Weekly Rewind 10.10.10

Happy 10-10-10 everyone!  It only happens once in a lifetime!  Anyway, on to the news.

Here's another first for NewsPlusNotes - this is the first thank you letter we've received from a ghost!  After Scott and Carol's review of both Cedar Point's Halloweekends and the Boeckling Banquet we received the above message from Master Boeckling himself.  Both creepy and kind at the same time!

S&S Worldwide, maker of tower rides, thrill coasters, and more has announced that Larsen MacCoil Partners has purchased a majority ownership of the company.  Stan Checketts will no longer be involved in the operations of S&S Worldwide.  

Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi has announced its opening celebration to be held on the evening of October 27th.  The massive indoor theme park, with it's many Ferrari themed rides and attractions, includes the world's fastest launched roller coaster.

Lots of construction photos of the Zippin Pippin continue to roll out.  Here's two recent sets that show how much of the ride's second hill are now in place.  There are also some photos from the family event that was held where donors were able to sign one of the tallest bents on the ride.

A 34 year old killer whale, named Katina, gave birth to  a 7 foot long, 350 pound calf on October 9th at Sea World Orlando.  This is the seventh calf born to Katina, though the gender of the calf has not yet been determined.  How cute!

Screamscape posted a preview animation video of the new Texas Giant that shows off a lot of the surprises the ride has in store as well as the ride's full layout.  I don't know if the video came straight from the park, but it's worth checking out regardless.

The USA Pavilion at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai welcomed its 6 millionth visitor recently, already surpassing original estimates for attendance during the Expo.  Planners are now expecting around a total of 7 million visitors during the run. 

Disney California Adventure debuted ElecTRONica this weekend, and it's already getting great reviews.  Some photos from the event, which is somewhat like Glowfest 2.0 obviously has tie-ins to the movie that's coming out later this year, have already hit the web.  Looks like a fun party!

AXES Manufacturing sent us a release about their new Jolly Train, a trackless, battery powered children's train ride.  The attraction is perfect for indoor spaces, and I'm considering getting one to take to work each day!  Saves on gas!  Check out more information on the Jolly Train website.

RCPro has a new update featuring the new coaster project underway at Busch Gardens Tampa.  The park has started to rip up the water portion of Rhino Rally in order to start work there.  The new coaster will be announced this Wednesday.