Playland in Roeding Park once was a golden goose that helped bankroll Woodward Park, the Fresno Metropolitan Museum, the Fresno Chaffee Zoo and other city icons.

Today, the 52-year-old amusement park and its younger companion, Storyland, share a less-than-fairy-tale existence. Attendance has slumped as the city sprawled north, Roeding Park's image slipped, new diversions emerged and the two children's attractions faded from their original glory.

As nonprofit Rotary Storyland and Playland prepare to open Saturday for the season, they face a critical year.

The Fresno City Council, which has propped up the parks for three straight years, warned last fall that it will no longer ride to the rescue. The council gave $75,000 to cover insurance and has offered to match the parks' fundraising this year up to $100,000.

Several city officials say they aren't hard-hearted or ignorant of the parks' past generosity � more than $2 million returned to city parks and cultural amenities over a half-century.

But while some similar attractions elsewhere in California rely at least in small part on city assistance, Fresno officials say Playland and Storyland should be financially self-sufficient.

The parks must run like a business with solid management, budgeting and planning, said Council Member Jerry Duncan: "In this day and age, you better have your act together or you're going to struggle."

Playland and Storyland officials say they do. They are optimistic and armed with fresh plans for new fundraising events, increased marketing and a capital campaign to bring in cash for renovation and potential expansion.

Members of the nonprofit organization that built Playland signed a 10-year lease with the city for land in Roeding Park, then near Fresno's northern edge. As rent, the corporation agreed to return nearly all profits to the city for recreation and cultural use.

The park's cash reserve the money it was allowed to keep � was capped at $50,000.

Playland organizers broke ground in March 1955. The park opened in May 1955 six weeks before Disneyland.

The first day, workers sold 14,000 ride tickets each 10 cents for the carousel, "Rotary Chief" train, racing cars, small-scale Ferris wheel and airplane ride.

"As a kid, I remember my father saying, 'If you get your chores done, we'll go to Playland or go to the zoo,'" said Council Member Mike Dages, who grew up in Fresno. "I remember the roller coaster ride being one of the scariest things I was on."

Playland flourished. It repaid construction-related debt by 1958 and showed a profit of about $18,500 in the first six months of 1960.

In 1962, Storyland a park with storybook exhibits to promote literacy sprouted next door, backed by the city and community groups.

That first year, more than 250,000 guests visited the Alice in Wonderland maze, Mr. MacGregor's Cabbage Patch and other attractions.

Children used "magic keys" to unlock story boxes with audio recordings of familiar tales. Still, according to newspaper accounts, interviews and city records, Storyland never rivaled the profits of its neighbor.

It was Playland money that, in 1964, bought 50 acres of extra land to help form Woodward Park. More cash went toward the zoo's reptile house, a new home for Nosey the elephant, land for Logan Park, the Shinzen Friendship Garden in Woodward Park, a children's gallery at the Fresno Arts Center and $880,000 in Playland upgrades.

Rotary Playland files put the return to the community at more than $2.2 million.

The first major trouble arrived in the 1980s, when Playland and other amusement parks struggled to find liability insurance. Carriers worried they could be forced into big legal payouts even if the park had little responsibility in a case. The city helped bridge the gap.

A $1 million makeover in 1989 polished the park's look but didn't add any rides. The healthier Playland absorbed Storyland in 1994 and spent $100,000 to renovate it. Today, the parks operate with a board of trustees and a single executive director.

When the state began requiring inspections of amusement rides, Playland opened in 2000 with just two rides. It voluntarily closed eight others that needed $250,000 in repairs money the park didn't have. Attendance slumped as Playland was nearly shut down.

A fundraising campaign that resonated with nostalgic Fresnans, along with a state grant, put Playland back in business. Board member Baxter said some donations were as small as a quarter.

"Money was just flowing in," he said.

But attendance lagged even after rides reopened. At the same time, Baxter said, running the parks simply became more expensive and complex.

Since 2004, the city has contributed about $200,000 to defray insurance costs. Last fall, that subsidy came with a few demands a business plan and safety repairs and a warning: Don't come back for more.

When asking for city money, Playland officials have subtly reminded the council members about the parks' past contributions to museums, the zoo and parks. That hasn't swayed city officials concerned about future financial stability.

Council Member Larry Westerlund said the parks have gotten special consideration � receiving money after the city budget was decided and cash for several consecutive years.

The spinning tea cups, for example, needed a $1,000 gear support that had to be specially built. Opening day likely will arrive before the cups can twirl.

The latest Storyland attraction is a transplant. The once wild-eyed Humpty Dumpty out of place in Playland before being mothballed got a friendly face-lift before moving into Storyland last November.

That took $25,000 in cash donated at 1-year-old Sofia Fanucchi's benefit birthday party last summer. Her parents, Eddie and Mimi Fanucchi, are among those with happy childhood memories of Storyland, Playland and the zoo.

Eddie Fanucchi called Storyland "just a charming and enchanted place."

Playland and Storyland have leaned on such sentiment. The extension of the Willis B. Kyle Express train ride developed mainly through the generosity of Lois Kyle, a former Fresnan whose late husband, Willis, owned and operated short line railroads. The train was renamed for him. When the motor in the train's engine died recently, a devoted Playland/Storyland board member used his credit card to buy a new one. Said Baxter, whose father also served on the board: "We have been through some bumpy roads."

Barry Falke, the parks' third executive director in six years, says that since 2000, the parks have bounced between small annual profits � no more than $2,000 � and losses of up to $32,000.

"When you lose momentum, you lose momentum," he said.

There are no gate figures for Playland since admission is free. Storyland's attendance was about 25,000 last season 10% of its opening year.

A city-ordered safety inspection last summer revealed problems with electrical panels, fencing and potential trip-and-fall hazards at both parks. Falke said most repairs are done and others are in progress. He also has completed a business plan evaluating the parks' strengths and weaknesses and plotting fundraising, marketing and financial strategies.

Parks officials acknowledge that some problems are their responsibility, but others are beyond their control.

One is location. Roeding Park, for example, has gained a seamy reputation for lewd adult activity in its bathrooms. Last year, city crews replaced most Roeding restrooms in a drive to improve security. Playland guests had to use portable bathrooms much of the season; park officials say their restroom building wasn't the problem.

Weather last year's sopping spring rain and brutal summer heat bruised the bottom line. And today's parks face more competition: Video games. Cable television. The post-Disneyland boom in bigger, more elaborate theme parks.

Yet Wayne Thomas, president of the Storyland/Playland board of trustees, doesn't see the parks as dinosaurs. Families still need affordable entertainment and places to bond, he said.

Ron Craven, a longtime Fresno-area resident, remembers visiting Storyland with his children in the 1960s. He returned last fall with his granddaughters to explore both children's parks.

While Playland "was showing its age a little bit," and Storyland also could use some work, Craven described the parks as entertaining and a bargain.

David Mandt, an association spokesman in Alexandria, Va., said families have lots of entertainment choices. While large parks, such as Great America or Magic Mountain, must routinely add attractions to draw repeat business, those rules may not apply to smaller parks.

There, visitors may spend only a few hours and enjoy returning to a familiar spot. He added: "What works in one market might not work in another."

In Sacramento, the owner of Funderland, a children's amusement park now in its seventh decade, said he spent $1.4 million in 1990 to upgrade antiquated rides and add new ones.

"You need to change about one ride every year," said Sam Johnston, extending that advice to Playland. "Without a new ride, the park will get stale."

In California, the three parks that helped inspire Storyland also survived changing times. All still rely, at least in small part, on city government support. Stockton's Pixie Woods is run by the city and a volunteer board; Children's Fairyland in Oakland and Fairytale Town in Sacramento are operated by nonprofits.

Kathy Fleming, executive director at Fairytale Town, said operations of the park were transferred from the city to a nonprofit during an economic downturn in the 1990s. The city kicks in about $25,000 annually, but Fairytale Town featuring story exhibits, slides and genial animals � mainly supports its $1 million budget through park revenue.

Fleming said the concept has wide appeal: "Because so much of kids' activities are technology-driven and passive, I think places like this ... are unique."

In Oakland, Children's Fairyland also shifted operations from the city to a nonprofit. C.J. Hirschfield, the park's executive director, said the city contributes to Fairyland's $1.4 million budget. Most money, however, comes from the park, which includes nursery rhyme sets, kiddie rides and a puppet theater.

Fairyland, created in 1950 at Lake Merritt, waded through tough times a decade ago but rebounded. Said Hirschfield: "No one wants to see Fairyland die on their watch."

In Fresno, the man working to upgrade Roeding Park remembers boyhood visits to Fairyland. Randall Cooper, the city parks director, grew up in Oakland and still has his key to story boxes that are similar to those at Storyland.

Cooper said he wants to raise Roeding Park's stature as a regional destination. The zoo, city and children's attractions are collaborating on a master plan. The zoo is on a growth track because county voters in 2004 approved a sales tax expected to net $120 million over 10 years.

Cooper said the children's parks and Roeding need care: "We have to make it appealing so families will want to go there."

Falke said the capital campaign envisioned for Storyland and Playland hinges mainly on the results of the master-plan process. It may take several million dollars to pay for renovation and possible expansion.

The board plans new fundraisers this year and will recruit partners to sponsor exhibits and rides. Falke said the current revenue projections don't include donations because he wants to bank that cash for improvements rather than count on it for operational expenses.

For now, Playland and Storyland must succeed financially in the present and on their own. Officials have spent much of the offseason painting, landscaping and otherwise touching up the parks' appearance.

Aside from the tea cups, all traditional rides should be ready for business. Falke said the board decided against operating the boats on the lake that separates the two parks over concerns about water quality. The city maintains the lake.

This season, Falke said, concessions and rides are a bit more expensive mainly to cover a 75-cent increase in the hourly minimum wage for employees.

The parks' new director of operations, Danny Cobb, completed an internship at Walt Disney World. Playland and Storyland have new employee appearance and customer service policies geared to invite repeat business.

Opening day, employees should wear blue Hawaiian shirts, name tags and a friendly smile. Falke knows the parks must keep the guests they have and cultivate others.