MEGA Parc now open | Richmond County Daily Journal

MEGA Park held its grand opening last Friday, bringing a new brand of fully immersive digital entertainment to Hamlet.

Owned by Derek and Sadie Crawford, MEGA Park opened its doors to the public for the first time with simulated roller coaster rides, races, various shooting activities and much more.

“We want to do something new and different that doesn't exist in Richmond County or Hamlet. Give [kids] something to do, especially during the summer and teach them something new when it comes to electronics and virtual reality. You won't find anything like this within an hour's radius. Something that might even interest them, and eventually we will have programs to learn how to build a virtual reality machine. Prepare them for futuristic types of entertainment and vocations,” said owner Derek Crawford.

As part of the total immersion experience, riders don virtual reality goggles then climb aboard. The racing simulator does not require glasses and offers three screens imitating the windshield, as well as driver and passenger side windows. As the driver descends the track, the hydraulic lifts simulate the G-forces generated during a sharp turn and changing grooves of the race track. The shooting simulator allows players to simply look at the scope to get the full 3D effect. James Williams was the first rider to don goggles and saddle up at MEGA Park, taking on the roller coaster simulator. Based on a gimbal, the vehicle offers 360-degree rolls that initially surprised Williams with its capabilities.

“It was my first virtual roller coaster. I've never taken one. I did not expect that. It felt so real, like I was actually there. I thought the machine was so big. I didn't know it could change. It was amazing,” Williams said.

Williams wasn't the only person looking for a return visit soon. Creighton Diggs, a double amputee, said the rides at MEGA Park gave him the opportunity to simulate activities not possible without a lot of traveling and planning.

“You can come to a place like this, and with the virtual reality park he created, it opens up a world for us. I can be a sniper. I can be a racing driver. There are so many things this place offers. If you have a disabled family member and you want to get them out of the house and see them smile for the first time in a long time, MEGA Park on Hamlet Ave. is a whole new world for us,” says Diggs.

Although the grand opening ceremony lasted only a few minutes, it capped years of effort to bring Derek Crawford's idea to life. Several Hamlet dignitaries attended the event, including Hamlet Mayor Amy Guin and the Hamlet City Council, as well as several curious community members eager to see how everything worked.

“The first thing I thought was, wow, there are people of all ages here and they are excited about this. This is big for Hamlet. It's not orthodox. I'm excited about it. This happens the holiday week of June 10. This is a minority-owned business. Thanks to the Crawford family. Thanks for thinking of Hamlet. This is big for Hamlet. It’s important to the county, and I suspect from what I’ve seen today that it’s going to be huge,” said Councilor Maurice Stuart.

For co-owner Sadie Crawford, she feels the months of work put into setting up the store were worth it once she saw the reactions from riders.

“[Derek Crawford] I had been talking about it for a while and was very happy when he decided to do it. I told him, “This would be something to keep the kids off the streets and away from drugs”… Instead, they can come here and play games. It’s so exciting,” she said.