Keansburg Amusement Park urgently needs workers, especially older teens, for 2023 summer

Jerry Carino, Asbury Park Press
·2 min read

KEANSBURG - The appeals have gone out numerous times on social media and through word of mouth, but a month before the summer season begins, Keansburg Amusement Park & Runaway Rapids has only about half of the staffing it needs to be fully operational.

Applicants must be at least 14 years old.

“We are hiring for all positions still, but we are mostly getting the younger crowd (those aged 14),” marketing director Emily Mayes said. “We still have some positions for that — food service, games, ticket booths. But we are in need of 15-plus and 16-plus for the lifeguard and ride-operating positions. We are having trouble getting the older ages to apply.”

This has been a problem since the pandemic summer of 2020.

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“We’ve been getting less applicants since COVID,” Mayes said. “We’ve been open on weekends since early April (this year), and the crowds seem bigger than usual so far, so that’s a good sign for a good season.”

The amusement park opens daily starting June 2, with the adjacent Runaway Rapids Waterpark opening on weekends starting May 27 and daily starting June 17. If staffing isn’t adequate by then, “everything will still be working and available, but the issue is that staff will then have to rotate (stations), so wait times could be longer," Mayes explained. "It will make busy days a little harder.”

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Guests cool off in the water at Keansburg Amusement Park's Runaway Rapids in Keansburg, NJ Tuesday, August 9, 2022.
Guests cool off in the water at Keansburg Amusement Park's Runaway Rapids in Keansburg, NJ Tuesday, August 9, 2022.

Keansburg Amusement Park was founded in 1904. It has a few new features for this summer:

  • The Miami Club, a bar and grill that has been closed since 2019, will be opening under new management soon — possibly as early as Memorial Day weekend. It will feature live music as well as karaoke nights.

  • A new Twister carousel is projected to open Memorial Day weekend.

  • A new Frog Hopper kids’ ride will be in operation by mid-summer.

  • The park’s annual Independence Day fireworks show will be taking place the night of July 3 instead of July 4.

For more information about job opportunities at KeansburRunaway Rapids, visit www.keansburgamusementpark.com/employment or email  Info@KeansburgAmusementPark.com.

Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Amusement park in Keansburg NJ urgently seeking workers for summer