-to-back jobs that send them from coast to coast. It means missing birthdays, family dinners and school plays. It means waking up in one hotel, painting a structure 200 feet (60m) in the air, and going to sleep in another city.

It’s not just physical labour; it’s a lifestyle. And it takes a special kind of commitment to do this year after year. It’s demanding, it’s unpredictable – and they wouldn’t trade it for anything.

You may never see the early morning site meetings, the late-night finish coats or the hours spent getting blasted by wind while prepping a lift for morning work. But guests will see the final result. They’ll see a park that feels fresh and vibrant; a structure that looks brand new and a ride that’s once again photo-ready.

That’s the part we love most. And while we don’t expect the average visitor to think about who painted the coaster or fixed the slide joints, we know our partners do. Because when it’s time to do the work, they know who to call – and they know what it takes to get it done.

Every amusement park refurbishment ride we restore, every structure we install, it’s all in pursuit of a better guest experience.

Check out more articles like this in the latest issue of Protective Coatings Expert