Apr. 2—TO CELEBRATE its 40th anniversary, Water Country in Portsmouth will feature a new entrance and two all-new ride experiences, Hyperlight. The water park's opening day is slated for June 3.

To create Hyperlight, two of the park's tube slides, Black Hole and Warp-8, will be fitted with iSlide technology, "sending riders on an immersive journey through vivid lights and pulsing sounds," according to a news release.

Three other attractions, Dragon's Den, Plunge and Racing Rapids will be repainted with eye-catching colors before the start of the season.

Water Country is also looking to hire 300 employees and held a job fair on Saturday.

New ride at Canobie

A new ride called Nebula Z is planned for "west of the Venetian Carousel and south of the Over the Rainbow attraction" at Canobie Lake Park in Salem. The Salem Planning Board approved the plans in November.

The Nebula Z is designed for pre-teen riders and features eight gondolas that remain upright at the end of four rotating arms.

"The rotating arms swing about horizontal axes while the central tower rotates around itself," the application submitted to the town reads. "The arm rotation is synchronized to create the illusion of intertwining. The hypnotic movement is a visual riddle that is as much fun to watch as it is to ride."

Canobie Lake Park has not yet announced its opening day.

SportsDome reinflated

The New Hampshire SportsDome in Goffstown — a giant bubble-like inflatable structure — which deflated under the weight of snow on March 15 reopened on Saturday.

The Goffstown Fire Department posted a picture on Facebook last week of the 80,000-square-foot structure getting pumped up like a soccer ball — a popular sport played by adult and children leagues.

The SportsDome moved much of its operations to its second location in Hooksett while working on the repairs. The facility has a 200-person capacity limit which includes players, coaches, officials, trainers and spectators, according to the Fire Department.

New retail concept

Speaking of sports, Dick's Sporting Goods at the Mall at Rockingham Park in Salem hopes to increase the experience at the store. Think batting cages, a rock climbing wall and an artificial turf field with a track in the parking lot.

The first concept store — known as House of Sport, opened in Victor, New York, in April 2021. Stores in Knoxville, Tennessee and Minnetonka, Minnesota followed.

The Minnesota store features a 35-foot climbing wall, batting cage, golf hitting bays, putting green and a 20,000-square-foot outdoor turf field and running track. In the winter, the turf is converted into a skating rink for open skate sessions, lessons, stick and puck drills and games, according to the company.

Programs include sports clinics, yoga classes and birthday parties.

The conceptual plans in Salem are set to be presented to the town's planning board on April 11 with a formal review to follow. The plan would eliminate about 55 parking spaces.

A study by Langan Engineering and Environmental Services Inc. found that "sufficient parking capacity in the north lots to accommodate the construction of an athletic/demonstration area outside Dick's Sporting Goods."

The project is expected to be completed by July of next year.

Dick's plans to open 20 House of Sport locations in the next two years, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The chain has more than 700 locations.

If you have an interesting business or commercial real estate story idea in the Granite State email reporter Jonathan Phelps at jphelps@unionleader.com.