Phil Castle, The Business Times

Chris Burns counts the ways the fun park he opened in Grand Junction has affected his customers and the community over the past 20 years.

There are the thousands of birthday parties that have been celebrated there. The thousands of high school and college students he’s hired, for many of them their first experiences with employment. And the millions of dollars he’s invested in expanding and renovating the park — spending money, Burns says, to make money.

Then there’s this statistic: 54 raccoons captured, relocated and released during one record-breaking summer.

Burns says it’s taken a lot of work to turn what he always believed was a great concept into a successful operation. Fun, as it turns out, constitutes a serious business. But the effort has been rewarding, he says. And made all the more special by the upcoming 20th anniversary of the opening of Bananas Fun Park. “I’m proud of it. I’m proud of what we accomplished.”

A celebration is scheduled for April 29 to May 5 at the park and will offer a week of specials and giveaways, including t-shirts, drinks and birthday cake. Moreover, the park will feature a number of upgrades, including a renovated bumper boat bay, laser tag arena and 19th hole on the mini golf course. The Coconut Cove water attraction is set to reopen for the season in mid-May.

Bananas Fun Park opened May 4, 2004, the entrepreneurial evolution of what started out for Burns as a part-time venture renting inflatable play structures for parties and other events.

He purchased a 6-acre site along what’s now the Riverside Parkway and constructed an 18-hole miniature golf course, bumper boat lagoon, go kart track and batting cages. A central building also was constructed to house an arcade, cafe and offices.

Burns has always believed, though, in the axiom if he built it, customers would come.

To that end, Burns has continually added and updated attractions at Bananas Fun Park.

Two years after opening the park, he added a laser tag arena and has twice renovated the facility. The latest update features the latest guns and arena interactivity.

What initially was a special events pavilion — a bright green and yellow fabric structure that stands more than 40 feet tall — opened in 2009. The 10,000-square-foot pavilion now houses what Burns calls an inflatapark with an obstacle course, slides and other features.

Burns made the biggest splash of all at Bananas in 2017 in opening Coconut Cove, the largest water attraction in the region. The aqua play center towers more than 50 feet high and includes more than 50 features, among them slides, splash pads and arching jets. A 10,000-gallon bucket at the top tips to drench the structure and those playing on it.

The bumper boat bay recently was renovated and fitted with 15 water-squirting palm trees. A new island at the center of the lagoon comes complete with a wood chest full of pirate treasure as well as volleyball that looks suspiciously like Wilson from the movie “Cast Away.” New lighting was installed around the lagoon to provide evening illumination.

The 19th hole on the miniature golf course was replaced with a feature that includes rocks and a waterfall.

The arcade features 70 games Burns says he changes to offer the most popular games and latest technology. Games featuring virtual reality have become increasingly in demand, including a new Godzilla game he expects to soon install.

“I’m not afraid to spend money,” Burns says. “You’ve got to continually get better.”

Burns also insists on offering a spotlessly clean facility and customer service that fosters a friendly and welcoming experience for families. Burns plants the flowers that festoon the landscaping himself.

The strategy has worked. Even as other entertainment venues in the Grand Valley have come and gone over the past 20 years, Bananas Fun Park has remained in business and grown. “We get busier every year,” Burns says.

He doesn’t plan on resting on any laurels anytime soon, however.

Still more renovations are planned for later this year to update the interior of the building that houses the arcade and adjacent cafe.

Burns is among the first people to come to work each morning to water flowers and other plants and make sure everything is in order before the park opens.

Even after 20 years he says he remains passionate about the business. “I still love coming here.”

And so the counting will continue for Burns — the birthday parties, the employment and the capital investments. Even the raccoons.

But another number remains at the top of his mind as the anniversary of the opening of Bananas Fun park nears. “Twenty years is pretty special.”

Bananas Fun Park is located at 2469 Riverside Parkway in Grand Junction. For more information about hours, pricing and special events, visit the website located at https://bananasfunpark.com.