Staff members at the adventure park say they're looking to fill about 300 positions, and crowds started lining up at Sierra Vista Mall in Fresno, even before the mall opened. They arrived with resumes ready to go. Hundreds of people snaked through lines at the mall, with some trying to land their first job.
Jenelle Atwood of Fresno said, "I think it's just smart to get work experience before college."
Christian Elenes of Fresno said, "I am actually excited to work and do something for the summer and have a job."
Others wanted to re-enter the work force.
Marco Sigala of Fresno said, "My wife of 29 years passed away and I have been alone. I am looking for something to do and I have been around people all my life and this would be a job working with people."
Sigala retired as the superintendent for the Coalinga-Huron Unified School District. This weekend he hoped his background as an educator would give him an edge.
"I believe it is an opportunity for me as a retired superintendent to get back into the schools, to get back into the business of being with young people," Sigala said.
Staff members at wild water adventure park say when the economy took a hit they started seeing an increase in experienced workers applying for seasonal jobs.
Bob Martin of Wild Water Adventure Park said, "I hired a man who had been a general manager in the trust business for 25 years and he came here and worked at minimum wage because that's what the job paid."
General Manager Bob Martin says he is looking to fill lifeguard, food service and office support positions.
According to the latest unemployment numbers in January 9.8 percent of people didn't have a job in California. That's down from 11 percent during the same time last year. Some economists expect the unemployment rate to keep dropping.
Henry Nishimoto of Fresno City College said, "California traditionally lags behind the rest of the country by about 18 months so we are just starting to see a surge in employment in California and I think that's going to continue."
The fair was a one-day event. Those who are hired will start work sometime after May 20, 2013.
