Enchanted Forest

The brutally competitive world of children's entertainment is no fairy tale. Just ask the owners of the Enchanted Forest, the 40-year-old Ellicott City amusement park that failed to reopen Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of its summer season.In an era when amusement parks tout "thrill-packed joy rides," it isn't easy to stay ahead of the curve. Establishments such as Chuck E. Cheese and Discovery Zone have also jumped into the amusement market to provide an array of high-energy rides and games.

The Howard County Tourism Council is receiving at least 20 calls a week eager to know if and when the county's longtime children's attraction, the Enchanted Forest Theme Park, will open again.But officials haven't been able to get an answer from the park's owners, who failed to open the more than 40-year-old amusement park on Route 40 in Ellicott City for the Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of its summer season.And some -- particularly operators of nearby businesses who live off the park's summertime draw -- fear that the one-of-a-kind park for small children is now closed for good.

Nine-year-old Angela Moran's fingers told her the tale of the "Three Little Pigs" at the Enchanted Forest theme park in Ellicott City yesterday."The first house was made of straw," said the blind girl from Brandywine in Prince George's County, after kneeling down and patting each of three miniature houses, carefully enough not to get splinters but thoroughly enough to get a good feel."

Dorothy Hall was 5 the last time she visited the Enchanted Forest theme park in Ellicott City.Youngsters would enter the park through a white castle with a drawbridge, hop aboard a swan for a magical ride and pose for pictures with Little Bo Peep.Twenty-four years later, the fairy-tale theme park on U.S. 40 continues to enchant the Ellicott City woman."It's still fun," she said as she watched her 2 1/2 -year-old son, Tyler, ring a bell atop the Little Red Schoolhouse.After a seven-year hiatus, the 6-acre park reopened last week.

The county Liquor Board's unanimous decision Monday to reverse itself and allow a liquor store to open in the Enchanted Forest Shopping Center in Ellicott City might be appealed to the Circuit Court.Thomas M. Meachum, attorney for a group of four liquor store owners along U.S. 40 that opposed the new store, said he has begun talking with his clients about the possibility of an appeal within 10 days.Mr. Meachum and David A. Carney, attorney for Your Wine Shoppe Inc., the store planning to open in the shopping center, ** had presented closing arguments to the Liquor Board Oct. 14 that practically guaranteed an appeal, no matter what the County Council, sitting as the Liquor Board, decided.

Howard County Council members sitting as the Liquor Board were told yesterday that they made a legal error when they voted not to allow a liquor store in the Enchanted Forest Shopping Center. Then they were told that they will make a legal mistake if they reverse that decision.The conflicting arguments came at the end of three days of hearings spread over several weeks.Attorney David A. Carney told the board it made "an error of law" 18 months ago when it voted 4-1 to deny a liquor license to Your Wine Shoppe Inc. on the grounds that a liquor store is not needed at the Enchanted Forest Shopping center to accommodate the public.

Family Funjungle grows in size, funWith the debut of its Perry Hall location last month, Family Funjungle has made the transition from "store" to "superstore."The 22,000-square-foot Perry Hall Funjungle, which opened May 29 in a former supermarket, is about 2 1/2 times the size of the original Family Funjungle, which opened last year at the Enchanted Forest in Ellicott City, according to Jeffrey Pechter, president of the indoor entertainment center company.The Perry Hall center had added a number of attractions to the concept originated in Ellicott City, including bumper cars, expanded food service, a "virtual reality" playroom, a bouncing pad with a giant inflated dinosaur and a water-squirting firefighter game.

An article in yesterday's Howard County edition of The Sun gave an incorrect location for two new businesses, Crafts Plus and An Die Musik, opening soon in Ellicott City. The stores will operate from a building, formerly occupied by Safeway, at the intersection of Centennial Lane and Frederick Road.The Sun regrets the error.A crafts supply outlet and a music store that allows customers to listen to compact discs before purchasing them are to open in a vacant grocery store building at the Enchanted Forest Shopping Center in Ellicott City.

At the new indoor family entertainment center in Ellicott City, 3-year-old Ashley Plattner carried a plastic periscope and a green ring that she had just won. She was the victor, but her father, Pete, was the one smiling."

Enchanted Forest fire ruled to be arsonThe State Fire Marshal's Office has ruled that arson was the cause of a one-alarm fire that resulted in $40,000 damage to Cinderella's Castle at the Enchanted Forest early last week."