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Even general admission to the park, normally $7.95 a person, won't cost a thing this coming Father's Day weekend (but for those who want to frolic on the roller coasters, plunge into Splash Harbor or try nearly any other ride, a ride-all-day pass for $25.95 is required).
"It makes for a great day," said Tom Wages, general manager of the nation's oldest amusement park.
The X Trials "will be something exciting to see," said Katie Moses, an ESPN spokesperson. She said people will have the chance to watch "live in their backyard" the stars and stunts they've seen only on television.
Moses said there will be live music, "a very friendly atmosphere," plenty of athletes who make themselves available to fans, ESPN personalities hanging around and "you don't pay even a dime" to join the hoopla.
"There's something for everyone to do," she said.
Among the possibilities is the Xperience, "an interactive village" featuring live bands, a mini-skate park complete with skateboards, helmets and pads for the public to use, chin-up bars from the U.S. Marines, a climbing wall and much more, according to ESPN. All of the Xperience activities are free.
The X Trials venue -- which includes skate and bike courses as well as the Xperience sites -- is being erected in the lot near Lake Avenue that normally serves buses, handicapped patrons and employees.
Wages said the park decided to waive its normal general admission charge "so that people can come in" and use bathrooms, buy food, shop and look around.
But, he said, the best option is to make an action-packed day that includes everything from riding the all-wooden Boulderdash mountainside coaster to eyeballing the stunts of world-class skateboarders.
Wages said he has no idea how many people to expect at the park over Father's Day weekend.
He said a "very busy" day at Lake Compounce draws 12,000 to 15,000 patrons.
At the recent X Trials event in Grand Prairie, Texas, at least 20,000 spectators came to watch the competition at one point or another. Moses said she expects a similar crowd in Bristol, though she's heard of people coming from five states away to see what goes on.
Wages said, though, that organizers expect some people will only come for a little while to see specific events. There will likely be a lot of coming and going, he said.
The X Trials are slated to start Friday morning and run through Sunday evening. Twenty-seven hours of ESPN air time will be devoted later in the summer to showing the highlights of the competition.
Want to be there?
"Just come to the park," Wages said.
He said the parking lot for Lake Compounce, which normally holds about 3,500 vehicles, is the best spot to head for. It costs $5 to park there.
If the lot fills up, which is a possibility, event organizers have arranged for satellite parking at the Superior Electric factory in Bristol and The Hartford's lot in Southington. Both are on Route 229.
Wages said signs will be erected to let people know if the satellite lots are open. If they are used, they will be free. Shuttle buses from Connecticut Transit will take people back and forth to the park, Wages said, at no charge.
"We're there to ensure there is no transportation problem," said Peter Agostini, president of the bus company.
There are also Connecticut Transit buses running back and forth on Saturday, as a special promotion, between the park and the Mall at Bristol Centre. They cost $1 each way and will run between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
The schedule for X Trial events is posted on the Internet at www.lakecompounce.com and at www.readthetattoo.com. More information about the weekend's activities are available on both sites as well.
Tickets for Lake Compounce are $17.95 for people who are over age 60 or under 52 inches in height. Children 3 and under can get free ride-all-day wristbands, though many rides are off-limits because of height requirements.
General admission to the park includes the right to get on the train, trolley, Mark Twain Boat and to go to the beach.
The park's hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Closing times, though, can be extended if a lot of people remain inside the park.
Handicapped parking spaces will be marked in the main Lake Compounce parking lot. Its normal location had to be used for the X Trials setup.
Wages said that "very gracious" donations of parking space by Tilcon, Superior Electric, The Hartford and Briarwood College made the X Trials weekend much easier to handle. Briarwood is offering space for employee parking, which is normally where the skate park is going up, and Tilcon allowed the park to expand its lot onto neighboring land.
"It's amazing how the neighbors and the community have responded to help us with this event," Wages said.
