Perhaps More Pixar for Paris

© WDSFans.com

Wouldn't it be wonderful to spend New Year's Eve in Paris? Well I don't know about you but I can't! More like try to stay awake till 12 to see the ball drop! Hehe...

Anywho, WDSFans has been reporting on some new construction going on at Walt Disney Studios at the Disneyland Paris resort lately. It seems they've posted notice that they will be removing a lot of the forest area that currently resides inside the park's Studio Tram Tour path.

The site is now also reporting that the park very well may see a new Pixar themed area called Toy Story Playland. The area would be filled with highly themed flat rides, and be aimed at families with younger kids.

It's something the park still sorely needs, but why hasn't Disney done anything lately that's not themed to a Pixar franchise?

Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Six Flags Darien Lake 2002

This week we journey back to 2002, when Darien Lake was smack dab in the middle of its Premier/Six Flags era.


Shipwreck Falls was the first major ride to be installed at Darien Lake since 1999, when [Superman] Ride of Steel made its appearance. The effects of the conspicuous "growth spurt" which had occurred at so many Premier/Six Flags parks of this era were beginning to be felt.


Judging from the minimalist approach which obviously was taken when designing this particular brochure, I'd have to say that the effects of the now notorious mismanagement had also extended to the print media department! For all that Darien Lake has to offer, this brochure simply does not do it justice. The average tourist picks up a brochure in the hopes of acquiring detailed information about the local amusement park. Unfortunately, tourists visiting western New York in 2002 learned as much about Six Flags' "Worldwide Thrills" as they did about Darien Lake.


Um... Where's the rest of the brochure? No really, where is it? Did I miss a page? Nope. Believe it or not, this really is the whole thing! One semi-detailed (not to mention half-hearted) description of Shipwreck Falls, and that's all he/she wrote. Sad, sad, sad.

But in the spirit of the holiday season, let us not dwell on the shortcomings of Six Flags Past. Let us instead focus on the progress which is evident in Six Flags Present and look ahead to the promise of Six Flags Future! Or in Darien Lake's case, let us rejoice in the enthusiasm and creativity of its new operators, the good folks at PARC Management, and have faith that they will restore the quality of both the park and its brochures! Now that's what I call a worthy New Year's resolution.

Six Flags New England '09 Details

Six Flags New England's full 2009 plans have been detailed in this news article, and while no big attractions are planned, the park will have some new offerings for guests.

As we already know, the park will transform their award winning Superman roller coaster by adding new trains, audio, and visual effects as well as a new theme and accompanying paint job.

The park also plans to add a 195 ft. tall thrill ride, the slingshot. This is one of those rides where two people sit in a sort of cage and bungee cords launch them up almost 200 ft. in the air. I'd expect this one to be a pay extra at the park.

The park is also adding a 'pop jet' fountain inside Thomas Town. This is one of those fountains where people and run through it and get soaked on hot days. This is the kind of addition that continues to give me hope for Six Flags as this is not something that they can advertise, or expect revenue from but are adding for the sake of the customers.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

La Ronde has a pretty nice webpage up for their new attraction for summer '09: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Live! The walkthrough / haunted / interactive attraction will debut at the Canadian theme park in June of 2009.

The attraction is technically on a world tour with La Ronde being it's second stop after starting in Australia. Sudden Impact Entertainment, who produced the attraction, has developed similar traveling shows for the first two Mummy movies as well.

The level of detail looks pretty neat, though the capacity is said to be 500-700 pph, which is not every impressive - still more than some coasters though!

Here's an Austrailan news segment that features lots of footage inside the attraction if you care for a sneek peak:

Dreamflight @ Efteling Video

This ride always intrigued me. I think I remember reading about it in Inside Track (any of you remember that magazine? Yeah, they got my money, too) and thinking that the ride looks Disney caliber and that alone caught my attention.

Oh wait, the details! The ride is at Efteling, which is in the Netherlands. It was built in 1993 and according to the ride's Wiki page, "In Dreamflight, the visitors fly through a dream world of forests, castles, fairies, trolls and other fairy-tale-like creatures and scenes. The visitors are seated in small open cabins hanging from the ceiling. The ride takes them past five different scenes in about six minutes: the Castle Realm, the Wondrous Forest, the Fairy Garden, Heavenly Strongholds and the Squelch Forest."

Basically, it's a total fairy tale ride that's unique and didn't rely on an already existing set of characters. Plus, it's really visually beautiful, even if trolls, fairies, and that sort of thing doesn't interest you.

Turn down the lights and go for a ride...

Is Decades Dead, Too?

I hate to be such a Negative Nancy, as it's really not my style, but there's a lot of stinky news coming out lately thanks to our dumpy economy!

Decades Theme Park, under planning for Arizona, looks like it's future may be in jeopardy now as well. Arizona's first and only theme park is dependent on investment money to allow government bonds to be issued to pay for the rest of the project.

The recent failure of Hard Rock Park in South Carolina is now drawing questions to the Decades park project, asking if the park is really feasible since Hard Rock Park couldn't pull it off.

The project is by no means canceled, but it's also not progressing very far. Looks like we may have to just stay tuned (for years) to see what comes of this one.

A Future For The Golden Nugget?

Amusement Today is reporting that an unnamed buyer has purchased the track and trains for the Golden Nugget Mine Ride, which is currently SBNO on one of Morey's Piers.

According to Jack Morey, "As we realized that the Golden Nugget was not viable for Morey’s Piers, we began looking for an appropriate person within our industry who might be capable of reusing the tracks and trains. Now, I am very thrilled to say that this ride will be placed in the most capable of hands. However, this person requests that we not divulge their identity as of yet, and we will honor that request."

This is pretty exciting! It's certainly better than the entire structure going to the wrecking ball. Now the real question is who purchased it?

Poll Reminder

Just a reminder - the current poll ends in a few days. Get your votes in now!

With the economy in the tank - we may see many more Six Flags 'transformations' in the coming years, let us know what ride you think deserves one now!

Discovery Kingdom's Holiday In The Park

Theme Park Village has posted a nice pictorial look at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's 2008 Holiday In The Park celebration.

The theme park is all decked out for the holidays, and has quite a number of special events for the event as well. These holiday events all look so pretty!

Check it out.

Merry Christmas!

From all of us at NewsPlusNotes, to you and yours, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!


Be sure to scroll down and check out Scott & Carol's review of Silver Dollar City and Dollywood's Christmas Events, and Sabrina's latest brochure!

Scott & Carol Present: A Smoky Mountain Christmas

When you head east from Branson to Dollywood outside of Knoxville, you experience another dose of down to earth holiday cheer. Dollywood has won Golden Tickets for other things but today we are interested in the one they won for Best Christmas Event.

From the illuminated butterfly out front to the lights on the train, it’s a feast for the senses in the Smoky Mountain Christmas. A relative newcomer compared to Silver Dollar City, this is the eighteenth version of their popular Christmas festival. One of the many good things about Christmas in amusement parks is the smells travel farther. The extra greenery evokes memories of real trees from Christmas past and fresh cuts wreaths on the front door.

Lights are everywhere, in keeping with the Hershend tradition. With dedicated employees whose purpose is to unpack the lights, even that is a huge task. The lights begin to appear when school starts, but they aren’t publicly lit until November. A wonderful treat is the way some trees a strung with lights of just one color, so you can easily see its structure in the dark. Even the train shines brightly through the park, because the engine and all of the coaches are covered with lights. Every architectural detail of the buildings is accentuated by lights, and the effect is dazzling. It’s no wonder you hear all the different accents that represent many miles of travel to enjoy Smoky Mountain Christmas.

New this year is the Polar Express simulator attraction at Dollywood. The theater has been refurbished into 4-D capability and a wild ride awaits eager families inside. With Dolly’s old tour bus parked right outside and snowflakes spiraling down to the ground, wide ranging interests are covered right next to each other. The ride makes wish you held on as the train plunges down the mountain and across the lake. You can even smell the aroma of hot chocolate as it is served in the movie. With a newly produced ending, this is a very popular ride. For riders who either are to short to use an action seat, or who want a more sedate ride, benches right down front are built in to accommodate them. This allows everyone to bring back old memories of Christmas through the eyes of a child.

Something slightly more sedate is the “Babes in Toyland” show. This award winning show is another, albeit recent, tradition at Dollywood. The mishaps that occur during the show and the props are spectacular. The finale results in standing ovations on a regular basis but we won’t spoil the secret here. This year guests can get their picture take with the cast members and props. The same spirit from out west is shared with everyone as we heard a cast member say “It’s nice to be able to bring a smile to someone the way the world is right now. We can tell they’re not thinking about anything else, and that’s good.”

And that thought is how we remember Smoky Mountain Christmas at Dollywood. A place where everyone can walk around enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of the Christmas season, and forget about how tough things are outside in the world. We all need an escape now and then, and that is what theme parks are made to do. Help us push our problems away as we listen to the wandering carolers, explore Santa’s work shop, or visit the North Pole on the Polar Express. Or, maybe ride a roller coaster!

From Scott & Carol, have a Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year.

Scott & Carol Present: Twas The Night Before An Old Time Christmas

General Manager of all the Hershend Branson properties spoke at the kickoff for the Old Time Christmas media event just outside of Branson he said, ”With all the troubles on everyone’s minds right now we wanted to create a place where they could come to have their spirits lifted, if only for a little while.”

At Silver Dollar City they have done much more than that for Christmas 2008, they have created a sparkling wonderland suitable for the whole family. While receiving accolades as one of the top five light displays in the United States, in Branson family values rule throughout the winter holiday celebration, giving memorable experiences to all age groups.

This is the twentieth year for the winter festival that started out as “12 Days of Christmas.” Now it is so large that it begins just after Halloween and continues through the New Year. With about one million lights for every ten acres, no surface is overlooked for a view that has to be seen instead of described. The lights start going up in late summer, because this is a mammoth undertaking. The impressive display is just the tip of the iceberg, for there is a whole lot more than meets the eye at Silver Dollar City.

The Hershend properties always have great food, and believe me, Carol and I have sampled most of it. If you still remember Grandmas holiday feasts, you have some idea of what eating at Silver Dollar City is like. Remember how she always had both ham and turkey, so do they. Not only will they cook it for you, you can also learn how to cook it your self at the Culinary Craft School. Debbie Dance Uhrig is the Master Craftsman of Culinary Arts at Silver Dollar City and she has called upon her Master Craftsman compadres to provide an amazing kitchen where she teaches seasonal techniques to improve the style of kitchen tables everywhere. Even dad will be rewarded if he signs mom up for a class while taking the kids on the rides, because he will still get to eat the good food later. As you pass by on the midway, the aromatic smells beckon you inside. Preregistration is recommended, as the classes fill very quickly.

Once the kids are tired, everyone can enjoy the some of the many shows throughout the park. The kids can help build Frosty and watch him come to life during the show. If Broadway is more your style, the Silver Dollar City production of “A Dicken’s Christmas Carol” will thrill everyone

A fully utilized set complete with flying spirits and spooky specters, the songs and action belie the fact that the crew requires only two weeks of group rehearsals to pull it together. Here is a quote from a local attendee, “I’ve been waiting two months for this show. Let’s hit a few rides and catch another performance.” His two young children both agreed this was a good idea. If you go, line up early to get inside, because The Opera House is packed for every performance.

Once you’ve seen the static light displays throughout the park, you can stake out a good spot for the Holiday Light Parade. Somewhere above eighty thousand lights are marched through the park twice each evening. The best places are where you can see the floats coming down the hill in the darkness.

Santa closes out the parade, but the show is not over. In the Square a computerized fifty foot tall Christmas trees sparkles and flashes in time with the music. Even the lights strung on the nearby trees get in on the action, with synchronized switching of their strings. There is so much to do you’ll want to come back tomorrow, just to relive the wonder in your eyes as you remember once again how much fun it all was. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Hershend New Year.

Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Michigan's Adventure 2005

Between the massive woodie in the background and the signature Cedar Fair "2 Parks for the Price of 1" tag line, the unsuspecting tourist might be led to believe that this charming little park in Muskegon, Michigan was born and raised a corporately owned thrill park. Not so! In the beginning, Michigan's Adventure--formerly "Deer Park"--was little more than a petting zoo with a few rides thrown in for good measure.


Michigan's Adventure boasts the most colorful (and I daresay the most beautiful) Arrow Corkscrew still in operation. This extra burst of color really gives the ride a personality of its own and sets it apart from its other well-worn brethren. The enthusiast lot may be rather bored with this model, but it truly is a perfect fit for Michigan's Adventure and stood as the park's only inverting coaster until the introduction of the transplanted Thunderhawk this past summer.

(And by the way... Is it just me, or does anybody else find it frightening that the raft in the upper left-hand photo looks like it is about to capsize??? I'm not sure if that was a wise photo choice for a brochure!)


It's fitting that there is an entire section of this brochure dedicated to children. While Michigan's Adventure is large enough to satisfy the thrill-hungry, it is still small enough to retain the charm of a traditional, family-oriented park.


The ever popular ProSlide Tornado made an appearance at WildWater Adventure in 2005. It was a great addition to the well-established water park, which welcomed its first guests back in 1991.


I honestly think that this is the first time I have ever touched a computer on Christmas Eve. But I had a couple hours to kill between the various rounds of holiday festivities, so why not? Consider it my gift to you! I wish all of you a warm and wonderful holiday season!

Kings Dominion 2009 Update

KDFansite has posted a new video podcast that's focused on the construction of the park's two new flat rides for the 2009 season.

It shows how far the park has gotten on the rides and also explains exactly where they will be located in the park. It also looks like the park is taking out the remaining launch area foundations, etc, from Hypersonic which remained at the park this past summer after the ride was removed last winter.

The Americana ferris wheel and El Dorado ride are both relocated from the former Geauga Lake amusement park in Ohio.

Rockit's Lift Started

© 2008 King_K

New photos of Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit at Universal Studios Florida have been posted in this thread over on ThemeParkReview.

They've stated the massive structure that will support the vertical lift hill. Lots of major work has been done on the new permanent amphitheater that will sit in front of the ride and the coaster's massive station structure as well.

Check it out!

Clawshun Industries - Happy Holidays!

Clawshun Industries wants to say Happy Holidays! The company behind Six Flags New England's viral marketing campaign for the remake of their Superman roller coaster sent out an e-mail that sends fans to this link.

Just follow the instructions, it's pretty cute. Continued props to SFNE for keeping this campaign alive as well...

A Look At 2009

The L.A. Times' Funland Blog has gathered together a look at what new rides and attractions can be found in the U.S. and abroad in 2009.

Everything from the wacky Creature From The Black Lagoon The Musical at Universal Studios Hollywood to the thrilling Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit at Universal Studios Florida is listed.

Here's the link.

What's Alton Towers Up To?

So Alton Tower Theme Park is removing their Corkscrew roller coaster, and rumors are swirling about the replacement coaster that's said to be on the way.

The European Coaster Club just posted a layout that is said to be what the park has planned for the former Corkscrew's place. See the layout at this link. It's being called "Secret Weapon 6," and rumored to open in 2010.

It almost looks like a Premier ride, doesn't it? I heard that Premier has some projects lined up but unannounced as well, so that could make sense. I'm only saying that though because of the direction switches that the layout features.

And while it can't be proven the layout is real, the ECC has been publishing layouts for years now of rides that are no where near ready to be announced and always been dead on.

To our friendly European readers: what do you guys think the park is planning?

Wooden Roller Coaster Poll Results

The Wooden Roller Coaster Poll Results for 2008 are in, and there's a new #1 wooden roller coaster according to what is regarded as the most balanced enthusiast poll anywhere.

T Express opened at Everland in South Korea in March of this year, and has quickly shot to the coveted #1 spot in the poll.

© 2008 Ride Attraction Reivew Blog

The massive wooden coaster is one of Intamin's prefab rides, all of which have become very popular very quickly. Oh, that and T Express is over a mile long and 180+ ft. tall!

Here's the top ten wooden coasters per the poll:

1 - T Express, Everland, South Korea
2 - The Voyage, Holiday World, USA
3 - El Toro, Six Flags Great Adventure, USA
4 - Boulder Dash, Lake Compounce, USA
5 - Balder, Lisenberg, Sweden
6 - Phoenix, Knoebel's, USA
7 - Troy, Toverland, Netherlands
8 - Aska, Nara Dreamland, Japan
9 - Ravine Flyer II, Waldameer, USA
10 - Colossos, Heide Park, Germany

Take notice that all of the 4 Intamin prefab wooden coasters are in the top 10! It's also a great showing for Ravine Flyer II at Waldameer as well.

Here's a link to the full results of this year's poll.

Dorney Park Fun Facts #27

Although it overshadowed everything else (literally), Steel Force was not the only addition to Dorney Park in 1997. The new 'Main Midway' as it was called has been created in 1996 beyond the main entrance, although no rides, shops, or anything, really, was located on it at that point.

The Funzone Arcade was built in 1997, but like it's friend Steel Force, it wasn't quite ready on opening day either.

^ The weather didn't look too great on opening day, 1997 - here we see the Funzone still under a lot of construction.

^ A lot of work was done in the week between photos, eh? Still not ready to open yet, but a lot closer.

And then poof we're ready to go!

Even Standing In Line Is Fun

At least it is when you're in line for It's A Small World Holiday at Disneyland. They do wonderful light show on the facade of the attraction every so often choreographed to holiday music. I love it!
It's really amazing what can be done with lightning these days. Beautiful!

Holiday Season Catch Up

I'm sure you all are feeling it too - this time of year is insane! And now we're having storm after storm in the Northeast to complicate things further. Regardless, it's time to catch up on some reader submissions.

Oh, and thanks to all the sites that linked to Scott & Carol's B&M Plant tour!

The Great Escape Source has posted an interview they had with Lo-Q while at the IAAPA trade show. They're always going to be giving away some goodies they got from Lo-Q as well.

Check out that interview here. Also, I noticed on their forums that they confirmed with S&S Power that Sasquatch at Great Escape will be a Space Shot tower and Turbo Drop tower - not combo towers as previously rumored. Good to know!

Coaster101 recently did an interview with the General Manager of Wild Adventures theme park. They were able to ask some great questions about the direction the park will be headed in the future.

The park was purchased by Herschend Family Entertainment in 2007 and is one of a few parks the company owns that did not have it's 2009 capital expansion delayed due to the economy.

Geauga Lake's Carousel

According to this report, Cedar Fair has confirmed that Geauga Lake's classic 1926 Carousel will be refurbished starting early 2009 and placed in another Cedar Fair park for the summer.

They are not saying yet which park will add the ride, however. It used to be rumored that Worlds of Fun will get the horsey-go-round, but I haven't heard anything further and that was some time ago.

Couldn't Michigan's Adventure use it, too?

Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Kings Dominion 1987

The following brochure is so "well loved" that it was literally falling apart as I tried to scan it! For whatever reason, Kings Dominion in particular really tickled my fancy back in the '80s. Is there a 12-step program for park addictions?


The concept of standing up while riding a roller coaster was still blowing people's minds in the States back in 1987. I, for one, was positively fascinated by it.


Back in the day when having an attached water park was not de rigeur, many parks helped their guests cool down by introducing "dry" water slides such as these. But the times they are a changin', and most of these attractions have since gone the way of the dinosaur.


Well what do you know? Rebel Yell ran both trains forward back then, too! So you see, Kings Dominion has simply returned to its roots. Hey...What's with the wacky blue stuffed animal that kid is holding? Must be related to some cartoon that only old fogies would remember. (I think I had one just like it...)


Kings Dominion has a great mix of rides, shows, and attractions. Sadly, we can no longer enjoy the safari adventure advertised in this particular brochure. (It, too, has gone the way of the dinosaur.) But change is not always a bad thing, and getting rid of the safari has probably helped the park's management to focus more on their core competencies.


Brochures of the '80s were short and sweet, eh? For me, this one was just the right size for a ridiculously busy week before Christmas!

Hard Rock Park's New Owner: No One

It appears as though Hard Rock Park has been purchased by no one. Details are still very much developing (I'll update this when more is available) but it looks like no one purchased the park at the bankruptcy auction that took place Monday.

Update: It appears as though PARC Management really wants the park, but does not have the cash to put in a legitimate bid for the park. They asked the local Myrtle Beach government to help out with financing, but it does not appear that that is at all a realistic possibility.

Daily Spin 12.18.08

Carowinds has posted new photos of the Carolina Cobra undergoing it's new paint job. I really like the colors, and even in the gloomy looking weather the photos were taken in the ride is really standing out. It seems more and more like this coaster will just be an appetizer for 2010's main course...

New construction photos are also available for Worlds of Fun's new wooden coaster, Prowler on the park's website for the ride. I can only say how amazing this ride looks so many times, so I won't say it again... but I guess I just did. Just check out the photos.

And... Kings Island has also updated their photos for Diamondback. The Cedar Fair parks are really doing a wonderful job of keeping all the fans updated with their new ride projects... Six Flags - are you hearing this?

Six Flags Magic Mountain is hosting their first New Year's Eve party in a couple weeks, aptly titled Rock'n Ride. Guests can visit the park for the day and then take part in a bunch of special events the park has planned to welcome in 2009. Click here for more details.

Looks like a new Legoland Theme Park is being planned to open in 2013, this time in Malaysia. The park will be a joint effort between Merlin Entertainment and an investment group. Merlin will end up owning 30% of the park. Construction is set to start in 2010.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports on the winner of the EBay auction to win Scout from the former Monster Plantation dark ride at Six Flags Over Georgia. A fan of the ride ended up paying $2,850 to take Scout home, all of which will go to charity.

Original Jaguar! Concept Art

Here's the original concept artwork for Jaguar! at Knott's Berry Farm. You can click it for a much larger version.

The Zierer coaster opened at the Farm in 1995, and is a great example of the big themed rides that the former owners of the park enjoyed adding - while keeping the family appeal in mind. (Cedar Fair just in recent years has started to work on the 'family' side of Knott's after going hard thrill rides for many years)

We all know I have a thing for concept art, so this is a great history piece in my view. Here, take a spin!

Disney Funding HKDL Expansion?

Variety is reporting that Disney is willing to fund the expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland, but the government would still need to approve the deal as it may require changes in the shareholding agreement.

From what's known thus far, and it's not much, negotiations have been ongoing between Disney and the Hong Kong government to work out funding for the park to expand. When the theme park opened in 2005 it had far too few attraction built for it to be the smash success everyone desired.

I hope that a plan can be worked out to get the expansion underway! It's badly needed, this place is worse that Disney's California Adventure when it opened, at least I think. You have to remember that even once financing is agreed upon it's years until new attractions will open.

Rockit is Rocketing Upward

© 2008 coaster3001 via IOACentral

Universal Studios Florida has been quickly adding more track and supports on a daily basis for Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit - the park's new coaster for 2009.

They've added the top section of the "Treble Clef" element, a high speed, high g-force upward helix with an overbank into a dive at the top. It looks fantastic! The music themed names for the ride's elements are a bit goofy, but the elements themselves are not.

I can't wait to take a spin on this one, click here to head over to IOACentral to see more photos.

"But I want to sing in the show!"

It feels like it was announced forever ago, but the American Idol Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida will officially open this coming February. Aside from the original press release, I haven't really followed the development of this attraction, so lucky for me the Orlando Attractions Magazine has come through for us.

Disney recently gave a preview of the attraction to selected media, and the Attractions Magazine folks were in attendance. They published a writeup of how the attraction will play out each day; it's actually rather intricate!

It's an interesting read, and while not a super fast coaster or thrilling dark ride, the American Idol Experience is certainly unique and should be a crowd-pleaser.

Painting the Carolina Cobra

It appears as though the painting of the Carolina Cobra at Carowinds has begun. You can see the new teal support and coral track colors on the loop and part of the cobra roll.

You can literally watch the paint dry on the park's webcam! Haha...

A Great Golden Nugget Article

Philly.com did a nice article on the Golden Mine Ride at Morey's Piers that really shows what a hard decision it was for the owners to remove the ride.

Jack Morey let the ride sit on the closed pier for 8 years hoping that there would be a way to save, move, or even reuse the ride in a way that would honor its history.

Strict building costs, as well as high costs and the damage caused by time have taken the feasibility out of reopening the ride.

A new wooden coaster is under design that will span two of Morey's piers, including the one that the Golden Nugget sits on.

For more photos and info on the ride, like the one above, check out Funchase.com.

The Sweetest Christmas Celebration on Earth: Part 2

Hersheypark's Christmas Candylane has been spreading holiday cheer since 1983.


Candylane began as a rather primitive event, confined to a small area near the front of the park and featuring little more than shopping and food. But like most other park-hosted holiday events, it has grown more and more elaborate with age.


That is one rockin' (and ROLLIN') bovine. This sculpture, a participant in Harrisburg's rendition of the CowParade art event, was actually designed by Bill Dussinger, a senior graphic designer at Hersheypark. Here's another fun fact: The lapbar, seat, and wheels are authentic parts taken from Hersheypark roller coasters!


Guests delight in the joys of the season under the watchful eye of founder Milton S. Hershey.


The Kissmas Tree breaks the mold: Rather than placing wrapped gifts under this tree, they simply hang from its boughs!


The Christmas Candylane of today allows guests to enjoy numerous rides in addition to the traditional decorations and specialty shops. Whenever I visit this area of the park, I feel compelled to observe a moment of silence in honor of the Giant Wheel (R.I.P.), which used to occupy this space.


Well, well, well: If it isn't my arch nemesis, Great Bear! Just look at it standing there taunting me, as if to say, "HA HA HA! You can't ride me yet again!" I'll get you, my pretty...


Storm Runner, with its festive red and white color scheme, is naturally Christmasy. As a person who has been visiting Hersheypark since around the age of three, I still have to do a double take when I look across the park and see sights like this!


The little ones can visit the big white-bearded fellow himself at Santa's Candy Cottage.


Is a "hot apple cider smoothie" supposed to sound appetizing? Not sure I'm feeling the love there...



Can I get a collective "Awwwww" for the reindeer? This is always one of my favorite stops at Candylane!


Here stands the only thing in the state of Pennsylvania that was 97 degrees this weekend.


Fahrenheit has got to be the most photogenic gosh darned coaster I have ever seen. Even my crappy camera can't make it look bad! That's hot.


Construction photo op--SCORE!



DRAT!!! Hersheypark had foiled my plans! But luckily for you, my iron will is not deterred so easily. I hopped on board the Candylane Twilight Express (a.k.a. Dry Gulch Railroad) and was able to capture the following shots during my leisurely journey.




Oh, who am I kidding--You can't see jack squat in these photos! Just some heavy machinery and a few mounds of dirt being pushed around. But do I at least get an "A" for effort? Please?


Hang onto your hearts at Hersheypark, my friends. You never know when somebody tall, dark and tasty will come along and sweep you off your feet...


The park certainly looked festive enough during the daylight hours, but the beauty of its many twinkling lights is best appreciated after the sun goes down. I would have loved to witness that sight for myself; but alas, it simply was not in the cards for me this weekend!

Hersheypark's Christmas Candylane never disappoints, and this year was no exception. If you'd like to see the rest of my Candylane photos--and believe me, there are a LOT more where these came from--I have posted them on the NPN Facebook page for your viewing pleasure. And by the way, Facebook pages are publicly accessible so you do not need to have a Facebook account to visit ours!

Fireball!

© 2008 The Gravity Group

Gravitycast has posted some new photos of Fireball, The Gravity Group's new wooden coaster currently under construction at Happy Valley amusement park in China. The ride is China's first wooden roller coaster.

How impressive is the ride's location? Here are some additional, though older photos of the ride.

The Sweetest Christmas Celebration on Earth: Part 1

'Tis the season to be jolly. And what could possibly be jollier than immersing yourself in the sights, sounds, and smells of chocolate? Personally I can't think of too many things, so I made the trek to Hershey, PA this weekend to check out Christmas Candylane.


No visit to Hersheypark would be complete without the requisite side trip to Chocolate World, so this is where our journey begins!


The lobby was alive with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.


Santa's elves were hard at work wrapping up bundles of chocolate joy for all the good little girls and boys.


Chocolate World's star attraction was, is, and always will be the Great American Chocolate Tour.


The hallway leading to the world's most famous chocolate tour ride tells the story of a man, his town, and his chocolate factory. The ride itself has undergone several facelifts through the years, but quite a few of the original props remain as a loving reminder of the ride's first incarnation. After listening to the newfangled singing cows carry their tune throughout the ride, I was beginning to fear that we would be cheated out of hearing that good old fashioned Hershey's chocolate jingle. But to my delight, the ride still concludes to the familiar tune of "Hershey's chocolate, Hershey's chocolate, It's a Hershey's chocolate world!" WOO HOO!!


The best part of the ride, of course, remains the FREE sample at the end! This little cluster concoction was tasty and all, but the purist in me really just wanted a regular ol' Hershey bar...


Quaint little gift shops abound at Chocolate World, beckoning you to purchase their Hershey-themed wares.


Have you hugged an animated chocolate bar today?


Now we come to my favorite kind of souvenir: The edible kind! Seriously, just looking at this room is enough to make anybody gain ten pounds...


...and eating this monster would pretty much seal the deal!


That about wraps up our whirlwind tour of Choocolate World. (Or should I say, "unwraps" it?) Next stop: Candylane! Stay tuned...

Central Park's Skyclone

I recently came across a book that featured the history of the Lehigh Valley, PA in photographs. I've always been interested in the former Central Park, a long defunct amusement park located in Allentown, PA.

The park had a few coasters, one of them was a large ride named the Cyclone (later renamed Skyclone). I can't even find who designed the Cyclone, but the book features the above amazing photograph.

Look at the first drop! It's one gigantic double-down! The ride is basically an out-and-back ride in the shape of a big triangle, with the station built on the top side of a hill.

Anyone care to fill in any details of the ride? Not much comes up searching online...

Holiday World's Pligrim Cam

We've got a new addition to the list of webcams I've been following this off-season: Holiday World has just added a live webcam featuring shots of the construction area of their new water ride for 2009, Pilgrims Plunge.

Looks like foundation work is well underway from the cam. Here's the link - you can watch it each day like I do!

Holiday World has also been adding construction photos of Pilgrims Plunge on their Facebook page. While you are there, be sure to make yourself a fan. And for yet another plug, become a fan of NewsPlusNotes' Facebook page, too!

Manta's Track is Complete

ORLANDO, FL (DECEMBER 12, 2008)

ON TRACK TO SUCCESS

SeaWorld construction crews put Manta’s last piece of track into place today, finishing the flying coaster’s structure. Manta will inspire riders with amazing underwater animal habitats, then soar them face-down, in a horizontal position, aboard a manta-inspired steel coaster. Manta is slated to open summer 2009.

Scott & Carol Present: Getting On Track With B&M

When you ride a coaster designed by Bolliger and Mabillard, do you ever wonder how the track is made? Or do you think it just magically appears in the staging area to be assembled? One track builder B & M use is located in southwestern Ohio. Here is an inside look for News Plus Notes readers about this fascinating process. Our tour guide for today is Ken Miller, the General Manager of the plant. He has spent his entire career at the facility, starting by sweeping the floors. He took us through the over 152,000 square foot steel fabricating facility.

“It all started back in 1989 when Walter Bolliger came to my office and asked if we would be interested in building track for their company,” said Miller. “They had seen some of our work on the supports for the Arrow coaster at Kings Island, (Vortex,) and Six Flags Great America, (Shockwave,) and liked what they saw. Now they keep us busy seven days a week with all their projects. Every piece of track for every one of their roller coasters in the United States is made right here in Ohio.”

The track begins as flat sheets of steel and pipe for the support columns is sourced in the United States. The bent pieces of track pipe are brought in from Europe. Most B & M coasters are custom designed. Each track element is a compilation of different sequences and requires a lot of flexibility of the workshop.


So let’s start with the support columns. Every piece of pipe used in making the support columns is hand cut by one of the seventy-nine employees at the factory. “The process used to start with blue prints, “Miller says, “but now it is mainly XYZ coordinates. The use of digital transmission for product specifications has made blueprints obsolete. We also send all of our quality control data back to them electronically. The results of every test are all kept on file by both us and B & M.



The flanges for the columns are cut using a CNC oxi cutter because they are made from over one and one half inch thick steel plate. They have cutters with either a 20’ or 40’ table. The plates are then sent out to be machined to the final measurements. When they return, the flanges are welded onto the pipe. According to Miller, “Our Quality Control department's nondestructive testing personnel are certified to the guidelines of the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT). We do a magnetic particle test or ultrasonic test on every weld, depending on B & M’s requirements.


After being machined to final dimensions, the supports are processed and painted before shipping. The paint inspectors are certified to ensure consistent quality for all customer requirements. No this photo isn’t of supports, but it was the only thing they were painting on the day we were there. Any guess where these pieces are going?

All of the columns have an extension that projects down into the empty space on the concrete footer. Large nuts and washers are used to adjust the height and angle of the support to get them in the correct position. After the track is bolted on the support, the hole in the footer is filled with concrete so more than just the bolts support the various stresses put on the column. Every year, every nut is torque tested and a paint mark used to make sure it has not loosened during seasonal operations. According to Mr. Miller, when they have moved their coasters, the only things that changed were the supports. Nothing was changed on the track itself.


If you have followed the evolution of B & M track, you remember how it used to have ball and socket joints on the bottom of track pieces to facilitate the installation process. Now the steel fabricator has tightened the tolerances to within one millimeter for all measurements. This has eliminated the need for the joints and also eliminated the need for the customer to continue lubricating those joints for the life of the roller coaster. While this seems like a small thing, coasters can last for a long time if properly maintained so customers really appreciate any small savings that continue to add up year after year.


When we all saw our first coaster from Bolliger and Mabillard, it was very distinctive. The square box track was all the same size, and it appeared to be made from lots of small triangles. Now they have many different sizes of track, depending on the type of coaster being made for that specific project. Here are some samples of the various kinds of B & M track. The track for their first coaster, Iron Wolf at Six Flags Great America looks very similar to the track for Batman: the ride at the same park. The increase in weight of the flying coaster cars necessitated thicker tubes and a larger box. And when they introduced the dive coaster, the track and support structure took another jump is size.

Ken Miller did not allow us to see the manufacturing process of the track. Obviously, it is a very precise process that B&M wants to keep secret. Here are a few pictures we were able to take.

It takes about a week for an individual element to be completed, and usually they have many in production. “Once we get the production line full, we can crank out nearly fifteen elements per week,” says Miller. No element is sent for painting, until QC signs off on each element. Once the piece is approved, it goes through the same painting process as a support column.

But the attention to detail does not stop at the plant. Since the pieces of track are kept to very close tolerances, any dings that occur during transport and assembly could cause a problem during assembly. As an extra precaution, they even have end caps made to protect the ends of the track during transport and assembly. Of course they don’t paint them, but it is an effective demonstration of the lengths they go to striving for the “perfect” coaster. The elements are bar coded before being loaded onto a trailer.

Miller continues, “We usually can get two to three elements onto a trailer. We did have to change the bar code stickers because some coaster enthusiasts started taking pictures of them and posting them on the internet before the park had made their announcement. No more identifying information is on the bar codes.”

Once the track leaves the plant it usually is off loaded at a staging area at the park. The bar codes help identify which piece is next for the assembly process. You don’t want to bring in the last piece you need early in the process, where it can get scratched or damaged. The bar codes also list the weight of the element, which is useful to both the crane operator and the trailer loader.

So now you know as much as they publicly want you to know, and for many of you, it is much more than you ever cared to read about. But when you’re standing in line for that next ride on one of their coasters, we hope you can remember a couple of things you found interesting in this article. So thanks for reading stay warm until next time.

Wild Adventures Teasing New Attraction

Wild Adventures Theme Park, Valdosta, GA, is teasing their new attraction for 2009 by sending out these interesting photos.

All the details on the largest capital investment that Herschend Family Entertainment has added to Wild Adventures since they acquired it will be revealed on January 2nd.

Sesame Street Forest of Fun at Busch Gardens

Busch Gardens Europe has announced that their new Sesame Street themed area will be called Forest of Fun at Busch Gardens. The area will open at the park in 2009.

The area will have "four new rides offering kid-sized versions of popular attractions, including a junior roller coaster designed for parents and children to ride together. Sesame Street Forest of Fun at Busch Gardens will also feature wet and dry play areas, a photography studio where families can capture memorable moments of their children with Sesame Street's characters and several stage performances by some of Sesame Street's most beloved characters."

The park additionally announced the formal names of the attractions in the new section of the park:

Elmo's Castle - Interaction stage and wet play area
Prince Elmo's Spire - shot-n-drop ride
Grover's Alpine Express - roller coaster
Bert and Ernie's Loch Adventure - flume ride
Oscar's Whirly Worms - rock-n-tug ride
Oscar's Yucky Forest - dry play area
1-2-3 Smile with Me! - character and guest photograph experience

Finnally, here's a shot of the new land of the park under construction. I wonder what company is providing the kiddie coaster?

Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit is Vertical

© 2008 coaster3001 via IOACentral

Universal Studios Florida's new coaster for the 2009 season, Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit has finally gone vertical. Construction workers were adding part of the helix at the base of the ride's second drop yesterday.

The bright track color really stands out against the park surroundings, and will really give this ride a presence in the park.

See more photos on IOACentral.

Goodbye Golden Nugget

© Funchase.com

Morey's Piers has announced that the Golden Nugget Mine ride will not be returning... ever. The attraction has been standing but not operating for years now, but it's future was not determined by the Morey's organization.

If you remember we urged readers to contact Morey's some time ago to let them know that interest in seeing this classic coaster/dark ride open again was high. While the interest was there, and acknowledged by Morey's, it seems the damages of time and many other factors have made it impractical to move or reopen the ride.

Morey's will be holding a ceremony for the ride on January 31st at noon. Fans are welcome to attend and pay their respects before the ride is removed from the pier. While it is sad to know that the ride will be gone forever, it was wonderful of Morey's to handle the removal in this way!

Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Six Flags Great Adventure 2000

This week, Bugs Bunny and crew have graciously offered to escort us around the Six Flags Great Adventure of 2000. It was an offer I could not refuse! (Alright, I admit it: I'm simply afraid of talking rabbits. Especially those with time traveling capabilities...)


Back in 2000, Six Flags completed its trifecta of world class parks in New Jersey with the introduction of Hurricane Harbor. This "Mil-LOONEY-um Milestone" filled what one might consider to be the only obvious gap in Great Adventure's offerings. Between the safari, the theme park, and the water park, it truly has become a well-rounded family destination.


Great Adventure's notorious coaster collection had definitely begun to take shape by this point. Wow, did Rolling Thunder really used to look that clean and pretty? Say what you will about that coaster, but personally I think that Rolling Thunder is a lot like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree: Everybody hates on it, but all it really needs is a little TLC! A little track work and a fresh coat of paint could go a long way. Hmmm...Sounds like the perfect project for a chain that's looking to save some cash by reinventing existing rides. Does Mark Shapiro read this blog???


Great Adventure may be best known for its thrill rides, but this is one Six Flags park which does not need to worry so much about "bringing back" the family atmosphere. It's been there all along!


If, after visiting all three parks in the Great Adventure family, you are still bored... Well, there's something wrong with you! But that being said, don't fret because there's still one last chance to get your fix: The entertainment, of course!

I may have a proximity bias, but I happen to think that Great Adventure sports some of the best offerings of all the Six Flags parks. Let's hope that the chain can overcome its current financial crisis so we can continue to enjoy this park and its brethren for many more generations!

Daily Spin 11.10.08

The Orlando Sentinel had a sitdown with Mark Shapiro, CEO of Six Flags Inc. and has published some details here. There's nothing totally earth shattering, but it does give an idea of where Mr. Shapiro sees the company going in the future.

The President of Kennywood has resigned and will step down at the end of the year. Many Kennywood fans are signaling this as a bad move, showing that Parques Reunidos plans to transition the park away from it's family run style of management.

Theme Park Reivew has some new shots of the construction for Terminator Salvation at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Nothing exciting, really, but they are starting to pour cement for the ride's foundation. That's good though because once that's done the ride can go vertical!

The Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells is ready to open their latest expansion, an indoor family fun center of sorts with bowling, go-carts, a carousel, and other rides and activities. The new addition will add 65 "mid-level" jobs to the area. It's nice to hear of an operation expanding during these times!

The Los Angeles Time ran a pretty in depth article about the rumored soon-to-be-announced Disneyland park in China this past week. You can check it out here. While Disney is denying that anything is close to being officially announced, all other signs point to an agreement between Chinese government and Disney having been reached.

Screamscape was able to confirm that Carowinds' log flume is now history, and will not operate at the park during the 2009 season. The rumors have been swirling for some time now that something big may finally come to the park, and this looks like another movement in that direction!

Prowling Deer?

Worlds of Fun posted a new batch of Prowler construction photos taken during and after a recent snowfall. The result is some truly beautiful shots of the wooden coaster under construction!

It looks like some visitors came to check out the action as well when a couple deer passed by the construction site! Pretty funny.

Here's where the newest pictures start.

A Great Houdini History Piece

© 2008 GreatAdventureHistory.com

Great Adventure History frequently publishes fantastic pieces on both past and present attractions at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey.

One of their latest focuses on Houdini's Great Escape, which sadly was SBNO for the 2008 season. Houdini is an uniquely themed Mad House which opened at the park in 1999.

Click here to check out the article!

Check Out Blue Fire

© 2008 Lifthill.net

Europa Park's new coaster, a launched ride by Mack, is now apparently named Blue Fire, although I never really saw that announced and it's not on the official site yet.

Regardless of its name, the ride is looking more and more awesome each set of new photos I see. Lifthill.net has shots of the latest work as the park nearly completes the track for the ride, and theming underneath it is in full swing. It's paint job is pretty rockin' too.

According to the park the coaster is a "combination of dark ride and launch coaster with overhead-elements, innovative seat-/restraint system, and the highest loop in a catapult launch coaster in Europe."

Oh, and if you've seen Zoolander then you know why I think that the name Blue Steel, err, Blue Fire is sorta funny!

Interesting Flash Pass Video

TGESource continues to publish their 2008 IAAPA coverage and as part of this has uploaded the 2009 Flash Pass training video for the Six Flags parks.

I've never used Flash Pass, or any version of their Lo Q system for that matter, so this is all sorta new to me. The video actually filled me in on some details, as simple as it is.

TGESource also has a flyer for a new water park version of the Lo Q system that's pretty cool to check out. I'm sure the water parks will jump on this bandwagon soon enough.

World's Fastest Coaster

So S&S Power is currently building the world's fastest coaster, named Ring Racer, at the Nurburgring in Germany. Not an amusement park, the Nurburgring is a famous race track, and the coaster is part of a new development that will include other entertainment as well as attractions.

Not much was known about the ride as far as layout goes, just that it should hit 135 mph making it the world's fastest. Now we can have an idea of the layout of the ride thanks to a new video that S&S has placed on their website.

At first I thought this would basically be a launch and brakes, but now from the video we can tell that the ride will have some height and more elements to it. Not that the launch won't be enough, but now the ride is even more interesting.

The NewsPlusNotes page is growing up!

If you haven't visited our page on Facebook in a while, now is a good time to pop in and say hello! Starting this week, we will be featuring a selection of the best, wildest, and wackiest YouTube videos we can find right on our page. At least one new video will be rotated into the mix at the beginning of each week. (It could be your favorite YouTube video if you send me an e-mail and tell me where to find it... *wink wink*)


YouTube not your thing? Well fear not, because we have many more plans on the drawing board for the coming months. And by the way, when I say "pop in and say hello", I mean that quite literally! We love to hear from you, so please don't be shy about writing on our Wall, uploading Fan Photos, and taking advantage of the many other fun interactive options that Facebook provides. Your contributions are welcome here, so don't be afraid to make our page YOUR page!

New Italian Intamin Accelerator

Mirabilandia, in Italy, is adding a new Intamin accelerator coaster for 2009 named iSpeed. The ride will be 180 ft. tall and hit 74 mph over the 3,200+ ft. of track.

The park has released details in bits and pieces, but has now made a NoLimits simulation of the coaster available:

It looks like many of the U.S. Intamin accelerators, only much longer, which is fantastic! A short ride has been the down side of so many if these types of rides, it's nice to see one buck that trend.

The Latest Diamondback Photos

Kings Island has uploaded a bunch of new photos of Diamondback construction. It looks like the second hill is now complete, as well as the station structure.

I'm liking how the support colors are different from the second hill onward, rides of this magnitude are just so impressive visually regardless of color though.

The steel has also gone up for the station as well.

Here is a link to all the latest photos via Kings Island.

Fuga da Atlantide at Garadaland

Yet another reason to love YouTube - for years I've been highly curious about Fuga da Atlantide at Gardaland in Italy, and been hard pressed to find a good POV of the ride. Well not anymore!



The ride was so interesting to me because it was done by Intamin and called a "Super Splash" ride. To my knowledge, they've only ever done this one. I'd love to know why, because this looks like a fantastic replacement for those aging - and quickly being removed - Log Flumes of yesteryear.

The theming on this ride is really top notch, something that Gardaland does well on a regular basis. If you really want the best views click over to YouTube to watch in high quality.


Gardaland's official site has a really nice video as well of the attraction and some more photos. Anyone ever heard anything as to why no more of these ever popped up?

December's NPN Poll

This month's NewsPlusNotes poll has generated a lot of interest, so I thought it might be nice to post about it to gather even more attention. And I love any reason to look at parks and rides on Live Local!

This month's question is what current Six Flags roller coaster do you think most needs an extreme makeover like X2 at Magic Mountain, Medusa at Great Adventure, and Superman at New England are receiving.

Here's our candidates in no specific order:

Mr. Freeze at Six Flags St. Louis, added to the park in 1998.

Georgia Scorcher, at Six Flags Over Georgia, added in 1999.

Chang at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, added in 1997.

Medusa at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, added in 2000.

Superman Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, added in 2000.

Joker's Jinx at Six Flags America, added in 1999.

Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America, added in 1999.

Titan at Six Flags Over Texas, added in 2001.

So which do you think needs a makeover? The poll in over in the right column!

Universal Studios Singapore Update

The official website for Universal Studios Singapore at Resorts World at Sentosa has uploaded new content which provides new details about the currently under construction theme park.

They have added a video update, as well as a new construction photo gallery, both of which are available at this link.

Above shows the building for their Revenge of the Mummy attraction, said to be the first large structure in the theme park to start to go up.

This is a screen cap from the video showing what the facade of the Mummy attraction will look like.

The video also reveals that the park will indeed have a dueling roller coaster ride - one side will be intense with inversions, and the other side will be family oriented and focus on drops and curves, per the park's designers. Both rides will be themed to Battlestar Galactica. Sounds cool!

Dorney Park Fun Facts #26

Back with another post card, this time featuring Thunder Creek Mountain not long after it opened. The back reads:

"Thunder Creek Mountain at Dorney Park features a final 200-foot dive into the famous 'Whitewater Wipeout'."

Busch Gardens Europe Announces Christmas Town

Today Busch Gardens Williamsburg announced a major expansion to the theme park's operating season in 2009 with the addition of Christmas Town: A Busch Gardens Celebration.

"For the first time in the park's 34 year history, visitors will experience all-new attractions, shows and shopping that will fill them with holiday spirit. Guests can look forward to an immersive experience amid more than a million twinkling lights while they explore the best holiday traditions from around the world. Santa Claus will visit the park each evening to hear Christmas wishes from the young and young at heart."

Each section of the park will be decorated with Holiday items traditional to the location they represent. I think it's amazing that they are opening the whole park for the event! The park promises Holiday themed dining, shopping, Santa Claus visits, carolers, live entertainment, tree-lightning ceremonies, and the fact sheet even says they plan to have Griffon open weather permitting!

The park has launched a website for the event, and ticket sales will soon begin for the event (it is a hard ticket event, even passholders have an extra entrance fee). The planned debut of Christmas Town will be in late November, 2009, starting weekends and going to daily operations closer to Christmas.

Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Universal Studios Hollywood 2008

Since we can no longer go Back to the Future at Universal Studios Hollywood, we'll have to settle for going Back to the Present--the 2008 season! Alright, alright: That was a horrible joke! Let's move on...


In an obvious effort to woo the Disney crowd, the brochure cover boldly states that this self-proclaimed "Entertainment Capital of L.A." is less than an hour from Disneyland. But I had to laugh when I read the VERY fine print beneath that statement: "Under normal driving conditions". Exactly what constitutes "normal driving conditions" in L.A.? Heck, I've found myself creeping and crawling along the highways in that area at 10pm on a Sunday night! The folks at Universal obviously have a healthy sense of humor.


The much anticipated "The Simpsons Ride" made its debut in 2008, replacing the well loved but culturally outdated "Back to the Future" attraction. I'm actually surprised that it took so long for a Simpsons-themed ride to be built, given the number of years that the series has been on the air. But obviously timeliness was a non-factor in the popularity of this ride, as it won the distinction of "Best New Attraction" for 2008 as voted by the readers of ThemeParkInsider.com.


If you are both an amusement industry enthusiast and a cinema junkie, it's hard to imagine a better place to spend a day than at a Universal Studios park. These days, the theme park section of the Universal Studios Hollywood complex features rides themed to recent blockbusters such as The Mummy, Shrek, and Jurassic Park.


If you're looking to find out what's culturally relevant in any given year, you need look no further that a Universal brochure. I mean, these brochures are the stuff of time capsules! That being said, it's nice to see that the popularity of the classic cinema masterpieces of our time--like Psycho--never seems to wane.


The only part of the Universal Studios Hollywood complex that I have ever visited personally is the CityWalk, and it was well worth it! CityWalk plays host to many unique shops and eateries, and is an overall feast for the eyes. My favorite shop was the one that sold all the classic toys that you just can't find anymore. I hope it's still around because it was a gem!!


Universal Studios Hollywood has a little something for everyone in the family, and the addition of The Simpsons Ride has kicked up the fun factor yet another notch. Can you resist the urge to visit? All you need to do to get a piece of the action is brave this tangled mess of L.A. freeways...if you dare.

Six Flags Location for Qatar

Six Flags Inc. has announced their latest partnership - this time with Oryx Holdings - for a new location in Qatar, located in the middle east. The location will be part of Qatar Entertainment City, a massive urban entertainment development and is expected to open mid-2012.

"Under the binding agreement, Six Flags will provide concept development and planning services to Oryx Holdings for the creation of a 50,000 square meter (500,000 square ft) Six Flags branded location within QEC. Once this initial phase is finalized, Six Flags and Oryx Holdings will collaborate on the detailed design, development, construction and management of the branded location.

So what is Entertainment City? Well, the press release describes it as "a holistic, fully integrated family entertainment destination covering a total area of 1 million square meters of development and 180,000 square meters of international leisure, retail entertainment and restaurants situated with a waterfront location." This link covers what it really is, and how it compares to it's neighbor Dubai rather well.

Oh, and as for where Qatar is, I've included a map because I have to admit I had no idea until I looked it up. Geography wiz I am not.

It's hard to 100% tell from the release what kind of development Six Flags will design for them, whether this is like a massive indoor family entertainment center, or a traditional outdoor operation... or some combination of both. Hopefully more details will emerge over time. Perhaps their wording is just odd and this really is a full fledged amusement park? 500,000 sq ft. is rather large. I'm not sure.

Edit -*- The FunLand blog via the L.A. Times has an exclusive with Mark Shapiro that answers my question of how big this development is, calling it an "indoor-outdoor 11-acre Six Flags property." They also have great Magic Mountain exclusives as well...

Scott & Carol Present: A Look At Manta's Construction

SeaWorld Florida has a big fish to land for 2009 and it’s called Manta. The first Bolliger and Mabillard flying coaster in Florida, it has already changed the skyline of the park. And they’re not done yet. Manta will cover nearly seven acres just inside the main gate of the park.

Whether guests choose to fly or watch, this new attraction will have all guest entranced. Not too many parks will build a complete aquarium just to entertain and educated people waiting in line to ride. But then this is a Busch park, where they go the extra mile to enhance the guest experience.

When you look inside the fence, you see a flurry of activity. Something is happening onsite twenty-four hours a day. Here you can see the station, and alongside it the aquarium with floor to ceiling windows that will showcase over 300 rays and thousands of fish. There will also be an educational component with every animal on exhibit having a conservational component.

Which brings up an interesting question, how do you keep a Pacific Giant Octopus comfortable with 32 screaming riders flying by every two minutes? For that answer we asked Gary Violetta, SeaWorld’s Director of Aquariums. His reply, “Because the aquarium and the coaster are separate (the coaster does not go into the aquarium water) there was little that had to be done. The major concern was sound vibration but the sound was deadened by adding sand to the coaster supports.” So that explains why the aquarium stands alone and is surrounded by the coaster without actually touching it. If you look closely at the ends of the track pipe, you can see the plugs holding in the sound suppression material. Okay now for the next question.



How do you build a coaster in the middle of the park when it is still open? To get an answer to that Lauren Skowyra, Senior Publicist said “Why don’t you come over and we’ll show you.” After we took some pictures inside the fence and up on a hill, she said “Why don’t you ride the Skytower?” So we did, and as we rose we could see how the gates closed off the pathway to ensure the guests safety. A truck slides through carrying a piece of track, the gates open, and people continue to use the walkway while the unloading process goes on. When the truck is ready to leave, they just reverse the process. Very slick and efficient, and it garners some added attention for next years attraction. The next question is what does it look like from above?

When you look at the overall site from nearly 400 feet above the ground, you marvel at how the coaster twists and turns in every direction. Even though Manta Rays rarely invert in the water, the coaster will have some inversions added “just for fun.” While flying upside down in the four inversions, riders will have a good view of the sky. Many sweeping turns over the pathways will make riding Manta a communal experience to be shared with onlookers. A flyby of the Whale and Dolphin Stadium could send onlookers ducking for cover as the twelve foot wide Manta Ray inspired trains swoop by just overhead. Manta will also have the first fly through pretzel loop on a flying coaster.

As we were walking around the outside of the fence, we stopped by a restaurant and watched as they bolted a double section of the track to the support columns. The precision of the fit was apparent as it took just one pry bar to move the track so the bolt holes matched. The crew made it look easy as they worked several tons of steel together and tightened the bolts with air-powered torque wrenches. According to Brian Morrow, “This was the flat spin after the dive loop."

But that is not all the news from SeaWorld. On December 12, 13, 15, 16 Wheel of Fortune will be taping four weeks of shows at SeaWorld’s Bayside Stadium. Many of Florida’s hometowns will be represented and a good time will be had by all. It’s not one of the most popular game shows because it’s dull. In between takes you can watch Manta grow each day. The times for taping have not yet been released.

So that’s the latest from SeaWorld in Orlando. We finished our day by watching Shamu’s Christmas Show so that topped off a magical afternoon. This looks to be a great addition for SeaWorld in 2009. Is it summer yet?

Proslide Water Park Delayed

Rick Hunter, President of Proslide, has had to delay Alottawata, the firm's under construction water park by one year due to construction constraints at the site.

The water park will be built in Ottawa, Canada, and will be a showcase of Proslide's products. Heavy rainfalls convinced developers to do much more severe land grading at the site of the future park before starting to build the rides and attractions.

The $30 million water park will be built on 100 acres of land and now plans a spring, 2010 opening date. I personally look forward to seeing what Proslide decides to add to the park that will be their ultimate showcase!

Legendary amusement Industry Pioneer Karl Bacon Passes Away

Karl Bacon Was born in Oakland, Maine on February 16, 1910 to Harold and Evelyn Bacon. Karl passed on November 14, 2008, at the age of 98. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Jane Bacon, his daughters Nancy and Sue, his grandchildren Scott, Nicole, and Roger, and great grandchildren Evan and Nathan.

One of the Nation's pioneers in engineering, his life and accomplishments have touched many. Living through the hardships of the depression, he can be remembered as one who achieved the American dream to its fullest. He and Ed Morgan started their company as a small machine shop in Mountain View, California in 1946.

Their company, Arrow Development, made a lasting impact on the roller coaster industry. The team collaborated with Walt Disney to create many of the attractions at the Disney theme Parks. Karl and Ed introduced tubular steel tracks on Disney's Matterhorn roller coaster, revolutionizing roller coaster technology forever.

This paved the way for Karl and Ed to create stronger, faster, and smoother roller coasters eventually capable of maneuvers thought to be impossible, such as the corkscrew. These incredible engineering feats were accomplished without the aid of computers. Even more remarkable was the fact that Karl had no formal engineering education.

He was entirely self-taught, and was considered to be one of the best in his field. Innovators as well, Karl and Ed created entirely new categories of rides (flume ride, spinning teacups, flying saucers), and added a new element to the classic carousel design to take riders soaring up and down at their whim.

Karl and Ed were inducted into the "Hall of Fame Living Legends" by the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions in 1998. Their accomplishments at the New York World's Fair and numerous amusement parks around the world are admired each and every day.

With so much success, Karl was an incredibly humble man who shied away from any attention. He was dedicated and loving to his family, and is a source of pride and admiration to many. His legacy lives on in those who admire his work, and in every smiling amusement park patron.

Buy A Monster!

Fans of Six Flags Over Georgia's Monster Plantation dark ride, which is being changed this winter into Monster Mansion now have the chance to purchase Scout (photo above), a character from the former ride.

According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, "The highest bidder will win Scout, a boyscout in the “Little Monster Club,”and an adoption certificate issued by the park. All of proceeds from the auction will be donated to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta on behalf of Six Flags Friends, the charitable arm of Six Flags Inc."

The auction starts Thursday, you can search on Ebay for item number 180311122962 or seller “SixFlagsOverGeorgia" if you are interested.

It's always wonderful to see a park doing something neat like this for charity!

Maui Sands Water Park Closing

Maui Sands Indoor Waterpark Resort had to close their doors on Thanksgiving day due to financial problems - representing another failure in what has been a rough year for the industry with park closings.

To be fair, though, the Maui Sands project seemed iffy from the start and was located in the already full Sandusky, OH waterpark market. Reports are that over 100 people are now jobless, and without paychecks. There was no official forewarning that a closure was coming, though news broke some time ago that liens were being filed against the property for unpaid bills.

The resort officially plans to reopen in May, and is trying to avoid full bankruptcy by obtaining addition investors. I say good luck in today's investing climate.

The resort opened in June of this year but the hotel portion was not totally complete at that point. The Hawaiian Cabana Village, full of amenities, entertainment, etc, was slated to open then but never did.

Aerial Antics: Hard Rock Park

Windows Live Local has updated their Birds Eye Views of Hard Rock Park in South Carolina. The images are from when the park was under construction, but still provide some interesting views.

Above is Led Zeppelin, the B&M coaster with the fantastic paint job.

And here is Eagles' Life in the Fast Lane, a Vekoma Mine Train.

You can also get some really awesome before and after shots using old views and new views of the area, both of which still pop up on the maps:

This link should get you to the images on Live Local so you can play around too! It's a shame the future of this park looks so grim.

Poseidon's Rage

Ever since Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park debuted the Poseidon's Rage wave pool in 2007 I've been wanting to know more about it... mostly because of its advertised 9 ft. waves.

9 ft. waves seemed extremely well... extreme to me, but apparently the wave pool has been quite a success for the park thus far. The 48,000 sq. ft. attraction holds 1.3 million gallons of water, has a maximum capacity of 4,000, and is capable of creating a massive 9 ft. wave ever 90 seconds. The wave pool cost the park a hefty $7 million to build.

WhiteWater, the company who created the poll, has a nice feature on it on their website, which finally allowed me to get the facts on the addition I had been seeking for a while now. It's really an incredible addition to a water park considering today's tight legal/insurance standards for the industry!

The theme park followed up Poseidon's Rage this past summer with the River Troy, the world's fastest river ride.

America's First 'Tantrum'

Proslide, designers of the massively popular Tornado waterslides have spawned a new line of slides that combine the best in family rafting with the thrills of their Tornado attractions. Called Tantrum Tornados, only a couple have been built thus far, but in 2009 one will be coming to Magic Waters in Illinois.

I didn't actually know that Magic Waters existed until I started reading about their new slide for 2009, so I wanted to learn more about the park. Looks like a nice waterpark, and it appears to have a masterblaster slide as well.

The waterpark seems to be part of the Park District of Rockford, IL, and as such had public approval for the slide, which lists its price tag as $868,400, interesting to see since waterslide prices are not often quoted.

The slide drops into the tantrum funnel, a smaller, enclosed version of the large Tornado funnels, then continues on its way as a regular water slide. It looks like a lot of fun and I'm sure the slide will draw a lot of attention to Magic Waters come next summer!

November Poll Results

For the month of November we asked what you guys think the best B&M Stand-Up coaster is. It was a close race for the top spot, but in the end Cedar Point's Mantis stood over the competition in 1st place.

Riddler's Revenge at Six Flags Magic Mountain came in a close second with only 8 votes fewer than Mantis.

After that we jump down a substantial number of votes and find the Georgia Schorcher in 3rd place at Six Flags Over Georgia, follow by Chang at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom.

The three older B&M Stand-Up rides came in the final three places.

Our new poll should be up very soon!

Virtual Tour of Disney's Apt.

The Orange County Register has a cool little interactive virtual tour on their website of Walt Disney's apartment that was built above the fire station in Disneyland.

You can also click on several areas of the tour and hear a Disneyland historian provide additional facts and details. It's pretty neat, and definitely worth checking out for any Disney fan.