Weekly Rewind 1.16.10

Want to be one of the first to ride Intimidator at Carowinds? Here's your chance! Check out the official first rider auction they have going on, all to benefit the Dale Earnhardt Foundation. Winning bids will get you on one of the first three trains out of the station on March 27th, 2010.

If you're looking for a Shoot the Rapids update from Cedar Point, then head over to the official site for some new photos. The winter looks pretty harsh along Lake Erie, but they're making good progress anyway. Steel should be going up soon!

Bad news, or maybe good news, for the Las Vegas Monorail, which filed for bankruptcy this past week. Ridership never took off as expected after the Monorail opened in 2004, but sharply declined when less people visited the city in the past two years. Why could this be good? It may clear the financial path for the line to be expanded to the airport - something that's seen as the key to the long term success of the system.

Excited to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando next summer? It may hurt your wallet a little more than expected, as the park has rolled out new pricing for admission that makes it considerably more expensive to visit for shorter period of time. Check out the details.

Chocolate World, just outside the gates of Hersheypark, has announced a new attraction: Create Your Own Candy Bar. Guests will be able to create the own candy bar from start to finish, picking what goodies get mixed in, as well as creating a custom wrapper. Sounds fun... and delicious!

It's always nice to hear of parks contributing the coins collected in their fountains to a charity. Hersheypark recently did that - and part of the proceeds from their Sweet Lights holiday event, to the Children's Miracle Network. Some $16,115 was donated to help the Pediatric services at the Hershey Medical Center.

The final results of both the steel and wood coaster polls have been posted to the Best Roller Coaster Poll website. Head on over and see how your favorite rides made out in what's regarded as the most accurate coaster fan poll around.

Europa Park's new attraction for 2010 will be Whale Adventures - Splash Tours - a Mack designed splash battle type attraction. The park will also further expand the themed land that was created with last year's Blue Fire coaster.

Finally, if you want to see even more of the cool details that Universal Studios Singapore has to offer, they've posted some new photos on Facebook that do just that. Signs are going up, rides are testing, and things are looking good for an opening soon!