Weekly Behemoth Update

© Denis/CWMania

This thread at Themeparkreview has links to a bunch of new photos, like the one above. Half of the turnaround, or hammerhead, is completed.

The official construction gallery on Canada's Wonderland's site has also been updated.

Last but not least, the park got a big new sign that reflects their Cedar Fair ownership:

It's pretty nice - but generally speaking it's soooo Cedar Fair. The design/shape on the top part of the sign was used on all the entrance signs at Kings Dominion. Perhaps that's what they're going to use for all the former Paramount Parks?

Huss King Kong Ride Video

Screamscape has posted a video on YouTube of the model of the new Huss King Kong ride.




This ride looks cool! Maybe there's not that much of a point to it but the animatronics and such sure look awesome.

The first of these rides will open at Bobbejaanland in 2008.

Screamscape's page for the ride/park.

More Holiday World New For 2008

Today Holiday World announced the rest of their additions for the 2008 season. First up is the Star Spangled Carousel - a worthy addition to the park which oddly lacked a carousel until now.

Secondly, the park will add Reindeer Games, which appears to be a children's ride, like a Frog Hopper but I'm not sure of the manuf. and such. (there's so many on the market these days)

The park updated their website and also put out an announcement video on YouTube.

Toy Story Mania Website

Disney has produced a new website devoted to their upcoming attraction, Toy Story (Midway) Mania.

Here's the link. There's some cool stuff like a video and some photos - and a snappy song in the background.

Voodoo Webcam is Live

The webcam on Dorney Park's official Voodoo webpage has gone live.

Above is a shot of the image that is provided via the cam. It's pretty far away, and makes it hard to see exactly what they're up to, but it will provide a nice view when steel starts to go up.

Check it out.

Latest Geauga Lake Photos

© 2007 Rollercoasterfreak

Rollercoasterfreak has some new photos of the deconstruction of Geauga Lake. As you can see above, they're ripping out bricks and such from around the fountain by the entrance. Could this mean the area is going to be razed soon?

Or are bricks worth something?

Check out Rollercoasterfreak for the photos.

Indiana Beach Announces Steel Hawg

Today Indiana Beach announced a new roller coaster for 2008, Steel Hawg. I just googled Hawg, and got a college sports team, lots of Harley stuff, and a seafood restaurant. Weird.

The ride is an S&S Worldwide ride, which looks like a 2nd generation Screamin' Squirrel. That means riders will probably spend a lot of time awkwardly hanging upside down wondering what's going on.

The 4, 4 passenger trains will traverse a 120 degree first drop, a 96 ft. lift, 3 inversions, and a top speed of 41 m.p.h.

The above picture is not specifically of the Hawg, but a general one of the type of ride from S&S's website. It gives a good idea of what we're talking about.

Here's the park's press release and little fact sheet.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Holiday Photos 2

Theme Park Village has some new photos of the Holiday in the Park event going on for the holidays.

And that's a big ice skate!

Click here to check out the photos.

Darien Lake 1996 Press Kit

1996 was a big year for Darien Lake amusement park. The $10 million expansion the park saw for the 1996 season was part of former owner, Premier Parks, tendency to spend huge amounts on its parks all at once.

And look Michael Bolton is on the cover of the press kit! He totally makes me star struck ... snicker.

So $10 million bought the park the Nightmare indoor coaster, an entire new children's area in the park, changes to the park's concert venue, and Hook's Lagoon, a water playhouse.

Here's the park facts section. All day admission was $18 and a season pass was $30 - what a steal! Now admission is $35 and a season pass is still a total steal at $45.

A specific breakdown of the new attractions for 1996. I'm noticing that they say that Nightmare went 60 m.p.h. Uhh, okay, sure. Nightmare was a Schwarzkopf Jet Star, like this:

... and according to rcdb.com Jet Star's hit a blazing speed of 31 m.p.h. I think that doubling your ride's max speed in press stuff is a bit much, no?

Anyway - here's the actual press release for the new stuff as well. You can read it if you like. Poor Geauga Lake's logo is on there too.




And to finish things off, here's the park map from that year. A lot has changed, I mean the kids area they had is now the waterpark, no Superman, no Mind Eraser, etc.

That's all! Hope you enjoyed.

Behemoth Tour Photos

© CWMania 2007

CWMania was lucky enough to have a tour of the Behemoth construction site, and were able to find out tons of good info about the ride.

Check it out on CWMania, start here for info and then check out the photos.

Dorney Park Fun Facts #18

Happy Thanksgiving!

When Steel Force opened late, Dorney Park wanted to make sure everyone knew the massive attraction was finally thrilling passengers.

To aid in that, they ran this in the local papers:

Don't eat too much today!

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Holiday Photos

© Theme Park Village 2007

Theme Park Village has some photos up from the preview night of Holiday in the Park at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.

The park looks nice! And that tree is huge... Click here for all the photos.

Adventureland 2008 Plans

Adventureland has announced "Adventure Island" for 2008. Replacing the current circus tent, the attraction will be a water play area - of sorts.

It sounds like they're adding a water play structure like that which can be found in most water parks, along with some other play pools, support buildings, a lounge chair area, all contained in 1.5 acres.

You can read more in this news article.

New Voodoo Photos

Dorney Park's official website for Voodoo has been updated with a bunch of new photos.

There's lots of new photos of the yellow track up close - and also a couple of the newly painted trains/seats - as seen above. Cool colors!

Check it out here.

California's Great America 1997 Map

Here's the park map to go with the scans of the 1997 brochure from California's Great America.

Be warned, it's like 1.2 mb.

Geauga Lake For Sale

Well they're certainly not keeping much room to expand Wildwater Kingdom. I had no idea the park owned some of the parcels in the area that are so huge - like that 150 acres beyond the Wildwater Kingdom parking lot.

Sad, sad sad.

Here's a link to the .pdf from Colliers Int. for the land sale.

Some Dark Knight Details

The Republican ran an article yesterday that details some of Six Flags New England's plans for their new Dark Knight roller coaster for 2008.

The ride is going through approval process and so some details of the ride are leaking out.

The 12,245 sq. ft., 65 ft. tall building containing the ride will be placed in the spot of the former stunt show arena in the park's D.C. Comics area.

As for the outside of the building, here's what it is described as:

"The plans also state that the exterior of the building will be designed to appear like smaller city buildings, mimicking the fictional Gotham City of Batman fame. The drawings on file in the Planning and Community Development office show Gotham City Hall, Gotham Police, and the Wayne Industries tower. A billboard proclaims "Harvey Dent for Mayor," which references Gotham's new district attorney."

Sounds pretty cool if done well!

Bigger and Bigger ... its Behemoth

© coasterguy77

That 2nd hill looks less 'pointy' than other B&M hypers, maybe that's just me though. The ride stands out so amazingly in the area around the park.

Be sure to check out coasterguy77's photos on CWMania to see the rest, including some that show exactly how huge the ride looks from farther away.

California's Great America 2009

I know it's not amazing quality, I only gave a few minutes of effort to make it, but here's an idea of how California's Great America's new wooden coaster will fit into the park in 2009.

I like how they positioned it by the park's entrance, the way that Cedar Fair has said that they like to position a "signature" ride. I left the IMAX theater in there for reference as well.

California's Great America 1997 Brochure

Here is the 1997 brochure for the now named California's Great America theme park. This is from the period when Paramount owned the property.

New for 1997 was the Special Effects IMAX movie, Lost In Cyberspace, a 'multimedia show', and Xtreme Skyflyer, a Skycoaster.

Family attractions, and thrill rides. What more could you want?

... well how about more rides and attractions?

I'm excited to see what (probably) uninspired names Cedar Fair picks for rides like Top Gun and such next year. I believe they're going to start the renaming in 2008.

IAAPA Coverage

I wish that I was able to jet down to Florida to provide coverage of my own, alas, no cash for that. Instead, I'd like to at least provide some links I've come across that have good coverage going on.

Coastercrew has a ton of photos as well as podcasts from the show. There's lot of high quality photos of things like California's Great America's new wooden coaster, X's new trains, the model of the Huss Kong ride, and tons more - but you'll have to sift through the gallery to find those gems.

Screamscape is also visiting the event, and reporting their photos and findings as well. They're set up is more straight forward with descriptions of what they've uncovered.

The Sun News has a blog going, titled A Whole New Whirled, that's covering the event as well - and they do have a focus on items related to the new Hard Rock Park.

Thorpe Park 2009

Thorpe Park, outside London, England, has submitted plans for a new roller coaster for their 2009 season.

It looks like a Gerstlauer Eurofighter, themed pretty well, with an unusually large loading station building that may contain some sort of show or pre-show even - and some of the coaster track in there as well.

Here's the general plan for the ride. You can see how huge the loading building is compared to the ride and such - and there's a good sized outdoor queue as well. The ride has a vertical lift and a couple inversions at least.

Here are some views of the station exteriors so you can get a grip on the ride's designed theming:

The oversized gears by the lift is totally Mystery Mine-ish - but still, it's a cool design in my book. Plus the Eurofighters looks fun regardless of theme and such.

American Disney Parks Holiday Castle Photos

© Laughingplace

Laughingplace has some beautiful photos of the two American Disney castles all dressed up for the holidays.

Above is the photo of the castle at the Magic Kingdom in Florida.

Below, a press photo of the castle at Disneyland in California.

© Disney

I like the changes they've made for this year!

Knott's Pony Express: $10 Million?

This post on the LA Times's travel blog lists Pony Express at Knott's Berry Farm as a $10 million investment.

That seems high to me - then again I think Knott's has had a long history of including overall renovation projects in the cost of new rides, inflating things overall.

I know the images hit a few days ago, but Screamscape has the ride's layout in addition to the image above, from the LA Times.

I'm excited to see if Mr. Decker got any significant cash to work on theming for the ride...

Heard of Decades Music Theme Park?

A group of individuals have some big plans for some land in between Tuscon and Phoenix, in Arizona. They want to build the Decades Music Theme Park in that spot, and have even gone to the extent of creating a website to gather support.

That's where I found this, a rough concept for the park:

The theme park would have a Main Street area, and lands themed to the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s in the first phase of the park to open.

Side note: why do new parks still try to have "phase 1 and phase 2" when so often the 2nd one is never built?

Anyway, the whole place would be music themed, not unlike Hard Rock Park which is being built in Myrtle Beach. (Another note, Hard Rock Park officials are already scouting locations in CA for a 2nd themer)

I guess the developers needs some changes made to Arizona state legislation (create park specific sales tax to finance bonds to raise cash) to move forward with their project.

You can check out their site here to learn more, and even see ways to help support the park's progress.

Six Flags Magic Mountain Slimming Down

Bye bye rides!

According to this blog on the L.A. Times website, a bunch of rides, including the above photoed Freefall, will be removed from Six Flags Magic Mountain in the near future.

Also leaving, Sierra Twist, Circus Wheel, Spin-Out, and Granny Grand Prix.

Deja Vu, Superman the Escape, and Colossus are safe, despite rumors, the park says.

Oh, and they'd love to have a Tonk Hawk coaster or a Batman Dark Knight one too, so watch out 2009.

Tower of Terror Paris + Placemaking

© 2007 Disneytheque

The picture above speaks for itself, I think. The 2nd little Disney Park in France is finally starting to shape up. Those are new buildings that went up as part of the placemaking project going on at the park in the front of the photo.

Disneytheque has a whole slew of Tower photos as well as placemaking photos.

Yak and Yeti at Animal Kingdom

© MouseSteps 2007

I know it's not earth-shaking news, but as a fan of Animal Kingdom and it's fantastic theming I wanted to point out that the park's new Yak and Yeti restaurant has opened.

The structure is fantastically themed, and has both a full service restaurant and walk up service contained within.

It's located in the Asia section of the park and has theming that links the building to both Kali River Rapids and Everest.

MouseSteps has a review and tons of photos if you would like to check them out.

Dorney Park Voodoo 11.14.07 Update

Thanks again to our reader modernphoenixv2, we AGAIN have new photos of what's going on with the construction of Voodoo at Dorney Park.

More track has been moved to the parking lot this week.

The weather was pretty miserable today, that you can tell for sure in this photo.

Here is a close up of the new track. Some of them look straight with a slight curve at the end.

It's starting to bug me that we still do not know the support color!

Another view of the track pieces in the parking lot so far.

Thanks again to modernphoenixv2!

Geauga's Big Dipper Gets Some Press

The Sandusky Register and the Plain Dealer both ran articles today about the efforts and ideas of coaster enthusiasts to save the Big Dipper from Geauga Lake.

Both articles focus on the idea that the ride could remain where it is if the area immediately around it is developed as a mixed-use property.

That means they could add outdoor shops and restaurants and other entertainment around the ride and make the area worth while in the eyes of real estate developers.

A couple of folks from ACE even expressed interest in placing the long-time-coming Roller Coaster Museam in the development.

Everyone points to developments like Kemah Boardwalk and Belmont Park as successful mixed-use developments that feature rides.

Of course Cedar Fair won't comment at all and did say that bids for the property are due at the end of March.

It sounds like a cool idea - the true test is whether or not these folks can find anyone to put the money down to get the land and develop it.

Canada's Wonderland Behemoth Updates

Canada's Wonderland has updated their photos of the construction of Behemoth. They also have added a new entry in the construction journal. Worth a read, indeed.

Cedar Fair / Kinzel Article

© 2007 Toledo Blade/Dave Zapotosky

Yesterday the Toledo Blade ran a very interesting article on Cedar Fair and spoke with the CEO, Richard Kinzel on many subjects.

Here's the link to the article.


Some things I noticed:

· Attendance at the former Paramount Parks dropped 200k this past year.
· The former Paramount Parks had 40% of their attendance from season passes, while the legacy parks have only 10%.
· CP's attendance in '07 was 3 million
· With the money the company uses to pay dividends they could build a hotel at Canada's Wonderland, fix one at Cedar Point, and expand Kings Dominion's camp ground - which lets us known these are desires of the company.
· Geauga Lake's wooden coasters will be sold or scrapped.
· The company still gets calls from people who want to purchase Canada's Wonderland from them.

After reading all that I'm surprised that there weren't any plans announced to further the company's involvement in accommodations at any of its parks. Obviously that's one area they can try to improve revenues in to get themselves out of the hole they are in.

I do think that Behemoth at Canada's Wonderland is only the start of a much larger expansion phase for the property.

Dorney Park Voodoo 11.11.07 Update

A very special thanks goes out to modernphoenixv2 for the photos in this update! They are much appreciated, as are all reader submissions!

Let's get started...

As you can see, the collection of parts for Voodoo in the parking lot is increasing. Some yellow track pieces have appeared, as well as a large selection of other parts.

Zoomed in - those look like the track pieces that were behind Steel Force before the park closed.

Some supports...

Some more support pieces. These look like the ones that are used for the station and launch track. I wonder though, what is that purple thing on the very left?

I blew it up a little bit. I really don't know what that is, and I'm interested because of it's color. I really want the shades of purple used in the ride's new website to be on the ride. I know they show it on the trains, but how cool would it be if it was the support color?

You can see those purple things again in this photo - what are they!?

A nice side view of the track and ride parts. Anyone know what those cream colored parts are?

Finally, a shot of the construction are for the ride.

Thanks again to modernphoenixv2!

Original Worlds of Fun Mamba Press Kit

Here's the last part of the series of original press kits from the three Cedar Fair Morgan hyper coasters from the latter 1990s - Mamba at Worlds of Fun.

Take notice of the colors they used for the ride's first logo - perhaps different colors were originally going to be used?

Here's the unedited press release with associated photos.

Worlds of Fun Announces New Ride For 1998 Season

Kansas City, Mo., -- Worlds of Fun announces plans to construct a new steel roller coaster for the 1998 season. Named for one of the fastest and most feared snakes in the world, MAMBA will be the tallest, longest and fastest steel roller coaster in the Midwest. The addition of MAMBA will be the biggest expansion in the park's 26 year history and will place Worlds of Fun in an elite class of roller coaster parks.

MAMBA will be a state-of-the-art scream machine whose first hill will take riders over 200 feet above the ground and fling them toward the earth at 75 miles per hour. A second hill, 184 feet above the ground, will immediately follow and drop at nearly the same velocity as the first. The coaster, with an "Out and Back" design, is known for its speed. Other unique features of MAMBA include a 580 degree rotation which reaches speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour. Additionally, the ride's five "camelback" bumps, including an unusual "double-up" bump, highlight the sensation of negative Gs or "air time."

Designed by D.H. Morgan Manufacturing, Inc. of La Selva Beach, Calif., MAMBA is going to be a "very fast, very exciting ride," according to President Dana Morgan. "Our chief coaster designer, Steve Okamoto, has outdone himself with Worlds of Fun's MAMBA. The first drop is dramatic, but the second drop is a real surprise as it propels the train, once again, to near maximum velocity. Followed by a high speed rotation, the added sensations of the "camelback" series make this a truly remarkable ride event."

MAMBA's journey begins in the Africa section of Worlds of Fun and travels over one mile, stretching from its monstrous hills to the Americana section, where it turns before heading back across the entire length of the park. Three 36-passenger trains will give MAMBA a capacity of 1,700 rides per hour with each ride lasting approximately three minutes.

"We wanted to offer Kansas City and the Midwest an opportunity to experience a world-class roller coaster," said Worlds of Fun Vice President and General Manager Daniel R. Keller. "Adding MAMBA to Worlds of Fun's diverse lineup of rides and attractions will have a definite impact in 1998 and for years to come."

Construction of MAMBA will continue through the winter months and the ride is scheduled to open in the Spring of 1998. Worlds of Fun will open for its 26th operating season on Saturday, April 18.

Worlds of Fun combines and wide variety of rides, shows and attractions to cover 175 acres of fun. The park is located on the east loop of I-435 at exit 54 in Kansas City, Mo. Worlds of Fun is owned and operated by Cedar Fair, L.P. which also owns and operates Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio; Valleyfair in Shakopee, Minn.; and Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Penn.

***

Voodoo Website Launched

Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom has launched their Voodoo mini-website - and it looks pretty awesome.

By all means, get clicking.

Worlds of Discovery

No no, not Worlds of Adventure, the former Geauga Lake name, but Worlds of Discovery - the new brand name for the Busch Entertainment's collection of parks and attractions.

I suppose I'll let the press release do the talking:

Worlds of Discovery Await At
Busch Entertainment Corporation’s Family of Parks

Introduction of Aquatica Shows Diversity of “Real” Experiences

Tampa, Fla. (Nov. 9, 2007) – Long-known for creating one-of-a-kind adventures based on interactive experiences within the natural world, the Busch Entertainment Corporation family of adventure parks will now be known as Worlds of Discovery.

“All of our parks offer guests the opportunity to celebrate, connect and care for the world we share with their families,” says Joe Couceiro, corporate vice president and chief marketing officer of Busch Entertainment Corporation. “This common thread of authentic experiences, interactive learning and leisure opportunities creates meaning beyond park visits and is the driving force behind Worlds of Discovery – the unifying identity for all 10 of our adventure parks.”

When Aquatica - the waterpark that only SeaWorld could create - joins the Worlds of Discovery parks in spring 2008, it will complement the SeaWorld experience. Along with Discovery Cove, these three parks in Orlando offer unique ways to connect with the world of the sea. The Worlds of Discovery parks also include SeaWorld parks in California and Texas, Busch Gardens parks in Tampa, Fla. and Williamsburg, Va., their adjoining water parks, Adventure Island and Water Country U.S.A., and Sesame Place near Philadelphia.

“Guests will come to know that through the Worlds of Discovery parks, they will have the opportunity to come closer to the world we share,” says Jim Atchison, incoming president and chief operating officer of Busch Entertainment Corporation. “It’s our culture and our heritage to present quality products, support conservation efforts and offer guests a real sense of discovery and learning.”

Through up-close animal encounters, thrill rides and live entertainment based on the cultures of continents around the globe, the Worlds of Discovery parks offer an unprecedented variety of experiences not available anywhere else.

~~~~
Oddly enough, someone just send this to me today as well:

... which looks to be a new add for the Sea Worlds park's that shows how the Worlds of Discovery name will be used.

My question: Are the theme parks still going to go by Africa and Europe?

Michigan's Adventure & Thunderhawk Updates

Some new photos of the construction going on at Michigan's Adventure have been updated on the park's official website.

The one above, which I call crane on an island, can be found through this link.

Michigan's Roller Coaster also has an end of October update for the park. In addition to Thunderhawk track pieces, there's lots of photos of the park as it gets ready for winter.

Click here to see that update.

Another Take on Coney Island

City officials announced another plan for the redevelopment of Coney Island yesterday. Artwork from this annoucnement is above.

A15 acre amusement park would be built through a partnership with a "world-class developer," and would feature a slew of new rides.

The area will be developed with indoor and outdoor amusements as well. An indoor water park can be seen in one of the drawings.

Additionally, in the larger scope, there will be new residential housing, along with green space and plenty of retail developments.

I'm not 100% clear but I do not think this plan any anything to do with the former plan that was announced by a development group earlier this year.

Both cannot exist, I believe they overlap in land use. I wonder which plan will win out?

Source.

The 49ers - Not the Brightest Bulb

The Examiner has a new article about what the 49ers are planning since Cedar Fair officially opposed their idea to place the stadium in Great America's parking lot.

The 49ers are looking at a site across the street from the one they wanted, which is a 5 minute walk from where parking and such would be. The site is currently an overflow parking lot for the Amusement park - and is hardly used.

So after all this drama about the stadium suddenly the 49ers are looking at a 2nd site, never discussed before, which wasn't their first choice because of a 5 minute walk?

Why the heck didn't this come up months ago? Wow. Here's the article.

Some New Industry Sites

The Gravity Group has launched a new website, and it's pretty slick. It has nice info on the rides they have done, and a wonderful section that shows all the rides that the guys behind the company have worked on. Check it out.

And so has PARC Management. They're the company that took a bunch of parks off Six Flags' hands last year. Not too in depth on this one, but it's nice of the company to have a presence on the web. Check it out.

Good Year for Disneyland Paris Resort

Euro Disney S.C.A. announced their fiscal year 2007 results today, and they were a nice improvement over the last few years.

Overall revenues were up 12% on what you *want* them to be up on, growth in attendance at the resort. The resort saw a staggering 1.7 million increase in attendance for the year.

That, in turn, increased revenues from the parks, their downtown Disney area, the hotels (which saw 5.8 percentage points higher occupancy rates this year), and everything else they offer.

The company finally had a positive operating profit for the year, and while they still had a loss over all, it's a step in the right direction.

Add this new strength to Tower of Terror opening soon and we may see even more expansion at the resort in coming years.

More Behemoth Photos

© gpn1975

There's plenty more on this users maj.com photo page. What a drop! I don't care to get into the how-steep-is-the-drop-really debate, but it does look pretty steep.

Lightning Bolt Lives!

© gisco 2007

Lighning Bolt, formerly at MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park in Las Vegas, has started to arrive in its new home.

User gisco was nice enough to post a bunch of photos of the ride pieces being delivered in their new home on ThemeParkReview.

Speaking of the ride's new home, The Forest at Granite Park, here's a little article about the progress the park is making.

Additionally, the park recently purchased a Moser Mexican Fiesta flat ride from the now closed Wild West Theme Park.

The park is supposed to open this coming spring.

Legoland California 2008

Legoland California has announced some major ($20 Million) expansion plans for the 2008 season, including another new land in the park and a full Aquarium next to the park.

Land of Adventure will be a new 1 acre area inside the theme park. The area will be set in 1920s Egypt and feature the park's first dark ride, Lost Kingdom Adventure. The ride is interactive, with Laser guns and various targets, features 9 show scenes and sounds cool to me.

The area will also have two other rides for kids, Beetle Bounce and Cargo Ace. The latter is an airplane ride, the former is a 15 ft. mini tower ride. Also included will be Pharaoh's Revenge, a foam ball play area - an attraction that is a hit at many parks already.

The park also announced Sea Life Legoland - a brand new Aquarium next to the park's entrance. The Aquarium will be separate admission and will help to turn the theme park into a resort. There's lots more info on this in the park's press release.

Here is a news article about the expansion as well.

Ravine Flyer 2 Update

Waldameer Amusement Park has updated their construction photos of their new coaster for 2008, Ravine Flyer II.

It looks like such an interesting ride, using the landscape fully and going over the highway twice.

You can check out the entire photo gallery at this link.

Is this the Pony Express? Or not?

I decided to look at the Zamperla prototype for their MotoCoaster, since this is what Knott's new ride will be.

Well, there's a lot of similarities in stats. The prototype, seen above, goes 40 m.p.h., is over 40 ft. tall, has 60 degree banked turns, but is only 1,195 ft. long. You can compare these stats to those of Knott's a couple posts below.

So phew, perhaps this isn't what Knott's is getting? Or is it? It would make sense to use the same launch and first hill as it's already been perfected for the prototype - but then customize the rest. It would just really suck if Knott's added what is basically a variant of a Wild Mouse!

I'm sure someone will figure it out for sure soon.

Heard On... Cedar Fair 3rd Quarter Call

Here's some things I picked up through the Cedar Fair 3rd Quarter Conference Call that was held today.

• 2006 saw a slight dip in revenues at Cedar Point, but 2007 had record revenues and operating profits - plus there was growth in out of park revenues at the resort.
• They are going to be marketing over 500 acres from Geauga Lake starting early 2008.
• They saw a larger than expected decrease in Season Pass visits at the former Paramount Parks as a result of the changes they made to their season pass systems.
• They've had no additional talks with the 49ers since they put out there release formally opposing the development in October.
• Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom will been seen as a "division of Cedar Point," like the Soak City parks and Knott's Berry Farm in California.
• The rides being removed from Geauga and put in other parks are done so at 50 cents on the dollar, or basically half of what they would cost to put in new right now.
• Great America is definitely adding Geauga's Top Spin, and Cedar Point is definitely adding Geauga's kiddie rides.
• Cedar Point's new family area will use the stagnant former Berenstain Bear Country area, and be modeled after the kids areas at the former Paramount properties.
• The Jacket promotion worked some places for season pass sales, and not in others. They'll be having Christmas promotions next.
•The gate keeping system they gained from Paramount will spread to legacy parks this coming season.
• The new Platinum Pass is going over well at the legacy parks, especially Cedar Point.

As always Dick and the gang seem plenty confident that everything is okay. The investment community seems to feel otherwise though.

As for me, I'm still not sure.

Knott's Pony Express Release

Knott's Berry Farm put out an official release for the new attraction for 2008, the Pony Express.

Interestingly, the release says that the trains will hold 16 riders, Cedar Fair's release said 12.

The ride will be 1,300 ft. long, have a 3 second 38 m.p.h. launch, and be 44 ft. high - and designed by Zamperla.

Here's the official release.

No More Earthquakes! Sorta.

According to the Orlando Sentinel the Earthquake attraction at Universal Stuidos Florida is now a thing of the past.

Well, sorta anyway.

The ride will reopen in December called "Disaster! A Major Motion Picture Ride ... Starring You!" The ride will have no specific movie theme and will be more interactive, says the article.

Sounds like the rumors of totally redone preshows and a new story line is correct after all. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there will be some changes in the ride itself, but I'm not expecting anything too drastic - I mean it reopens in just over a month.

It'll all probably be very comparable to what they did to Poseidon's Fury over at Islands of Adventure years back.

Anyway, just in case let's watch the ride in action:

Cedar Fair Announces 2008 Plans

Cedar Fair has released their plans for the 2008 season at all their parks.

Among already announced attractions we have Behemoth, Thunderhawk, Dominator, Voodoo, Firefall, and today's announced Bondi Beach at Carowinds.

But they also announced a new family area at Cedar Point, with 7 rides and a family rest area, and Pony Express at Knott's Berry Farm. Pony Express is a roller coaster with two 12 passenger trains that are launched at the start and features many low to the ground turns and steep banks.

Sounds like a Vekoma Booster Bike or maybe one of Intamin's new rides which are similar. Then again, the Zamperla version has 12 seat trains like those mentioned in the press release.

I hope they do some decent theming on the ride!

I'm sure this release has a lot to do with some possible spin, or even distractions at tomorrow's announcement of 3rd quarter earnings for the company.

Carowinds 2008

Today Carowinds announced their 2008 expansion plans.

The main new attraction is Bondi Beach, a 600,000 gallon wave pool. This will be the second wave pool for the park. Supplied by Neuman Pools, the 34,000 sq. ft. attraction is 275 feet wide at its largest point.

The park will also add Cabanas along the side of the pool, as well as Beach Bites, a food service location, Outback Outfitters, a retail location, and new locker rooms.

Here's Carowinds official release.


It's not a bad idea to expand the water park since they are such a draw for so many parks. I'm sure the ride fans are sad, but increased attendance and spending make for new rides down the road...

Original Steel Force Press Kit

Continuing with those 3 Cedar Fair Morgan press kits, (if you missed Wild Thing, click here) here is the next ride to have been built, Steel Force. What follows is the unedited press release with associated images.

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom To Build The Tallest Roller Coaster In The East

Allentown, PA., September 13th, 1996 - Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom announces plans to build STEEL FORCE, the tallest free-standing roller coaster on the East Coast, for its 1997 season. The 200-foot-high mega-coaster will take passengers on a three-minute journey over 5,600 feet of track at speeds topping 75 m.p.h.

STEEL FORCE will be a state-of-the-art scream machine that will have features like no other roller coaster. Passengers will be lifted 200 feet in the air, hurled 205 feet to the ground, through a 120-foot-long tunnel, then raced up 161 feet. STEEL FORCE will continue to thrill its passengers as it takes them on a wild ride of more than one mile through a maze of hills, drops, camelbacks, twists and turns.

According to John Albino, the park's Vice President and General Manager, "By adding a world-class coaster such as STEEL FORCE, Dorney Park will provide its guests with a thrill they cannot experience anywhere else on the East Coast."

Some of the most exciting design elements of STEEL FORCE include two coaster tracks running through the underground tunnel in opposite directions; passenger trains shooting four times though the coaster's steel support structure at speeds reaching 60 m.p.h.; and two points during the ride where passengers will feel the weightless effect of near-zero gravity. Passenger trains will also wrap around the queue area, involving guests who are waiting to board the immense structure.

Jan Kiser, president of America Coaster Enthusiasts, a national organization dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of coasters, expects STEEL FORCE to have a major impact on the coaster world in 1997. "STEEL FORCE definitely has the exciting design features to make it a world-class coaster. In fact, STEEL FORCE may be the only coaster in the U.S. with an opposite-direction, double-track tunnel. That feature alone should make Dorney Park a destination site for many coaster enthusiasts."

At 200 feet tall, STEEL FORCE could fit either of two well-known national landmarks under its highest point with plenty of room to spare, the Space Shuttle Columbia at 120 feet or the Statue of Liberty at 151 feet.

STEEL FORCE will extend the length of the lower end of Dorney Park -- from Laser, the Park's double looping coaster, to Hercules, one of the world's tallest wooden roller coasters. The 36-passenger trains will allow for a capacity of approximately 1,700 daring riders an hour. STEEL FORCE is scheduled to make its debut in May of 1997.

Designed by Morgan Manufacturing, La Selva Beach, Calif., STEEL FORCE will be a spectacular ride. "All of us at Morgan are excited about the opportunity to provide Dorney Park with its biggest and fastest coaster. Personally, I can hardly wait to try the 205-foot drop into a dark tunnel," said Dana Morgan, President of Morgan Manufacturing.

Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, a 200-acre amusement/water park located near Allentown, PA., is one of the most diverse amusement and entertainment experiences in the Northeastern United States. The park is easily accessible from Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Central Pennsylvania and Delaware. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is owned and operated by Cedar Fair, L.P., a limited partnership that also owns and operates Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio; Valleyfair, Shakopee, Minn.; and World of Fun/Oceans of Fun, Kansas City, MO.

Six Flags' Yard Sale

The IRM used rides web page reads like a big Six Flags yard sale at the moment.

A quick check shows adds for two Giant Boomerangs, Magic Mountain's Flashback, a Chute-the-Chute (SFGrAm?), Magic Mountain's old freefall, and 5 rides from Six Flags New England, including the S&S SkySwatter that came from Astroworld.

They're really cleaning out the junk from the parks these days.

Source.

More on Six Flags New England

This article, from Park World, has a nice interview of sorts with Six Flags New England president, Larry Litton.

Lots of topics are covered, but I noticed a few things of special interest. First, the park's attendance during 2007 was up 16% over last year. That's considerable to say the least.

Second, the park is planning on adding a new kids' area in the water park for 2008 in addition to the Batman wild-mouse-in-a-box.

As far as I'm concerned Six Flags New England already has one of the coolest looking water parks out there, so adding more to it is awesome.
See what I mean? They have tons of stuff already.

Check out the article to see what Mr. president has to say about the park's future.

It's Snowing in Southern California...

© ~Aniko~ 2007

Disneyland's castle is already starting to be decorated for the holiday season. As you can see in the above photo, they've started to place fake snow all over the structure, with much more to come.

I think it's a pretty neat idea - right now it looks a little like polka dots or something, but when it's finished it'll all come together.

Here's the rest of the pictures in a thread at MiceChat.

Lookin' Good

So few supports for such a tall ride!

CWMania has the updates, as usual. Check it out!

Sesame Street Bay Of Play

It's one of those awkward half way announced things, but Sea World San Diego's addition for the 2008 season is the Sesame Street Bay of Play.

I happened upon the above show of the park's new interactive map and they listed the area already. (Not sure if that's really what it'll look like though) But don't try to find out any more about the area on the park's website.

Instead, turn to Park World Magazine. They have an article about Sesame Street and parks, and cover Sesame Street Bay of Play.

The two acre area will have three family rides, including what sounds like tea cups and a themed rock'n'tug, a live show, character meet and greets, and best of all, the Sesame Street 4-D movie.

I'm not sure if it's the one at Universal Studios Japan, but probably. I doubt there's more than one version.

Anyway, sounds neat - but living so close to Sesame Place for my whole life perhaps I'm spoiled. Anyway - it's a very smart decision for the park. Kudos.

Nickelodeon Universe Webcams

The Nickelodeon Universe web page on the Mall of America's site is slowly being changed to reflect the new park, and now they have added two webcams.

The above view is of Avatar Airbender, which is supposed to be the Intamin Half Pipe.

This view is of Spongebob Squarepants Rock Bottom Plunge - the Gerstlauer EuroFighter roller coaster. There's lots of footers in already!

You can check out the cams on this page.

Thunderhawk Construction Photos

Michigan's Adventure has added some construction photos of Thunderhawk to their website.

Now we finally have a clear view of where Thunderhawk is going to be located in the park.

Which I guess is about the black box I made in the above photo.

I do hope they put a path back there to complete 'the circle.'

Hello Parks!

I noticed today that a larger than average amount of Amusement and Theme Parks have visited NewsPlusNotes - and some new ones I haven't seen in the logs before.

I wanted to say hi, and also throw it out there that if you want any official press releases or info posted please feel free to e-mail them at the address in the side bar.

A few parks already do, so why not add more!

Firefall Logo

Just noticed that it's up on California's Great America's webpage.

Rather similar to the Riptide logos for the same ride at Knott's Berry Farm and Valleyfair!.

'Coaster Walkers'

© The Washington Post

The Winston Salem Journal has a pretty cool article about the maintenance people who walk wooden roller coasters each morning to inspect them.

They talk to people from Holiday World, Cedar Point, and Six Flags America. It's pretty interesting to read the perspective of these individuals, they really looks at these rides differently than most.

Here's the link to the article.

Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom

Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom actually put out a press release to detail their 2008 schedule and prices.

They'll have a typical water park season, and admission to the park will be $23.95. Specific hours are not up yet on their website.

Here's a link to their press release.

They talk about how they are also going to give season pass holders (Reg. $44.95) some benefits like early entry and discounts on Cabanas, and they'll have limbo and Geauga Lake Idol contests.

... uhh, cool! I guess.

New Hard Rock Park Site is Live

Hard Rock Park's new website is live and so is their interactive map. You can learn all sorts of cool stuff if you take some time to explore.

Check it out!

Six Flags Magic Mountain 2008

Six Flags Magic Mountain formally announced their new additions for the 2008 season today.

First, they are changing some stuff on X and marketing it as X2 next year. They're spending another $10 million on this money pit to add new trains (which we all knew) and to add a tunnel with lights and other "sensory" effects.

Personally, I don't get it. The ride cost a ton to begin with, has had tons of work done on it since, and now this much more is being spent on it so 500 people an hour can ride? Hmm...

Anyway, they also announced Thomas Town, which had also already been mentioned by Six Flags previously. This time they put out some concept art, however. Click here to see it.

Here's the whole press release as well.

October Poll Results

We had a total of 170 votes again in this month's poll. Sorta weird, I know, but it's not rigged I swear!

As you can see, Kings Island was voted the best former Paramount Park by a considerable majority. I suppose that makes sense, the property does have some die-hard fans and a balanced assortment of rides/attractions/entertainment/water park.

With a little less than half the number of votes Kings Islands received, Kings Dominion was next, followed by Canada's Wonderland. Both fitting results, I think.

Carowinds and Great America didn't do so well. Together they grabbed only 12 votes, and Great America actually accounted for 1% of all the votes.

Perhaps the recent new attractions announced for Great America will help it's popularity in the community? GCIIs tend to do that...

New poll will be up shortly!