Holiday World's 'Feeding Families'

Holiday World has taken a bold step and decided to help local families by holding a food drive during the first two months of the season at the Indiana theme park.

In May and June, each ticket holder who donates two or more canned food items will be given $5 in “Holibucks” to spend in the park that day. Holibucks may be used to purchase meals, snacks, games and souvenirs at Holiday World theme park and Splashin' Safari water park. The food items collected those months will be donated to food banks in Evansville, Indianapolis, Louisville and Nashville, Tennessee.

"The food banks are asking primarily for shelf-stable meals and high-protein canned goods such as chicken and tuna," says Will Koch, park president. "With strong participation, we think up to 200,000 meals could be provided to families in need.”

Make sure if you're planning to visit you bring some goods for this wonderful cause.

Magic Springs' 2009 Game Plan

In a few words, the game plan seems to be 'stay the course.' Magic Springs and Crystal Falls water park are tackling today's tough economy by giving guests more of the same - fun rides, slides, concerts, entertainment, etc.

While at first that may not sound exciting, being able to provide guests with an affordable getaway can make all the difference in where people choose to spend their extra cash. The park does not have any big additions this year, but is offering admission plans that help families save when they visit.

The park also hints that while not much is new this year, they always have plans in the works for future additions. The park did expand their water park with new slide towers in both 2007 and 2008.

Manta's Looking Good

© RCPro 2009

Rollercoasterpro.com has a great Manta update for us, it looks like the park has reopened a section of the walkway that goes directly underneath the coaster's track near the Pretzel Loop.

The ride is really coming along in terms of landscaping and scenery as well. Sea World Orlando is really putting a lot of time and effort into making the ride look fantastic.

See the whole update on RCPro here.

The Orlando Sentinel also has up a great interview with the designer of Manta from Sea World Orlando, Brian Morrow. I'd check that one out, too.

A Little Hard Rock Park Drama

Hard Rock Park's former CEO Steve Goodwin says that he has intellectual property rights to the theme park and filed in bankruptcy court a request to receive $500,000 a year plus more depending on the park's revenues.

Well, the judge in the case actually ruled in favor of Mr. Goodwin, however, he did not provide specifics about money - just the ruling that he has rights to intellectual property in the park.

The new owner quickly said they will simply rename rides, restaurants, and merchandise locations in order to avoid using the former owner's 'property.'

I certainly understand that a lot of time and effort was put into the park during the first year, but this seems like going against the flow of trying to get the park open this spring. Hopefully all parties can be satisfied so the focus on running the park can return.

Schlitterbahn's Congo River Expedition

Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, located in New Braunfels, Texas, has announced a new attraction for the summer 2009 season, Congo River Expedition.

Being called the most themed and immersive attraction in the history of the water park, the Expedition will treat riders to a 10 minute adventure down a mysterious river through a dense jungle with plenty of surprises along the way.

The park has employed TBFX, Inc. to create many animatronic characters to be used in the attraction, as well as the design scenery. The attraction comes complete with unique storyline and soundtrack as well.

To see more images and video, check out the official site for the new attraction. It looks pretty awesome!

Mark Shapiro Interview

Six Flags' CEO Mark Shapiro has been one busy guy lately, it seems we're seeing different interviews with him published weekly - and all from different cities!

It's all to spread the word that the company is still strong and the parks are open (or opening soon) for business like usual - and that three years of hard work transforming the properties is really paying off.

Mr. Shapiro was on the Early Show this morning and gave a great interview about the parks. You have to love his confidence! Check it out, it's worth a watch.

A Diamondback Giveaway

You want one - you know you do! On Opening Day, Saturday, April 18, the first 10,000 guests to challenge the new Diamondback roller coaster at Kings Island will receive a FREE limited edition First Rider T-Shirt.

As if the ride alone wasn't enough, there's another ready to be at Kings Island on April 18th!

Busch Gardens Tampa Celebrates its 50th

Busch Gardens, located in Tampa, FL, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with a special 100 ft. long 'memory wall' that takes a unique look back at the first half-century of the park.

Employees looked the park over for unique items to display on the wall, coming up with everything from old postcards to interesting costumes from days gone by. The display will run through the end of the year and will be available for viewing tomorrow.

This article mentions that it will display some interesting concept artwork for attractions over the years which perks up my ears - hopefully someone will be able to grab shots of those!

Aerial Antics: Lake Compounce

Lake Compounce, known as "New England's Family Theme Park," is located in Bristol, CT. Formerly owned by Kennywood Entertainment Company, the park is now part of the Parques Reunidos family.

The park is very old, and touts itself as the oldest continually operating amusement park in America. That's not an easy title to come by!

And one of the most classic rides the park features is the Wildcat:

The classic wooden coaster originally opened in 1927, making it one of the oldest operating coasters anywhere. Originally designed by Herbert Schmeck and constructed by PTC, the ride was upgraded in 2007 to allow two train operation.

Also in the right side of this image you can see the park's Ghose Hunt interactive dark ride. It was opened in 1999 and created by Sally Dark Rides. The attraction was given a total overhaul just this past season.

I think river rapids rides look so cool from the air. Here is Lake Compounce's version, aptly named Thunder Rapids. Added in 1997 it was built by Hopkins.

A classic ride and a modern thrill - the park's Ferris Wheel sits next to Thunder n' Lightning, an S&S dual Screamin' Swing.

Here is the park's water park that they wish to expand so badly. I think the waterslide that's built to look like a light house is a really neat idea. The slides that end directly into the lake are a cool idea, too.

And here's the 'star' of the park, Boulder Dash. It's buried in the woods so you'll have to click on the larger image to really see it. The massive wooden coaster was built in 2000 by Custom Coasters. It sits perched on the side of a mountain and quite literally dashes past massive boulders while careening through the woods.

Here's a crazy image for you all, the above massive maze is the park's haunted house attraction, "The Haunted Graveyard." Open only during the Halloween season, the 45 minute walk through attraction is actually operated by Graveyard Productions, a prominent haunted house and prop manufacturer.

And here's a link to the Live Local images!

More Park Openings

Cypress Gardens and it's water park, Splash Island, reopened yesterday to brisk business. The new owners did not have time to add any new attractions to the water park, but they promise a large new ride in 2010.

Even though the rides are gone and the park won't get much attention from the enthusiast side of things I'm certainly happy that Florida's original theme park is open again for the public!

Six Flags St. Louis also opened yesterday for their 2009 season. While I haven't seen any reports from that opening (I think the weather was bad) - I did notice that SFSTL.net did recently have an update detailing what's new at the park this year.

Seen above, the water park is adding Wahoo Racers, a Proslide mat racing slide. The park's Mr. Freeze coaster was also repainted a cool blue color. The park's Glow in the Park Parade is set to debut this summer as well.

California's Great America is actually opening today for the season. The new attraction this year is the All Wheels Extreme show, but that won't open until June. Still no word on that planned wooden coaster either, I take it.

Still, the park will also feature fireworks each Saturday during the month of August which is a nice surprise for guests. It's always wonderful to end the day at an amusement park with fireworks!

Dollywood may have had to shelve their addition for 2009 due to the economy, but that didn't stop them from surprising us all and announcing a new addition just after the park's opening this weekend.

The park will add SkyZip, a pay-extra hour long zip line adventure. The multiple zip line attraction will be unique to any theme park in the country, and have 5 lines ranging in length from 100 to 1,000 ft.

The park says that they still plan to build the Adventure Mountain attraction in 2010.

Superman's New Theme?

It appears as though the theme for Six Flags New England's Superman makeover may have been revealed thanks to a Dunkin Donuts!

Read about and see images of the not-so bizarre makeover on the SFNEOnline forums.

Carolina Cobra Opened Today

© 2009 MaximAgency

Carowinds opened for the 2009 season today and premiered their new coaster, the Carolina Cobra.

A user on the Carowinds Connection forums was invited to the coaster's media day and posted a great photo report of the event. Early reports are that the new trains the ride received are great and are much better in the rider comfort area.

Check out the full report here.

The Giant Drop

The Aerial Antics I published about Dreamworld in Australia got me thinking about the park's Giant Drop, a massive Intamin 390 ft. free fall on the side of the Tower of Terror.

I was watching YouTube clips of the ride and came across the one above - obviously from some sort of TV show but it features some amazing clips and views of the ride.

I want to go!

Holiday World's 'Flower Lady' Retires at 98

Here's a neat 'human interest' story if there ever were one - at the age of 98, longtime Holiday World employee Frieda Foertsch says it’s time to become a “lady of leisure.”

Starting in 1954, Foertsch literally worked her way around the park, at first in the kitchen and admissions, followed by sewing Santa suits and cleaning the park, and, for the past two decades, caring for the park’s flowers.

At her retirement party, she thanked the Koch family for “putting up with me all these years” and teased park president Will Koch that she’d worked at the park “before you even existed.”

In 2000, Foertsch was named Indiana’s Outstanding Older Worker by Green Thumb, Inc. The national organization sent her to Washington D.C. for a week’s celebration and featured her in their 2001 calendar. Foertsch was also included in a “60 Minutes” segment about older workers.

While you may not be able to see Frieda working on the park's flowers, Holiday World opens for the 2009 season on May 2nd.

Lake Compounce Water Park Expansion Delayed

Lake Compounce, in Bristol, CT, was counting on a $3.3 million government grant that would allow the theme park to greatly expand their water park with new slides and attractions.

The grant money would have been used to move Mt. Vernon Road 350 ft. to the east allowing the water park to expand by 6 acres. Here you can easily see how tight the water park is along that road:

But sadly, the grant was recently cancelled by the state's Governor along with around 300 others. Now the park is left with great expansion plans and no way to carry them out.

The park plans to express their concern over the cancelled grant, but general opinion is that the decision will not be easily reversed. What a bummer!

The park is adding to the water park this year however with the addition of the new "Tunnel Twisters" slide complex. They look like three enclosed Proslide tubes in nice bright colors. There's not much about them on the park's website, but you can see them on the new park map.

Although disappointing, I'm sure the park will persevere in the long run.

California Adventure Update

© 2009 MintCrocodile

The amount of change going on in the Paradise Pier section of Disney's California Adventure lately is enormous. MintCrocodile has some really recent photos posted on their SmugMug gallery showing off some of these changes.

The section's new Paradise Pier logo has been placed on the side of California Screamin' and looks really great. Work is still ongoing below the new sign, where a sun-burst type image will replace what has Mickey's head previously.

Tons of heavy construction is taking place for the World of Color nightly lagoon show - as well as an expansive viewing area for it. Add to that continued work on Mickey's Fun Wheel - the park's ferris wheel - and the new games in that are and the place is quite busy!

See Mint Crocodile's photos off all these changes here.

Diamondback First Rider Auction Success

So the Diamondback at Kings Island First Rider Auction is not even over yet, and it has already raised more than $75,000! Proceeds from the auction will benefit the non-profit organization A Kid Again, which is dedicated to providing fun-filled outings and on-going support to children with life threatening illnesses and their families.

I've seen many parks have first rider actions, and they're always wonderful and successful as well - but these results are really staggering!

You can still get in on the action at the park's auction page for Diamondback.

Name That Mega Disk'O!

How would you like to lay claim to a piece of Waldameer's history? Well, now is your chance! The park will welcome a shiny new Zamperla Mega Disk'O in 2009, and they want YOU to name it. A special announcement on the Waldablog served as the official kick-off for this long awaited contest. The winner and 23 of his/her closest friends will be treated to a Waldameer picnic on June 14, 2009. Be sure to check the Waldablog for all the details!

Two Six Flags Bits

The Funland Blog has once again broke some interesting Six Flags Magic Mountain news - this time it's regarding the theming going into the park's new Terminator: Salvation coaster.

They're saying the park will spend an additional $1 million on theming the coaster, using audio and video that will feature the stars of the new mega movie of the same name.

Great move! I think it's important to do all they can to connect 'wood coaster' to 'Terminator franchise!' Plenty more details here.

Also, here's a really great article about Six Flags' recent usage of viral marketing to promote their theme parks' new ride and attractions. It covers all the work that was done for the Dark Knight coasters as well as the ongoing campaign for Six Flags New England and Six Flags Great Adventure's coaster makeovers.

Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Beech Bend Park 2007

Deep in the heart of Kentucky, there is a river named Barren. Around its every bend you will find delightful rolling hills draped in scores of beech trees. But one bend in particular features a whole 'notha kind of wooden masterpiece!

If you're interested in more than just rides, you're in luck at Beech Bend. This fun spot also features a water park, go carts, mini golf, and even an oval racetrack and drag strip. But in 2007, the main event was most definitely the park's one-year-old GCI wooden wonder, Kentucky Rumbler.

The Kentucky Rumbler undeniably put Beech Bend on the enthusiast map. But did you know that "Kentucky's Hometown Park" has actually been welcoming guests since 1898?! This charming traditional park fills its niche well and continues to capture the hearts of families year after year. The "Driving Times" listed in this brochure provide some insight into the prime market area that Beech Bend aims to capture.

For a minimal gate admission fee, you can enjoy everything Beech Bend has to offer with the exception of the rides. Ride tickets can be purchased a la carte, or you can simply "upgrade" your admission to include an unlimited rides armband. Splash Lagoon may be small compared to the water parks you'll find at the chain parks, but it's still pretty amazing that it's included in the general admission cost. If you're not into rides, that's a pretty sweet deal!

You've gotta love a park that's big enough to feature modern, exciting rides such as the Kentucky Rumbler, Wild Mouse, and Power Surge, yet small enough that you'll never have to wait too long to experience them. In many ways, this brochure is reminiscent of the park itself: It's small, but it packs a big punch. Let's hope that Beech Bend and its brochures continue to get bigger and better!

Aerial Antics: Dreamworld

The time has come for me to take Sabrina's suggestion to heart and make my ever present obsession with Live Local and Google's aerial photography a regular feature here on NewsPlusNotes.

And with that we'll call it Aerial Antics because I also enjoy alliteration. I'll try to publish one weekly and you can find them under the new Aerial Antics tag.

Dreamworld is located on the Gold Coast of Australia. I remember it obtaining most of it's notoriety by building the Tower of Terror back in 1997. The ToT is a clone of Superman at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Speaking of the Tower of Terror, here it is in the above photo. Technically it opened before Superman at Magic Mountain, making it the first coaster to hit 100 m.p.h. The park slapped a free fall, named Giant Drop, on the tower in 1998 and then also had the world's tallest free fall at 390 ft or so.

But also in the above photo is the park's latest coaster: Mick Doohan's Motocoaster. Opened in 2007, the launched motorcycle seating style ride was built by Intamin. We can see that the ride's layout is pretty much a double figure eight.

The park also has a Nickelodeon Central section of the park, which is extremely similar to what was built at several of the former Paramount parks in the early 2000s. They even have a Rugrats Runaway Reptar jr. inverted coaster by Vekoma!

They also created a Wiggles World years before Six Flags built them at their U.S. parks. Again the design is similar, even down to the entrance sign you can see and the brightly colored pavement. The rides and attractions are quite similar, too - Big Red Car Ride, Captain Feathersword's Ship, etc.

Whitewater World is the park's huge water park, opened in 2006. Talk about an awesome selection of water slides! They've got one of everything it seems, a Tornado, a water coaster, Flowrider, and more!

Also you can see how the water park slides wrap around the theme park's Cyclone roller coaster. The ride was relocated from Luna Park where it was called the Big Dipper.

Here's a link to Google's images.

Wild Adventures' Splash Island Opens This Weekend!

Wild Adventures Theme Park, in Valdosta, GA, is ready to officially open their newly renovated Splash Island water park this coming weekend for the 2009 season.

The park had a preview day this past weekend for season pass holders who wanted to check out the newly renovated Splash Island water park - and take a spin on the Wahee Cyclone, pictured below.

Splash Island is a totally re-themed water park with additions and improvements to enhance guests’ tropical experience. The water park offers guests twelve-acres of wet fun with more than ten water activities, including six water slides, tropical lagoons, a 1,000-foot lazy river, a special area just for kids, and a 20,000 square-foot wave pool.

The park also recently debuted an all new website, which is a really nice upgrade. I'm lovin' the new park map, too!

Quassy Prepares for 101st Season

Quassy Amusement Park kicks off its 101st season of operation on April 25, and the park's staff is working hard to ensure that this happy occasion will be properly commemorated. Throughout opening weekend (April 25-26), the park will offer a $30 carload special whereby you can load the family truckster with up to 10 people and all members of your party will receive an all-day ride wristband for only $30, TOTAL! (And by the way, that includes parking!) The best part about this special offer is that it will benefit the Greater Waterbury Campership Fund, which helps send underprivileged children to summer camps.

© 2009 Quassy Amusement Park

But the opening day festivities don't end at the front gate. Once inside the park, patrons will be treated to live entertainment, "meet and greet" sessions with Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Quassy's annual Egg Hunt (which will take place on Sunday, April 26). The kiddos also will be thrilled to see that Quassy's ever popular Playport (pictured above) has received a facelift during the off-season and now features even more play elements. The Paratrooper and train ride have been extensively refurbished during the winter months as well.

© 2009 Quassy Amusement Park

Even the front gate itself is receiving the star treatment for the 2009 season, as Quassy will debut a brand new main entrance which has been designed to resemble the trolley station where guests used to disembark during the early days of this "trolley park". Don't let the nostalgia fool you, though--This new entrance will be fully functional and a big improvement over its predecessor. It will feature an information kiosk, numerous service windows for purchasing wristbands and ride tickets, and express lines for guests who have pre-purchased their tickets online or via group sales. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Survivor: Live!

CBS Consumer Products has signed an agreement with three PARC Management properties to bring a new "Survivor: Live" stage show to the theme parks.

Based on the hit reality TV series, the show will play at Elitch Gardens, Frontier City, and Darien Lake starting this Spring and run through the summer months.

According to the article in Variety, "The half-hour "Survivor: Live" will use clips from the TV series -- as well as actors portraying previous contestants -- and divide the audience into four "tribes." Volunteers from the crowd will go through a series of four challenges, leading eventually to a sole winner."

Personally, I love survivor and think this show will be really neat!

Amusements Returning to Panama City?

The above photo is of the remains of Miracle Strip Amusement Park in Panama City, Florida. The park was closed and going to be redeveloped into condos but that deal went sour and now this is what's left. (and the Starliner coaster ran right through the center of this photo, now closed at Cypress Gardens)

But there's good news! In addition to the existing Shipwreck Island water park, a new development is planned for the area that may one day bring amusement rides back to the beach.

While not exactly on the land that occupied Miracle Strip, more up the road a bit, the new water park is being called "Emerald Coast Waterpark" and would span 13.5 acres. The potential for amusement rides, even a roller coaster, exists according to the mayor.

Zoning changes are required for the park to be built, and if granted the property could open in 2010.

How wild would it be if the Starliner returned to Panama City?

Daily Spin 3.23.09

I'm getting a little dizzy from all these Daily Spins lately, but there's just so much news (and good news, too!) that I must condense! Let's start...

Legoland California will add a new ride... or I should say attraction to their theme park this year in the form of a giant slide. The 30 ft. tall attraction will open on the 4th of July and be called Dune Raiders. Located in the Lost Adventure section of the park, the slide will be heavily themed to fit in with its surroundings.

But wait there's more! Legoland California also recently received their next step of the approval processed for the new 250 room hotel they wish to build on their property. They're saying that the hotel is in their 10 year plans, so it's not something that's going to happen right away. Still, it's nice to see that further expansion is in their plans.

Yippie for more park openings! Silver Dollar City opened this past Thursday to a healthy crowd of 9,000 - more than the park was expecting. That's such positive news during these trying times. Hopefully more park openings will come with great results like this one.

Hard Rock Park is still not officially Hard Rock Park. Confusing, but true. The park is trying to work with Hard Rock to keep the theme park's name, but hasn't been able to come to an agreement yet. Although the park had a rocky start to say the least, most agree that a name change would make the park's recovery even more difficult.

Can you believe that Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America is already a year old? That went by pretty fast. To celebrate, the park is having a contest where 8 riders will try to outlast each other riding on the Spongebob Rock Bottom Plunge roller coaster in order to win a cruise for their family.

Although the rides and critters are gone, Cypress Gardens is ready to reopen this coming Saturday. Season Pass and daily admission prices have been set, and the article says that 40,000 annuals have been replanted and the water ski show will be ready for opening day.

Will the U.S. make it to the 2010 Shanghai World Expo? Still up in the air, sadly. I really hope that things can be pulled together in time for America to have a pavilion at the event.

More Superman New England Details

The Republican ran another story about the ongoing transformation of Superman Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England this weekend and it had some new details for us about the ride.

Among these, it's said that the sound effects form the onboard speakers will change 4 or 5 times during the ride and coincide with special effects along the way.

Also, the seats on the trains will be a little wider and the sides of the trains are now made of fiberglass, previously steel. These changes will make the ride different in several ways for passengers.

I was nervous at first but now I think this awesome ride actually could be even better when it reopens! For more recent photos from SeeTheRide.com click here.

Daily Spin 3.22.09

© 2009 WorldsofFun.Org

A cool off-season photo tour of Worlds of Fun was posted on WorldsofFun.org recently. They take a peek at all the changes being made and maintenance work going on around the park in order to get the place ready for opening weekend. And, of course, as seen above they were able to grab a shot of Prowler, too.

So Cedar Point has cleared a section of land on the island that Millennium Force runs onto in the middle of the park - and needless to say fans of the Point are freaking out. Care to throw in your opinion of what wild ride Cedar Point will be adding as a direct result of cutting down trees? Go for it!

I would love to go to Dollywood. And what wouldn't make that wish closer to coming true than to win some free tickets to the park? Coaster101 is giving away tickets, all you have to do is click over here and entry to win.

If you're in Cincinnati this summer and you are looking for something to do check out Wake Nation. Wakeboarding is a quickly growing sport - and this new center allows riders to board without being pulled by a boat. It's a very interesting concept and sure to be a hit - check out their website for more details.

I'm like a kid in a candy store when new park maps start showing up each spring. Cedar Fair parks have been updating theirs recently, I noticed that Kings Island's is available, along with Carowinds, and California's Great America's.

Celebrate Geauga Lake

Geauga Lake fans should know that a mini-event is being held on April 25th across the street from the former amusement park to celebrate the park's history and discuss the Big Dipper's possible future.

Meant not to be a whine fest, "the event is not intended to criticize in any way property owner Cedar Fair or the unknown individual who bought the Big Dipper at the June 2008 auction. Rather, it is meant to be a positive event that both celebrates Geauga Lake’s 120 year history as an amusement park and asks whether there is any way that future development of the park land could preserve some of remnants of that history."

Should be interesting for those able to attend!

El Toro Is Testing

No not the one at Six Flags Great Adventure, I'm speaking of the new GCI wooden coaster that's opening soon at Forellehof Plohn, in Germany.

The mid-sized wooden coaster has been squeezed into the park among several existing rides and attractions. The twisted coaster recently started testing, and it really flies along the course! Check it out:


Pretty nice, no? If you want you can see more photos like the one above at this link.

Kings Dominion Almost Ready to Open

© 2009 kdfansite.com

Kings Dominion opens for the 2009 season April 4th, and the park is working hard to finish up their two new rides being opened this summer.

Americana and El Dorado are both now standing, and KDFansite has the photos to prove it. I really love Americana's location, it fits with that area of the park so well and should provide some amazing photographs! (if that's allowed, of course)

A Couple Great Adventure Updates

First, Clawshun Industries has updated their website with new photos of the makeover they are doing for Medusa at Six Flags Great Adventure.

There some cool little details you can gather from the new photos, like for instance it appears as though riders are going to have quite the 'heated' experience in the dive loop this year!

Second, Great Adventure History just went on another off-season tour of Great Adventure to see the park preparing for their opening day. The park's Big Wheel is coming back together after a major refurbishment, and they highlight many changes throughout the rest of the park as well.

Check it out!

Manta Soars On Test Flights

Manta, SeaWorld's all-new flying coaster set to open May 22, glides and spins over the Orlando park on a recent round of test flights.

An all-new breed of thrill ride-plus-up-close-animal-encounters, Manta combines the best of the sea and sky, immersing you in the beautiful and mysterious world of rays and then taking you for the ride of your life aboard a manta-inspired flying roller coaster. Fly, glide and soar headfirst like a ray aboard this unparalleled experienced that only SeaWorld could create.

Ridetheflyingray.com

Daily Spin 3.19.09

Six Flags Magic Mountain has some new photos of Terminator: Salvation up on their official website. The pics allow us new views of the ride's first drop from a perspective we haven't seen yet. Check those out here.

Change is in the air for Hard Rock Park, this recent article has the new park owners stating that they do not plan to keep the park's Nights in White Satin dark ride operating as it does not fit in with a family appeal. The park does plan on adding more kiddie rides, though.

Holiday World's Holiblog has some pics of the boats for Pilgrims Plunge that have arrived at the park, and some videos of them as well. I like their style! I'm anxiously awaiting seeing them fly down that massive flume into the splash pool below...

Wondering what the official story is behind Voodoo at Dorney Park's name change to Possessed? Well the cat is officially out of the bag on that one, you can read the details in this

newspaper article.

Universal Studios Florida is almost ready to top off their new Rockit coaster, in the latest photos you can see that they've started to install the first drop. All that leaves is the vertical lift and the crest to install.

Walt Disney World's Epcot recently started this year's International Flower & Garden Festival. If you've ever been to the theme park during this event you know how beautiful the displays are. The Orlando Sentinel has photos from the opening of the event.

Worlds of Fun always has a Prowler update for us, don't they? The latest batch of photos features the ride's finishing details coming into place. The new wooden coaster will hopefully open with the park this April.

Giving Customers A Launch

CNN Money did a pretty neat feature story on Premier Rides which you can access via this link. Lots of interesting stuff in there about the company, and really the whole industry. It's not often that we get to read about the 'backside' of the industry where parks and manufacturers interact.

One fact I'm hung up on though is Premier Ride's annual revenue being listed as $80 million. I'm not saying that I think that figure is right, or wrong, but what does this company possibly do to bring in that kind of cash each year? Something seems off there.

Another great tidbit is that Giovanola left the business after having to spend too much money on getting Titan at Six Flags Over Texas up and operating, just like how X effectively killed Arrow Dynamics as well.

Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Quassy Amusement Park 2003

Long before the "theme park", the "chain park", and even the magnificent Gravity Group junior woodie which may someday plant itself in the front yard, Lake Quassapaug--lovingly nicknamed "Quassy" by the locals--was luring vacationers to its shores. Let's take a look back at how far the park had come by 2003!

The year 2003 saw the debut of Saturation Station, the first interactive water play area of its type in the world. This installation marked a significant departure from Quassy's previous position as a "rides only" park, but it proved to be a wise departure. John Frantzis, whose family has owned a stake in Quassy for more than 70 years, has been quoted as saying, "I believe it saved the park." Apparently we live in an era where a lake just isn't a lake without some water cannons and tipping buckets!

Also new in 2003 was The Extreme Zone, an upcharge attraction featuring a 24-foot rock climbing wall designed to accommodate a broad range of age groups and skill levels. This attraction has since been removed to make way for new rides.

Yes, you read that correctly: It says 95 years! This, of course, means that 2009 will be Quassy's 101st season. Time flies when you're having fun! This collage features just a smattering of all that Quassy has to offer. It's too bad the Titanic Super Slide is no longer around because it looks like one heck of a unique attraction! [In case you're having a hard time finding it among these images, the "Titanic Super Slide" would be the slide which looks like the Titanic...]

To this day, Quassy Amusement Park does not charge a gate admission. But as if that weren't good enough, the park offers a plethora of special deals on ride passes to help you get even more bang for your buck. Combine those with all the special events and shows which take place at Quassy every year, and you've got yourself quite a bargain! Here is what the park had to offer in 2003.

Last but not least, the 2003 calendar and pricing at a glance. Quassy's 2009 schedule looks quite similar, with the park scheduled to open on April 25th this year. If you happen to be passing through New England this summer, be sure to stop by and help this unique "trolley park"--one of the last of its kind--celebrate 101 years of family fun!

Splash Island Sneak Peek!

Wild Adventures is holding an exclusive sneak peek of their newly renovated Splash Island water park this weekend for season passholders.

Visitors can not only tame the park’s latest new water-thrill ride, the Wahee Cyclone, but also enjoy the entire renovated Splash Island Water Park itself. Splash Island opens to the public Saturday, March 28. This Saturday’s special Season Passport event promises a full day of fun that, among other activities, includes tropical-inspired contests, steel drum music, and free ICEEs.

Season Passport Holders will be able to experience the thrill of the new Wahee Cyclone and showcase their best beach moves in hula hoop and limbo contests. Free Mix it Up ICEEs will be available from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with the sounds of a steel drum band floating through the air from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. All water rides will operate 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

New Diamondback Photos

A DIAMONDBACK ON THE PROWL: Kings Island continues to test its new Diamondback roller coaster daily. Diamondback will be the tallest and fastest roller coaster at the Mason, Ohio amusement park. The $22 million ride stands 230 feet at its highest point with a first drop of 215 feet at a 74-degree angle. The ride has 10 vertical drops overall, two helixes and a splashdown ending. Riders will snake their way around 5,282 feet of track at speeds up to 80 miles per hour. Diamondback opens to the public April 18.

Happy as a...Hornet?

Something is abuzz in Texas, and it does not live in a hive--or at least, not anymore! As Wonderland Park inches closer and closer to opening day, the rides which have taken up residence in the park's new West End area are inching closer and closer to completion. Not least among these newcomers is the previously enclosed Hornet, which recently became the recipient of some brand new magnetic brakes. Today the park's maintenance and office staff were treated to the first rides on this newly rechristened steelie, and they were kind enough to share the fun with us!

Those spiffed up trains sure do look nice!

...Nice enough to ride in, that is!

Seriously, are these folks really at work? I wish my job was this much fun!

Even co-founder Alethea Roads was on hand to take a spin. She and her husband Paul (who, sadly, passed away in 2003) opened "Kiddie Land" back in 1951. About a decade later, the couple began to add adult rides and the name "Wonderland" was born. I'll bet they never imagined how much the park would grow and flourish in the years which followed!

Mrs. Roads is enjoying Hornet from her fourth row seat.

Wonderland Park will kick off its 2009 season on April 4th. The Hornet will be waiting for you. Will you answer its call? You wouldn't want to make it mad...now would you?

Superman's New Trains!

© 2009 Don Treeger / The Republican

Sorting through all the news articles that have come out about Six Flags parks staying open this summer is daunting (although these article are a good thing) - but this one about Six Flags New England had a real gem in it!

Along with the article is this photo of Superman's new trains. You can see they have a slick purple color scheme to match the ride's new paint job. Also, the seatbacks are much higher and have speakers built right into them.

The restrains are similar to what Intamin has used on their trains on newer coasters. No longer is the restraint a T bar, now the restraint connects on both ends. Hopefully this will do wonders for rider comfort, especially for taller passengers.

Here's the old trains for restraint comparison purposes:

Six Flags Magic Mountain's Future

The Funland Blog from the L.A. Times has a little interview with Six Flags' CEO Mark Shapiro, specifically about their Magic Mountain property.

They again scored some awesome info about Six Flags' plans to continue to expand internationally, and some juicy stuff about what's coming up for Magic Mountain.

Read the details here.

Also, while not Magic Mountain related, the blog has an interesting story about a very disappointing side to the "free visit on your birthday" promotion Disney currently has going on that Annual Passholders should really check out.

Bad Sign for Hong Kong Disneyland

News broke today that Disney has suspended all design and creative efforts for the massive expansion being planned for Hong Kong Disney.

Not only that, they took it one step further and laid off the 30 workers that were on the design project.

The company said that after two years of investing in and working with the Hong Kong government on an expansion plan no deal has been met so they are shutting down their expansion plans. Basically, they're really playing hard ball now.

The local government quickly started saying they hope Disney reconsiders, and I'm guessing that they're now figuring out that two years of bickering over money has not made the Mouse very happy.

Hopefully someone will bend and make the agreement happen - Hong Kong Disneyland desperately needs expanding.

iSpeed & Blue Fire

Mirabilandia has new photos of their new Intamin Accelerator coaster, iSpeed, on their Facebook page. Worthy of noting are the new style of supports the ride is using, seen above close up. Check them all out here.

These videos were added last week but I just noticed them now: Mack Rides has loaded three new animations of Europa Park's new coaster for this summer, Blue Fire. They totally look like Virtual Image Production's work - you longtime readers know I'm a fan.

They're pretty cool to check out!

Alabama Adventure UpSurge-Update

Alabama Adventure is hard at work building their new water park attraction, UpSurge! They've been updating photos of the ride's progress on their site as well.

From the art the park released, seen above, it looks like I was dead on with my prediction that the slide would be a White Water West Boomerango!

The Birmingham Business News recently published a great feature on the park as well, you can find the article here. They speak in depth with the park's General Manager, who's had a long career in the theme park industry, including quite some time with Six Flags.

One big change for the upcoming season is that guests no longer have to pay separate admission for the theme and water parks, it's now all included in one general admission ticket that's still reasonably priced. I'm sure that will do wonders to increase the length of guest stay while visiting the property!

No Texas Giant in 2010 + Big SF '11 Plans

Today during Six Flags Inc's year end conference call CEO Mark Shapiro let a big cat outta the bag and announced that Six Flags Over Texas will close the Texas Giant for massive renovations during the entire 2010 season in anticipation of the company's 50th anniversary in 2011.

Shapiro said that they "intend to close the legendary wooden roller coaster named the Giant which was built 18 years ago at Six Flags Over Texas for the entire season in 2010 so that it can undergo a $10 million renovation in time to reopen for our 50th anniversary season in 2011.

This would be the largest ride renovation in the history of the company. New trains, a more comfortable ride, a faster ride with additional features all with the intention of restoring this famed coaster to world class status."

He also said that the 50th anniversary of the company in 2011 will be big news for all the parks, stating that there will be "major new attractions" at all the properties that year.

Hopefully this restructuring business can get out of the way this year so that all these exciting plans are what everyone can focus on!

Breakers Bay Update

I've certainly never experienced one, but I cannot imagine that the winters in Minnesota are very pleasant. Still, Valleyfair has been able to make much progress on their large new wave pool for 2009, Breakers Bay.

The park is also expanding Soak City's amenities by building new food and retail locations. If you would like to check out the most recent photos of all this work, then head over to Valleyfair's official website.

Six Flags to the World: It's Business as Usual

Amid the torrent of rumors, speculation, and doubt which began circulating well before Six Flags publicly acknowledged the possibility of that dreaded "B" word, the beleaguered company would like to make one thing crystal clear: As far as the parks are concerned, it's business as usual in 2009. Bankruptcy or not--and, as you'll recall, that remains to be seen--the company's pending financial obligations will in no way impact the manner in which the individual parks are run, nor the quality of the new and improved Six Flags experience.

Since the dawn of the Snyder/Shapiro era, Six Flags has proceeded to set the bar higher and higher at its parks with each passing year, and 2009 is no exception. The company has set aside more than $200 million for operational expenses and intends to hire a full staff to serve each of its properties. Still, a growing concern is the percentage of would-be visitors who will equate the financial headlines with quality and safety and opt to take their patronage elsewhere. One debt analyst has predicted that a bankruptcy filing would result in a 6% drop in attendance across Six Flags parks, as compared to a predicted 3.5% drop otherwise (simply due to the current economic crunch).

What a shame it would be if a simple matter of public perception were to become the undoing of everything the Shapiro team has worked so hard to achieve! I will be the first to admit that when this new management team took the helm, I had serious doubts about whether they would be willing or able to turn Six Flags around. But over the past few years, they have turned this skeptic into a believer with all the positive--yet carefully measured--changes they have made across the chain. I am a Shapiro fan. There, I said it.

Only time will tell what the future holds. But as long as we have the present, we as enthusiasts can make a difference (however subtle!) by publicly reinforcing the fact that the Six Flags parks as well as all of our other favorite parks remain firmly committed to guest satisfaction and safety during these difficult times. A day at the local amusement park may be just what the doctor ordered to fight the gloom and doom of the daily headlines!

For a great synopsis of Six Flags' current financial situation as it relates to park operations, check out this article from The New York Times.

Book Review: Imagineering Guide To Disneyland

With Spring right around the corner now is a great time to stock up on new reads to take outside with you on sunny days! That's one thing I always look forward to as Winter starts to melt away.

A good suggestion? Try The Imagineering Field Guide to Disneyland, the latest in a series by Disney Editions.

The book takes a land by land approach to showing incredible concept art and sharing often little known stories about the park that Walt built. Since it's written by Imagineers, the perspective is great and fosters a ton of secrets and inside information to bubble to the surface. For even a casual Disney fan that makes for an additcting read!

Personally, I think the variety of concept art in the book alone makes the low price worth it!

Pilgrims Plunge Topped Off

Being a seasoned amusement park enthusiast often means that it's not every day that you see a ride and think, "Just looking at that thing scares the heck outta me." Thankfully we've had Holiday World to buck that trend and create Pilgrims Plunge - the world's tallest splash ride.

It's not just the die hard park fans that will get a kick out of this one, and while it may look intimidating, Pilgrims Plunge is sure to please the whole family!

The park has added a new gallery of photos from the ride's topping ceremony which was this past Friday to their Facebook page. I know we were treated to wonderful images of the ride when it was announced, but seeing it, really seeing it now standing is quite the w-o-w moment!

^ Seriously. I want to go ride this!

Saw: The Ride Opening

Thorpe Park's new coaster, Saw: The Ride, which is being billed as the world's first horror themed ride opened today for park guests, although apparently for less than two hours.

Still, between that and the media day that was on Friday there's lots of footage of the ride up on YouTube already. Above we have some official looking POV footage. Note that the special effects in the dark ride portion are not on, and it actually looks like some of the work lights are on as well.

All in all a nice effort by the park and an original theme for the ride to say the least.

Kings Island Live Entertainment for 2009

Their towering new coaster, Diamondback, won't be the only new item for guests visiting Kings Island this summer. The park just announced their full live entertainment schedule for this summer, including three all new shows:

Down Home Country
New in 2009! – All-new popular song and dance revue celebrating the legends of country music as well as their top charting country classics. You’ll probably want to see this one more than once. At the Festhaus located in Oktoberfest April 17 through September 13. Off on Monday. The show lasts 25 minutes.

Don’t Stop the Music
New in 2009! – DJ pump up the music and let the party start! Get down with today’s hottest hits and chart smashing songs in this all-new revue! Featuring songs by Rhianna, Katy Parry and Kid Rock! At the International Bandstand located on International Street May 26 through June 4 and June 19 through August 23. The show lasts 20 minutes.

Endless Summer on Ice
Come join us as we celebrate Summer Fun and more! You don’t want to miss this amazing ice-skating display that will excite and entertain the entire family. At the Kings Island Theater on International Street June 5 through August 16. Off on Wednesday. The show lasts 30 minutes.

Flashback: Totally 80’s!
Get into the groove and travel back to the days when it was hip to be square! Our singers and dancers pay tribute to leg warmers, mullets, Rubik’s Cube and the songs that defined a decade in this all-new music revue! At the International Showplace Theatre located on International Street June 19 through September 13. Off on Tuesday. The show lasts 25 minutes.

The County Line
Head over to “The County Line” for our entertaining country music revue. This popular show features the songs of all your favorite country stars including Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley and Rascal Flatts. As American as apple pie…this country’s rockin’ down at “The County Line.” At the Festhaus located in Oktoberfest. June 4 through August 23. Off on Thursday. The show lasts 25 minutes.

Marty’s Party
New in 2009! – Your child is invited to Marty’s Party, a rousing, fun-filled show full of excitement. Just the place for kids to take their grown-ups! At Putz HQ in Nickelodeon Universe. April 18 through September 13. Off on Thursday. The show lasts 25 minutes.

Nickelodeon Characters
Located at the Front Gate throughout the day and occasionally wandering through the park are your favorite Nickelodeon characters. Have your camera ready to snap a photo of your favorite pals from Nickelodeon TV shows and movies.

Scooby Doo
Scooby Doo is waiting to say hello to you throughout the day outside Scooby Doo & The Haunted Castle located on International Street.

Fireworks
Throughout the season Kings Island will present its spectacular fireworks display on days the park closes at 10 p.m. This colorful pageant in the sky is something that will certainly cap off a memorable day at the park. You don’t want to miss it!

Monsters Inc Ride and Go Seek Video

The first video I've seen of Tokyo Disneyland's new dark ride: Monsters Inc Ride and Go Seek has hit YouTube courtsey Joe's Tokyo Disney site. The ride just opened for previews.

This has been a highly anticipated ride because of the incredible product that the Tokyo Disney parks regularly debuts compared to their world counterparts. This ride is no exception.

It looks AWESOME. It's animatronic after animatronic the whole ride through, no static figures on belts and spinners like some rides.

I can't tell from the video though if the flashlights that riders have really do anything... but I'm sure that'll be cleared up shortly on some site.

Six Flags' Probable Bankruptcy

Six Flags recently published in an SEC filing that they are not sure the company will continue to operate through the end of this year without some sort of bankruptcy restructuring.

Now, this really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone considering the company's frightening debt load.

They are now talking about these tentative plans in more depth, and stressing some positive points about the whole mess. The company says in this article that no more parks are to be sold, and that they will all operate business as usual during this summer if the bankruptcy takes place.

Essential it sounds like the plan would be to let debtors become partial equity owners of the company going forward so they can erase their debt and continue operating.


All in all, not a bad plan if they can pull it off!

Get Wet in 2012... Maybe

A delayed project is better than a cancelled one, right?

I think so, and that's why I'm happy to see that the Las Vegas Wet project has updated their webpage to reflect their plans to try to open in 2012.

According to original estimates, the project would have opened this year, but a variety of reasons slowed things down and now the economy has pretty much frozen them. The plans call for a hotel, indoor skiing, huge water park, theme park, retail, dining, and more.

This recently news article also gives a little update on the project - and also points out an interesting fact about Vegas' former Wet'n'Wild water park. The company that owns the land that Wet'nWild was on "found that it was more profitable to lease the land to a developer for construction equipment storage than it was to rent to a water park operator, according to a company executive."

Isn't that awful! Storing cranes and supplies for all the hotel construction made them more cash then letting a water park operate.

That aside, though, I really hope that Las Vegas Wet sees the light of day sometime in the future.

Even More Economic Casualties

Amusement Park news is typically always upbeat and exciting - but these days that's not so true anymore. Two more small parks have become casualties of tough economic times, although one plans to continue to operate this summer.

Fun Spot Amusement Park & Zoo, in Angola, IN, has announced via their website that they will not open for the 2009 season. The small amusement park would have been celebrating their 52nd year of operations this summer.

The park did not specifically say if this is permanent or just for the year, so at this point we can't be sure if the park will reopen or not.

Our next affected park is Ghost Town in the Sky, located in North Carolina, which just announced that they have filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The park reopened in 2007 after sitting closed for 5 years.

The latest owners have struggled with being able to finance the operation of the park while keeping creditors paid. They plan on reopening May 15th with business mostly as usual. The park has also been working since reopening to bring the Cliff Hanger (an odd-ball Hopkins coaster) back to life.

I sincerely hope that the amusement park closing/bankruptcy announcements thus far aren't only the tip of the iceberg!

The Crazy Non-Inverting Loop

© 2009 Hatetofly

Universal Studios Florida has completed the non-inverting loop on Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit and wow - that thing is messed up looking!

And it's HUGE - there's a shot in this set of photos that shows the skyline with the loop complete and it's really massive.

Check out all the photos.

GL's Wildwater Kingdom New For 2009

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a .... a sun deck!!!

Geauga Lake's Wildwater Kingdom has announced their new attraction for the 2009 season: Waterfront Plaza. Described as a "lakeside patio with more than 100 lounge chairs, a dining area with umbrella tables and three shade structures."

While the website doesn't say this, we know the park removed the former Water Ski stadium that was centrally located in the water park, but unused, so this will be taking that place.

The park will also add the Island Oasis Party Cabana - a private party deck that accommodates 25-30 people and is perfect for family gatherings, birthday parties and company outings. It has a beautiful lake view, a dining area, private bar and flat-screen televisions.

But now the real question: was there enough aluminum in the Ski Stadium seats to take to the recycler's to pay for all this? ;)

Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Six Flags Magic Mountain 2008

Opening day is fast approaching for all the seasonal parks across the States, and two of those parks are set to debut "new old" roller coasters which have been transformed into total multisensory experiences. I'm referring, of course, to Medusa at Six Flags Great Adventure and Superman: Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England. But let's not forget about the facelift project that started it all: The transformation of Six Flags Magic Mountain's X into X2, which occurred just one short year ago.

"New"? Kinda. New trains, new colors, and new effects maybe, but the ride itself has remained unchanged. Nevertheless, this makeover made sense. Given the shoddy reputation for downtime and repairs that the original X had earned during its brief life, Six Flags was wise to replace what was perhaps the most troublesome component--the trains--and re-market this engineering marvel as the first "5th dimensional" roller coaster. After all the money they had dumped--er, invested--in it, you have to give them credit for making one final attempt to breathe new life into this coaster.

As for this year's round of Six Flags coaster transformations, one can only surmise that the company is doing what it can to give the thrill-loving public something new in spite of a bad economy and the company's financial woes. I get that, and I give them credit for trying. At least the Medusa transformation makes sense, as this coaster's previous so-called theming was confusing at best and could even be likened to an identity crisis. I mean, "Medusa Mining Company"? HUH? Superman, on the other hand... Sorry Six Flags, but color me baffled! Why fix something that was never broken? Surely there were other coasters more worthy of a makeover than this one.

But I digress. And when I say I digress, wow I really digressed! I must be subconsciously overcompensating for the lack of pages in this brochure. Back on topic we go.

X(2) was more fortunate than its brethren Psyclone and Flashback, which bit the figurative and literal dust in 2006 and 2007, respectively. While I never enjoy seeing a coaster (or any other type of ride, for that matter) meet its demise, the good news is that Six Flags seems to be heading in the right direction at Magic Mountain: Quality over quantity. That being said, with the addition of Terminator Salvation in 2009 and another rumored coaster project in the works for 2010, they just may be able to strike the right balance and achieve both!

The truly "new" addition to Magic Mountain in 2008 was Thomas Town, a family friendly children's area featuring--who else?--Thomas The Tank Engine. This was another positive move by Six Flags, as Magic Mountain has long been viewed as an unbalanced park in the thrills-versus-family department. (Not very Griswold-esque, if you will.) It would be nice to see this park add even more family attractions and some good flat rides over the next few years.

I guess there's hardly a need to include an operating schedule in the brochure when you're open year-round. I will, however, take issue with their "Minutes North of Hollywood" claim. In what universe?! Technically speaking, I guess it is a true statement. It simply would be truer if they added the word "Many" at the beginning.


Geez, I feel like I'm cheating you out of content when the brochures are this short! But as they say, "it is what it is". I can only hope that my colorful commentary has helped to fill the inevitable void in your lives...

Disney's New Fan Community

Truthfully, I didn't follow the viral campaign that Disney did for their new D23 'Official Community for Disney Fans" - but I know a lot of the Disney sites were abuzz on the teasers and countdowns that the Mouse did for the new club.

Now that they have officially announced the community we can see what a charter membership gets you. Looks like you get a subscription to the Disney Twenty-Three magazine, published quarterly, membership card and gift, access to purchase limited edition merchandise, and lower admission rates to the first official Disney fan convention, the D23 Expo.

The going rate for all this is once cent short of seventy bucks a year. You can read plenty more and join through this link.

Web 2.0 + Theme Parks

Paula Werne, of Holiday World fame, recently linked to this article on the park's Holiblog. It's about how more theme parks are starting to use all the new 'web 2.0' sites and features to reach out to potential customers.

Well, being a web 2.0 site I have to say that the article is pretty interesting. They speak of parks like Sea World San Antonio, which currently uses Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and more to connect with fans and other interested parties of the park.

More and more official park blogs, especially, are popping up constantly these days. Kings Island started one, Schlitterbahn has a very active one, and there's more on the horizon.

I say keep these type of developments coming!

Snake Bite!

A train on the new Diamondback roller coaster at Kings Island slithers its way through a 287-degree helix during test runs Tuesday. Diamondback will be the tallest and fastest roller coaster at the Mason, Ohio amusement park. The $22 million ride stands 230 feet at its highest point with a first drop of 215 feet at a 74-degree angle. Diamondback has 10 vertical drops, two helixes and a splashdown ending. Riders will snake their way around 5,282 feet of track at speeds up to 80 miles per hour. Diamondback will make its long-awaited public debut April 18, when the park opens for preview weekends for the 2009 season.

Schlitterbahn KC Attraction Announcement

Schlitterbahn Vacation Village, currently under construction in Kansas City, has announced the attraction line up for the new water park, which is slated to open this summer.

The park will open with a wide variety of attractions for the whole family, and the park will feature the Transportainment system so that riders can move to different attractions without leaving their rafts.

For more detailed information on each attraction you can check out the park's official webpage. The rides include a selection of tube slides, a master blaster, a lazy and torrent river, children's area, and plenty more.

New Attractions for Belmont Park

Belmont Park, in Sandiego, CA, recently opened two new attractions for guests visiting the classic seaside attraction.

The “Magical Mystery Mirror Maze” is a unique and exciting attraction the entire family can enjoy. Themed music and décor circa late 1960s and early 1970s give a psychedelic twist to a classic funhouse favorite."

How trippy are the colors in the photo of the maze above? Looks like a very unique attraction.

The park also oped the Vault Laser Maze, which "is a timed event course, where the object is to expertly navigate through a web of lasers going over and under them as quickly as possible to reach the end of the maze challenge without being hit. "

Both sound pretty fun!

iSpeed @ Mirabilandia

Mirabilandia's new Intamin accelerator coaster - iSpeed - recently had it's Top Hat element completed, and the park has already worked on a pull through for that element, even though the rest of the ride isn't built yet. Interesting.

Be One of the First

Carowinds now has a live auction going for riders on the first train ever of the Carolina Cobra, which will open with the park on March 28th.

The auction information can be accessed here, and all befits go to the Make A Wish Foundation. Kings Island is having quite a success with their Diamondback first ride auction, so hopefully Carowinds can drum up similar support.

It's Hitting The Fan!!

Looks like Cedar Fair is finally starting to acknowledge that their financial state is pretty precarious at best - they just put out a press release saying that they are indeed cutting the distribution by 92 cents a unit, to an annual payout of $1 instead of $1.92.

That would have been the big news of the day but they also threw in this little nugget: the company is open to selling Worlds of Fun and Valleyfair to someone if the timing and price is right.

This is all because of the debt the company took on the purchase the Paramount Parks - none of which are suddenly listed for sale... well aside from Great America but they already said they'd ditch that park in a second if the 49ers wanted it.

It's sad that Mr. Kinzel and his board let things get to this. With firms like Merlin Entertainment, and Parques Reunidos lurking around snatching up properties you have to wonder if Cedar Fair is saying they will sell Worlds of Fun and Valleyfair because they know someone wants them... like now. That's sort of how Cedar Fair does things... just look at the ramp up to this distribution cut - they leak their plans out in little bits and pieces in conference calls and news releases. We'll see.

Kings Dominion '09 Update

© 2009 KDFansite.com

Kings Dominion looks almost ready to install their two new rides for the 2009 season, Americana and El Dorado.

KDFansite has posted some recent photos taken inside the park showing off the construction progress so far. It actually looks like the first parts of the base for Americana are in place so that should be going up quickly.

Both of the new flat rides were moved from the now closed Geauga Lake amusement park in Ohio.

Here's a link to the gallery.

DelGrosso's Amusement Park 2009

DelGrosso's Amusement Park, located in Tipton, PA, has announced that they have purchased three of Cypress Gardens' amusement rides for their park.

The park has purchased the YoYo swing ride, Pharaoh's Fury swinging ship ride, and for the kids the Dizzy Dragon.

The article mentions that the YoYo will replace the park's Balloon Race ride, and the Pharaoh's Fury will replace the Sea Dragon. Though both rides are similar to those they are replacing, they are both from 2004 which should help with reliability and maintenance costs.

It's just superb to hear of a small family park expanding as always!

New Terminator Shots, Too

© 2009 wrs28330

The pace to complete Terminator: Salvation at Six Flags Magic Mountain has not slowed at all this week. The highest part of the ride's structure saw many more bents added this past week. This is the turn off the lift hill, which is also constructed with a lower turn as part of it making the supports in this area quite thick.

There's a great photo update for the park and Terminator in this thread over on TRP.

The Latest Rockit Photos

© 2009 Orlandorocks.com

We're almost at the end of the main track and support construction of Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit at Universal Studios Florida.

Orlandorocks.com has some photos from today, like the beautiful shot above. Really shows how this ride has changed the skyline at the park, right?

Click here to head to their gallery.

Making A Splash!

Kings Island new $22 million Diamondback roller coaster features a spectacular splashdown ending. Diamondback will be the tallest and fastest roller coaster at the Mason, Ohio amusement park. The ride stands 230 feet at its highest point with a first drop of 215 feet at a 74-degree angle. Diamondback has 10 vertical drops, two helixes and a hammerhead turn. Riders will snake their way around 5,282 feet of track at speeds up to 80 miles per hour. The ride opens April 18.

Rumors Swirling Around Busch Entertainment

A-B InBev is still planning on selling the Busch Entertainment theme parks as part of their plan to reduce debt at the newly formed mega brewing company.

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that several companies have shown interest in possibly making a bid for the properties, including Merlin Entertainment and Parques Reunidos.

Rumors say that Disney is interested in some of the parks, but some also speculate that Six Flags wants in and that's pretty much financially impossible so I'm taking the names of interested parties being thrown around with a few pounds of salt.

You have to wonder how the tough credit market will affect anyone who tries to buy the parks, though.

Six Flags Mexico's Dark Knight

© 2009 julian02 via Montanarusa.com

Some photos of the Dark Knight coaster at Six Flags Mexico have surfaced on Montanarusa.com's message boards.

I think that I like the setting and look of this version more than the ride's two U.S. counterpart's. Those wonderful tall trees in front of the building help a lot, too.

It's also being reported that the ride should be open by the end of this month.

Many more photos on Montanarua.com.

The Flying Ray

© 2009 The Orlando Sentinel

Photos of Manta's trains have been released from the Orlando Sentinel - and they look pretty neat! There's a 12 ft. Ray as the zero car that will do the splashin' in the pool. Nice color scheme as well.

Lots of photos from yesterday can been seen in this gallery from the Orlando Sentinel.

Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Holiday World 2000

As usual, Mike has read my mind and published a great lead-in post for this week's SBS. From one wonderfully themed park to another, this week we take a virtual trip to Holiday World!

Oh, to be the middle child... A Legend was born at Holiday World in 2000 [cheesy pun intended]. At the time, its older sibling The Raven was a rambunctious 5-year-old. And The Voyage? Well, it wasn't even a twinkle in the Kochs' eyes! Today this trio of wooden prodigies makes a lovely family, although one can't help but wonder if The Voyage is also destined to become a middle child someday... *COUGH COUGH* Oh, excuse me--I seem to have something in my throat!!

The Legend was obviously the big headliner in 2000, but it was (and still is) in good company. The folks at Holiday World have a real knack for taking basic, staple attractions found at parks across the globe and kicking them up a notch with fantastic theming. And c'mon, where else can you visit jolly old St. Nick any day you want? He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake, and he knows when you're screaming your head off! [Another cheesy Legend pun there. Anybody get it? No? Stand-up comedy is not in my future? Sigh... Do I at least get an "A" for effort??]

This spread gives a great overview of all the water attractions featured at Splashin' Safari back in 2000. Hey, were those inner tubes made to look like they have tiger stripes? How quaint! Obviously the theming does not end with the dry rides at this park.

Normally I wouldn't include lodging pages in SBS. But when you have the option of staying at places like "Lake Rudolph" and "Santa's Lodge"? Well by gosh, by golly--That's just fun! The map section is also helpful, and includes estimated driving times from various landmark cities.

Who said there's no such thing as a free soft drink? Holiday World challenges that statement! Truth be told, I'm sure this perk is built into the cost of admission. But regardless, it is a really convenient perk, and one that I wish more parks would adopt.

And finally, we conclude with this great shot of Monsoon Lagoon and its "twelve levels of interactive family fun".

Pilgrims Progress

© 2009 Holiday World

New photos of Pilgrims Plunge are available on Holiday World's official Facebook page. Now that vertical construction has been started, the ride is going up fast. The park expects to 'top off' the ride sometime next week, so long as things go to plan.

Even though I've said it before it also still stands true that the ride's station and queue building is awesome looking!

Click here to check out the photos.

Aerial Antics: Wiener Prater

Wiener Prater is an amusement park located in Vienna, Austria. It's almost a Coney Island type set up where many vendors share the area and each attraction is pay as you go.

This makes for some great competition between operators to have the newest, coolest, baddest rides though, which is pretty great. Just check out the rides page on their website to see the variety of what's offered on property.

Here's an interesting coaster, it's a custom Vekoma ride called Megablitz that was added back in 1994. Lots of track packed in a small space on that one. Also the blue tower in the bottom left of the image is a Starflyer - which is something I'd love to ride.

Here is the Hochschaubahn - this is really a scenic railway at heart, opened back in 1950. The side friction wooden coaster actually has brakemen on the back of the trains to control the speed!

And here's two more attractions - like Volare, a Zamperla flying roller coaster painted in bright red and yellow. The park also has a Vekoma Boomerang as well.

The unique water ride on the left is Wildalpenbahn. The River Splash was created by ABC Rides and has a vertical lift hill and sections in a flume like a water slide and parts that are in a river, like a more tradition river rapids.

As always, to check out the aerials of Prater yourself, click here.

A Cobra and a Nighthawk

Carowinds has uploaded some new photos of the Carolina Cobra's new trains on the track ready to be tested. I hope the reviews of the new style of trains are good once the ride opens! Boomerangs do not have the best reputation for rider comfort.

Here are those photos.

The park also released some new photos of the new paint job for Nighthawk which I think looks wonderful. The ride really stands out now.

Drachen Fire POV Video

I know this is rather random, but Drachen Fire's decent place in last month's poll led me to seek out a POV of the ride for old times sake.

Plus - I really got nothing interesting today - slow news day!

1990 (?) Worlds of Fun Map

Moving things around in my big closet-o-amusement-industry-stuff is always fun because I end up finding treasures like this 1990 park map from Worlds of Fun.

I have the question mark in the post title by the year because I can't be sure it's not from 1989. Timber Wolf was new that year, and the press materials I have are a jumbled mess of items from '89 and also from '90.

The Timber Wolf was - understandably - a huge deal for the park and really put it on the map for enthusiasts and the general public as well. Don't get it wrong, it wasn't struggling before the addition of the ride, but the park started a new era of sorts with the wooden coaster.

But here's the map that this post is supposed to be about. Warning for those clicking on it, it's like a 2 or so mb image.

So what can be seen on this map that's of interest? Let's look...

• The Orient Express is still at the park, the big coaster at the bottom of the map. The Arrow custom looping ride was removed after the 2003 season.
• On the far left we see the Python Plunge wet/dry slide tower - removed a while ago but worth pointing out as that is generally the location of Prowler's station and plaza.
• Also in the Africa section of the park we see the Zambezi Zinger, a Schwarzkopf speed racer coaster, the ride was removed after the 1997 season. You can still ride it if you find yourself in Columbia, though.
• Both entrances to the park, one in Scandinavia and one in Americana, were in use.
• The upper right corner features the Timber Wolf, the still new and super popular wooden coaster.

More Diamondback Train Photos

© 2009 Ronny Salerno / KICentral.com

KICentral has added a new photo gallery and video of Diamondback at Kings Island testing. Included are many great photos like the one above of the trains in action.

I must say I really like the look of them with the decals on the front - and I still can't get enough of the fangs!

Click here to head to KICentral.

What's Schlitterbahn Up To Now?

Schlitterbahn Waterpark Resort, located in New Braunfels, TX, has something new up their sleeve again for the summer 2009 season.

The park has been hinting at the theme of the new attraction on their blog for a while now, and has now gone as far as to reveal it's name:

They have placed a teaser video on the blog and promise more to come. I wonder if this will be an existing attraction retheme like they did this past summer with Dragon's Revenge. It looks like we will find out soon!

February Poll Results

I'm reluctant to go into much detail on February's NPN poll because it was, sadly, once again spammed by some fool who thought it would be fun to ruin the real results of the poll for everyone.

With that said, I do know for certain that Loch Ness Monster was our winner - it started off strong and continued to get many votes. So congrats to LNM!

As for the spamming, well, Viper at Darien Lake got about 50 votes one day, so cross that off the list, and Tenessee Tornado had the same thing happen - so no thanks there.

I'd say that Vortex at Kings Island was really in second place, and the now departed Drachen Fire, also at Busch Gardens Williams was third.

As always, don't be a doofus and spam our polls, I always notice!

Some Six Flags Parks Open... One Doesn't

Yesterday marked the opening day of the 2009 season for 4 different Six Flags properties: Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Six Flags Over Georgia, and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.

Discovery Kingdom will premier their new attraction, Odin's Temple of the Tiger in May, but opened for guests starting yesterday.

Six Flags Georgia was the park that actually didn't open as planned this weekend. The rain and snow combination that hit the park this weekend caused the park to delay their opening to next weekend. Bummer!

Hopefully some photos from the park openings will start to surface soon. Let me know if you have any!

A Buccaneer Update

Six Flags Great America has released a new piece of concept art of the ride vehicles on their new Buccaneer Battle interactive water ride, which is new for 2009.

I must say it looks pretty good. I really hope the theming turns out nice for this one, from what we've seen thus far it will.

The park has been keeping new photos posted on their webpage as well, click here to check those out.

Forest of Fun Opens April 3rd

Busch Gardens, in Williamsburg, VA, has announced that their new Sesame Street Forest of Fun area will open on April 3rd for Spring Break.

The park had a big press construction tour of the site and released some photos from that.

The track for Grover's Alpine Express was recently completed. I like it's screaming pink and green color scheme.

Here's another view of the coaster with the concept art for it's station on display.

The Forest of Fun will open April 3rd, but when the park opens for the season on March 28th guests will be able to enjoy the new Sesame Street dining facility and the new 4-D movie playing in the park's Globe Theatre themed to Sesame Street.