HERSHEY, Pa. - Chocolate magnate Milton S. Hershey wasn’t all work and no play.

Hershey’s vision for the company town he built also included a picnic and pleasure grounds for employees and their families to enjoy in their free time. In his master plan, he set aside 61 hectares of wooded farmland for recreation across the tracks from the chocolate factory he started building in 1903.

On April 24,1907, he presided over the dedication of Hershey Park, an open park that featured picnic tables and benches, an athletic field, a winding creek that was dammed to create a small lake for boating or canoeing, and slides and swingsets for children.

In the 100 years since, the park now known as Hersheypark has evolved into a full-scale theme park with more than 60 rides and attractions, including 10 roller coasters and six water rides. But its mission of giving families a respite from daily cares remains the same, said Frank J. O’Connell, the park’s general manager.

“Our company is in the business of making memories that last a lifetime,” O’Connell said. “That is a lot about what this 100th anniversary celebration is - the memories, how the park has grown over the years.”

The marquee event of this year’s celebration is today’s opening of The Boardwalk at Hersheypark, a

$21-million US expansion that combines three existing water rides with five new water-themed attractions.

The Boardwalk’s centrepiece is the East Coast Waterworks, a 21-metre- tall steel waterplay structure billed as the world’s largest. It uses more than 245,000 litres of water and features seven slides, two crawl tunnels and two large tipping buckets at the top that send water cascading onto bathers below.

Other elements include a kiddie pool called Sandcastle Cove, a Coastline Plunge water slide complex, and Waverider, a ride that allows two people to surf on machine-made waves.

“It almost feels like a Coney Island out there,” O’Connell said.

It’s a far cry from the modest amusements that were available in the park’s first year, although new amenities were added as Milton Hershey’s personal wealth grew. Within the first five years of its existence, a bandstand, amphitheatre, miniature railroad, zoo and outdoor pool were constructed.

When the town celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1923, the park had its first roller coaster, The Wild Cat. In 1946, it was replaced with another wooden coaster, The Comet, which still runs today.

The first Ferris wheel came along in 1939.