July Poll Results

The results from NewsPlusNotes' July poll are in, and it looks like the big park expansion you guys are most looking forward to is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park. The new land gathered 40% of the total votes to take the number one spot.

Many details of the new expansion are still shrouded in secrecy, and the aspect of the unknown certainly makes the project high on my interest list as well.

Six Flags Theme Park's is set to celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2011, and plans call for expansions at all the parks to celebrate. That news alone was enough for those plans to take the 2nd place spot with 26% of the vote.

Coming in third, with 25%, was the mega expansion currently underway at Disney's California Adventure theme park. With some attractions open, several almost ready, and the amazing Carsland still to come I can see why this was a popular choice.

The final three expansions didn't do so hot in our poll. 4th place (5%) went to the Ferrari World theme park in Dubai, and 5th place (3%) went to the brand new Universal Studios Singapore.

Coming in last with less than 1% of the votes is the expansion slated for Hong Kong Disneyland. Now that has to tell you something about the reaction to their recently announced expansion plans!

August's poll should be up soon!

Daily Spin 7.31.09

Can anyone else believe that it's already the last day of July? Where is the summer slipping away to? Enough of that, though, let's see what's happening in the industry.

Yesterday the New York City Counsel approved a plan (and not by a little, it was 44 to 2) by Mayor Bloomberg to redevelop Coney Island. Amid towering condos and hotels, and lots of housing, shopping malls, and more, there will be a 12 acre amusement area crammed in along the boardwalk. Is it me or isn't the reason anyone even cares about Coney Island because of it's rich history of being America's amusement park? Many people stand to make a ton of money off the redevelopment - but not off ride tickets, we're talking real estate here. How sad.

Halloween Horror Nights fans already received some goodies to stare at with the release of drawings of a couple of the scareactors that will be at Hollywood's event this year. Let's just say that just looking at them sorta freaks me out - especially the one with a beak!

Cedar Fair continues to take issue with the development of a new 49ers stadium in California's Great America's parking lot. In a recent article the park has said that if their concerns are not addressed they fear they will have to take "a more formal defense of our legal rights," and I can't imagine the stadium developers want litigation to hold up their plans. This one has been going on like a daily soap opera for some time now, and it end doesn't look too to be too near, either.

Universal Orlando's parent company has filed for several trademarks which look to reveal the names of all the attractions in the currently under construction in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Islands of Adventure theme park. The big mysterious dark ride will be called "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey." Dueling Dragons will now be "Dragon Challenge." To read more of the new names, check out this link.

Perhaps there's more substance to the plans for a Paramount Pictures theme park at the former site of the Expoland Theme Park in Osaka, Japan. A new report details that the company behind the development plans to start to try to buy the land for the closed park soon, and that they hope to open the new park in 2012. Personally, I'm still not sure what to make of all this!

Good news from Legoland California, they're being reported as another one of the few American amusement and theme parks that are having a great year. Due in large part to their recent park expansions, and especially their recently opened Sea Life Aquarium, they've had their best Spring on record. In fact, the park's owner, Merlin Entertainment Group, is reporting a 28% growth in visitors at all 57 of its attractions this year.

It's already time to think about 2010 season passes, Sesame Place is happy to announce that if you purchase a 2010 pass now you'll get in the park for the rest of 2009 on it! More details available at the park's website.

Nik Wallenda's Cedar Fair cross country performance tour continues this Sunday with a walk taking place between the two towers for Dorney Park's Possessed roller coaster. If the weather cooperates NewsPlusNotes should have great content up from the event!

A Blast From The Past - Cedar Point circa 1970

In 1970 Cedar Point was celebrating their Centennial Year. A century before the peninsula was nothing more than windswept, forested land. But Sandusky businessman Louis Zistel saw the potential in the 364-acres. Zistel created his "getaway" on the white, sandy beaches of Lake Erie and used his own steamboat to ferry guests across the bay. The resort was named Cedar Point for the forest of cedar trees that carpeted the area.

1970 kicked off the era of the Amazement Park, when Cedar Point continually amazed guests with new innovative attractions. And, there were many new attractions opening that year. The Wildcat, built by Anton Schwarzkopf and designed by Werner Stengel, joined the coaster arsenal of the Blue Streak, Cedar Creek Mine Ride and the Jumbo Jet. The Wildcat operated until 1978, it was relocated to Valleyfair! and replaced by the Wildcat that currently operates at the park. Other rides included Bayern Kurve, Dodgem #2, Monster, Schwabinchen, Calypso and Super Himilaya. Kiddieland opened at its present site with 14 rides and a Lost Children's area.

The Centennial Theatre, located near the Wildcat, opened. And Sealand, a large walk-through marine exhibit, opened over on the beach. Sealand had eye-level windows for guest viewing of sharks, penguins, and a variety of other aquatic animals. It was converted to an arcade after the 1998 season.

The Dinosaurs Live Here...

© 2009 weesen via TPR

If you want to check out some fantastic photos of Universal Studios Singapore's Jurassic Park river rafting ride under construction, this thread at Theme Park Review is the place to go! The photos show up close shots of the ride, which has it's channel already poured and theming and landscaping also well under way.

You can see in the above photo that it looks like the park will use the 'taking the wrong path due to a diversion' trick the other Jurassic rides use. In the lower part of the photo you can see a fake trough that is probably the 'correct' path to take, but I'm sure something will make the rafts head into more dangerous waters...

Another exciting part of the ride looks to be a drop that sends rafts into a dark, enclosed portion of the ride. Looks amazing! The photographer also points out that the ride is to have a vertical lift, and that you can see track for a ride that looks similar to the Pteranodon Flyers at Islands of Adventure.

I do like the Jurassic Park River Adventure at the other Universal parks, but always thought a river raft ride was just perfect for the theme.

For even more recent photos of the park under construction, including the latest Battlestar Galactica coaster photos, check out the Sentosa Theme Park Blog.

Fame Comes to Six Flags Great Adventure

In conjunction with the upcoming release of the re-invention of the classic Fame movie, Six Flags Great Adventure will host the fourth stop on the FAME National Talent Search tour. To be held at the Jackson, NJ theme park on August 8th and 9th, the competition will be open to singers, dancers, musicians, and other performers who are looking for their big break.

One winner from the park's eliminations will go to California for a final round of competition to possibly be the grand prize winner which gives them a meeting with a Hollywood talent agent, photo spread in OK! Magazine, a cash prize and much, much more.

If you want to learn more you can check out Six Flag's page for details on the event!

Great Wet 'n' Wild Phoenix Details!

The all new Wet 'n' Wild Phoenix was kind enough to send me some great shots of their exciting water park that I'm happy to be able to share with you. First let's start off with this awesome shot:

The $30 million park is set on 35 acres in North Phoenix and is the largest theme park in Arizona, featuring more than 30 exhilarating slides and attractions. The above aerial view lets us check out all the slides, pools, and attractions they have to offer. Click to view a much larger image.

On the left hand side of the park we see the yellow and green dueling water coasters, named Maximum Velocity. The park describes the slides as "dueling H2O Coasters that accelerate into a new area for water slides. The first and only ride of its kind in the world, this unique coaster allows guests to race in tandem tubes down two side-by-side slide tracks. The gravity-defying water coasters blast riders uphill on jetted water and over 830 feet of hair raising drops and breathtaking curves."

Also visible is the newly refurbished Monsoon Bay wave pool, which is also home to the Dive 'n' Movie series where park guests can watch films projected at the pool in the evening - and it's free with park admission!


Wet 'n' Wild Phoenix also features the Tornado, a massive swirling blue and orange slide that four passengers at a time can partake in, as well as the brightly colored Desert Racers which allows families to experience the ultimate racing slide together.


The three blue and green enclosed slides above are the Phoenix Flyers, which "gives guests the opportunity to create a true family fun experience with a choice of three slides with multiple twists, turns and drops down a four-story tower."

Here we see the Raging River family raft slide, featuring over 600 ft. of exciting action as the rafts move over an elevation change of more than 40 ft. This ride also shares the tower with...

Mammoth Falls! "A category five river rapid experience! All the fun of the white water rafting with an unexpected trip over Mammoth Falls." This slide "drops guests 57 feet before the raft goes vertical, shooting up a wall, then falling back to experience weightlessness before arriving safely to the calm waters below."

But the park is not all extreme attractions. They have plenty for the little ones as well, including the park's lazy river, called Cactus Cooler - more than 1,200 ft. of relaxing waterways. The Serpentine Complex features two smaller slides as well as a bowl slide for the family, too. And seen above is the Soak'em Playground, a popular interactive water playground the kids are sure to love.

You can also take notice in the aerial above that the park has been filled with shade covers to help protect visitors from the sun - something I think every water park should have! The park is rounded out with a great selection of food and merchandise locations to please your every desire while visiting.

To learn even more check out the park's official website and Facebook page! It really looks like a fun park - I only wish I could head to Phoenix to try it out.

Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Belmont Park 2005

This week we check out an oft-forgotten seaside park that happens to be near and dear to my heart: Belmont Park in San Diego. I had to chuckle when I looked back through the NPN archives and remembered that it was only one short year ago that I sent Mike some photos of this park to share. We didn't even know each other back then! My how things change in a year, eh?

While I do have last year's brochure, I decided to take us back a bit farther than that. Belmont Park, which opened on May 29, 1925, celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2005. Its famed Giant Dipper roller coaster, which opened on July 4th of the same year, shared this anniversary. The 2005 brochure proudly marks this milestone, and the park even created a special logo to honor the occasion.

Belmont Park celebrated its 80th anniversary in style by welcoming two new attractions. For the ride lovers, the park added a Chance-Morgan Revolution dubbed "Beach Blaster". And for the surfers, they added a monster wave machine which they aptly named "Bruticus Maximus". The latter, a FlowBarrel model from Wave Loch, was hailed by the surfing community as the world's first "dedicated surfing wave". Although this brochure also throws the park's Chance Chaos into the "new" category, that ride actually opened in 2004.

Bruticus Maximus needed a home, and Belmont delivered. The year 2005 marked the debut of the Wave House, a "beach lifestyle venue" featuring wave machines, restaurants, tiki bars, an athletic club, and two stages which frequently feature live music acts. It is also the home of The Plunge, Belmont's historic swimming pool which opened with the park back in 1925. The Plunge is still the largest indoor swimming pool in the state of California!

It's unfortunate that this brochure doesn't include more photos, but take my word for it: This is a fun little park! I always enjoy my visits, and hope to make it back soon!

Mt. Olympus Offers Late Night Thrills

It's a well-known fact that most enthusiasts drool at the very prospect of riding their favorite coasters in the dead of night. Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park has proven that the same rule applies to the general public.

Earlier this month, owner Nick Laskaris pitched a novel idea to his staff which he dubbed "Night at the Theme Park". The original plan was to reopen select attractions two nights a week, from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m., for guests of the Hotel Rome only. But when 800 people--more than half the number the resort can accommodate--showed up on the first night, it became obvious that there was a much larger market for such an event. Mt. Olympus has since expanded Night at the Theme Park to four nights a week and opened it up to the general public.

There's just one itsy bitsy little problem: A village ordinance prohibits amusements from being open past midnight Sunday through Friday, and past 1 a.m. on Saturday. Laskaris appeared before the village board a couple weeks ago to plead his case and suggest modifications to the ordinance, and most trustees as well as local law enforcement officers seem to be sympathetic to his cause. Although the board has yet to hold a meeting to discuss the ordinance and has not officially granted Mt. Olympus a temporary variance, the park continues to offer the event. And according to the local news, nobody seems to object.

If the sheer popularity of Night at the Theme Park is any indication, I'd say Mt. Olympus is quite likely to get that variance. Wouldn't it be nice if other parks took a cue from this success story and instituted their own late night events! (Easier said than done, I know...) For more information on this unique event, including prices and a list of the rides that will be operating, refer to the Hotel Rome web site.

Attendance Up at Six Flags St. Louis

Here's a report that we like to see - Six Flags St. Louis isn't talking numbers, but they are saying that their attendance this summer is actually up! The park added two new attractions this year to help draw crowds, the above Wahoo Racer slide and the Glow in the Park Parade. Both have become big hits with park guests, and the residual effect of the Evel Knievel wooden roller coaster added last year doesn't hurt either.

More info an video here.

Book Review: Hershey Park - Images of America

The Images of America book series really is a wonderful effort in capturing American history in photos. Many titles take a close looks at great American amusement parks, and the title that features Hershey Park is no different.

Written by Pamela Cassidy Whitenack, the book takes a look back at the long history of the now booming amusement park. From the early development of the park by Milton Hershey himself to the mega expansions of today, almost every detail is covered.

Be warned though if you go looking for photos and information of recent additions to the park, as this book (like all those in the series) focuses mainly on Hershey Park's early years. There are some neat photos of many of the modern sections of the park under construction in the 1970's, though.

I never realized how little I actually knew of the history of Hersheypark! I suppose I thought that having done a report on Milton Hershey in 7th grade made me a subject matter expert, but boy was I wrong. The books is packed with little details that make me want to visit the park again and run around pointing out where long retired rides once stood!

If you're interested in checking out the book for yourself, here's a link to it on Amazon.

Aerial Antics: Water Park Time!

It's finally feeling like summer has hit and it's now hot outside. What's better on a stinkin' hot day during the summer than a water park? I thought it'd be fun to check out some of the coolest looking water parks for this week's Aerial Antics.

Disney World's Typhoon Lagoon opened in 1989 and has reigned as one of the most visited water parks in the country since. It's beautifully themed grounds contain the usual assortment of slides and play areas, along with some stand-out attractions such as the world's largest outdoor wave pool, and the park's latest attraction, seen here:

Crush 'n' Gusher opened in 2005 and contains three different water coaster experiences. The complex is themed to a deserted fruit processing center, and has quickly become one of the most popular attractions at the park.

Here we see Raging Waters San Jose located in San Jose, California. Located aside Lake Cunningham, the park features the Dragon's Den bowl slide as one of their premier attractions - and be warned, it features one angry looking dragon!

Seen here is Houston, Texas' SplashTown Water Park - now a member of the PARC Management family. May not be a name you hear of that often, but the park has a nice selection of water attractions such as the Tornado and RipQurl slides.

Wet 'n Wild Emerald Pointe is another water park that features some unique attractions. While it may no longer be open, the Hydra Fighter II was a roller coaster that featured suspended cars and plenty of water action. (still standing in the above image) New this year is Dr. Von Dark's Tunnel of Terror, a new Proslide creation.

Water World in Colorado is an expansive park with a rather huge selection of slides. I should also point out that they have themed slides! Yes! Voyage to the Center of the Earth features dark ride sections with Dinosaurs and more, and Lost River of the Pharaohs takes riders on a journey back in time to ancient Egypt.

And just because it looks pretty neat, here's one of the park's latest attractions, Turbo Racer. Nice colors!

Test Track Testing

Formerly Laser at Dorney Park, Test Track has been testing it's new train in preparation for it's opening on the German fair circuit. Oddly, it almost appears as though the lift hill is now even slower than it was at Dorney! It's also worth noting that at least in the video the train is going noticeably slower than it used to, though I'm sure the train has broken in since then. I'm still liking the new colors, too!

Carowinds Racing Toward 2010

© 2009 whitesoxsfan21 via CarowindsConnection.com

Carowinds held their first ever coaster enthusiast event yesterday, named Coaster Stock, and had a few teasers for fans of the park about their 2010 coaster plans.

No details were announced, but we do have the above sign which features an announcement date of 8.26.09 and some very telling tire tracks. Rumors have swirled that Carowinds' new ride would possibly have a Nascar theme, some going as far as saying that it might involve Dale Earnhardt as well. Me? I have no clue!

There's some photos of the construction site on Carowinds Connection posted here as well, with more and more footers popping up by the day, and the below teaser video that comes to us from You Tube user phantomflyer:

Another Piece of Geauga Lake History Gone

© 2009 WKYC-TV

Following on the heels of the Big Bad Wolf announcement, I'm afraid I have yet another depressing piece of news to share. WKYC-TV has reported that the Skyscraper observation tower which once loomed large above Geauga Lake is no more. The ride has been dismantled bit by bit over the past two weeks, its future uncertain.

Skyscraper, an Intamin Space Tower, was installed at Geauga Lake in 1974. After the park closed its gates for good in 2007, the tower was sold at auction for $12,500 to a bidder whose intention was to scrap it. However, it was later resold on eBay and ultimately ended up on Ital International LLC, where it is now listed as sold. We can only hope that its buyer intends to refurbish it and install it elsewhere rather than proceed with the scrapping plan. It's always sad to lose a piece of history!

Big Bad Wolf Heads For Retirement

Sadly, in this case 'retirement' is polite for being removed from the park forever. Busch Gardens Williamsburg has made the sad announcement that the famous Big Bad Wolf roller coaster will be closed for ever after September 7th.

The ride opened in 1984 and is being called the world's first suspended coaster, which is only somewhat true because of the failure of The Bat at Kings Island, which sorta opened for a bit back in 1981.

The Wolf was one of Arrow Dynamics' larger suspended coasters, and features an iconic 80' dive over the Rhine River as a finale to the ride. Sad news indeed.

Props to the park for officially announcing the closure so that fans can get in one last ride! It's a shame when parks do not do this.

Time Machine: Not So Hair-Raising After All!

The date was July 23, 2009. The location was Freestyle Music Park. The battle? Roller coaster versus toupee.

Dennis Murphy was a man on a mission. It seems he was a bit disenchanted with the Freestyle Music Park commercial embedded above, which depicts a man exiting the Time Machine roller coaster with his toupee only partially intact. A proud toupee wearer and owner of a local hair replacement store, he responded by challenging the Time Machine to a duel.

With John Stine (the park's director of sales and marketing) at his side, Murphy boarded the B&M behemoth to prove that there was no way a silly old roller coaster was going to separate him from his toupee. He was right! The toupee--with no help from Murphy's hands, which remained plastered to the grab bars--fared much better than its commercial counterpart and didn't budge.

The contest was all in good fun, as even Murphy himself admitted to getting a laugh out of the commercial. He was simply trying to prove a point. Freestyle Music Park was happy to allow him to do so, and currently has no intention of pulling the ad. You can read the full story in The Sun News.

So my question to Mr. Murphy is, when will he be heading over to Germany to challenge Ring Racer? Now that would be something!

A Blast From The Past - Putting The Big Dipper Out Of It's Misery

The Big Dipper (or Coaster as it was often referred as in later years) built 1924 by Fred Pearce, was the main attraction at the now defunct Chippewa Lake Park. The sleek out & back woodie is the last Pearce coaster standing (for now.) The park has been closed for over 20 years, and the Dipper was SBNO (Standing But Not Operating) for a few years before the park closed.

The Coaster Station circa 1974

Thirty plus years of neglict and weather has taken it's toll and it has been many years since this coaster was salvagable. Rotting wood and large trees have ensured that. The whereabouts of the train are uncertain, although internet rumors have it showing up as many places as Elvis. The brake levels and signage have also disappeared, and the station has started to collapse.

The Coaster station July 2009

So, why am I drudging up this sad tale now, well it seems the park and the Big Dipper's fate is finally sealed. The property has been sold and the remains of Chippewa Lake Park are being razed for future development. A lot of clearing has been done and it's only a matter of time before the Coaster is demolished. Part of me is very sad this day has come and part of me is releived that the park's fate has been decided.

Rockit's Rings

© 2009 Orlandorocks.com

Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit's lift hill 'rings' have finally been added, much to the pleasure of all the enthusiasts wondering where they have been. Seen in the official concept art, they are one of the final pieces of the ride to be added. OrlandoRocks has a great new gallery up of the latest additions.

Word on the street is that Universal employees will start to be able to take rides on the new roller coaster starting next week - which should hopefully mean that the ride will open soon!

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, here's the official concept video preview of the ride!

Cedar Point to Host 2010 Triathlon

Looking to get your fitness on at Cedar Point in 2010? Well here's your perfect opportunity! Revolution3 Triathlon Series and Cedar Point have announced that they will hold both full and half Ironman length triathlons at Cedar Point and the surrounding towns next September.

For those unfamiliar, a triathlon consists of swimming, running, and biking sections and would probably kill someone like me if I tried it! If you chose to partake in the full event, you'll be swimming 2.4 miles, biking for 112, and wrapping things up with two trips around a 13.1 mile course. Ack!

Reports put total prize money at $150,000, and that's certainly not a small figure! The Point hopes to plan a series of events at the park prior to the race including possible night ride sessions for athletes and their guests. If all goes well the event will reach the finish line at the park which will making for some exciting times for park visitors as well.

The event is set for September 12th, 2010 and more can be found on Revolution3's official website.

Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Walt Disney World 1989

When I decided to do a Disney brochure this week, I knew I was making a time commitment. This brochure is a detail lover's dream! And with so many individual parks to cover, I could probably spend the better part of the next week dissecting it. But I do enjoy sleeping once in a while, so I'll cover the basics and let you read the fine print for yourselves!

When it comes to expanding their offerings, Disney is not capable of doing anything small. Whether it's a new restaurant, a new attraction, or an entirely new area, you can bet your bottom dollar that it's going to be big and impressive. As the brochure cover indicates, the biggest thing to hit Walt Disney World in 1989 was the brand new Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park. But as we flip through the pages, you'll see that this was only the tip of the iceberg.

Keeping track of everything that was added to Walt Disney World in 1989 is no easy feat. The designers of this brochure decided to make it even more difficult by placing "NEW" banners across the tops of many of the photos, some of which depict rides and attractions that were actually added in previous years. This particular photo is true to its banner, as it highlights one of the many shows set to premier at the Disney-MGM park. But beware of imposters!

There's no questioning the "newness" of this particular attraction. Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park (now known as Disney's Hollywood Studios) most certainly did make its debut in 1989, and as with all things Disney, it took "state-of-the-art" to a whole new level. Hollywood Boulevard, complete with a replica of the famous Chinese Theatre, was recreated. The Great Movie Ride brought classics to life right before guests' very eyes. You could add your own sound effects to a movie, have your senses assaulted by explosions and floods, and even witness new movies and TV shows being filmed.

The Magic Kingdom needs no introduction. A staple of Walt Disney World since it opened, this is a park where imagination comes to life. If yours is a little rusty, perhaps you can rejuvenate it by reading the description of Mickey's Birthdayland, which encourages you to wish the jolly ol' mouse a happy 60th birthday. Only trouble is, the year was 1989 and Mickey turned 60 in 1988! (That's also when his Birthdayland opened, by the way.) Perhaps he was stuck in a time warp?

Magic Kingdom actually did welcome a new attraction in 1989, although you'd have to read through this entire section to learn about it. Dreamflight, presented by Delta Air Lines, replaced the former If You Could Fly attraction in Tomorrowland. Utilizing an Omnimover ride system, Dreamflight took its passengers on a journey through the history of aviation.

Hmm... I'm starting to think that this entire brochure is stuck in a time warp! Not a single thing labeled as "new" on these pages actually opened in 1989. Maelstrom, along with the rest of Norway, joined EPCOT Center in 1988. The spectacular IllumiNations show also premiered in '88. And Captain EO? Why, he had been around since 1986! I guess "new" is a relative term within the context of this brochure.

Although it is not mentioned, there was one new addition to EPCOT in 1989: The Wonders of Life pavilion, which opened late in the year. Perhaps it was not far enough along to merit a write-up in the '89 brochure.

Visiting Walt Disney World is more than a day trip. It's an experience. Even back in the '80s, the resort featured many different lodging options. Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, the first moderately priced property at Disney, was enjoying its first full season of operation in 1989. (It opened on October 1, 1988.)

On a side note, nothing spells '80s culture like a dude in a pastel-colored suit! [upper left-hand corner] Thank goodness that we as a society have come to our fashion senses since then!

Of all the pages in this brochure, these are the ones which deserved to have that "NEW" banner slapped all over them. And yet...nada. Since Disney apparently has fallen down on the job in this one instance, allow moi to enlighten you!

Two words: Pleasure Island. This former entertainment and nightlife mecca appeared on the scene in May of '89. Two more words: Typhoon Lagoon. This new water park, featuring "the world's largest inland surfing lagoon" among other things, also debuted in 1989. It complemented the existing River Country swimming area nicely. And while the Disney Village Marketplace was not new, its name was. Prior to 1989, this shopping and dining village had been known as Walt Disney World Village. (It has undergone yet another name change since 1989, but let's save that little nugget for a future post!)

Whew... I'm beat! If nothing else, sharing this brochure has made me painfully aware of how much Disney history I have yet to learn. How is it that I always walk away from these posts with something new on my to-do list?

Battlestar Galactica Layout Views

The Sentosa Theme Park blog has posted a new video of photos taken at the construction site of Universal Studios Singapore. The photos focus mainly on the Battlestar Galactica roller coaster construction. At the end of the video there are close up shots of the model of the ride that is on display at the site, which allows viewers to get a great idea of the dueling coasters' layout.

Keep in mind when following the track that the blue side is a more intense inverted coaster, while the red track is more family oriented and features sitting trains. Looks like fun, no?

Remembering Busch Gardens Los Angeles

Upon reading the title of this post, I'm sure that more than a few of you did a double take. Busch Gardens where? Yes, the Busch Gardens family used to have a sister park in California! It was located in Van Nuys, to be exact, although the branding seen on old park literature seems to indicate that it probably went by the moniker "Busch Gardens Los Angeles".

Popular Los Angeles blog site LAist recently published an article covering this park's all too brief history. While the California incarnation of Busch Gardens was famous for its brewery tours, gardens, and exotic birds as opposed to high-tech thrill machines, it did feature a handful of traditional rides, including a log flume. Unfortunately the article is light on photos, but it's still a good read for those interested in learning more about this long lost park.

If you make it through the history lesson and you're still thirsting for more, check out this blog post from Vintage Disneyland Tickets, which contains the full-size brochure images that were used in the article. I just love a blogger who appreciates not only brochures, but the frustration that ensues when they are not dated!

Diamondback Hits One Million

MASON, Ohio – Jim McDonel from Buffalo, New York was the 1,000,000th rider on the new Diamondback roller coaster at Kings Island Amusement Park since the $22 million ride opened April 18, 2009. The 43-year-old McDonel was accompanied on the ride Monday by Kings Island’s manager of park operations, Tony Carovillano.

Aerial Antics: Adventureland Iowa

Adventureland amusement park, located just outside of Des Moines, Iowa, opened in the mid 1970s and has thrived ever since. Not one of the huge corporate parks we are all so familiar with, Adventureland has been family owned for it's entire existence.

During it's design, the park adapted many aspects of Disneyland in California for use, part of which is especially evident in the park's entrance area:

We have the train crossing with station, tunnels under the tracks to enter the park, a large plaza thereafter, and finally a detailed Main Street entrance area to the park!

The park does have some unique rides in it's arsenal of thrills. Above we see The Underground, a dark ride/wooden roller coaster hybrid added to the park in 1996. It was designed and built by Custom Coasters, and if I remember correctly utilized an old amphitheater as the base for the ride.

The park is also home to the Raging River, an Intamin river rapids ride that was added to the park in 1983. This makes it one of the older ones still operating, as the first one ever opened in 1980 at AstroWorld in Texas.

Two coasters in one shot! The wooden ride is called the Tornado, designed by William Cobb and opened back in 1978. The interesting steel coaster is Dragon and was designed by Hopkins and added in 1991.

The Underground was actually Adventureland's second time working with Custom Coasters, the first partnership in 1993 resulted in the ride above, named Outlaw. Hard to tell from the photo but the ride sits on a hillside which allows it to have some neat elevation changes. May not be the biggest or fastest ride, but I've heard it packs a punch.

Also in the photo is one of the park's newer rides, Saw Mill Splash, a White Water West spinning rapids ride added in 2002.

To check out the aerials from Bing click here.

Daily Spin 7.20.09

Busch Gardens Tampa has started teasing the theme of their 2009 Howl-O-Scream event. Looks like this year the event will be themed to some sort of dark fashion designer... the website for the event is now live and has a video for you to enjoy.

Morey's Piers has launched a new book that looks back at the past 40 years of the seaside amusement piers' history. They quite literally launched the book at the park when they had David "The Bullet" Smith launch himself out of a giant cannon while holding two copies of the new book. The book is available for purchase at any of Morey's Piers.

Spongebob's 10th birthday has thrown Marriott and Nickelodeon's plan to build up to 20 resorts around the world back into the spotlight. The first property is still planned for San Diego next year, and will feature a 650 room hotel and a significant water park as well. I never really paid attention to news of this development when they announced it but I should have - it looks really nice! No relation to the Nick Hotel in Florida, however.

Looks like plans for a Paramount theme park in Osaka Japan, located on the site of the failed Expoland amusement park, are not dead. New reports have a local investment firm stating they will work with an affiliate of Paramount Studios to develop the park. Curiously, the company that owns the Expoland site says they have received no notification of the plan. Will it happen? You guess is as good as mine!

More Expo 2010 U.S.A. Pavilion news is pouring out now that the country's involvement has been made official. The pavilion will consist of three buildings, the main one will hold a large theatre that will present a 4-D movie experience created by BRC Imagination Arts, a design company with plenty of amazing theme park and world expo design experience.

Cedar Point is celebrating Christmas in July by helping out the Marine Corps' annual Toys for Tots program get an early start this year. Anyone who brings a brand-new toy to the park will receive a discounted admission ticket to the sprawling amusement park. Other activities will take place in the park, and Santa himself will appear to visit with the kiddies. The event runs this upcoming weekend, July 24th through 26th.

New Wooden Coasters for Efteling in 2010

Efteling Theme Park, in the Netherlands, has announced that they will add a new pair of racing/dueling wooden roller coasters for the 2010 season. The coasters are said to be 25 meters high (82 ft.) and 1,400 meters (4,593) long, although that sounds like it may be for both tracks combined. No manufacturer is listed yet, although I'm sure we all can agree that that's one of the most important factors!

The ride will be George and the Dragon and will replace the recently closed Pegasus, a wooden roller coaster that opened in 1991 and recently closed for good.

Daily Spin 7.18.09

Fans of Nut Tree Park, the short-lived family theme park which operated in Vacaville, California from 2006-2008, may take some comfort in knowing that a handful of the park's rides may be resurrected elsewhere within the overall Nut Tree complex. The project's assets were just purchased by a development company called Westrust, and spokespeople for the company have stated that they plan to bring back or relocate some of the park's key elements. Specifically mentioned were the train, carousel, and ice cream pavilion. Read more from The Oakland Tribune.

As the season progresses, more and more rides and attractions are springing back to life at Conneaut Lake Park. Splash City Water Park recently reopened, as did the Bessemer Railway System and Musik Express (which previously had been targeted for removal). If you're planning a visit, be sure to check the park's web site frequently as they continue to update their operating schedule and post new pricing specials.

Schlitterbahn Vacation Village in Kansas City opened in "sneak peek" mode this week, affording anxious guests the opportunity to enjoy a limited selection of attractions at a heavily discounted admission price. Attentive Schlitterblog readers received a sneak peek of the sneak peek, as the park posted a special offer which allowed readers to visit one day before the park's official opening day. Schlitterbahn Vacation Village will continue to operate in this limited capacity as their crew puts the finishing touches on this spectacular new water park. For a full list of attractions which will be open during this period, refer to the Schlitterblog.

Gregory Stanton of Lanham, Maryland has a new credit to his name: Pretzel Coaster Build-Off Champion! The 22-year-old's rendition of Apollo's Chariot won the judges' favor at this inaugural contest, which was held at Busch Gardens Williamsburg on Thursday. The full story, complete with photo gallery, can be found here. One of the judges has also created a photo gallery on Flicker. The contest was so successful that co-sponsors Busch Gardens and Snyder's of Hanover are discussing the possibility of making it an annual event!

In other contest news, Dorney Park's former "Little Laser" finally has a new name. The results are in, and "Steel First" has emerged victorious with 39.5% of the votes. The park is currently working on a logo and they plan to install new signage soon. When they do, you can bet that Mike or I will be there with a camera in hand! If you'd like to see where the rest of the votes fell, the full results have been posted on the park's web site.

Let's Check Out Wet'n'Wild Phoenix

Now that Wet'n'Wild Phoenix has opened I wanted to take a minute to look at it a little more closely. It has a wide variety of new attractions, most of which are the latest and greatest of the water park industry. The park was formerly known as Waterworld Safari and featured this selection of attractions:

Pretty much your typical run of the mill water park, sorta under developed and in need of expansion. Well, the new owners took care of that real quick, turning the park into this:

Now comparing the above map to the aerial photo of the former park, you can see that the new owners, Village Roadshow, really put the $30 million they used to expand the park to good use.

In fact, it doesn't appears they kept much of the old park at all, really. They've added new attractions from Proslide and WhiteWaterWest from what I can tell, including:

• A family Boomerango slide
• Family rafting slide
• Racing mat slides
• Bowl slide
• Selection of family tube slides
• Interactive family water play structure
• Proslide Tornado slide
• Dueling Master Blaster slides.

The dueling Master Blaster slides, known as Maximum Velocity, apparently opened a little later on than the park but appear to be the big draw at the park. One article I read said they had an hour and a half wait after the park opened!

If you want to see some photos of the cool stuff they've added, About.com has two galleries with some shots: here and then here.

The park was smart and also added a lot of shade structures to protect guests from the hot Phoenix sun, and also has an assortment of merchandise and food locations for visitors to enjoy.

The park certainly looks like a winner, so best of luck to them. If any of you readers visit let me know!

New Disney's California Adventure Site & Info

Disney Parks just launched a wonderful new website that allows visitors to learn about and follow the progress of all the changes they are making at their Disney's California Adventure theme park.

The site is stuffed full of photos, videos, drawings, plans, and more that details all the exciting new attractions coming to the park. One of the major new attractions is the World of Color lagoon show that will premiere next Spring and looks to be out of this world. (art above)

Disney also took the chance today to have a press event in connection with the reopening of their Blue Sky Cellar attraction at the park which allows visitors to see even more of the plans they have for the park. The current displays focus mainly on the World of Color show, and if you want to see some amazing photographs of what they have to show check out Mice Age's update.

Personally, I cannot wait for the World of Color show, as I have a feeling that Disney is going to really amaze audiences with what they can do with their take on a water fountain show!

A Blast From The Past - Where Did The Term Roller Coaster Come From?

Well one version originated in Haverhill Massachusetts, patented by Stephen Jackman & Byron Floyd, the Sliding-Hill and Toboggan opened in Sept of 1887 in Haverhill. The ride was built around the inner walls of the Globe Skating Rink. It was located on the third floor of the building with an elevator lift taking riders to the top.

1500 foot of track ran around the walls from ceiling to floor criss-crossing the rink in a spiraling figure eight formation." The Sliding-Hill and Toboggan survived for just three years and did little for the development of the roller coaster. The roller coaster did get something very important from the Haverhill ride - a name both Jackman & Floyd laid claim to the term "roller coaster."

The coaster and the building were demolished 2/1/1890, the 7 story Winchell building stands on the site today.

Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Joyland Amusement Park 2002

I always enjoy a good mystery. There's a certain sense of gratification that comes with solving them. But when it came to tracking down a year for this brochure, my gratification was incomplete! Ultimately I decided to go with the copyright date, but I have reason to believe that it is suspect. Let's investigate!

When I first laid eyes on this brochure cover, I thought for sure that it must have come straight out of an Adam Sandler movie. First they tell you to "wet your pants", then they follow it up by saying, "It's just cool!" Is Joyland in cahoots with Pampers?!

But a bit of research revealed that there is a logical explanation for all of these things. This particular brochure was the product of a partnership between Amusement Today and TL Creative Design. According to TL Creative Design's web site, the slogan "It's Just Cool" was developed to promote the "new" Wild River log flume (pictured here), which made its debut at Joyland in 2001.

Wait, 2001? The copyright on the back of the brochure clearly states 2002! That's the first half of the mystery. But in order to get a photo of a ride for a brochure cover, that ride needs to be open. And back in 2001, it was still under construction! So unless this photo is an imposter, it stands to reason that this brochure must have been printed no earlier than 2002.

I've never had the pleasure of visiting Joyland, but I'm a real sucker for quaint traditional parks so I'm sure I would love it! Not to be confused with the other park by the same name in Wichita, this Joyland is still very much alive and well in Lubbock, Texas and it features some great throwback rides. For instance, the Mad Mouse is a Herschell model that was relocated from Bell's Amusement Park back in the '70s. Heck, this park even has a Skyride and those have become rarities in recent years.

[*Note that there is yet another Wild River photo on this page--Score 2 for the 2002 theory!]

Here we see even more photos of Joyland's classic mix of rides, including the aforementioned Skyride. The Train, Big Splash, Whip, Rock-O-Plane, and Galaxi coaster round out this collection.

And of course, there's that notorious dated copyright notice at the bottom of the last page! What you may not be able to see, however, is that the operating calendar is a sticker which has been placed on top of the calendar that was actually printed on this brochure. Typically such measures are only taken when a park wishes to reuse an existing brochure from a previous year... HMMMMM... Could this actually be a 2003 brochure? Or even later? We may never know, because that calendar contains no actual dates! (In fact, it doesn't even make sense if you look at it closely. Each month has four rows instead of five!) This one is a tough nut to crack for sure.

I have yet to develop a system of applying dates to brochures when the same one is used multiple times, so I'm not going to think too hard about this one. But I'll tell you this much: If Joyland did in fact resurrect this brochure for multiple seasons, I have no doubt that it was due to the popularity of the "wet your pants" slogan!

New Attractions for Disneyland's Halloween Celebration

Disneyland, California, has announced that it will add a scary theme overlay to Space Mountain and a new themed fireworks display for this year's Halloween Time event.

According to the Funland Blog the ride should be similar to Hong Kong Disneyland's Halloween makeover of the Space Mountain, called Ghost Galaxy. Disneyland left all the lighting rigs up inside of Space Mountain from when it was Rockin' Space Mountain a few years back, so the transformation already has that going for it.

The park will also add a Halloween themed fireworks display, one of the coolest part of the similar celebration at Disney World in Florida, said to be hosted by the King of Halloween, Jack Skellington.

Odin's Temple Of The Tiger

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has announced that their new Tiger show and habitat, Odin's Temple of the Tiger, has opened at the California theme park. The area's 2,500 seat theater has been completely refurbished to allow guests to enjoy a 20 minute presentation featuring the Tigers in a replica of their natural habitat.

The addition also provides guests the opportunity to view the park's 11 Tigers in their 'backstage' areas in a lush setting complete with roaring waterfall. Above we see Odin himself officially opening the attraction for guests!

The park also released this video which provides a peek at what you can see when visiting Odin in his new area at the park. If you want to learn more you can check out the park's official Facebook page and website.

A Long Beach Island Fantasy: Part 2

Editor's Note: Be sure to check out Part 1 of this two-part series as well!

On behalf of Mayor Gator, I'd like to welcome you to the second and final segment of our Beach Haven adventure!

Pictured above is yet another one of Fantasy Island's stately entrances. The grandeur of it all might give you the impression that this is a gated park. Not so! Everything is pay-as-you-go, although a POP admission is available on certain days.

Something drew me to this particular token booth. I can't quite put my finger on it...

Ar! It seems me kiddie pirate ship captain be stashin' his booty in a heavily guarded booth. How many doubloons ye be askin' for the Giant Wheel, matey?

Oh, I suppose you were expecting tickets! In that case, you're out of luck because tokens are the standard form of ride currency at Fantasy Island. The kind man in the booth noticed that I was taking photos and went to the trouble of finding me a bright, shiny token to use, but sadly that photo is horribly out of focus so these will have to do. (My husband mentioned to him that I was doing a story about the park for my blog. I'm sure he was very impressed.)

The use of ride tokens is not the only thing to add an extra touch of class to Fantasy Island. The park's carousel, which was added in 1988, is a throwback to the carousels of the early 1900s. It was custom designed for the park by Chance Rides, and the horses were forged from molds that were based directly on the hand-carved designs of such greats as Charles Looff and Gustav Dentzel. The folks at Fantasy Island obviously take great pride in their carousel, as an entire section of the park's web site has been dedicated to it.



It ain't big and it ain't flashy. But it does earn Fantasy Island a spot on RCDB! The Dragon coaster opened in 1986. It was one of several new rides that Ed Florimont added to the former park's existing line-up when he took over.

For reasons that I cannot explain, there are some rather off-the-wall props sitting behind the Dragon coaster. Like this doll house...

...and this angry looking man!

I guess I'd be angry too if I had peg legs and was stuck behind bars.

Fantasy Island touts itself as a "Family Fun Park", and its wide selection of family-oriented rides is more than enough to validate that claim. But in the evenings, they kick the fun up a notch with yet another form of diversion: Free entertainment! The park's rotating entertainment line-up features a wide array of kid-focused entertainers who specialize in everything from magic to animals.



Though many new rides have been added to Fantasy Island over the past 25 years, Hartman's Park lives on through a handful of rides that have transcended the ownership changes. Among these are the bumper cars, tilt-a-whirl, and scrambler, which Florimont chose to keep and refurbish when he took over the park.

Park history lessons sure work up an appetite. Think hamburgers, fries, and cotton candy. Can't eat foods like those without paper products getting involved. Oily, sticky, ketchup-covered paper products....YUM!! This clown was moved to tears just thinking about it.


Ed Florimont was in the business of games, so it stands to reason that Fantasy Island would have a pretty impressive collection. But those shown here are just the tip of the iceberg! Right inside the park's main entrance is the legendary Casino, a family arcade featuring hundreds of games in a plush, upscale setting. The original casino building was 7000 square feet, but a massive $1 million expansion project doubled its size in the year 2000.


Fantasy Island is a place where old and new coexist harmoniously. For instance, the Himalaya that has resided at the park since its rebirth in the mid '80s stands next to the comparatively new Drop Zone, which was added in 2002. Yet one thing has remained constant through the years: Fantasy Island's commitment to character, cleanliness, and families.

That is one hungry, hungry hippo.

So what do you get when you cross a Victorian-style family fun park with a series of lip-smackin', refuse-eatin', cuteness factor-havin' trash cans? One enchanted enthusiast!

It all could have ended when the Hartmans decided to get out of the business in the 1970s. But thanks to Ed Florimont and the many capable staffers who have revitalized and cared for this park over the past couple decades, Fantasy Island remains a gem of Long Beach Island and, indeed, the entire Jersey shore community. If you're in the area, be sure to drop in and pay them a visit!

For even more Fantasy Island photos, check out our public album on Facebook!

The United States Officially Joins Expo 2010

The United States has finally confirmed that they will participate in the 2010 World Expo being held in Shanghai, China saying that our Pavilion will be completed "on time and on budget." Unable to use Government funds per American law, about half of the estimated $61 million needed to build the American Pavilion has already been raised.

The World Expo is expected to attraction some 70 million people during it's run, and currently has 240 countries signed up to participate. America's Pavilion will be located across from China's on the central corridor of the Expo.

The theme of the American Pavilion will be "Celebration 2030, in which a guided tour led by an American Chinese will allow the visitors to experience the space of future and personally feel the US cities in year 2030."

On another note, I was looking at some of the Pavilion designs from different countries and check out the Switzerland one:

Its going to have a chair lift system like those that can be found on the Alps start inside the Pavilion and go up and onto the roof for a nice little ride! Neat.

Kings Island's Roller Coaster Momma!

Is Diamondback a huge success for Kings Island? Just ask Darlene Bell of nearby Dayton, Ohio. Having visited Kings Island 28 times this season, the self-proclaimed “Roller Coaster Mama” became the first park guest to ride Diamondback 500 times. That's an average of 18 rides per visit on the park's new $22 million steel roller coaster!

Photo provided courtesy of Kings Island

That's Darlene (front seat, left) enjoying her 500th ride on Kings Island’s Diamondback roller coaster Saturday 7/11/2009, accompanied by a Diamondback rides associate, Bryan Miller.

Photo provided courtesy of Kings Island

Congratulations Darlene! Hope to see you in line!

More On Carowinds 2010

User JamminJ over on the Carowinds Connection boards posted a great new photo update from the construction of the park's new coaster for 2010. They've got the first footer about ready to pour, other holes dug for a bunch of footers, and the drainage pieces sitting around where they will be placed.

From this, I made the above excellent piece of art. No really, no matter how bad my art is you can totally tell how this ride will start in this area from what they've done so far. The drainage pieces would be for a splashdown, which after Diamondback we're all sure would happen on this ride. Then you have the big footer ready to be poured which just screams "I'm for the base of the lift hill!" Also, there's tons of little footer holes dug for the transfer track area, just like on Diamondback. Add in a queue, station and put the rest of the ride out into the parking lot and presto! New B&M hyper coaster.

Exciting!

Daily Spin 7.13.09

Remember the contest that Snyder's Pretzels and Busch Gardens Williamsburg had for people to build a roller coaster out of their pretzels? Well, six finalists have been chosen (above) and will compete at Busch Gardens Williamsburg this Thursday for the grand prize. The finalists will have three hours to build a replica of Apollo's Chariot and the winner will receive 4, 2-year season passes to the theme park and a year's supply of pretzels. I wonder how much is a year's supply of pretzels, hmm? Anyway, check out the official contest page here to see more photos!

Kings Island has announced that their new hyper coaster, Diamondback, has already given over 800,000 rides since it opened this past Spring. The ride is trying to beat the park's current first year ridership record holder, Vortex, which gave almost 2.2 million rides in it's debut season. Good luck to Diamondback! Be sure to keep us updated, Kings Island.

Did you think the 'tunnel' of Superman logo shaped rings at the bottom of Bizarro's (New Jersey) first drop were cool? Well those cool LED lights were provided by Elation Architectural, a firm that specializes in projects such as Six Flags Great Adventure's coaster transformation. And they have a link to a great close up video of the lights in action! Check out the story and video link here.

Six Flags Great America and Pert Plus shampoo teamed up a few days ago to try to snatch two world records - both of which are interesting sounding: The World's Largest Shower and Most People Showering Simultaneously In One Venue. Now that's a publicity stunt if I've ever heard of one! This article has the details, but it actually sounded like a lot of fun and was probably successful!

This probably does not bode well for Freestyle Music Park, but the park has decided to keep their 4th of July admission promotional price for the entire month of July. If purchased before 4 p.m., you can get two entrance tickets for only $17.76, or only $8.88 a person. What a deal! If you show up after 4 p.m. one ticket is still only $17.76, considerably less than most parks evening admission rate. Click here to read the details.

Schlitterbahn Kansas City Closer to Opening

Schlitterbahn Vacation Village, in Kansas City, Kansas, is moving closer to its grand opening, with an official date set to be released this week.

The new water park is the first phase of a massive project that will include resort amenities as well as a large shopping/dining complex. In the end, a full and unique water park resort will have been created.

If you want to check out recent photos of the property, like the one above, be sure to also check out the Schlitterblog for more! I can't wait to see plenty of photos once the Kansas City location opens!

A Long Beach Island Fantasy: Part 1

Editor's Note: Be sure to check out Part 2 of this two-part series as well!

As the saying goes, one tardy trip report deserves another. Or at least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! It seems my keyboard simply can't keep up with my suitcase this summer. (And the summer is far from over, my friends...) The following TR eclipses even my Six Flags Fiesta Texas TR in terms of being "well aged". Fortunately for me, this park's appeal is timeless!

A few short weeks ago (or maybe more, but who's counting), I had the opportunity to visit what is arguably the Jersey shore's most charming seaside amusement park. (Perhaps those of you with really good memories will recall my rambling tweets.) Tucked away on the comparatively sedate shores of Long Beach Island, Fantasy Island Amusement Park truly lives up to its name.

Fantasy Island is celebrating its silver anniversary this year, but it was not the first park to occupy this location in Beach Haven, New Jersy. Its predecessor, Hartman's Park, dates back to 1960. The Hartman family put their park up for sale sometime in the 1970s, and by 1985 it found itself in the very capable hands of Ed Florimont.

Ed Florimont was no newcomer to the amusement industry. Both he and his father had long histories as game concessionaires along the Jersey shore, and Ed in particular had built up quite a reputation as an "upscale" businessman. He was determined to bring his unique vision of a Victorian-style amusement park to Beach Haven, and he spared no details in making his dream a reality.

Everywhere you look, Fantasy Island screams class and charm. From its intricate entrance archways to its Victorian-style lampposts and Z-brick paved midways, this park truly is the stuff of fantasies. There's nary a piece of litter to be seen, and the rides may as well have been installed yesterday for how vibrant and well-maintained they appear.

But most importantly, Fantasy Island was well-equipped to satisfy my penchant for park fetishes. (The value of this trait cannot be underestimated.) There is a great abundance of "characters" at this park, and you just never know where they'll show up next...

Gators: The next best thing to crocs.

Case in point: Meet the Mayor of Fantasy Island, Al E. Gator! This replica's full-size costumed counterpart is frequently seen roaming the midways, though sadly we did not catch a glimpse of him during our visit. And the "mayorship" thing is no joke. Al--or "Mr. Pickle", as he apparently is known by friends--was formally inducted into office on August 16, 2006. He even has his own e-mail address! (I am not making this up. Visit Fantasy Island's web site and see for yourself!)



Fantasy Island is only 25 years young, but it has grown and changed with the times just like any other park. A miniature golf course which used to sit just inside the park's main entrance was replaced by the Giant Wheel and two kiddie rides (pictured above) in 1994. The Giant Wheel was an expensive investment for a park of this size, but it was a wise one. No seaside park is complete without a Ferris wheel overlooking the water, and in the case of Fantasy Island you have the option of the ocean or the bay!


The kiddie swings and train ride made their debut in 1990. The majority of the rides at Fantasy Island cater to the smaller set, but that suits Long Beach Island just fine. This shore point features 18 miles of the quietest, most peaceful beaches you'll find anywhere on the East Coast of the U.S. Mind-blowing thrill rides and towering coasters would seem out of place here. It is a family retreat, and Fantasy Island captures that vibe.

I got a tracheotomy just so I could eat your trash!

A-HA! So this is how Fantasy Island manages to keep its midways so clean. Discarding garbage is a form of entertainment at this park! Little did I know how much more entertaining it would become...


Unlike its brother down at Beech Bend, this particular Sea Dragon opted not to lead a life of celebrity. Fantasy Island has been its home since 1989! The Sea Dragon is one of many rides at the park that the entire family can enjoy together.


The Sea Dragon is thrilling and all, but it was the kiddie pirate ship that took the prize for best ride op. This animated fellow puts the "fantasy" in Fantasy Island. Sporting a pirate hat and a black wig, he beckoned passing children to challenge the seven seas on his small but mighty vessel. When he noticed me taking photos, he practically begged to be in one of them! I'm a big fan of enthusiastic ride ops, so I gladly obliged. Carry on, matey!

Well no wonder he's so jovial--Stationed at the foot of the kiddie pirate ship is yet another tricked out trash can! Just look at him licking his chops in anticipation of your soiled napkins and sticky soda cups. I'd be lion if I told you that I didn't have a hankering to be wasteful at that moment.

Nothing puts an exclamation point on a story like ending it with a really bad pun, and I like to go out on a high note. So with that, I'll conclude Part 1 of this fantasy-astic TR! (Alright, that last bit was pushing it...) Stay tuned for more rides, more history, and most importantly, more trash cans!

Deadline for Feedback Draws Near at Coney Island

The great American tradition that is the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest has put Coney Island smack dab in the middle of the national media spotlight over the past couple weeks. But what all of those media reports failed to mention is that even the iconic original Nathan's location is not safe from redevelopment under the City's proposed rezoning plan.

As the battle for Coney Island wages on between the City, Thor Equities, and the countless local residents and enthusiasts who have a very personal stake in the matter, it has become very obvious that something needs to be done to secure the area's future. For its part, the City has put together a comprehensive master plan which goes a long way toward accomplishing that goal. Yet many people, while acknowledging the overall merit of the plan, have raised concerns that it contains several fatal flaws which could spell doom for Coney Island in the long run.

Among the concerned is Dick Zigun, unofficial "Mayor" of Coney Island and founder of the not-for-profit arts organization Coney Island USA. In fact, he has gone so far as to produce the embedded PSA, in which he urges residents to contact their City Councilmembers and request three key changes to the plan: (1) moving a series of proposed high-rises north of Surf Avenue, (2) expanding the amusement district, and (3) eliminating financial incentives for destroying Coney Island's historic buildings.

Zigun, in conjunction with the grassroots organization Save Coney Island, is trying desperately to spread his message as the deadline for feedback draws near. This Monday, July 13, 2009, is the last day to request changes to the City's plan. Zigun's PSA delivers a humorous yet genuinely sincere and well thought-out message that is worth a listen even if you disagree with him. But if you live in Brooklyn and you do agree with him, by all means make those phone calls because you may not get another chance!

To keep your finger on the pulse of this continuing saga and all things Coney Island, be sure to check out Amusing the Zillion, a great blog written by New York-based writer and "former carny kid" Tricia Vita.

Mice Gone Wild

Just a random video I took a while back of the Wild Mouse at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom.

One Slice of The People's Playground, Please!

The main course was hot dogs. Now it's time to move on to dessert! As the title insinuates, this mini trip report is a departure from my usual excessively verbose format. (Please hold back your tears!) In fact, it's not so much a TR as it is a whirlwind tour of a few of the major landmarks at Coney Island. My time at The People's Playground was brief, so the amusements had to take a backseat this time around. (Blasphemous, I know!)

Nevertheless, certain "sights" at Coney Island simply must be photographed during every visit, regardless of how ubiquitous they have become within modern culture. Who am I to break tradition? So pay close attention, because I'm sure you've never seen any of the following landmarks before!

Dormant since 1968, but still standing proud!

The inventor of Coney Island's iconic Parachute Jump had originally set out to build a better training structure for military paratroopers. Turns out it made a great amusement ride too! This model first operated at the 1939 New York World's Fair and was later purchased by the Tilyou family for Steeplechase Park.

I took this photo well before the masses descended upon Coney Island. The boardwalk sure was peaceful first thing in the morning, but that wouldn't last long!

The next few photos capture a piece of Coney Island that isn't so much a landmark as a travesty. "Dream Land" or "Dreamland" or however they choose to spell it on any given day is Thor Equities' attempt to sweep the Astroland debacle under the rug and pretend that they're giving something back to the people of Brooklyn. (And apparently spelling is not their strong suit: "showes"?)

Set up in the lot where Astroland used to stand, this carnival of sorts features a couple dozen rides, a "freak show", and inflatables galore. It was named after the original Dreamland Park which existed at Coney Island from 1904-1911, an association which is...well, laughable.

That being said, I predict that this place is going to make a killing this summer. Why? Two words: Dragon Wagon. Or more specifically, Michael Jackson's Dragon Wagon. That's right folks, it's right here at Dreamland! The story actually broke the day we were at Coney Island and as soon as word gets out, I'm sure that adoring fans will be descending upon this place like vultures. I can't say I blame them. Had I known this information at the time, I may have made a point to ride it myself.

And by the way, don't expect this newly discovered coaster "installation" to show up in the annals of RCDB anytime soon (although there is a brief mention of the ride's current whereabouts). Such privileges are reserved for permanent parks, and Dreamland is anything but that. Come Fall, this Coney Island "squatter" will be a nothing but a memory and the old Astroland lot will return to its empty, abandoned state.

Needless to say, Dreamland was still closed at the time these photos were taken. I didn't bother returning when it was open, partially due to time constraints but primarily because I couldn't stomach the thought of supporting Thor Equities in any way, shape, or form. Nevertheless, if this park manages to draw a few extra visitors to Coney Island, I'm all for that. If you'd like to check it out, this thread on Theme Park Review includes photos of virtually every ride, Dragon Wagon included!

What was I saying about keeping this brief? Let's fast forward to the part where everything is open. By the time the last hot dogs were consumed at Nathan's, Coney Island had become a veritable sea of people--none of whom had the patience for an ogling, tweeting, photo-taking blogger!

Shoot the Freak: An oldie but goodie

In order to truly "get" Coney Island, you really need to experience it firsthand. And leave your "PC" sensitivities at home, because somehow the bizarre, the outrageous, and the downright disturbing make perfect sense here. There's not another place like it on this planet!


Now that Astroland is gone, the burden of preserving Coney Island's legendary amusement history rests squarely on the shoulders of the Vourderis family, owners of Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park. If the message printed on the park map is any indication, they are up to the challenge. It reads: "Open this year, and next year and next and next and next."


Stepping into Deno's is like stepping back in time--in a good way! Although the park has changed and evolved through the years, it has also stayed very much the same. Deno's is classic Coney.

Swinging cars: Only for the bravest of riders and the strongest of bladders!

The centerpiece of this park, of course, is the magnificent Wonder Wheel itself. This 150-foot tall landmark opened in 1920 and has managed to maintain a perfect safety record throughout its history.


Our last stop on this ever so brief tour of Deno's is the Spook-A-Rama, a classic Pretzel dark ride built in 1955. It was the last permanently installed dark ride to make an appearance at The People's Playground. In honor of Spook-A-Rama's 50th birthday in 2005, the Laff in the Dark organization presented the Vourderis family with the Leon S. Cassidy Achievement and Preservation Award for their continuing commitment to the maintenance and preservation of this historic ride.


If you are a history buff (or even if you aren't), do not leave Coney Island without paying a visit to the Coney Island History Project. This not-for-profit organization was founded by Carol Hill Albert and Jerome Albert (former owners of Astroland) in 2004. Its purpose is to increase awareness and appreciation of Coney Island's past, present, and future, with special emphasis being placed on its illustrious history. The History Project's exhibition center is certainly easy enough to find, as it is located right beneath the Cyclone!

Speaking of which...Time constraints or not, there was no way I was leaving Coney Island without taking a spin on the most legendary coaster of them all!


Earlier in the day, before the Cyclone opened to the public, I happened to catch a glimpse of a maintenance worker walking the track. So of course I had to snap a couple photos!


Our friend in maintenance must be doing something right, because the old girl was running like a well-oiled machine! It was even better than I remembered. The Cyclone stands as one of the last survivors of that fabled "golden age" of roller coasters, and it is everything you would expect a coaster built in the 1920s to be: Pure, raw, unadulterated, bone-rattling fun.


I must also give props to the members of the Cyclone's ride crew, as they, too, were working together like a well-oiled machine. The loading and dispatch times were lightning fast. I don't think the line stopped moving once!

I was lucky to get a few seconds to quickly snap some photos inside the station. The crew let me know in their own subtle, friendly, yet unmistakably authoritative way that I was not to dawdle! Point taken. I would not dream of interfering with such an efficient operation!



Now that it's all said and done, I guess this TR ended up being a little longer than I thought. That's pretty amazing considering that I didn't even have many photos to share! Let me assure you that the next time I visit Coney Island, it will be all about the rides. Until then, I hope you've enjoyed your lil' slice of the world's most famous amusement area!

A Blast From The Past - Patent For Stand-up Restraint

On September 16th, 1986 Giovanola Freres SA of Monthey Switzerland, along with Intamin AG of Freienbach Switzerland filed a patent for a device to retain roller coaster passengers in a standing position.

The abstract reads: To enable a passenger to ride a "roller coaster" in a standing position, the invention device includes a seat placed between the legs of the passenger, a back member with a headrest incorporated in it, and two harnesses which provide retention of the passenger from above as well as lateral retention of his head and good front and lateral retention of his body.

One of the harnesses is movable and can be swung upwardly to enable easy acess to the subject device by the passenger and to enable a ventral bar to be brought into tight contact with the passenger's abdomen before being locked shut in that position.

Because the sliding carriage which bears the two harnesses, the back member and the seat are displaceable and lockable along the cloumns which have their base fixed to the chassis of the train, the present invention can accommodate passengers of differnt height and sizes and reliably retain such passengers regardless of their orientation in space during the operation of the associated roller coaster.

If this description isn't painfull enough to read, the restraint was used on the much traveled Batman The Escape at Astroworld which is currently in storage at Darien Lake, Cobra at La Ronde and Iron Wolf at Six Flags Great America

We've Got Footers!

© 2009 KDFansite.com

... and they're really BIG footers! KDFansite has some new photos of the construction taking place for the park's rumored 2010 Intamin Giga coaster. Lots of new track has arrived as well, including what looks to be part of the top of the lift hill!

Check out all the photos at KDFansite.

Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Idlewild 2006

They say good things come in small packages. This week I'll show you how that same rule can be applied to parks and brochures! Idlewild may not be the biggest park on this planet, but it sure packs in the family fun. Even more amazing is the fact that they continually manage to condense all that fun into a comparatively tiny brochure. This baby is short on pages but long on information!

When it comes to Idlewild and Golden Ticket Awards, it is not a matter of "if". Rather, it is a matter of exactly how high they will place! This park is a shoo-in for the "Best Children's Park" category. In 2006, they captured the #2 spot.

But the biggest "winner" of 2006 was SoakZone, which underwent a massive $1 million expansion that increased its area by twenty percent! The star attraction of this new area was Captain Kidd's Adventure Galley, an interactive water play structure featuring slides, tunnels, spray jets, you name it--all capped off by a 500 gallon tipping bucket.

The strip of thumbnail images across the top of this page is used to showcase Idlewild's seven themed areas. It reminds me of a movie reel, which seems appropriate since it's essentially giving us a sneak preview of what each area has to offer.

It just so happens that one of these themed areas was celebrating a special birthday in 2006: Story Book Forest had just turned 50! This unique area is a perfect example of what makes Idlewild such a great children's park. Story Book Forest is a place where nursery rhymes come to life in the form of life-size displays and live characters.

And I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to point out Idlewild's historic Rollo Coaster, a gentle family woodie that has been putting smiles on riders' faces since 1938!

They've even managed to squeeze a little Halloween into this brochure! One could argue that Story Book Forest injects a little bit of Halloween-style make-believe into every day of the operating season, but Idlewild really kicks it up a notch in the Fall by allowing children to trick-or-treat amongst their favorite nursery rhyme characters. Sounds like fun to me! Where do I sign up? (And no, I will not be dressing as a teenage witch! Darn that stinking TV show...)

As you can see, this brochure is like a metaphor for Idlewild itself: Small, but chock full of good stuff. Of course the paper lover in me certainly wouldn't mind if they were to expand their brochure format in the future!

Freestyle Music Park Giveaway Contest Winners!

We're pleased to announce the winners of our Freestyle Music Park Giveaway Contest!

Our Grand Prize winner of two tickets to the park is Ryan P. from Ohio! Congrats Ryan!

Our two other winners, who will both receive a Freestyle Music Park Tee Shirt are Darron K. and Doug M.! Congratulations to you guys, too!

Now here are the answers to our mystery photos:

Mystery Photo #1, Iron Horse:


Mystery Photo #2, McGillivray Cab Company:


Mystery Photo #3, Polly Nesian's Splash Bash:


Mystery Photo #4, Fly Like An Eagle:


Mystery Photo #5, The Time Machine:


Many thanks go out to all who entered and especially Freestyle Music Park for allowing us to have the contest! Congratulations again to all our winners!

Aerial Antics: Geauga Lake Before And Afters

Geauga Lake's aerials on Bing! Maps have some updated images spliced in with the old that allow for some neat (though sad) comparisons.

Like in this case we can see Superman: Ultimate Escape standing and ready to thrill passengers with it's launch.

But then, in this photo it has be ripped out of the ground and at that point was probably already in Pennsylvania preparing to become Possessed at Dorney Park.

Here's the two coasters that were right on the Lake part of Geauga Lake: Thunderhawk and Dominator.

And here we see the land littered with concrete support 'footers' and no more coasters! They headed off to Michigan and Virginia.

Finally, a fun looking kiddie area, packed with rides and attractions for the smaller members of your family.

And now they're all at Cedar Point in Planet Snoopy!

Here's a link to the aerials, you have to play around a while to get the newer ones to come up.

It's Laser! (Test Track)

© 2009 pinion

Wow what a paint job Laser from Dorney Park has now that it's back in Germany! The ride is being built at the site of the Hamburg Fair, and should open sometime this month. The track is now a screamin' yellow with white supports, except from the loops which are a deep blue.

Check out this thread on Freizeitparkweb for more photos of the coaster going up!

Celebrating Dorney Park's 125th

Part of the celebration that Dorney Park is having in honor of their 125th anniversary this summer, aside from their new Snoopy Rocks! On Ice show and a slew of new special events, is a tamer offering that history buffs like myself will love - the Dorney Park history Walking Tour.

When the park celebrated their 100th anniversary they first added the Walking Tour. Signs with photos dotted the park and a special brochure was created to guide guests to these signs of famous Dorney Park landmarks.

I happen to be the proud owner of one of these original brochures, and am happy to be able to show it off here.

The original tour featured 20 different locations in the park that featured historic rides, attractions, and other memorable spots.

For the park's 125th, they've brought back 16 of the original 20 signs, spiffed them up for their current use, and are proudly displaying them in the park. For those of us (myself included, as I was, uh, 2 when this took place) who never got to check out the original display, this is a pretty wonderful opportunity!

That said, let's have a look at those signs!

Dance Floor, Skating Rink, and finally the Wacky Shack - the area near the basketball game coming down the big hill in the park featured this famous building.

The Bucket O' Blood was one of Dorney's classic dark rides which burned in 1983. The 'pretzel' style ride system featured gags designed by Bill Tracy, who made quite a name for himself designing dark rides during his era.

Dorney Park started as a picnic property, and judging from the throngs of people I saw having picnics in the parking lot a week ago, it still is. This sign celebrates the long standing tradition of the picnic at Dorney.

Carousels also have a prominent history at Dorney Park, with at least 6 different ones operating at the park during it's history. Today the park features the beautiful 1921 Dentzel Carousel just inside it's main entrance gates.

I don't believe I've ever seen any of the photos before featured on this sign of the railroad at Dorney Park. Those are some classic shots! And the sign isn't kidding, the Zephyr train really did help the park survive the depression era.

The focus is on Camp Snoopy these days, the this sign proves that the kiddies have never been ignored at Dorney Park. Funny how a good idea never dies, as you can see a small Ferris wheel in a couple of the photos, just like the one standing today in Camp Snoopy!

The former home of the Laser roller coaster is also the former home of the park's giant swimming pool, a massively popular place for locals in the first half of the century. I think those old style water slides would rival anything in Wildwater Kingdom for thrills!

The one features photos of the park's original parking lot, which is now only used for employee parking. It features the photo below, which in large size has some cool details:

The aerial of the park in the lower portion is what I'm liking - you can see how picnic groves once littered this section of the park. Also you can check out the layout of Journey to the Center of the Earth and see the original rocket ship swing ride still standing.

And speaking of Journey, or the Mill Chute as it was originally known, this sign features several great images of the ride. I especially liked this one:

Which shows a peaceful view of the ride's loading station in front of The Coaster, now known as Thunderhawk. I love the American flags hanging on the station, too!

While the Cedar Creek doesn't look quite the same nowadays, it has always run through the lower portion of the park. Here we see several very old photographs of the creek's peaceful setting.

The area is only so peaceful though, with the Coaster, or now Thunderhawk, running through the area filling it with the screams of its passengers. The sign makes note of the fact that the ride underwent a major renovation in 1927 which changed it from an out and back ride to the twisted layout it has today.

This photo appears to be from when the ride was being remodeled since it almost looks like the running track is not in place yet, and there is still wood debris around the site. Also worth pointing out is the original trolley track running through the coaster where a shady walkway now exists.

Much like another Pennsylvania park, Knoebels, Dorney once had a road run right through the center of it. Many people will remember the famous "stop" and "go" sign that a guard used to allow guests to move from one side to the other.

Castle Gardens really was a big deal during it's time at the park. For more info on that, I'll refer you to the article I did on it a couple years ago. (I can't believe we've been publishing long enough for me to say that!)

A structure that was removed from the park just a few years ago was the original Dorney Mansion. In it's later years it featured several food outlets and an arcade, but at one time had a humorous walk through spook house in it's lower level called the Gold Mine.

Nuns on the Rooster Ride! How weird does that sound? The Chanticleer was a unique Carousel at the park that featured roosters that you could ride on instead of the traditional horses. As the sign depicts, it was also featured in the movie "Where Angles Go, Trouble Follows."

Finally we end with a photo of another very popular pastime at Dorney Park: The racetrack. People came from far and wide to see the races that were held here, and judging from these photos it looked like quite a time!

Hopefully you've enjoyed this historical treat as much as I did photographing it and writing about it! Many props to Dorney Park for putting these signs back up in celebration of the park's 125th anniversary!

Don't Count Your Hot Dogs Before They're Eaten

Through the years, I've found many entertaining ways to spend my 4th of July holiday. I've watched the Washington, DC fireworks display from the National Mall. I rode Belmont Park's Giant Dipper on its 75th birthday. And last year I single-handedly put out an apartment fire! But July 4, 2009 will definitely go down in history as one of my most memorable.

The original Nathan's Famous location, at the corner of Surf and Stillwell

They say that the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, which takes place at Coney Island every 4th of July, is one of those events that every person needs to attend at least once in his or her lifetime. This year I had an excellent excuse to check that one off my list: I knew one of the competitors!

I hope you're hungry, Sean!

The folks who run this competition do not mince words.

Sean Gordon, a friend of mine who hails from the gastronomic training grounds of Downingtown, Pennsylvania, smote his competitors in a regional hot dog eating qualifier back in May. That victory earned him a trip to the granddaddy of all eating contests and effectively ended any speculation over how I would be spending my holiday this year. I arrived at the corner of Surf and Stillwell bright and early yesterday morning, anxious to watch Sean and his fellow contestants put a hurtin' on those dogs!

George Shea, Chairman of Major League Eating

True to their roots, the good folks of Coney Island put on quite a show for us in the hours leading up to the contest. Our emcee was none other than George Shea, Chairman of Major League Eating, whose incomparable "joie de vivre" kept the amassing crowds entertained as we waited for the main event.


The Coney Island Strong Man dazzled us with his feats of strength. First he laid on a bed of nails, placed an anvil on his chest, and allowed his sons to pound on it with sledgehammers. For his encore, he encouraged them to bend a piece of rebar around his neck! I can only imagine what family gatherings must be like in that household...


The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus troupe, which will be performing at Coney Island throughout the summer, was also on hand. They wowed the crowd with balancing, juggling, and tumbling acts, but my personal favorite was the dancing dachshunds! After all, what's a hot dog eating contest without wiener dogs?

Better keep these away from the contestants. I wouldn't trust them with anything shaped like a hot dog on a day like this.

For their part, the crowds were equipped with an ample supply of Nathan's Famous thunder sticks.



Speaking of crowds, boy did they ever turn out--to the tune of 40,000! Can you imagine what 40,000 sets of thunder sticks sound like? I think I will be hearing them in my sleep for weeks.

Sometimes things just have a way of falling into my hands. Like this media pass, for instance. I have no idea where it came from or how I ended up with it, but I was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth!

...Then I took a gander at said "media" area, which had been teeming with elbow-to-elbow reporters from the moment we stepped off the subway. The chances of securing a prime piece of real estate on that platform were somewhere between slim and none, and the chances of my highly inferior zoom lens capturing any degree of detail from that distance were even slimmer. After quickly scanning the mass of high-tech, gadgetized cameras before me and comparing them to my very unimpressive P.O.S. camera, I came to the conclusion that those folks probably had a lot more riding on this story than me. [And yes, my camera is a point-and-shoot model. But that's not what I meant by "P.O.S."] You have to pick your battles in life, and this was one I chose not to fight. (I did, however, continue to wear the badge. It made me feel fancy.)

Sean Gordon: Nathan's rookie but no stranger to victory.

Takeru Kobayashi: Six-time Nathan's champion. He loves hot dogs. I love Japan. I think we could be great friends.

Joey Chestnut: Two-time Nathan's champion coming into yesterday's competition. I prefer peanuts and cashews, but I was still rooting for him.

The pregame show was well orchestrated, but we were there to watch some hot dogs get eaten! Without further ado, George introduced each contestant with all the pomp and circumstance he could muster, rattling off the various competitive eating crowns that each had won and the achievements which had earned them a spot on the Nathan's stage.

Then, with all the formalities out of the way, there was nothing to do but eat...

...and eat...

...and eat some more!

For 10 agonizing minutes--and I'm not sure whether the bulk of that agony fell on the eaters or the spectators--the 19 participants in the 2009 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest stuffed their faces with the most patriotic of all our country's culinary offerings. When the crumbs settled, Joey Chestnut of San Jose, California emerged victorious over his Japanese arch-rival Takeru Kobayashi, devouring a world record-setting 68 dogs to Kobayashi's 64.5! Pat "Deep Dish" Bertoletti of Chicago captured third place with an impressive 55 dog tally.


Nothing spells patriotism like downing 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes. A lesser man may have complained of discomfort after two or three, but Joey Chestnut came to Nathan's to prove that he's willing to risk life, limb, and gastrointestinal system for his country. Chewing is for the weak.

As for Kobayashi, he will have to wait another long year for his next chance to dethrone the new godfather of Nathan's. He was visibly dejected after the loss, but that's nothing his six-figure competitive eating "salary" can't fix. That's right, folks: The best of the best in this "sport" make six figures between prize money, endorsements, and sponsorships!

I think it's time to make a career switch. When it comes to putting down the food, I am small but mighty. I chalk it up to my runner's metabolism. The trick will be figuring out which foods best suit my style. Right now I'm leaning toward pancakes. I'll keep you apprised of my progress.

So how did our friend Sean fare in this bun-soaking bonanza? Quite well for a rookie! His 25 dog total landed him in a tie for 13th place with Crazy Legs Conti and Pete Davekos. Not his personal best, but he was pleased nonetheless. I expect even greater results for him next year. [You are doing this again next year...right, Sean??!]

The hot dog eating contest may have been the focal point of my trip to Coney Island, but I did have the opportunity to snap a few shots of some other--shall we say--local landmarks. Watch for those in a future post!

Aerial Antics: Six Flags Over Georgia

Happy 4th of July!

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend out with family, friends, and maybe a coaster or two!

Here's this week's Aerial Antics, in which we will check out the sights at Six Flags Over Georgia.

The park built a really beautiful entrance plaza some time ago, and I still think it stands out as one of the nicest of any Six Flags property. What a great way to start a day of fun at the park!

And why not start your day by taking a flight on Superman: Ultimate Flight. The B&M Flying coaster was added to the park in 2002 and featured the world's first "Pretzel Loop," that crazy twisted maneuver at the bottom of the photo. It's also the only Superman flying clone to feature dual stations, as the later models dropped that and added an extra row to the trains instead.

Here's another of my old thrill/new thrill photos. On the left we have the classic Georgia Cyclone, thrilling passengers at the park since 1990. (ok, so it not that old) On the right we find the park's drop tower, Acrophobia, which features floorless seats that actually tilt out 15 degrees when at the top of the tower!

Deja Vu was removed from the park after the 2007 season and hasn't been rebuilt anywhere that I know of. The land it sat on was quickly turned into a Thomas Town, however, which we can see under construction if you catch the aerials in just the right way:

Ta Daa! Gone is one big Vekoma Inverted Boomerang coaster and in its place we have a train track under construction. I'm a magician, what can I say.

I'm scared of this ride - and yes it's for the reason you're thinking... it must hurt. I've never been on it. It's called Ninja, and I have a feeling it's 'attack' would be pretty intense. Can you believe it used to operate on a pier in Wildwood, NJ?

Goliath is the park's huge B&M hypercoaster - so huge in fact that I couldn't get the ride in one shot that I liked, so I just decided to feature this pretty section that goes out in front of the park's entrance.

I'll finish with a general view of the park's Gotham City. I think the theming that Six Flags did on the park's Gotham section was amazing, really a step above the same themed areas at other parks. Also love how Mind Bender's brake run goes right over top of all the action!

If you want to zoom around and check out Six Flags Over Georgia yourself, click here!

Revisiting The Ride Warrior Nation

I had read that Cedar Fair's new Ride Warrior Nation website had gone fully live recently, but kept for getting to check it out. Well I finally did and I must say it's pretty neat!

There's lots of information on the company's "581 rides and 122 coasters" as well as video, wallpapers, and more.

They also have virtual 'trading cards' for each of the big rides at all the parks. You can click on them and see the front and back, which features stats just like a baseball card. You can also see additional photos and even video for some of the coasters and rides.

It's really well done and now the billboards that have the "Prophet of Zoom" and other slogans are starting to make more sense. Since paper stuff is practically a fetish of mine I wish they'd make some print versions of the trading cards! (images of Sabrina and myself desperately collecting them all come to mind...)

Pretty cool overall, check it out when you have some time.

'Initiating Power Transfer in 3... 2... 1...'

Check out the above awesome No Limits recreation of one of my favorite coasters of all time, Space Mountain at Disneyland. What a fantastic job they did!

Happy Independence Day!

Yeah, yeah it's a day early, but we will be traveling this weekend and we did want to wish all our stateside readers a Happy 4th of July. Whatever you are doing or wherever you are going have fun and be safe!

Scott & Carol

Introducing the New and Improved Cliff Hanger!

Enthusiasts across the country issued a collective cheer this week when Ghost Town in the Sky announced that its signature attraction, Cliff Hanger, is open for business once again. A local hotelier had the opportunity to visit the park yesterday and got some great on-ride and off-ride footage of the coaster in action. Fortunately for us, said hotelier also has a YouTube channel!

Ghost Town in the Sky, located in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, has had a rocky past decade to say the least. After closing back in 2002 and remaining shuttered for five years, it finally reopened under new ownership in 2007--but without its roller coaster. Cliff Hanger (formerly known as Red Devil) was in need of extensive maintenance and refurbishment, and park officials took the opportunity to upgrade many of the ride's components while they were at it. After two long years of working tirelessly with state inspectors and the companies responsible for installing these upgrades, the new and improved Cliff Hanger finally received the state's blessing on June 30.

Cliff Hanger now sports a magnetic braking system and a brand new 28-seat train that was custom-designed for this coaster by Rotational Motion. This gorgeous new train features open-air cars and specially engineered ergonomic lap bars in place of the typical (and widely abhorred) over-the-shoulder restraints. RCDB has some great photos of it!

The reopening of Cliff Hanger couldn't have happened at a more critical time. Ghost Town in the Sky has struggled to get back on its feet over the past two years and ended up filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection back in March. But their 2009 attendance figures look promising thus far, and the park hopes that the return of Cliff Hanger will give them a much needed boost that could shoot those figures even higher. It would be wonderful to see this park make a full comeback. If you happen to be in the area, be sure to stop by and show your support by challenging this one-of-a-kind coaster!

Carowinds 2010 Progressing

© 2009 Wes via ThrillNetwork

There's still no track, or noticeable footers being poured, but Carowinds' rumored new Hyper Coaster for 2010 is still making progress. On the Thrill Network boards user Wes has posted a photo update showing the work site.

They've got the land about as prepped as they can before footer work should start. It also appears as though new drainage pieces for the area have arrived and are waiting to be put in the ground. Footers should be right around the corner!

Check out the photos at Thrill Network.

A Blast From The Blast - Space Mountain

Welcome to Walt Disney World, circa 1974, and the construction site of the original Space Mountain. Walt Disney was known for taking time to fully develop projects and as early as 1964, Walt and designer John Hench kicked around ideas for "Space Port," including a roller coaster style, in the dark attraction. This attraction would also include lighting and other special effects. Over the next few years the concept was refined by WED Enterprise, working with Arrow Development.

In June of 1966 "Space Port" was called "Space Mountain" for the first time. The initial concept was to have four separate tracks, but technology and the amount of space available at Disneyland, made that concept impossible.

The Space Mountain dome is 300 feet in diameter, with two roller coaster tracks in side the iconic mountain structure. The tracks are mirror images, with only minor variation,s allowing them to cross one another as needed. The left side is called Alpha and the right is called Omega. Effects are duplicated, so they offer the virtually the same experience. Although, Alpha's track is about 10 feet longer.

So, why did Space Mountain take so long to get built? In December of 1966, Walt Disney died and the emphasis switched to the newly-announced Disney World project. This forced WED to shelve the Space Mountain idea indefinitely. I sure glad after 18 years they decided to sweep the dusk off of this old project! Those trekking to Florida for a ride might want to wait, WDW's Space Mountain is currently closed for renovation and not scheduled to reopen in November 0f this year.

Sabrina's Brochure Spotlight: Wild Adventures 2008

If you want to know what Wild Adventures Theme Park is all about, you need look no further than this brochure cover. It is a work of art! We've got roller coasters, maps, animals, water, a family--All we need is a kitchen sink! In fact, this cover spread is so comprehensive that we might as well skip the rest of the brochure. Very well then. Good night!

I'm a horrible bluffer. I like to think of it as a positive character trait.

But for my own heath and safety, it would have been better if I had never laid eyes on page two! In addition to my roller coaster and brochure obsessions, I also have a soft spot for giraffes. And when I say "soft spot", I mean I own hundreds of them. So as you might imagine, I'm a bit overstimulated right now. Darn you Wild Adventures, with your spectacular variety of rides, animals, and attractions!!

Okay. Taking a deep breath. Counting to ten and OH MY GOD THERE ARE MORE GIRAFFES!! And shucks are they ever cute... Alright, Sabrina: FOCUS. It's time to get down to business!

Animals have always been at the heart of Wild Adventures, which began as a petting zoo. And despite the fact that current owners Herschend Family Entertainment had no prior experience managing a property that features animals, they have wholeheartedly embraced this tradition. They even brought more animals to the park in 2008--as in 300 more! Now that's what I call "embracing".

This much I knew. What I did not know, however, is that some of Wild Adventures' animal residents are celebrities. According to this brochure, all of the park's elephants have "retired from show business"! I guess you could say that Wild Adventures is home to some big stars...

The theme of the week is: Rides named Rattler! (I didn't plan that. Honest!) When Rattler opened in March 2008, Wild Adventures had much to celebrate. It was the park's first new ride in three years! The downward spiraling financial troubles of previous owners Adventure Parks Group LLC were surely to blame for that dry spell.

And on the facing page...Well, well, well: What have we here? Could it be? Yes! It's the return of cheesy park shirt-wearing coaster dude!! My favorite. And his shirt's even the right color for it. I'm more than a little confused about what's going on in that particular photo, and it's not because I'm blinded by the cheese. These folks appear to be riding an inverted coaster (Hangman) on top of the track, and Cheeseman's seat actually looks like it's sitting on top of the other two. I'm no safety inspector, but those look like some serious violations to me! Cheeseman, overcome by his Wild Adventures fanboy tendencies, has obviously been tampering with this ride. Shame on you, Cheeseman!

Remember all that water pictured on the cover? Here's where it comes into play! Splash Island is Wild Adventures' answer to that scorching Georgia heat. Little did it know that it would be receiving a complete overhaul and a Polynesian facelift after the 2008 season came to a close!

Wild Adventures' holiday events were obviously still a work in progress at the time this brochure was printed. By the time the holiday season rolled around, "Haunted Adventure Nites" had become "Phobia" and "Christmas Wonderland" had become "Festival of Lights". Under HFE management, both events were greatly expanded and improved.

Normally I don't have much to say about operating calendars, but this one merits a comment. See all those dates in January and February when the park was closed? This was the first year in its history that Wild Adventures did not operate year-round. This calendar change was enacted by HFE--wisely, I might add--in order to give them ample time for annual maintenance and rehab activities.

Since HFE is obviously in the business of making wise decisions, I expect to see at least one giraffe on every future brochure cover!

June Poll Results

© Kharizmarae82 via Flickr

The votes are in - and while I may have seen this coming, our readers' favorite Six Flags Superman themed ride is overwhelmingly Superman: Ride of Steel at Six Flags New England. (Now Bizarro)

The ride received an amazing 51% of the total vote! Even the second place finisher, Superman Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas received only 34% of the total votes. It was a smash win!

Only one vote separated our third and fourth place finishers, Superman Ultimate Escape at the former Six Flags Ohio, and Superman Ultimated Flight located at several parks, respectively.

Surprisingly, the Ride of Steel clones at Six Flags America and Darien Lake didn't do so well, however, they still came in ahead of our last place ride which was Superman The Escape at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Look for a new poll soon!

Park Photos Roundup

How long can you hold your breath? Magical entertainer Aaron Radatz hopes he can hold his long enough to escape from a wooden packing crate at the bottom of Wild Adventures’ lake July 4 and 5, at 7:30 p.m. FREEDOM: An Underwater Escape has never been attempted in the region, and the death defying stunt is part of Wild Adventures’ All American Weekend, which also includes explosive nightly fireworks choreographed to a dynamic and patriotic soundtrack.

On July 4 and 5 at Wild Adventures, Aaron Radatz will recreate a death-defying escape made famous by one his mentors, Harry Houdini.

Radatz will be handcuffed and chained by members of the audience and sealed inside a wooden crate, before he is lowered into the Wild Adventures’ lake. To up the ante, several small holes will be drilled over the surface of the crate to let the water drain in; making the escape even more dangerous. Aaron will have only three minutes to pick his way out of the handcuffs and chains and break his way out of the box against the pressure of the water. An ambulance, fire truck, and scuba diving team will be on hand to take action if the event does not go as planned.

All American Weekend will also include an explosive fireworks show both Saturday and Sunday night, beginning at dusk. Splash Island Water Park, thrill rides, daily shows, attractions and animals will add to this Independence Day weekend and provide a quality family friendly experience for all ages.

Imagine turning 65 and getting a second chance in life. Imagine having a new career with a job that was never a possibility. That’s what happened to Joan Dragolic and Janet Goetter, both in their late 60’s. Ask them and they beam about their seasonal jobs at Sesame Place, the nation’s only theme park based entirely on Sesame Street located in Langhorne, PA. It’s clear these seniors just want to have fun, and since retiring from their desk jobs, they are doing just that!

For both of these women, Sesame Place has opened their lives to opportunities they never imagined. Joan Dragolic, 67, lives with her husband Dan in Yardley, PA. She has two children, two stepchildren, two grandsons and two granddaughters who love to come and see Nanny at work. Her granddaughter, Sofia, 4, brags, “My Nanny works with Elmo!” When not at Sesame Place, she has a part time job with Seniors Helping Seniors and volunteers at St. Mary Hospital and her local church. Janet Goetter has been married to John for 49 years, and they live in Bristol Township. They have three children and four grandchildren, with one more “on the way.” She is still busy throughout the school year as a crossing guard.

New Kids on the Block band member Donnie Wahlberg (front seat, right) takes a ride on the new Diamondback roller coaster at Kings Island on Saturday. The Dorchester, Massachusetts native’s background also includes feature films and television and is notably recognized in his roles in the Saw films.