FOLEY, Ala. — “Owa” is the Muskogee Creek word for “big water,” but now it is also the name of South Alabama’s newest coming family attraction. A major element of this new complex will be an amusement park that is currently in the process of hiring 400 seasonal workers for its debut year. Interviews for positions will begin this Sunday, and the Foley park is looking to hire workers in the areas of food and beverage, retail, ride operations, and general park services.
However, The Park at Owa is not accepting walk-in applicants. Those interested in one of the available jobs must first fill out the online form on the company’s website.
Applicants for park positions will go through a tiered selection process. After completing the online form, the best submissions will be granted an in-person “audition” with park officials. From there, the park will make its final decisions on who will receive an offer for the summer jobs.
Besides the amusement park, the entertainment complex in Foley will also include a 150-room Marriott Town Place Suites hotel and dozens of shops and restaurants. According to a report earlier this year from The Pulse, Owa is estimated to create 3,500 new jobs, attract 1 million new visitors, and increase Baldwin County’s tourist spending by 7 percent, raising the local economic output by $250 million.
The complex represents the latest venture from the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Before entering the theme park industry, Alabama’s only federally recognized tribe has run the Wind Creek Hospitality resorts in Atmore, Wetumpka, and Montgomery, as well as Muskogee Technology manufacturing facilities in Atmore and Huntsville, and a racetrack in Mobile. In sum, the tribe employs more than 3,500 Alabamians.
“As a tribe, we have worked hard to ensure that our businesses bring revenue and jobs into the state and add to the quality of life in the rural communities where they are located,” Stephanie A. Bryan, Poarch Creek’s Tribal Chair and CEO, told The Pulse earlier this year. “Owa is being built in this tradition, and we are very excited to be both neighbors and partners with the City of Foley in bringing economic development to this area.”
Owa is set to open in mid-July.
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