Weekly Rewind 4.16.11

Heide Park opened Krake today, and curiously the coaster does not feature a drop into the Krake's snarling mouth. Instead, the mouth is next to the drop. See the above video and these great photos over on TPR.

This weekend also marks the first in a long series of test launches for Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens Tampa.  The coaster will begin slow speed tests of the three launch sections, building up to full speed tests.  In all, the coaster will complete over 3,000 test runs before opening.

Kennywood may not have a big new attraction this year, but they are making sure the needs of families are met when at the park.  A new family food location was built in Kiddieland so that families can help their kids recharge before more riding.  Read more here.

Kevin shared some photos of Discovery Kingdom's SkyScreamer,  but Six Flags St. Louis is showing off theirs, too!  What an intimidating looking ride... see how small those chairs are up there!?

Parc Asterix in France will add a huge B&M Inverted coaster in 2012, and plenty of track and supports are already on site.  What a very Montu color scheme!  This promises to be an impressive ride indeed.

Opening day at Six Flags New England means that there's lots of changes to be seen.  If you're interested in seeing what's new, check out this report.

Dorney Park added their new park map to their website, and it includes this neat construction-zone where Laser used to be.  They've also been sharing Planet Snoopy photos on their Facebook here and there.

Is there room in the U.S. for any more major theme parks?  This article says yes, and even lists 4 cities they could go into - but do you agree that they would work?

The Wooden Warrior at Quassy Amusement Park has started testing, and the Gravity Group has video.  Looks like a speedy little family ride, indeed!

WhiteWater has partnered with Interactive Entertainment Concepts to create the future of interactive water park elements.  IEC is known for the MagiQuest interactive system, and will work on expanding SplashQuest , an interactive wet water park version, with WhiteWater.

The Fantasyland expansion at Florida's Magic Kingdom received a new castle recently - more specifically the Beast's castle.  Read more from Disney.

Sea World San Antonio will close the park's flume ride, named the Texas Splashdown, after 20 years of service.  The park isn't saying what will replace the ride just yet.  The flume will close for good on May 13th.