I read that Kings Dominion had officially announced the addition of two new rides to the park for 2009, but didn't actually see a release anywhere!
Thankfully for the park they have KDFansite to keep up with their news, as the site has published the official release detailing the addition of the new attractions.
Both the Americana ferris wheel and El Dorado spinning ride will be added to the park near the Hurler and Rebel Yell wooden coasters. Both rides were formerly located at Geauga Lake. The Black Squid flat ride was also moved to the park but will not be added.
Check out Flyin' Phil's brand spanking new aerial photos of Medusa at Six Flags Great Adventure's new paint job.
The track is a sweet looking dark blue, and the supports do not look like they have been touched yet. At this time, no one seems sure if the supports will be a totally different color or if they will remain purple.
I like it so far! The picture here is for comparison, it's quite a difference!
Sadly now just a piece of history, here's an aerial I stitched together of Celebration City theme park located in Branson, Missouri. I really hope something good comes for the GCI wooden coaster, the Ozark Wildcat.
Thorpe Park Mania has published some new concept renderings of the inside of Saw The Ride's main building, specifically the station area (seen above).
The 100 ft. tall custom designed Gerstlauer EuroFighter coaster is themed to the Saw movie franchise. There are other themed elements that will take place inside the main building before the ride heads outside, but for now those sections remain a secret.
Between the unique ride theming and awesome track design, this is going to be on heck of a ride!
Beautiful is what the newly reopened inside walkthrough tour of Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland is! The classic attraction has been greatly improved from it's former version, no longer is it just dioramas and the story to read, now there are many new effects, audio, and lightning that enhance the experience.
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 Funhas 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.
Dorney Park certainly gets its share of NPN love. But what about its competition down the road? Let's see what the "Sweetest Place on Earth" had to offer us back in 1999.
Note the now vintage pinwheel logo. Gotta love it! Great Bear, in only its second season at the park, landed the much coveted brochure cover spot in '99.
I do love Great Bear, but apparently the feeling is not mutual. It has been down for all or part of the day on pretty much every occasion I've visited the park since its debut! [What must I do to appease you, my interplanetary purveyor of thrills?? Vow to name my firstborn in your honor? Sacrifice my brochure collection at your footers?]
Fact: I have been collecting Hersheypark brochures long enough to know that it is the "L" and NOT the "S" that is capitalized in sooperdooperLooper, at least traditionally speaking. In recent years the park has switched to an all caps version, which I imagine must have something to do with the trademark. But for my part, I will continue to champion the original format, which is...well, more ORIGINAL! (And don't ask me why I have such a fixation on the spelling of roller coaster names...)
The year 1999 saw the introduction of the Hersheypark Fair, which gave a whole new flavor to the relatively new Midway America area of park. While the nostalgia of Midway America is still alive and well at Hershey, I daresay this area of the park has been overshadowed--not to mention isolated--by the introduction and continuing expansion of The Boardwalk. Such is the delicate balancing act that faces older, space-challenged parks. We can only hope that the balance swings in the other direction once in a while!
Hershey, PA truly is a vacation destination. While most of us industry junkies tend to focus on the park, there are many other diversions to be found in this area. It's no wonder the park is always so crowded!
While Christmas Candylane was a well established event by this point in time, the park was just beginning to dip its toes into the Halloween market. And I'm sure we are all thankful that they did! Ah, Christmas Candylane... One NPN writer--can't imagine who--will be hitting up the 2008 rendition of this event in just a couple short weeks. Stay tuned for full coverage!
Well, that about wraps up this week's brochure spotlight. And before we get ahead of ourselves with the Christmas Candylane business, I'd like to wish all of you in the States a very happy and restful Thanksgiving! Heck, I wish those of you NOT in the States the same! I'm sure we all have many reasons to be thankful, and who needs an official national holiday to celebrate that?
For decades now the Santa Claus Museum along with Santa's Elves Inc. have utilized their task force of Elves to answer letters written to Santa Claus and mailed to the main man at home in Santa Claus, Indiana.
This holiday tradition has grown over the years, and the numbers of letters each year has grown as well. This year, however, word of the letter answering service has spread via the internet and poor Santa Claus is feeling a little overwhelmed it seems!
Patricia Koch, of Holiday Word fame, says "Short and simple, we need more Elves. We need dozens of kind-hearted volunteers with legible handwriting and a belief in Santa to help respond to the letters. The Elves simply read the children’s letters and then, on behalf of Santa, add the child’s name plus a personal “P.S.” to the colorful letters which Santa has already written by hand."
Those interested in volunteering to be Santa’s Elves are asked to call the Santa Claus Museum at 812-937-2687 or email scmcurator@psci.net for more information. The Museum is open Mondays through Saturdays from 8 am to 5 pm CST. Evening and Sunday hours may be arranged as well. The letters, envelopes, red pens, and stamps are all provided at the Museum, along with the good cheer of fellow Elves. As is the tradition, there is no charge for the letters.
This is a wonderful tradition that as Mrs. Koch says, "This is a simple, sweet way to help a child believe in the magic of Santa and the spirit of giving."
How weird does the Paradise Pier section of Disney's California Adventure look now that it has been fully drained? It looks like a skate boarder's paradise.
Westcoaster has a full Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure update with many more photos like the one above.
KINGS ISLAND, Ohio – Rick Lynch works on a new entrance sign for The Beast roller coaster at Kings Island. In 2009, The Beast celebrates its 30th anniversary of thrills. When the Beast opened April 14, 1979, it was acclaimed America’s ultimate roller coaster. It broke all existing records as the longest and fastest ride in the world. It is still listed in the "Guinness Book of World Records" as the longest wooden roller coaster anywhere.
It's a very special day for NewsPlusNotes! Today is our 2nd anniversary and the day we announce our Diamondback at Kings Island Media Day Contest winner!
Before the winner - I must say a huge thank you to all our readers over the past two years. We've had over 250,000 unique visitors to the blog, and over 1,300 posts! If it weren't for you guys all this would be for nothing, so thank you!
We're looking forward to another two years - and more!
Now as for the Diamondback contest business, we had a great number of contest entries, but there can be only one winner!
Our question was how many track sections are there in Diamondback - and the answer is 141 sections!
That said, congratulations to Chris S. of Ohio who is our winner! Their guess was 143 track pieces.
We look forward to meeting our winner at the media day, and as always you can expect a full report! Thanks to everyone who entered!
For those of you who are ever ready to expand your bookmark collection I present to you a new site to check out: Thrillator.
The site is "a basic web 2.0 user-driven news aggregation site, similar to sites such as Digg and Reddit, but aimed specifically at the online amusement park fan community."
NewsPlusNotes's feed is featured on Thrillator, as well. It's a great way to keep up to the second with many of the popular Amusement Industry sites.
One of our readers recently pointed out to me that the California theme parks have had their images updated on the Live Local Maps. Being the Live Local freak I am, this was very exciting to hear!
Let's see what we can see...
Here we are at Six Flags Magic Mountain. And here's Psyclone, still standing, next to DejaVu. But then:
Smash, that one bites the dust. Next time this image is updated we should get a nice shot of Terminator Salvation! Here's the link to Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Knott's Berry Farm's images now include the mostly finished at that point Pony Express, but you can also now see Sierra Sidewinder as well.
Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure were also updated, you can see that the Paradise Pier section of DCA has the totally finished Toy Story Midway Mania ride now. It's neat to see how they stuck the ride building behind the Screamin' coaster, as well as underneath it.
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom was updated as well, you can see that Zonga is removed in the above photo, and V2 has it's fancy new paint job. Elsewhere you can see the Thomas Town as well.
When Jim Seay, President of Premier Rides, hears people say that rides and attractions aren’t rocket science he laughs, because as a project engineer for Hughes Aircraft he is one of few able to make a valid comparison.
Constant expansion of the amusement ride envelope is the hallmark of company. A recent breakthrough is the revolver coaster which opened at Hard Rock Park.
Some other areas include maintenance and technology improvements by offering new types of chains and wheels for existing rides.
Sartori has some of the cutest coaster cars being produced today
But their real news is the introduction of their compact inverted coaster called Cobra. With a small footprint of 100 feet wide and nearly 200 feet long, it’s hard to imagine that this coaster actually has an inversion. And at one point it pulls over 4.5 gs.
The fact that it is built on a platform means there are many options for installation. We need one of these in the US for us to go and check out.
Great Coasters International's 2008 Installation, Evil Knievel was the star of this year's booth, wonder which of their woodies will have that honor in 2009?
GCII' is going to be piling up airline miles before next year is done. Being based near the east coast and building coasters in Missouri, California, and Germany, they will be road warriors for the winter of 2008.
It appears that some travelling plans need to be made for wood coaster fans next year.
Philadelphia Toboggan Company was showing one of the cars for the new coaster in China being designed by Gravity Group.
Here also is a shot of the one bench car and the open front modification available for their current and past trains.
This is just one more option for customers in the competitive wooden coaster rolling stock market.
If you would like to have a coaster built in your back yard you should contact Amusement Rides by Bailey.
They will design, fabricate, and install a steel coaster for only $350.00 a linear foot.
Here is a photo of their first coaster built in Peterborough, ON. When you look at the condition of the track you can see how well designed their products are because this neglected ride is still in operation.
Vekoma has projects for next year on every continent except Antarctica. A lot of excitement surrounds their second generation Flying Dutchmen coach.
A more comfortable train and a new reclining feature that uses an electric motor instead of hydraulics should ensure more consistent reliability for future customers. The new Stingray layout features a vertical chain lift and is only one third the size of the original Flying Dutchman.
MaurerSohne is hanging their hat on the new coaster for Universal Escape in Florida. Due to limitations from the customer, no photos of the ride layout were permitted but it looks to be a positively special roller coaster. Hopefully the veil will be lifted soon on this upcoming attraction.
Rides 4U sells both new and used rides. We mentioned them because they have listed all the rides from Cypress Gardens.
They even said two of the rides are already sold, but not the wooden roller coasters at this time. Well, there’s still hope for tomorrow.
So, here's the show floor. All 8.3 miles of entertainment.
When you look out through these overhead windows at the show floor, almost everyone in the room supports GKTW through gifts-in-kind, monetary, or supporting the various fundraisers.
Give Kids The World is a special place where terminally ill children get the trip of a lifetime to Orlando and hopefully enjoy the present while forgetting the future for a little while. For more information, and possibly make a contribution, check out their website at http://www.gktw.org/
Give Kids The World has a special relationship with IAAPA and its members. They are building a new splash pad for their guests supplied by Vortex
So that is the last of our onsite reports for IAAPA EXPO 08. We hope you enjoyed them.
Prowler at Worlds of Fun continues to get bigger as the park has been working on the ride's first drop as seen in these beautiful new photos from CoasterCommunity.com. That first drop looks great! So much of this ride is low to the ground, I can't wait for spring and photos and video of the completed coaster.
Canada's La Ronde theme park will bring The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, live! to the park next year. For a limited time during the summer, the attraction will be set up at the park. From it's description it sounds best described as a travelling interactive haunted house of sorts. Certainly sounds interesting at this point.
More news about the bids that are going in for the Busch Entertainment Parks has started to come out. Merlin Entertainments Group has now talked publicly about their interest in the park, and ParquesReunidos is also in the picture. Cedar Fair, however, is not - the Busch parks are simply too expensive for them.
Disneyland's It's A Small World has reopened after being down for almost a year for some major refurbishments. Right now it's the holiday version of the attraction, and guests won't see the big changes, like the addition of Disney characters, until the ride reopens again in the new year after the holiday theme is removed.
Universal Insider has some photos from Knott's Berry Farm that show the park tearing down the Peanuts Playhouse attraction in the park's Camp Snoopy area. What Knott's has up their sleeve for the area I do not know. I do hope it fits in with the tranquil, shady area that Camp Snoopy is, though.
Dorney Park has placed the official press release for the Good Time Theater featuring Snoopy Rocks On Ice on their website. It sounds like in addition to the theater the midways in that area of the park should be redone nicely as well.
Wow, today are going to try to bring you a sense of wonder for the trade floor at IAAPA. Everything is represented, like inflatable attractions for example. They have lots of them. They have enough different ones to equip several state fairs.
Or how about trash cans? These are all manufactured from recycled materials. Produce by Great Lakes Specialty Products, any organization could use them to start their own recycling program and exponentially increase the environmental benefits. Made using Everlasting Lumber, they use the purest of recycled material for enhancing their customers’ image while promoting environmental responsibility.
Haystack Dryers offers an interesting product. Has your group ever gotten off a water ride much wetter than damp? If the sun has retreated behind a cloud, someone in the party will start complaining about the cold. There is room for five in the haystack dryer. With heat lamps and warm dry air, everyone’s comfort level will rise and it could prevent people leaving due to discomfort. This product could extend the season for water rides into the Halloween festivals. You don’t even have to be wet, what if you are enjoying the Christmas lights at Dollywood. If you’re cold, hike over to Thunderhead Gap, put your money in the machine and soak up three and one half minutes of heat.
The team at Explore 5D, consisting of a scientist who studies participative entertainment, and movie director and television producer, and a chief technology officer, have created the amazing Flyboard 5d.
They have analyzed the elements of storytelling and integrated leading edge technology to integrate the guests themselves as part of the show. Instead of just you watching the screen, you have to move your body and that simple act thrusts into the story. Guests interact with each other and each ride becomes a unique experience leading to more re-rides.
The ride vehicle is very different in itself. Instead of pneumatic cylinders, they use pivoting actuators so they can simulate the vibrations of the engine at the same time the plane banks into a turn. With riders standing instead of sitting, the body movements required for balance enhance the visual effects.
Meticulous attention to detail, like incorporating the high definition super widescreen seamlessly into the set, and continuing to research cognitive perception make this a company to watch. If they build an attraction near you, it will be a must see. They have raised the level of storytelling, without losing sight of the fact that everything starts with a good story.
Moser has introduced a smaller model of its Sidewinder. With fewer seats, it is very economical for smaller operations but by watching the looks on the rider’s faces, it appears to be a very satisfying ride experience.
We witnessed one rider stagger slightly as she departed. Good things do come in small packages.
Dan Daddona jokes, “There’s no book out there on how to build a 40 foot animatronic octopus.” But that is only the beginning. There is also a twelve foot jellyfish with over a thousand fiber optic points of light. Some of them use light to simulate movement while others are mechanically motivated. Here is a picture of the booth they developed for trade fairs.
If all this has made you thirsty, it’s time for some Alligator Ice. Available in many different flavors, these seemed to taste the best to us of the various vendors at the show. After a few hours of walking the miles of aisles, they had the most refreshing flavors. We tried mainly the strawberry and banana creamy varieties most of the time. Your taster may vary.
So that closes another day, tomorrow we will end our IAAPA coverage visiting the roller coaster suppliers to show what they had to offer.
The construction of the Carolina Cobra has really been flying since the ride went vertical, as you can see in the shot from Carowinds' web cam the ride is almost complete!
It really looks like the ride could be finished within the next day or so. The park has also put up some newer photos of the construction on the ride's official website.
Martin & Vleminckx also have on display at this year's IAAPA the model of the Gravity Group designed, M&V constructed wooden coaster going in for 2009 at China's Happy Valley.
Fireball will stand 108 ft. tall, have a 103 ft. drop, hit 56 mph, and stretch over 3,800 ft. of track. It looks like an amazing ride!
Things have been relatively quiet around the Point lately. Let's see what they were up to back in 1992! [And by the way, my scanner did not freak out: The image on the cover really is blurry, even on the real brochure!]
Wow, I just opened the brochure and already they're trying to convince me to come visit for TWO days instead of one! I mean gee whiz, could you at least tell me what you have to offer first? Talk about your interesting marketing tactics. Let's see if they can convince me to make the trek to Ohio by the time this is all said and done!
The Berenstain Bears? Well now we're cooking with gas! Come on, PLEASE tell me I'm not the only one who remembers the Berenstain Bears?! I had a ton of those books when I was a kid. Perhaps if they had starred in--oh, I don't know--some kind of Halloween cartoon special about a generous yet elusive pumpkin sprite, they would still be hanging out at the Cedar Fair parks.
Here we go with that two-day visit mumbo jumbo again! Well they sure didn't waste any time reinforcing that notion after teasing us with the Berenstain Bears propaganda. Nice hotels, camping, a beach, family fun: I get it. But what kinds of RIDES do you have??
Now that's what I'm talking about! Mean Streak, in only its second season, was the poster child of America's Roller Coast back in '92. If you'll recall, the first round of mega wooden coaster wars was in full effect back then, along with all the unfortunate side effects that accompanied them. I'm anxious to see what Cedar Point and GCI do with the big guy in this year's off season.
Wait, this place also has a water park as well as a "challenge" park in addition to all the other rides and attractions? I guess I really am going to need two days to do all this!
Alright Cedar Point, you win. Consider me signed, sealed, and delivered for that whole two-day thing. I guess you knew what was in my best interests all along! [But seriously, it really was the Berenstain Bears thing that pushed me over the edge...]
Wednesday started off bright and early with the Owners and General Managers breakfast. The keynote was to be delivered by none other than Nick Varney, the Managing Director of Merlin Entertainments. But first, there were some more awards to be passed out, because this group works hard all year and only gathers annually. Three service awards from IAAPA were announced.
Bob Logan received the Meritorious Service Award John Collins the Outstanding Service Award and Dick Kinzel the Lifetime Service Award. Then it was time for the main event.
Nick Varney gave a brief synopsis about his career, which seems almost circular, with him now operating the company that once bought out his old employer. With financial backing from the Blackstone Group, Merlin now operates fifty-seven properties in twelve countries on three continents. With both indoor and outdoor operations in various locations, his goal is for Merlin to have hedges against both weather and local economic downturns.
He brought up his psychotic obsession about guest satisfaction and shared the fact that the different properties are averaging 15% growth for each of the last four years. He states his mission as “combining innovation and creativity with responsible corporate management.” According to Varney, consolidation in any industry is inevitable. The important thing is to strive to ensure that the best people are retained and encourage creativity and risk taking. As far as current economic conditions, he was more concerned about the banking problems and he expects the current downturn not to last as long as predicted because everything toady moves at a much faster pace than in the past. After this encouraging news, it was time to hit the trade floor again.
Passing by the B & M booth, we noticed a new trophy. Many companies submit new products or services to IAAPA for consideration due to a revolutionary idea that benefits the entire amusement industry. Even though they have introduced many creative new products, they prefer to maintain a low profile and let their finished products speak for themselves. This year IAAPA surprised them with the Impact Award recognizing the effects they have had on the industry over the years. Appropriately sitting on a car from Behemoth, this is a well deserved pat on the back from their peers in the business.
Something else that caught our eye was the Aquatram from Hopkins Rides. Basically an underwater carousel, with proper theming this can be a truly immersive dark ride experience.
Passengers board by descending a spiral staircase into a passenger capsule with portholes. As the ride rotates, the capsules can bob up and down in the water independently of each other.
Of course, as with any dark ride, audio and video inputs for each capsule can be synchronized to the outside decorations. An interesting evolution of the Aquatram already installed in Les Grand Aquarium in France, hopefully we will get one of these in North America soon.
Seeing these cute critters, we had to stop while they were still receiving visitors. Monkey Business Productions is celebrating their tenth year in the “monkey business” with several impressive credits on their resume. These two baboons will definite take offense if you call anyone else a baboon in their presence. Dagne, the elder enjoys showing off and is very affectionate with Opy, the baby.
Opy’s specialty is just looking cute, at which he excels. So the next time you want to really want to prove you work with a bunch of monkeys, you know who to call.
If you prefer your animals to be of the cartoon variety, you can also find them at the IAAPA Expo. The Chase Group works with Audrey Geisel to bring her deceased husband’s fantasies to everyone as three dimensional bronze castings.
Whether you prefer the Cat in The Hat or that holiday favorite, The Grinch, your dreams can come true. Available in either life-sized or larger, these would be the perfect addition to the young children’s section of your local library. While Carol thought this would be a perfect addition to her garden, luckily for Scott the seats were in the van so there wasn’t any room. Maybe next year.
While we have broached the subject of Christmas, how about a company that works it all year long. Every day has something to do with Christmas at North Pole Productions. Their company mission is to create memorable holiday experiences, and they have the decorations to prove it.
They offer design, build, installation, removal, and storage for all you outdoor holiday needs. For this booth, Carol wouldn’t even let Scott take a catalog after President Tammy Peters mentioned a discount on shipping!
We will finish off today’s report with another award winning booth. The Best Small Exhibit was earned by Bleeding Art Industries. This beautiful scene projects an air of tranquility amid the hustle and bustle of the show floor. Using flat screens artfully merged into the sculpture, the bubbles floating towards the ceiling, and the soothing music, they don’t have chairs because attendees might sit down and never leave. They use advanced techniques to combine different media into a peaceful place. The calming colors required that they wear contrasting shirts so they stand out against their backdrop. Here is a picture of the booth empty, and with most of the team. Outstanding work which was all done in house, hopefully some parks looking for impressive place setting will place an order north of the border.
So that wraps up another busy day. There were many other things to see and do, but we only have time for the highlights. Next report will be sometime on Thursday, just when we have no idea.
One of our readers was kind enough to send in some photos they've taken of the removal of Laser from Dorney Park. A great big thank you for the contribution!
Taken last night, we can see that the first loop is 3/4 of the way removed at this point.
Another shot from last night, you can see they have set up work lights to be able to work longer days. Half of the first helix is gone now, too.
Above and the rest of the photos are from this past weekend, some nice shots of the ride coming down.
The Morning Call has an article today about Dorney Park's plans for the 2009 season. The main new feature will be the Good Time Theater, which will hold the Snoopy Rocks on Ice show 6 days a week from June to Labor Day.
The 18,000 square foot, 600 seat building will be located near the park's main entrance, where the current outside-the-gates food pavilion is located. The article also mentions that the new theater will host something for The Haunt come next fall.
The attraction, clearly aimed at families, will be a nice relief on hot days, as the facility will be indoors and air conditioned.
Our first stop on the show floor was the booth of the Coney Island Development Corporation. This is the people wearing white hats in the battle over real estate in Brooklyn.
They are trying to preserve the heritage of America’s First Playground, Coney Island. Lynn Kelly, President, was at the booth when we stopped by and she invites all the News Plus Notes readers to visit their website athttp://www.thecidc.org/ and read all the news they want about their attempt to preserve this historical treasure.
There still should be places in America where everyone can go to enjoy some seaside amusement rides, not just those who can afford to buy a waterfront condominium.
Right now the CIDC is reaching out to the amusement industry for a white knight who will partner with them to restore the luster of Coney Island.
A pleasant surprise was our encounter with Frank Kozel, owner of Perky’s Pizza. We usually aren’t impressed with amusement facility pizza but if you walk by a stand that advertises Perky’s, it is well worth a taste. With over 600 locations serving it up, it shouldn’t be too hard to find. It was amazingly good for as fast as they served it up. We tried the pepperoni and will try some of their other offerings during the 2009 season. A full service solution provider, we hope they come to a park nearer to us soon.
S & S Power Sports showed a car from Steel Hawg, the new coaster at Indiana Beach.
They are also developing a new coaster concept similar to an old Schwarzkopf concept of many years ago. Here is a photo and a video of the new design:
The also had art showing the cars for the F1 coaster being built at Dubai.
The new coaster being built in China by Martin & Vleminckx is China’s first wooden roller coaster and is a joint venture between Gravity Group and M & V. What a sweet looking ride. No word yet on whether this might be the inaugural installation of GG’s new Timberliner trains.
The company had a model of the Boardwalk Bullet wooden coaster at Kemah Boardwalk on display.
We finished our day listening to a panel discussion from several Disney alumni. From left to right, Marty Sklar, Steve Baker, Van Romans, Ron Miziker, Chris Brown, Darrell Metzger, Andy Mandell, Bob Rogers. Moderated by Marty Sklar and Bob Rogers, they answered two questions:
The first question was what did you learn from Disney that you used the most in your new career away from the mouse? Some of the answers included the oft mentioned quality standards, the idea of starting with a blank sheet of paper for a new project, and the fact that breakthrough ideas never come through customer research. By general consensus, the most important was to develop a passion for your product throughout your entire team. Interestingly, it was brought up that the entertainment company that had a culture most like Disney was the Hershend Family Entertainment Company.
The second question was what have you learned since you left that you would like to have been able to tell Disney that might improve the company? The answers contained reducing bureaucracy by pushing decision making down to the lowest level, being able to take risks and accepting failure, and to make sure you spend enough money to get the quality you want. These are all interesting ideas that many organizations should consider during these trying economic times.
Well that’s enough for one day; we will have more news and views tomorrow.
The Gravity Group is renowned for their unparalleled wooden coaster designs that have won numerous Golden Tickets awards. They have designed more wooden roller coasters than any other company in business if you include their designs from past years. Today they turn their attention to the design of the rolling stock for the next generation of wooden roller coaster technology. The new cars are called Timberliners.
“Timberliners incorporate new technology, such as magnetic braking and restraint monitoring, that weren’t even imagined when wooden coaster cars were first developed,“ according to Mike Graham, who was the lead engineer for the project. We have applied our expertise to sixteen different design criteria that addresses many criteria including maintenance, safety, rider comfort, and ride capacity.”
Some of the key features of the trains included:
Single bench seating, for improved turning radius
Shock absorption, for rider comfort
New restraint design, for safety, security, and quicker loading/unloading times
The new restraint design also provides the ability to monitor the restraints meeting ASTM F2291 Class 5 requirements.
The new design also has the ability to incorporate magnetic braking, launch systems, and on board sound capability.
Kory Kiepert adds, “We evaluated fifteen different train configurations during this process. We started with a blank sheet of paper for this project. Timberliners are available for the 2009 season through a sister company, Gravitycraft.
Sorry for the lack of images, hopefully The Gravity Group glitch will get fix and we'll post them this evening.
Earlier today IAAPA inducted three new members into its Hall of Fame. The new members are Edgard Meeus, Arto Monaco, and Larry Cochran. Edgard Meeus was instrumental in the growth of Walibi World in Belgium. Arto Monaco was a principal in the founding of Santa’s Workshop in Wilmington, NY and the Land of Makebelieve in Upper Jay, NJ. They were both was inducted posthumously Larry Cochran has served the Six Flags corporation in various capacities and was able to receive his award in person.
Now it’s time to peruse the floor and find interesting people to talk to and take a few pictures of all the new attractions. We hope to have another update later today of what we’ve seen.
Cedar Fair has announced via press release their full 2009 capital expenditure program. The company will spend a total of $62 million for the 2009 season, considerably lower than previous years.
Diamondback is the focus of the release, along with Prowler and Carolina Cobra. Kings Dominion is listed as adding two family rides, El Dorado and the Americana ferris wheel, both from the closed Geauga Lake. A third ride was expected to be added to Kings Dominion, but appears to have been cancelled.
Dorney Park is also listed as receiving a new ice show, and the All Wheels Extreme show will be headed to several properties next year. It's crystal clear as this point, for the record, that California's Great America will not see a new wooden coaster next year.
Welcome to IAAPA! Over 1,000 different exhibitors from 28 different countries have traveled to Orlando, the theme park capital of the world, to showcase their industry offerings. If you own or operate a park, this is a one stop shopping opportunity for all your needs. If you are looking for a ride, insurance, employees, or trash cans, you can find it at Orlando this week.
With over 25,000 people from nearly 100 countries expected, it’s a good thing that there are 8.3 miles of aisles on the show floor. This show is so big they organize special interest tours for attendees. And that is just the trade floor. Here is a shot of Scott showing the “Schedule at a Glance,” of the various educational offerings and seminars. As you can see, it requires a rather long glance. There are special presentations for museums, zoos, water parks, and amusement parks.
Park operators have been gathering annually for 90 years to share success stories, network amongst each other, and conduct the business of fun.
The show floor is being assembled right up to 10:00 AM Tuesday morning. At that time the fork trucks are all gone and the people overrun the floor. It is best not to get into their way.
Here's a sneak peek of the Premier booth under construction from the main concourse overlook.
One of the more interesting seminars was moderated by Jack Rouse, founder of Jack Rouse Associates. The subject was “Reinvent or Die, again.” They talked about different ways to engage potential guests so they would be interested in visiting your attractions. As one panel member put it, “people always have some leisure time. It’s up to you to make sure your offering is attractive to them.”
This represents a different way of looking at the museum business from the past. In another seminar they also discussed creative uses of technology to enhance the customer experience through using the customer’s own cell phone for additional information about what they are watching at that time. They offered many interesting ideas that turn fun into education.
Our grand finale for the day was the Brass Ring Awards. These awards recognize excellence in marketing through the creative use of media in “getting your message out.” This commercial from the Minnesota Zoo that will serve as an example:
The Minnesota Zoo ran away with the most awards, taking home five of the coveted trophies. No other organization took more than three.
The first-place award winners are:
Integrated Marketing Campaign Class 1a—Adventure Landing; Jacksonville Beach, Florida, United States Class 1b—Minnesota Zoo; Apple Valley, Minnesota, United States Class 2—Kidzania de Mexico; Mexico City, Mexico Class 3—San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park; San Diego, California, United States Class 4—Shenzhen OCT Holding Company; Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China
Marketing Collateral Class 1a—Ghost Town in the Sky; Maggie Valley, North Carolina, United States Class 1b—Cleveland Metroparks Zoo; Cleveland, Ohio, United States Class 2—Newport Aquarium; Newport, Kentucky, United States Class 3—Six Flags St. Louis; Eureka, Missouri, United States Class 4—Sentosa; Singapore
Online Advertisement Class 1a—Adventure Landing; Jacksonville Beach, Florida, United States Class 1b—Minnesota Zoo; Apple Valley, Minnesota, United States Class 2—Worlds of Fun; Kansas City, Missouri, United States Class 3—Dorney Park; Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States Class 4—Niagara Parks Commission; Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Outdoor Advertisement Class 1a—Waterworld California; Concord, California, United States Class 1b—Daytona 500 Experience; Daytona Beach, Florida, United States Class 2—Newport Aquarium; Newport, Kentucky, United States Class 3—Six Flags Discovery Kingdom; Vallejo, California, United States Class 4—Ripley Entertainment Inc.; Orlando, Florida, United States
PR Program Class 1a—Ghost Town in the Sky; Maggie Valley, North Carolina, United States Class 1b—Minnesota Zoo; Apple Valley, Minnesota, United States Class 2—Wild Wadi Waterpark; Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Class 3—Xcaret; Cancun, Mexico Class 4—Niagara Parks Commission; Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Print Advertisement Class 1a—Utah’s Hogle Zoo; Salt Lake City, Utah, United States Class 1b—Dutch Wonderland Family Amusement Park; Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States Class 2—Capilano Suspension Bridge; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Class 3—Calgary Zoo; Calgary, Alberta, Canada Class 4—Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk; Santa Cruz, California, United States
Radio Commercial Class 1a—Utah’s Hogle Zoo; Salt Lake City, Utah, United States Class 1b—Denver Zoo; Denver, Colorado, United States Class 2—Six Flags New England; Agawam, Massachusetts, United States Class 3—San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park; San Diego, California, United States Class 4—Six Flags Magic Mountain; Valencia, California, United States
Seasonal or Special Event Marketing Class 1a—Adventure Landing; Jacksonville Beach, Florida, United States Class 1b—Denver Zoo; Denver, Colorado, United States Class 2—Wild Wadi Waterpark; Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Class 3—Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex; Kennedy Space Center, Florida, United States Class 4—Sentosa; Singapore
Television Commercial Class 1a—Polynesian Cultural Center; Laie, Hawaii, United States Class 1b—Minnesota Zoo; Apple Valley, Minnesota, United States Class 2—Worlds of Fun; Kansas City, Missouri, United States Class 3—San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park; San Diego, California, United States Class 4—Ripley Entertainment Inc.; Orlando, Florida, United States
Web Site Class 1a—Ghost Town in the Sky; Maggie Valley, North Carolina, United States Class 1b—Minnesota Zoo; Apple Valley, Minnesota, United States Class 2—Aquarium of the Bay; San Francisco, California, United States Class 3—Movie Park Germany; Bottrop, Germany Class 4—Niagara Parks Commission; Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
So that’s a summary of our first day. Tomorrow the Kick Off Event precedes the trade floor opening and just before lunch there will be a press conference at the Gravity Group booth. Check back after lunch to find out who was inducted into the Hall of Fame and what Gravity Group want to tell us.
Spread throughout the country, the new FECs bring the company's operation to a total of 25 properties.
PARC Management operates seven of the former Six Flags properties that were sold off in early 2007, the family of Nascar SpeedParks, Magic Springs, and the newly acquired family entertainment centers.
Valleyfair has updated their construction photos for the park's new for 2009 wave pool, Breakers Bay. I know that wave pool construction is not terribly exciting, but they posted some interesting shots, like this one:
Really gives you an idea of how large the area is they are working with!
It does look like the pump house for the pool will be located in the bottom right corner of the shot, so I guess the whole area will be developed. There are new locker rooms, merchandise, and food locations going up as well.
Just an FYI, Scott & Carol are down in Florida for this year's IAAPA Convention. It'll be a busy week for them, and if all goes well coverage on NewsPlusNotes should start early this week.
So remember to check back, there is always a ton of interesting information that pours out of the annual trade show!
Just can't get enough NPN? Well now you have yet another option to satisfy your craving for the latest and greatest in amusement industry news (plus notes!). NewsPlusNotes has taken up residence on Facebook, and we would love to have each and every one of you join our newest online community and show your support for the site by becoming a fan!
The NewsPlusNotes page was just launched this weekend, so please be patient with us as we continue to improve and enhance it in order to best serve you! Among other things, we will be using the page to post important announcements, links to various NPN stories, and a sampling of our favorite photos and videos. We are also working on assembling a Favorite Pages list to make it that much easier for YOU to find your favorite park and enthusiast pages on Facebook.
So tell your friends! Tell your fellow enthusiasts! Tell your pet fish! And most importantly, please come visit us...often! If the direct link above does not work, you can always find us by searching on "NewsPlusNotes" (all one word). And remember, Facebook is an *interactive* site, so please do contribute your thoughts, feedback, and even your favorite photos. We look forward to seeing you there!
Universal Studios Hollywood has announced that the park will be holding Grinchmas this year, a west coast version of the popular holiday event that takes place at Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park each year.
This is the first year that the theme park will be open on both Thanksgiving and Christmas day, givings guests extra days to celebrate the holidays with the park.
Visitors to the park will be able to play in real snow, meet the Grinch, and even travel to the Whoville sets on the backlot to see them come to life.
In addition to the blanket rezoning request that Dorney Park recently submitted, like Six Flags New England's (which passed, by the way) the park is also requesting two specific zoning changes that have my mind whirling:
"Petition of Cedar Fair, L.P., to the South Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners proposing to rezone the following tracts of land:
(1) Petitioner requests to rezone an existing portion of the Dorney Park Amusement Park consisting of approximately 3.6 acres from its current Medium Density Residential (R-4) zoning designation to Commercial Recreation (CR). The area to be considered extends along the rear property lines of 210 through 342 Haines Mill Road and having a varying depth of approximately fifty (50’) to two hundred feet (200’).
(2) Petitioner requests to rezone approximately 2.6 acres of land having frontage along Walnut Street, opposite Scenic Street, from its current R-5 Medium Density Residential zoning designation to a Commercial Recreation (CR) zoning designation."
Let's look at #1. That's the area of the park that's behind Thunder Canyon, the park's river rapids ride. Here is the area between the two red lines, which represent the addresses listed in the petition:
This is a very limited space with houses very close by. The only thing I could think of adding here that makes sense is a new warehouse type building like that which went up for Club Blood, to house another indoor haunted house. Haunt is highly rumored to be expanded again next year, after all.
As for #2, well that's in an area of the park that's used only by employees. The two big buildings in the below photo are both maintenance and warehouse structures for the park. The area with the request for rezone is along the red line:
I really have no idea about this one since it's quite disconnected from the amusement park itself. Perhaps another new maintenance structure of some sort?
I know this isn't earth-shattering, and not at all indicative of any new ride at all whatsoever, but it's the off-season and I need something to ponder!
No time is being wasted in the bankruptcy proceedings for Hard Rock Park. The latest is that the park will be sold at auction on December 15th, a month from today.
The assets of the park will be sold off either as a whole or in pieces. If it goes in pieces that's certainly the death toll for the park ever opening again.
Myrtle beach online is reporting that "qualified bidders must show they can meet the minimum $35 million price, put up 10 percent of that as cash, and prove they have enough money and experience to run the business, according to court documents filed in Delaware bankruptcy court." That is, of course, for anyone who wants to reopen the property.
The park cost $400 to build and just opened this past year. If the park isn't sold to someone who plans to reopen it this is certainly a chance for the big operators like Cedar Fair and Six Flags to get a steal on some nice rides, like the B&M Led Zeppelin and a Vekoma mine train, as well as assorted flat rides with interesting themes.
Six Flags Mexico has announced (link is in Spanish) that they will add The Dark Knight coaster to the amusement park for the 2009 season.
This is the Dark Knight coaster that was fabricated for Six Flags New England, partially constructed, taken down, and then placed in storage at the park for this past summer after problems with the local government halted construction.
The wild mouse coaster takes place mostly in the dark with plenty of Batman theming to complete the experience.
Kings Island is moving quickly building their new ride while they have good weather for Diamond Back construction. According to Don Helbig, “We could possibly be looking at track installation being done by Christmas or the New Years. They are usually setting over two pieces daily right now.”
When you look at all these piles of track in the parking lot, you realized how big this construction job is. Making sure they get the right piece of track back to the right spot at the right time to keep the crane and crew moving is a very impressive feat.
They topped Diamondback off two weeks ago and the weather has been great since then. The track goes into the park, the track goes up, and everyone goes home safe. The track is built less than 50 miles from the park so this is the closest it has ever been assembled to its birthplace. But that’s another story.
Now the crane has protruded even farther into the midway, because they don’t need to worry about any guests being in the park for a few more months.
Diamondback is scheduled to open with the park in April, and with over seventy announced roller coasters, Bolliger and Mabillard have never missed an opening.
So how would you like to be there for the Diamondback Media Day?
The park has graciously invited the lucky winner of an exclusive News Plus Notes contest to attend the Inaugural Ride opening of Diamond back. If you can’t make that day, all is not lost. You will receive free admission and be able to participate in the early opening ride time with season pass holders. And whether you make it to the park or not, you will receive a Diamondback Press Kit. But before we tell you how to win, here are a few "fine print" details.
In the case of a tie, a random drawing with Kings Island participation will select the winner. Each person is limited to a total of one individual guess. The contest begins immediately, and runs until 11:59 PM on Saturday, November 22, 2008. Any entry received after 11:59 PM November 22, 2008 will be disqualified. All entries should be emailed to (contest now closed). Each entry must include the name, address, and phone number of the entrant (for use only by Kings Island should you win). The winner will be able to bring one guest to the park with them. Our winner will be announced on Monday, November 24, 2008.
But wait, what do I put in the email? The winner will be the person who comes the closest to guessing the exact number of track sections required for Diamondback. If two people are equidistant from the correct answer, the person who does not exceed the correct number will be declared the winner. If any further clarification is needed, please keep checking back here for any more details. Good luck to all who enter!
How many track sections does Kings Island's Diamondback have?
Fun stuff to see on some of the webcams set up by parks for their new coaster construction lately. Above, Carowinds' new coaster, Carolina Cobra, has had one whole tower placed this week. I kinda like it with only its primer paint on, but we all know I have a fondness for white coaster track.
Worlds of fun has also moved their webcam for Prowler, the park's new wooden coaster, to a new location that shows a nice wide view of a section of the construction area. I love how this ride takes advantage of the land on which it sits!
Like many of you, I've been biting my nails in anticipation of what will happen after the inevitable sell-off of the Busch parks. But back in 2004, it was business as usual.
This brochure kills two birds with one stone. And if you just can't wait to find out what I mean by that, scroll to the last image!
When it comes to entertainment, the Busch parks do not mess around! The 2004 addition to Busch Gardens Tampa's stellar entertainment line-up was Katonga, "a musical celebration of animal folklore".
I just couldn't bear to break the flow of this brochure by dissecting it into small sections, so you'll have to view each image in full size to catch all the great details. And believe me, there are a LOT of details.
It's widely known that Busch Gardens Tampa is about more than just rides. A large portion of the park is dedicated to animals and there are many different options available for exploring these areas, from self-guided walking tours to the off-road adventures of Rhino Rally.
In addition to Katonga, 2004 also saw the addition of a Mack Wild Mouse christened "Cheetah Chase". [Hey... How come Cheetah Chase didn't get its own feature page in this brochure? No fair!]
Everything to come out of a Busch park screams quality and attention to detail, and their brochures are no exception. I love the way they blended Kumba into the vegetation in this image.
If the rides prove too scary and the animals too intimidating, younger children can always find sanctuary in Land of the Dragons, a special area created just for them.
This map illustrates just how much Busch Gardens Tampa has to offer. Note that they even have Adventure Camps which allow you to spend a night or even an entire week at the park. This is definitely not your typical "canned" park experience!
Okay, so back to that whole "killing two birds with one stone" notion. [Did you peek???] Adventure Island, of course, is Busch Gardens Tampa's "sister" water park. Now take a look at the back of the brochure below.
"Wait a second...I thought this was a Busch Gardens Tampa brochure, but this image looks like the cover of an Adventure Island brochure!" Bingo. Do you see the marketing genius at work? This brochure was designed such that it could be loaded into a rack with either side facing out, and it's likely you would have seen a row of each. The result? Theme park junkies unwittingly get the water park brochure, water park junkies unwittingly get the theme park brochure, all parties inevitably end up on the page that advertises combo tickets, and...Show me the money. Brilliant.
And after all, why shouldn't we show them the money? The uniqueness and value of a Busch theme park experience is worth every cent. Here's hoping things stay that way, regardless of how the InBev cards fall.
Quite a bit more of Laser has been removed since Monday when they started. These photos were taken this afternoon.
The entire lift hill is gone now, supports included. They also have started removing track from the first drop.
The skyline is already very different without the lift hill in place.
When I was there workers were getting a section of the final helix ready to come down. Track pieces were then being placed into big shipping containers, seen in the bottom left of the above photo.
A closer view of the track getting ready to come down. It doesn't seem like it will take very long at all for the whole thing to be on its way across the Atlantic!
Kings Island has completed Diamondback's first drop, and man is it looking impressive! The park has been doing a fantastic job of keeping their construction photos updated.
I really like how Six Flags is not just adding flame throwers and mist to next year's coaster 'redos' - Six Flags Great Adventure's Medusa and Six Flags New England's Superman - but really going all out with new paint schemes and stories as well.
Medusa was already starting to be painted blue on the last weekend the park was open, and as we can now see from SFNEOnline, Superman will have purple track with freshly painted royal blue supports.
Laser at Dorney Park has started to come down already. These photos were taken very early this morning, meaning they only reflect the work done yesterday, the 10th.
The crest of the lift hill, and the track piece before that were removed. Also the stairs on those pieces.
The track pieces 'sat' on the supports on what reminds me of pegs, at least on the lift hill.
In the larger version of this one you can see the pegs that I'm speaking of that the track fit onto.
I'm sure that deconstruction will go quick, I'll try to keep updated...
Okay so we actually were not speaking about California Adventure, but we are now! MiceChat has a some recent photos of the work being done at Disney's California Adventure theme park in this thread.
Paradise Pier is being drained so work can start on the World of Color nightly lagoon show, and that will also benefit the work being done on the Sun Wheel to change it into Mickey's Fun Wheel.
At this point even I am starting to wonder why I'm so interested in Star Trek the Experience, but now that I've been following the story for a while I'm not going to abandon it!
It looks like the deal and been done and Star Trek The Experience will be moving to a new home at the Neonopolis 'mall' development located on Fremont street in downtown Las Vegas.
In Business Las Vegas is reporting that the first parts of the experience could open as soon as next year. It sounds like they will bring all that the former experience had to offer to the new location: the restaurant and lounge, gift shop, museum, the 4-D theatre, and the simulators.
The article does mention that the experience will see "significant upgrades," which would really make the experience shine once again.
I think it is great for the attraction to move downtown in Vegas, however, I'm still questioning if it will 'work' down there... time will tell!
Six Flags Theme Parks has announced their results for the 3rd quarter, and for the first nine months of the year.
Some highlights:
· Full 2008 sponsorship revenues are now expected at $59 million. · They expect to announce another Middle Eastern park partnership soon. · Net revenues for the first 9 months of the year are up 5%. · Costs for the first 9 months are down 7%. · The Company slashed free ticket programs and considering that change attendance is up 800,000 visits for the year so far. · 2009 capital expenditures will come in on the lower side of the average $90-$110 million total.
You can read the transcript of the call at this link. It's pretty positive news not only for Six Flags (who does need it, badly) but also for the industry in general, I think at least.
Hey look, the Carolina Cobra at Carowinds is currently starting to go vertical! You can watch the progress on the park's webcam at this link.
It looks like they are going to be doing a lot of the painting of the ride after it is up, much like they did with Thunderhawk at Michigan's Adventure last year.
Cypress Gardens Theme Park, known as "Florida's First Theme Park," will no longer be a theme park at all. The park has announced that it will be closing for the winter and when it reopens in the Spring it will have an expanded water park and the original gardens, but no rides or animal attractions.
Rumors to this effect have been circling for some time like buzzards, but now the park has made the news official. The park will close for this year on November 17th, so there is a week left to visit the rides on property before they are removed.
The park also plans to move the entrance to the park back to where it used to be, and create parking for guests that is closer to this entrance.
It also sounds like the "expanded" water park is not set in stone yet, as the article mentions that new attractions won't be finalized until December.
Sad news for fans of the park, but it never seemed to really 'work' as a theme park/animal park/botanical garden/water park. Simplifying should hopefully let the park stay open for the long run, at least I hope, it would be a shame to see the 72 year old attraction completely close.
The city of Branson is realistically described to an entertainment buffet. With hundreds of live shows, museums, and other attractions, if you can’t find fun there, you’re either not trying or you are related to the Grinch. Here is a very brief report of several different attractions we visited during a recent trip “out west:”
You’ll never guess who we saw there. The outside of the building of the Hollywood Wax Museum has its own version of Mount Rushmore, honoring John Wayne, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and Charlie Chaplin. Yes, Johnny Depp was there, reprising his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean blockbusters. With a head made of four pounds of wax themselves, the figures require hundreds of specialist hours and thousands of dollars to appear realistic. Hair, eye, teeth, and makeup specialists are all require just for this small part of the whole figure.
To incorporate the rest of the scene, original props from the movies are sometimes borrowed, to be recreated as an exact replica of the original. Identical fabrics are sourced and many times memoridelia auctions supply other items needed on the set. Warner Brothers donated the head, hands, feet, and costume from Tales from the Crypt so the items you see are the ones used in the original filming. The horror scenes piqued our interest since we were there on Halloween. The museum will begin bringing out some more interactive displays after the holidays.
Our next stop was Ride the Ducks. Our WW II veteran 1944 DUKW took us on a tour up into the mountains above Table Rock Lake and then out onto the lake itself. The operation shut down in 2005 and the ducks operated around New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. How amazing that these veterans served their country in two different centuries. Some other military vehicles are in the area where the rock for Table Rock Dam was blasted out back in the 1957-58. It’s a big lake and the vantage point shows just a portion of its waters.
Captain Boggy delivers and interesting narrative of both the vehicles and the scenery as the tour progresses. The fall colors were beautiful due to the changing leaves. From far above we descended to the very level of the lake, the lowest it had been all season. As we splashed into the water, that was the signal for the rains to begin. It rained so hard we were glad to be in a boat! Captain Boggy gave Scott a lesson on how to drive a duck, imperiling all the passengers aboard. Scott earned his Honorary Captain’s License for not colliding with “Gilligan’s Island.” This picture shows just how easy a competency test that is. The rains eased slightly as we headed back into town for our next adventure.
We had planned to do another outdoor related activity but Carol nixed that by saying she wasn’t going risk ruining her cameras by carrying them out in the rain. The forecast said the rains would stop after lunch so we decided to visit the Titanic Museum. This attraction based on the world’s most notorious maritime disaster. It is built as a one-half scale replica of the ship striking the iceberg.
Before you enter, you are directed to touch the “iceberg” built into the wall at the entrance. You receive a boarding pass with the name of an actual passenger on the Titanic. Something new is an Audio Tour that is optional with your admission. You can listen to short recordings giving even more depth to the 400 artifacts that are displayed. A monstrous model, considered the largest and most accurate ever built, is in the first gallery. A recreation of the ship’s bridge shows what officers saw on that fateful night.
Put your hand into the chilling North Atlantic to feel what the passengers unlucky enough not to be in a life boat experienced. A replica life boat lets you sit in various positions and hear the stories of survivors. You can walk down the actual staircase used in the making of the movie. Paintings by Ken Marchall adorn the walls showing how the ship would have looked if anyone had been there to observe. At the end you discover your fate in the Memorial Gallery. This is a compelling story that only seems to have grown over the years.
The Butterfly Palace is more than just a butterfly aviary. You journey begins with a 3-D movie about life as a caterpillar and as a praying mantis. The incredible transformations in these insects existence are chronicled in exquisite detail, giving you a very up close view of their trials and tribulations. Then it’s time to see over 1,000 free flying butterflies as they flitter among the plants.
During our visit, the staff was preparing for the “White Flight,” where the species are limited to just black and white and large poinsettias were positioned to appear as scarlet trees. The butterflies live for between two and three weeks in their flying stage and the aviary colors slowly rotate as they end their life cycle. The insects are imported from Central and South America while still in their chrysalis and the nursery has a glass wall for viewing.
Chinese Button Quail walk around the plants, quickly eating any bugs that manage to gain entry into the aviary. They also have an insect zoo, with giant millipedes, tarantulas, scorpions, and colorful tree frogs. If your have even more energy, find your way through the mirror maze, but remember to keep your hands in front of your face, because seeing isn’t always believing.
Because it was Halloween, we visited a haunted house. The Haunted House and Monster Asylum on the other side of the Dinosaur Walk building.
Set as an Ozark Cemetery, meandering through the various crypts, the insane asylum, the ghostly castle, you hear things in the night and the resident ghouls scare you from all directions. It’s very well designed and constructed. Some of the best animatronics you’ll find in a purely haunted attraction. The hall of screen legends is especially well done, and pause to enjoy the finale, it is very worth the wait. Happy nightmares!
We would like to give a special thanks to Anthony Gagliardi for his help on this trip. And, look for more from Branson coming soon.
It is not especially fun to be writing a history piece for the Laser roller coaster at Dorney Park, but with the ride's removal imminent at this point it is a good time to take a look back at the attraction's history.
Let's begin back in November of 1985...
The park's logo during the 1980s
Harris Weinstein was still the park's chairman, and in the typical flashy approach to things the park took during this time, a press conference was held at the ABE Airport to announce the park's latest expansion.
A new "entertainment center" was planned for the park, which would include formula race cars for kids, a mini-golf course, expanded picnic groves, and most importantly the Colossus, a double loop roller coaster. The conference was held at the airport because park officials had just returned from purchasing the ride and other amusements.
A snip from the park's 1986 brochure
Now, as I've said before and is general history at this point, few new attractions at Dorney Park have been added without some form of planning drama. In Laser's case, the location for the new coaster quickly came into question.
The Colossus was part of a $2.5 million expansion that would replace the park's former petting zoo and whale boat ride, but was located on 3.6 acres in a 100 year old flood plain, something the local planning commissioners did not like.
A fact sheet for the ride from the mid '90s
Well, needless to say, Mr. Weinstein had some colorful remarks about the board's problems, and the issue raged on. At this point, the ride was being dismantled in Brazil, and was expected to be shipped by boat and then trucked on 27 trailers to the park in mid March. The park was hoping for an April 19th opening for Colossus.
Note Laser's original trains had headlights
Finally in early March of '86 the park received approval from the Township to build the ride, but the approval was based on a list of conditions the park had to meet. The conditions included meeting adequate parking lot space figures and having proper fire precautions in place. The fire precautions were an especially hot topic at this point because Castle Gardens had just burned down several months prior.
Laser on Dorney's map in the early 90s
Things continued to not go quite as planned - the ride was only being shipped to the park from Brazil near the end of March, instead of being under construction. The "supercoaster" was designed by Anton Schwarzkopf and was one of only two rides of its kind in the U.S. Other interesting statistics that came out around this time included:
• The ride was designed to have a lifespan of 30 years • The lift is 90 ft high, taken at a 35 degree angle • The loops are each 62 ft high • When operating 3 trains, the coaster could hit 1,700 pph • The park traveled to San Paulo, Brazil to ride the coaster • German technicians from Schwarzkopf came to Dorney to work on assembling the ride
A view of the ride not long after it opened at Dorney
Due to the host of delays, the ride did not open for the park's 102nd season on April 19th 1986. The park did offer visitors to Dorney free passes to come back once Colossus opened, though. The ride's construction started April 9th and according to reports needed a lot of cleaning to remove sea salt that gathered during the trip over on the S.S. Allison.
The park also featured The Playport, a children's play area, the Grand Prix go carts, and the Pepsi Pavilion Spectacular as new in 1986, and Wildwater Kingdom saw the addition of the Auto Kid Wash attraction.
The vertical loops were a huge draw for Colossus
The much anticipated opening of Colossus came in May 4th, 1986. Guests flocked to the park to be one of the first riders on the new coaster. Being able to say they were on a double looping roller coaster was still noteworthy for riders during Colossus' first days.
The ride ran smoothly its first year, aside from a ride attendant having their foot crushed when a train entered the station and their foot was caught by the passing cars. The ride had a formal grand opening ceremony in late June at which Mr. Weinstein proclaimed that "Colossus will launch a new era of high-tech rides at Dorney Park. It's like the fountain of youth."
Colossus becomes Lazer
Colossus' name did not last long, as after the first operating season the ride was renamed Lazer. I can't necessarily call it fact, but it's said that Six Flags Magic Mountain was not a fan of Dorney Park using the name Colossus, after they had opened a large wooden coaster by the same name in 1978.
The ride's new name, Lazer, was tied into a prominent radio station in the Lehigh Valley at the time, Laser 104. I cannot find anywhere that the radio station spelled it's name with a 'z', so for the life of me I cannot tell you why the park spelled it Lazer. There is a disconnect here, but I cannot tell you how or why it happened.
... and Lazer becomes Laser
As the popularity of that radio station name dwindled and its name changed, the ride also followed suite, at least to a degree. Whether it was the park taking notice that they had misspelled the ride's name in publications for years, or some other motivation, the ride started being referred to as Laser around 1991.
The radio station's logo, it was Laser!
The ride actually had the entrance and exit switched from the way it was designed to run on the fair circuit. This change made the station waiting side very small and narrow, as it was designed to only be an exit. This led the park to have assigned seating on the ride, as guests were not allowed to wait for whichever seat they wanted.
The ride when it still had a sign on the 2nd loop
Laser operated nicely for the park for many years, and saw some major work for the 1999 season. The park contracted with Schwarzkopf to build two new trains for the ride, which was a major investment financially. The ride saw other upgrades that year as well, such as a new computer system, and it's new paint job consisting of deep purple track and lime green supports.
No three train op. for Dorney
The ride was designed for three trains, but I am not aware of it ever running three while at Dorney. The park had a red and blue one operating previously, however, you can see the storage track for the 3rd train in the above photo. This track was later removed (see this photo and compare to above), probably during the renovations for the 1999 season.
Also take note of the Sky Ride
Since Laser was designed to be portable ride, it did not have foundations poured into the earth. Instead, the ride had many large containers built into the supports that were filled with water. The weight of these design items supported the ride. You can see many of those containers in the above photo.
Original fair style lighting was on the ride until the '99 renovations
Rumors of the ride's removal have been around for several years now, so to a degree many of us have expected each of the last few seasons to be Laser's last at the park. The ride was discovered to be for sale earlier this year, and before long its listing was changed to sold.
The park acknowledged that the ride would be leaving during the summer of 2008, and even hosted a good bye event for the coaster on the last day of the season.
Many rides have had an impact on the success of Dorney Park over the years, and Laser was no exception. It's highly marketable double loops were a great draw for the park, and gathered much attention after its debut.
Although sad, nothing lasts forever and it is with that thought that we keep our fond memories of the ride. Here is the video I took of the ride on its last night a few hours before it closed forever.
So the off season has hit, and it's hit hard. It's very quiet in the amusement industry world at the moment, but that's almost a nice break before IAAPA starts.
During this slow period I was pondering how few coasters have been announced for 2009 and decided to look at the numbers. Here is a rough, i.e. not perfect, look at the number of new or moved, 'family' or larger coasters to debut in North America in '08 and then as of now for '09.
2008 Moved: Aftershock, Silverwood Theme Park Dominator, Kings Dominion Goliath, Six Flags Fiesta Texas Hornet, Wonderland Amusement Park Thunderhawk, Michigan's Adventure Voodoo, Dorney Park
New: Avatar Airbender, Nickelodeon Universe Behemoth, Canada's Wonderland Dark Knight, Six Flags Great America Dark Knight, Six Flags Great Adventure Eagles Life In The Fast Lane, Hard Rock Park Evil Knievel, Six Flags St. Louis Fahrenheit, Hershey Park Led Zeppelin, Hard Rock Park Maximum RPM, Hard Rock Park MotoCoaster, Darien Lake Pony Express, Knott's Berry Farm Ravine Flyer II, Waldameer Park Shake, Rattle & Roller Coaster, Hard Rock Park Slippery When Wet, Hard Rock Park Rock Bottom Plunge, Nickelodeon Universe Steel Hawg, Indiana Beach Steel Lasso, Frontier City Tony Hawk's Big Spin, Six Flags Over Texas Tony Hawk's Big Spin, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
New: Diamondback, Kings Island Flying Turns, Knoebels Grover's Alpine Tours, Busch Gardens Europe Rockit, Universal Studios Florida Manta, Sea World Orlando Prowler, Worlds of Fun Terminator, Six Flags Magic Mountain
Total: 8
That's quite a difference between years! For the record, a quick count of '07 and '06 gives about 15 coasters each, '05 about 20, and '04 about 25 so natural fluctuation is to be expected.
But as of now it's been a decade or more since we've seen a year with so few new coasters as 2009!
Busch stockholders will vote on November 12th to approve the sale of the company to InBev, and this is apparently turning up the heat on the new owner to find a buyer for the Busch Entertainment parks.
After the announcement of the sale things have been somewhat quite on the theme park issue, at least in the mainstream media.
InBev will need to immediately start to reduce their debt levels after purchasing Busch, which means selling the theme parks will be a high priority. The parks are still expected to fetch anywhere from $2.5 to $4 billion. This article is a nice update on the situation, and still mentions that the investment oriented Blackstone Group (which in turn already owns Merlin Entertainment, and part of Universal Orlando) would be a nice suitor, and also brings up the Dubai investors currently involved in bringing Busch parks to their resort development as buyers as well.
The Blackstone Group might be a nice choice for a buyer, as they seems fairly 'hands off' with their purchases so long as they make them money. They own a ton of stuff, from The Weather Channel, to Harrah's casinos, and are part owner of Universal Orlando.
The Busch Entertainment parks hold themselves to a rather high level of quality, and I think that Blackstone would be one of few new owners that would allow them to keep that level.
Whatever ends up happening, it seems as though it's going to happen quickly. With the current credit market the banks will be hounding InBev to ditch the parks to pay down debt as soon as possible.
I was just browsing the Funland blog and saw that The Imagineering Field Guide series has a new book, this time featuring Disneyland in California.
I have the three previously released books in the series, which featured Animal Kingdom, the Magic Kingdom, and Epcot Center - so this is the first time the series has covered a Disney park located outside of Florida.
Seeing as Disneyland is full of much more history and inside stories due to Walt's direct involvement, I'm sure this new release is a treasure trove of great info.
While I do not have this new one (yet) I highly recommend the previous three for any fan of the Disney parks!
Sea World Orlando has continued to build Manta at a quick pace. The ride has had a significant amount of new track added since last week. User Not For Sale on the Theme Park Review boards posted some nice photos from yesterday of the construction. Click here to check out all the great photos.
The 2008 ballots for the wood and steel Best Coaster Polls are now available from this website. If you're not familiar, this is probably the most accurate and all inclusive coaster poll out there. It may not be overly user friendly, but it seems harder than it really is. I highly suggest taking the time to participate!
Cedar Fair announced today their company wide results for the first nine months of the year, the third quarter, and the month of October. You can pick through the numbers in the official press release, but largely results for the year are flat or slightly up. Really, for the economy the way it is right now I have to say I think these performance results are great.
A new coaster announcement! Funtown / Splashtown USA in Maine has announced a new Wild Mouse coaster for their 2009 season. It looks like a standard mouse, and it's said that this will replace the park's Galaxy coaster. It may not be enormous but it's a great family ride.
If you haven't been keeping up with the GCI Interns Blog, it's a great time to touch base again. They now have up construction photos from Six Flags Magic Mountain's Terminator, Worlds of Fun's Prowler, and Forellenhof's new wooden coaster as well.
Another item worth checking out is Coaster Image's new gallery for Hard Rock Park. With the park's future in serious jeopardy right now, it's nice for those of us who did not visit this past summer to be able to see an extensive gallery of very nice images of the property.
The Mickey Mouse Review will close in May of 2009 so that work can begin on the new show. The attraction is expected to be the same as the one in the Magic Kingdom in Florida. Essentially it is a 3-D movie with some 4-D effects, in which the famous Disney characters appear.
The show in Florida is great fun, and although the Mickey Mouse Review is a classic (it actually came from the Magic Kingdom in Florida), I'm sure the new experience will be well received.
There are some new photos of the construction of Valleyfair's new wave pool, Breakers Bay, in the ValleyfairZone forums at this link.
The photos are from this past weekend, which was the last of the season for the park. If you didn't know there was a Log Flume here before, you'd certainly never know it now!
As the leaves start turning and the cold winds blow, park lovers thoughts turn to what do I want my last park experience for the season to be? Do I want to do a multi-park trip? Should I visit my favorite park one last time? What about visiting a totally new-to-me amusement park? Should I do it by myself? For many, their last big bash of the summer is riding a final time with friends and comparing their season’s experiences. All roads lead to eastern Pennsylvania in early October.
One event that attracts hundred of coaster and park enthusiasts is the Phoenix PhallPhunfest with a Twister held annually at Knoebel’s Grove and Resort just outside of Elysburg PA. It started small and then kept growing. Held in conjunction with the Covered Bridge Festival, it combines a craft and food atmosphere during the day with more intense attractions as the dark creeps through the shedding trees. Some people ride in costume long after the contest is over, relishing the joy of the experience in a new way.
Attendees come from all regions of the country, even into Canada. One such group includes people from New Jersey, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Florida, and Michigan. They all gather together to share their love of amusement parks and great roller coasters.
One of the first events of this year’s gathering was a haunted wedding staged appropriately just outside the dark ride. Dressed as their favorite spooky characters, they stayed in costume throughout the evening. Some of the scariest bridesmaids ever assembled, they even outdid the groomsmen. The last group weren't guests per say, they just great costumes.
A tradition of the Phunfest is riding in costume. Here are just a few examples of costumes from 2008. The best ones have some sort of inside joke. Here, Thor perused carrying a massive hammer through the park chanting “Less coasters, more condos.” For those who don’t understand, Thor Development wants to redevelop Coney Island into a more upscale shopping and residential area. The other picture may appear to be nothing special until you recognize Jeff Pike, lead designer for the Evil Kneivel roller coaster at Six Flags St Louis.
The haunted car ride is the number one attraction. The creative minds of the park strive to outdo themselves every year by adding unique twists along the trail. The many vignettes along the track always seem fresh every year. Giant pumpkins, a working model roller coaster, and creative use of black lights are just a brief sampling of the ride. Every fog machine was set to max, and the fog also enveloped the lowest parts of the Phoenix’s track. You can see some of the haunted displays as you “phly” by.
The coasters looked spectacular in daylight and rode even more so after dark. The park staff take special care of their rides because they know that people travel from everywhere for this special occasion. The Flying Turns project continues to advance, but not quick enough for everyone. It is a very special recreation of an old ride that requires some very special techniques to build and now full attention has turned to the trains. Hope springs eternal with the changing seasons.
Phoenix PhallPhunfest’s Grand Finale is a huge bonfire where attendees can gather to roast hot dogs, toast marsh mellows and remember the warm days of summer, we can also look forward to next year. Remember, the best coaster is the next one you’re standing in line for. So as we watch the leaves fall and dream about next summer, here’s a last message from everyone at Knoebels.
It appears that way at this point - Carowinds' Log Flume, currently known as the Wild Thornberrys River Adventure, very well may have given it's last ride this past weekend when the park closed for the year.
But there is good news that comes from the demise of the park's log flume! Yes, while it is only a rumor at this point, signs are pointing toward there being a lot of activity in the area the log flume occupied next summer. Yes, this sounds like it might be similar to the construction we saw at Canada's Wonderland during 2007, and Kings Island this past summer.
In case it goes away, here's the ride's info page from Carowinds' website:
I do think it's important to go out and vote in the real election that is going on today, but you're not here for political news - you're here for amusement industry news!
That said, here's some election day fun: Cheezonastick has made their amusement industry election page live as of this morning.
You can click here to vote for your amusement industry president (Shapiro, Kinzel, or write-in Will Koch), as well as voice your opinion on several other important industry issues.
Looks like there will be another viral marketing campaign to follow this offseason - Six Flags New England has created Clawshun Industries as the the company that has been hired to transform their Superman ride this winter.
According to reports the park had individuals from Clawshun at the park this past weekend and the park also had protesters who were against the changes being made to the ride (all fake, of course).
It'll interesting to see where they take all this... it's very reminiscent of Hershey Park's 'Nantimi' viral effort last year that led up to the announcement of Fahrenheit.
I also highly suggest checking out this thread at SFNE Online. It has tons of photos of the signs they park put up as part of the Clawshun stuff, as well as scans of the fliers that the protesters had.
Plus, a considerable amount of Superman has already been repainted, which they have photos of as well.
Finally, TGESource has posted some info and also a video of the presentation that the park GM gave regarding the ride's transformation, which is also worth watching.
The now closed and bankrupt Hard Rock Park has made it public that they are looking for a new owner.
The news come as the park is proceeding through their bankruptcy court hearings. The current owners say that there is no way the park will reopen in 2009 if a new owner is not found.
Current staff is optimistic that a buyer can be found - but right now the industry does not seem to be full of fish waiting to bite. You never know who might come out of the woodwork and purchase the property, though.
The park hopes to have a sale complete by the end of 2008.
Dixie Landin' amusement and Blue Bayou water park, located in Baton Rouge, LA, has filed plans to expand their park and add a large campground to their property.
In a time where small parks and/or not well established parks are being picked off one by one (see Celebration City, Hard Rock Park) it's wonderfully refreshing to see a small park making plans to expand.
According to this article from WBRZ2 out of Louisiana, the park would expanding with a new roller coaster, food court, and more rides, along with more parking and the expansive campground.
The park has been making a name for itself by adding large water slides from Proslide, such as Voodoo (a large bowl slide) and Azuka (a large Tornado slide); the park also is home to the Ragin' Cajun boomerang coaster.
In wrapping up a weekend of paying tribute to Dorney Park's Laser, I thought it was only fitting to bust out a brochure where the guest of honor is featured prominently on the cover.
In case you didn't notice, Laser's color scheme was a bit more subtle back then.
So let's tally up the new additions for '88: Ten new rides, three new water slides, a new children's area, a new outdoor entertainment venue, "twice as much" entertainment, and oh my goodness the CARE BEARS!! Wow, did Donald Trump own the park back then?
The list of new additions just wouldn't fit on a single page. I doubt we would ever see such an ambitious agenda proposed by any of today's parks, but I don't think that's such a bad thing. They need to space these things out, lest we all be over stimulated!
Most of the rides featured in these photos still thrill visitors to Dorney Park today. The one exception is the Flying Dutchman (the steel coaster in the lower left-hand photo), which gave its last rides at Dorney during the 1988 season.
Now here we have a classic Laser photo, complete with those awesome retro trains that sported headlights as well as a couple of passengers who were obviously *way* too cool for their own good. I find it interesting that the steel structure forming and supporting the loops is slightly less "decorated" than that which appears in the cover photo. Those two photos must have been taken in different years.
Twenty years may have passed since this brochure was printed, but I must applaud Dorney Park for continuing to maintain and reinvent the same family-friendly atmosphere on which the pre-Cedar Fair owners prided themselves.
Remember when Thunderhawk--er, excuse me COASTER--was yellow? What individuality it has lost in color, it has gained (mercifully) in a new name. As a matter of fact, I believe 1988 was the last year it went by the "Coaster" moniker.
Seriously, how much do you love the old school map? It almost looks like somebody created a real mini-replica of the park and then took a picture of it. (Maybe they did! Anybody know?) If you zoom in, you will find that "Laser" was actually spelled "Lazer" back then. This begs the question: Was Dorney's management (a) desperately in need of spell check, (b) trying to be "cute", or (c) kickin' it Toys "R" Us style? [Man, this keyboard is defective...Where is my backward "R"?]
In conclusion, I would also like to thank Dorney Park for hosting such a wonderful farewell event for Laser on its last day of operation. Few rides (anywhere, ever) have been graced with such a tribute, and it speaks volumes of the park's management that they would recognize the significance of such an event to the multitudes of enthusiasts who live and breathe this stuff. Now that we have closure in our pockets, I hope you will join me in wishing the Laser well in her new home!
Here is a photo of their first coaster built in 
So that is the last of our 
