A Nickel for Their Thoughts

* Re “Knott’s Pays the Price for 5-Cent Promotion,” May 6:

Though the incident proved unfortunate for Knott’s and the city of Buena Park, let’s look at who’s really to blame here.

The parents of these kids should be held to blame, as well as that blowhard disk jockey Rick Dees and radio stations KIIS and KMEX.

If the parent don’t have better control over their kids, then the school district should stop sniveling and charge each absent student’s parent to cover the loss they claim to have suffered.

I heard from one woman I work with that some parents OKd missing school to [go to] Knott’s. Those are the ones who really need to be taught a lesson and get hit where it hurts.

Not every kid was lured to the event. Knott’s has every right to hold a special event, just like any other business, school in session or not.

PATRICK MEYER

Irvine

* My concern is that Knott’s Berry Farm, a place with great family pride, has shown unbelievably bad judgment in their lack of concern for our teenagers.

They caused good and decent teenagers to be branded as “bad kids” because of Knott’s bad judgment.

Anyone with any brains knows that you can’t offer a nickel entry into an amusement park and not expect an overflow crowd and great problems.

Management should come out of their ivory towers and get in contact with their guests, not sit in their offices and think up stupid promotions.

I hope that all the school districts that lost attendance funds will collect from Knott’s, as well as the police departments involved.

I will think twice about letting my grandchildren go to Knott’s for an afternoon of fun.

JANE PATTERSON

Costa Mesa

* When Knott’s made a stupid promotion choice, they cannot blame it on, “We misunderstood how popular Cinco de Mayo is.”

This promotional gimmick would have had the same overwhelming response on any other day. Although Orange County has many Hispanic residents, I am positive that there were just as many other ethnic groups there.

All costs of controlling the disturbance and court costs must be paid by Knott’s. Their promotion tied up traffic, caused local businesses to lose money and created the problems.

There is no question that Knott’s is to blame for this and there should be no question that they are legally responsible for paying all costs.

REGINA E. POGER

Cypress

* When I learned about the Knott’s Berry Farm and KIIS-FM radio station-sponsored 5-cent admission for children to the park, I was incensed.

I read about the thousands of youths who tried to attend and the havoc they caused.

As an educator, and on behalf of teachers throughout Southern California, I must strongly question Knott’s motives, intelligence and common sense in promoting an event like this.

Our children are, by law, supposed to be in school unless they are ill. The school year is 180 days of student-teacher contact. While I’m sure some parents will write excuses for their children (thus teaching them to lie and that school is not as important as Knott’s Berry Farm), an entire day of learning is lost for more than 4,000 students.

At many of our schools, state-mandated Stanford 9 testing was taking place. Try to imagine the enormous consequences of Knott’s thoughtless actions when schools have to make up the tests of thousands of children.

Schools receive funding only when students are in their seats. Yesterday, the schools lost a day of funding. A rough estimate would be that Knott’s day of fun and frolic cost Orange County schools $137,500.

Perhaps Knott’s Berry Farm owners and stockholders benefited from this day. Our children did not.

MIMI GAUDETTE

President

Fullerton Elementary

Teachers Assn.

* Knott’s let 33,000 people into the park for 5 cents each for charity? By my calculations, this amounts to $1,650 to be given to charity (plus nearly $9,000 in donations). They’re joking, right?

All of the money this park charges for entry on a regular basis and this is what they come up with?

Couldn’t they charge at least $5? They would have still had the same turnout, with $165,000 to give.

What were they thinking? Check that. It’s obvious they weren’t thinking. Whoever came up with that moronic idea should be handed the bill for the law enforcement agencies that had to come to Buena Park’s rescue and then be handed a broom to clean up the mess.

If Knott’s needs a new marketing director tell them to check with Disney. I can’t think of a time they’ve done anything that stupid.

ERIC DICONTI

Orange

* Shame on Knott’s Berry Farm. Obviously free publicity was more important than being socially responsible.

Raising money for charity is commendable, but common sense needs to prevail. Cinco de Mayo was a school day. Some of the charity should begin with repaying all of the local school districts for lost funds.

It didn’t take much imagination to see that hundreds of high school students would play hooky for such a cheap treat. Elementary students, even if brought by their parents, still missed school.

If education is to be taken seriously and reformed, then the entire community needs to support it. Save the entertainment for after school and weekends.

SUSAN SELMAN

Tustin