And they’re off: Arlington Park opened its season today, hoping a new customer-focused plan will bring in the crowds, despite smaller races, lighter purses and declining interest.

Donning a chic, large hat, Kelly Maryanski came to opening day to honor a tradition. She and her friends used to throw derby parties while attending college at Denison University, where the ladies often designed their own hats.

A friend, Carlos Panizo, of Park Ridge, simply came for the park’s opening day penny hot dogs and drinks deal.

“I was sitting at home watching the news, and I saw they were having penny hot dogs and admission was free,” he said.

(PHOTOS: Scenes from opening day at Arlington Park.)

Panizo and Maryanski are, in many ways, the crowd the park wants to attract. They are both young, relatively new to racing and looking for entertainment.

Tony Petrillo, Arlington Park’s new general manager, is trying to increase communication between staff and the customers. A new, outdoor patio bar and several sections of reserved seating were added through suggestions from customers, he said.

It’s a new approach for the park, which is struggling to keep business up.

“We were looking down the road at a target, throwing stones, but we missed,” he said. “We want to focus on the core business, the racing.”

He said he wants the park to have an entertainment value, and noted the price of admission to the park — $16 for a family of four — as more favorable than the cost of going to the movies.

Petrillo has stuffed the park’s schedule with special days like Girls’ Day Out, a Bears day and Mother’s and Father’s Days. The park offers live music starting at the end of May and discounted drinks on Fridays, he said.

But none of that can make up for slimming purses and diminishing racers, he said.

Park officials have often stated their case: that without slot machine revenue to bolster purses, the park is losing out on horses fleeing to Indiana and Iowa for the chance at winning more money.

The park wants to see slot machines installed so their revenue can be used to subsidize the racing purses. They believe this will pull in better horses, better races and possibly, bigger crowds.

“We’ve seen that model work, we know it works,” he said.

Wagering is low without big purses and lots of horses. The park makes 9 cents off every bet placed on a horse at Arlington and 4.5 cents for bets placed on horses racing in other facilities. Less horses and less bets means less revenue for the park.

But slots are still a far-away notion as lawmakers debate adopting a bill that would allow them in Springfield.

Focusing on opening weekend, Petrillo was pleased with the crowd and noted that reserved seats for Derby Day on Saturday and Mother’s Day on Sunday were sold out.

“This is better than I expected,” he said of the crowd, just before Metra trains began to dump more fans into the park.

Because of those fans Arlington Park’s season also has an impact on local businesses.

Derek Hanley, owner of Peggy Kinnane’s in downtown Arlington Heights, said the park means more money for his restaurant.

“I think it’s good thing,” he said of the start of racing season. “Every weekend and Friday night we get a lot of people from the track looking for a drink or a meal.”

A nearby cigar shop, Arlington Pipe & Cigar Shop, also sees a bump in business as the season picks up.

“We get a few of the trainers coming through for cigars,” owner Hank Petruszka said. “A lot of folks stopping by from the city on their way to the park.”

But the effect of the racing season isn’t huge, he added.

Gatsby’s Pizza & Pub actually sees fewer customers as racing season begins, said Barb Letos who works at the pub. Many wind up at the track instead.

Despite the looming threat of the park’s closure, opening day attendees seemed more concerned about the deceptively sunny sky that occasionally threatened burst of rain.

Sprawled out on a white table, race fans Marlene and Ed Young came to the park just as they have every year. For Marlene Young, heading to the park has been a tradition since she was a child growing up in Maywood.

“I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl,” she said. “I used to come with my mom and dad.”

The 76-year-old woman extended the tradition to her own family. When she first came out with her 8-year-old son, he picked the first four races right, but that didn’t leave him loving the sport.

“I don’t know if we passed it on,” she said.