Turkey Daily Spin 11.27.08

Happy Thanksgiving to all our NewsPlusNotes readers! We hope you all eat and be merry, and also remember to gives thanks for all the wonderful things we have in this world - everything from our loved ones to roller coasters!

Universal Studios Florida has kicked the construction for Rockit into high gear, as seen in these photos posted to ThemeParkReview. Many parts of the park have been torn up, and it appears as steel has gone vertical for the new stage that will be part of the project. I'm sure the coaster will follow soon behind!

Track works looks almost complete on Europa Park's new coaster for this coming year. The park also appears to be following through with their arctic theming on the ride, as major fake rockwork is going on underneath the ride. EPFans has some very recent photos for you to check out at this link.

KICentral.com has another round of photos of Diamondback at Kings Island taken from a plane. These new views show that work has started on the ride's second hill, and they also give another perspective of the completed lift and drop.

Worlds of Fun has posted new photos of Prowler's construction as well. "Bent zero" was recently placed, which is the tallest and biggest on the ride - so basically the ride has been topped off. There's also some great new shots of the ride's first drop from different angles.

The Themed Entertainment Association recently revealed the winners of the 15th annual TEA Awards at the IAAPA show. The awards represent the best of the best when it comes to immersive, themed attractions found around the world. EPCOT Center at Walt Disney World also received this year's Classic Award. Full results on TEA's blog.

Wild Adventures Theme Park, now under the ownership of Herschend Family Entertainment company, is greatly expanding their Holiday event this year, aptly called Festival of Lights. The park will have more than a million lights up, and special entertainment as well as the park's other rides and attractions.