From The Vault: Dorney Park's 1993 Brochure

© Dorney Park

I got my hands on another classic Dorney Park brochure, so of course it is time to share it here on NewsPlusNotes!

This is the park's general brochure for the 1993 season, which was its first full year under Cedar Fair ownership.  So the style of the brochure differs greatly from the years prior to it, as the park was now part of a larger corporation and no longer an independent property.

1993 was the start of many changes and much growth for the park.  Hours had changed and while there were some different ticket options you could still visit only Dorney Park or Wildwater Kingdom separately.

© Dorney Park

As the first full year of owning the park, that also means that Cedar Fair had the chance to start to expand it how they wanted.  The big new attraction was White Water Landing, a "world record holder" (along with its twin at Cedar Point) waterfall plunge ride.  The park also added the Red Garter Saloon, though it really didn't open until 1994, and also the Cedar Creek Cannonball train ride.

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The rest of the brochure is a tribute to all that both Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom offered to visitors.  The text here mentions the expansive amount of children's attractions, including Chester Cheetah's Playland, which was sponsored by Frito-Lay.

© Dorney Park

Hello there Hercules.  I miss this ride!  Perhaps not because of the experience it provided in its later years, but mostly because of what could have been had the ride survived to the times when Rocky Mountain Construction existed.  Wildwater Kingdom was also one of the dominant water parks in the country at the time, and the still-pretty-new Pepsi Aquabast was one of the slides to beat.

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The marketing push here is direct, take a read of the text on this spread.  That message has long been true, and certainly is today.  Probably why amusement parks have thrived for such a long time - offering a much needed break from normal life!

From The Vault: 1999 Wild Adventures Brochure + Map

© Wild Adventures

Wild Adventure Theme Park is another property that started off as an independent park and struggled to find its footing for a number of years.  After starting to add rides for the 1998 season, Wild Adventures returned in 1999 with even more attractions to draw guests to the property.

The biggest new ride was The Hangman (now known as the Twisted Typhoon), which is a Vekoma SLC.  It joined the park's Boomerang, another Vekoma ride, as the park's biggest thrill ride.

© Wild Adventures

Wild Adventures first opened without thrill rides, so the zoological component of the park has always been a big draw as well.  Later down the line the park also added a water park, which has indeed helped to draw guests under the warm Georgia sun.  Back in 1999 a lot of the park's rides weren't very unique, but they offered an interesting reason to visit along with the animals.

© Wild Adventures

In addition to the rides and animals which we've already mentioned, the park has also always featured a selection of live concerts to draw visitors - and still do in present day.  This page shows that as well, along with different season offerings.  Not many parks were doing both Halloween and Christmas celebrations back in '99!

© Wild Adventures

Here is a look at the park in 1999.  The park was divided into separate themed areas, which have sort of melted away over the years.  The newest at the time was The Wild West, where the Hangman roller coaster was built.

Wild Adventures is now owned by Herschend Family Entertainment, and while not seeing a massive amount of capital investments, it does seem like the company is trying to "right size" the park for its market - hopefully to help it thrive in the long run.

From The Vault: Visionland 1999 Park Map

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Long before Alabama Adventure Amusement Park and Splash Adventure Waterpark came to be there was VisionLand, located in Bessemer, Alabama.  The park is now in a regrowth stage (which hopefully can continue), under new independent owners, but it stated as a unique community driven theme park.

Opened in 1998, VisionLand was created by nearly a dozen local cities coming together to borrow the funds to open the modest theme and water park.  After a couple years the park was in financial trouble, and Cedar Fair almost operated it at one point.  Eventually it was sold to Southland Entertainment Group, which invested it in and tried to help the park grow.

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That worked for a while but then the park was suddenly sold again to Adrenaline Family Entertainment in 2008, who only held on to it for a few years - the park was sold again before the 2012 season.  This time, the new owners (who were a part of Southland Entertainment) decided to close the theme park and only operate the water park.

In 2014 members of the Koch family purchased the park and started the slow revival of it that is still going on today.

© NewsPlusNotes

© NewsPlusNotes

But if we look back at when the park opened, it looked like a nice place at least in terms of this drawing.  While I did not visit the park, it definitely did not have the grand amount of shade that is shown here.  Granted over time the park has grown in all those planted trees, but it must have been hot back in the early years!

The park is home to the highly regarded Rampage wooden roller coaster, which has been fully restored under the Koch family.  Once this virus clears out Alabama Adventure will be a great place for locals to support!

From The Vault: Kennywood's 2011 Brochure

© Kennywood

2011 was an exciting year for Kennywood, one of the nation's finest classic amusement parks.  A brand new roller coaster, named Sky Rocket, had debuted in the middle of the prior summer, which meant that it was still the big focus for the park's 2011 season.  The ride is a custom designed launch roller coaster from Premier Rides, featuring several inversions and a giant top hat.  Naturally this made it a perfect fit for the cover of the park's brochure.

© Kennywood

Sky Rocket certainly attracted the attention of the park's guests, but the amusement park offers so very much more than just that one ride.  While that latest and greatest ride did get a lot of real estate in this spread, there are plenty of other rides featured here as well.  Kennywood has a fantastic mix of both classic and modern rides, and is a favorite park of many.

© Kennywood

And if you want to get into the details of what the park has to offer, they were kind enough to include a part map right in the brochure!  The park has changed quite a bit just in the time since 2011, with notable attractions like the free fall and log flume now a part of the park's cherished history.  But new ride have replaced those to keep things fresh, such as last year's enormous investment with the Steel Curtain.

With a 120+ year long history, Kennywood has shown that it's not afraid to balance the old with the new, and that's a winning formula for them and their fans!

From The Vault: Adventureland 1996 Map + Brochure

© Adventureland

Hopefully you guys like when we share some older stuff here, because it is looking like there will be plenty more time for me to be digging through the archives...  Today we take a look at Adventureland (Iowa) in 1996, with the park's general brochure and park map.

It's nice to see some smaller and independent parks featured here as well, since they're really (probably really, really) going to need their fans to support them this summer whenever they can open.  The big companies will have an easier time staying afloat during these extended closures.  Just something to keep in mind.

© Adventureland

Anywho, in 1996 Adventureland debuted The Underground, a wildly unique wooden roller coaster that's more of a slow moving dark ride than a coaster.  It was built by Custom Coasters International and lets riders enter the dark former hangout of some western themed bad guys.  Not a very scary ride, as there are really no drops or anything of that sort, but a fun attraction for the kiddos.  If you're looking for thrills, as this brochure suggests, the park's Dragon, Tornado and Outlaw coasters are where the real fun is at!

© Adventureland

The park's map didn't change much through the years.  In fact, it still looks similar (though with an awful lot of additions) in 2020!  Since the park's big new ride of the year took place indoors it was pretty hard to draw it on the map - so I guess in that sense a big black spot worked to help draw attention.  These days it looks like some rocks, grass trees and a cave opening.  Arguably better, but not as attractive as the Monster, a large Gerstlauer Infinity coaster added in 2016!

From The Vault: Cedar Fair's 2005 Unit Holder Offer Letter

© Cedar Fair

A great many moons ago I was a Cedar Fair unit holder, starting from before I could even legally hold the units on my own.  I haven't been in some time (all those dividends and growth helped us get a house!), but back in the day the company would send out a special offer for unit holders each year.

In 2005, the focus was on Cedar Fair's resorts and accommodations.  They had some pretty good offers, sadly I don't think I ever took advantage of them.  Here we see the focus on Cedar Point's offerings, which included Hotel Breakers' 100th anniversary (pre-renovations though) and also take note of Sandcastle Suites - rest in piece.

© Cedar Fair

Cedar Point has long had many different hotels either on property or adjacent to it, and that list has continued to grow in the 15 years since this was sent out.  Lighthouse Point has been expanded even more, and Castaway Bay is undergoing a renovation currently.  The coupons generally offered two nights for the price of one, of course with restrictions on dates.

© Cedar Fair

Cedar Point properties were not the only ones being advertised here though, as Cedar Fair has resorts at many of its parks.  The Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel came with the purchase of the park in 1997, and offers a selection of amenities along with Snoopy themed rooms.  Next up is the Geauga Lake Hotel, which is now just a part of history along with Geauga Lake.

© Cedar Fair

Cedar Fair made a big push on adding camper villages at many of its parks and one of the first to go up outside of Cedar Point was the World of Fun Village.  It was new when this was sent out, so a drawing of the expansion is included along with a really oddly drawn Mamba roller coaster.  The Village is still operating today, though the company's plan to open more camper areas from the ground up never really moved forward much after this development (several did come along with the Paramount Park purchase, however).

From The Vault: Dorney Park's 1982 Brochure

© Dorney Park

1982 was a wonderful year, but I may be biased because that's the year I came into being.  But it was also the year that Dorney Park debuted a brand new log flume attraction named Thunder Creek Mountain.  Happily, the ride is still entertaining guests at the park today - not a small feat since many log flumes of that era have already been retired.

It's been ages since we had the time to feature park memorabilia like this brochure but suddenly there seems to be a lot more hours in the day!  Granted life will eventually go back to some sort of normal but for now while there is time let's dig in!

© Dorney Park

Dorney Park in the early '80s still was all about Alfundo, and you can see the park's famous mascot clown in the lower left of this image.  And yeah, he's pretty scary as far as clowns go, but we still love him.  Zoorama was still at the park, which is why you see a tiger's face (not something you would associate with modern day Dorney Park!) and there's even a photo of a Fish and Chips stand, something I didn't know was at the park but suddenly miss!

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Several goodies can be found in this photo montage, and I don't mean those hunky country folk singers at the bottom!  Two of the park's long gone dark rides, the Bucket O' Blood and Journey to the Center of the Earth are prominently featured here - and rightfully so.  There's also newer (for the time) rides such as the Sea Dragon and the Flying Dutchman coaster.

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Another batch of eye candy can be found here.  This panel shows that variety of offerings that Dorney Park had, not only rides but also live entertainment and goats!  Thunderhawk, just called The Coaster at the time, shows up here as well, along with the splash section of Journey to the Center of the Earth, the park's classic bumper cars and even the new log flume, which was record breaking when it opened.

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I truly love older amusement park maps, and I'm so grateful that many of Dorney's old brochures feature these beauties.  From the rainbow colored umbrellas that dotted Totspot to the newish Roaring 20s Midway, there's a lot of interesting items on here for fans of the park.  Not all rides are labeled on the map, which almost makes it a bit more fun to try to find them and recall what they all were.

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And of course since these interwebs didn't exist back in 1982 people had to rely on paper (yes paper!) to know when the park was going to be open and how much it would cost to get in.  The park opened in late April, earlier than they do now, but was closed for the season already by the middle of September.  While an all day ride pass would set you back $8.50 you could hit the park after 6 pm and only pay $6.00 for everything!

From The Vault: Classic Dorney Park Photo

This From The Vault item isn't actually from my vault at all, instead it comes to us directly from Dorney Park.  While getting ready to celebrate the park's 130th anniversary, Dorney Park officials went digging through the archives and found a wealth of old photographs of the park.  Lucky for us they were kind enough to share - a full look at them will come later this Summer.

© Dorney Park

I did want to share this photo as a bit of a preview, however.  I love this shot for various reasons, one of which is that there is so much going on in it!

This is the lower section of the park, with Cedar Creek running through it.  The Zephyr train ride, which has had so very many paint schemes through the decades, is running along it and the famous Rockets are swinging high over head.  In the background is the yellow wooden supports of Thunderhawk, though when this was taken it would have just been called the Coaster.  In the background the elaborate facade for Journey to the Center of the Earth can be seen, which was the spooky theme given to the original Mill Chute ride.  Finally, standing above it all is the white Parking Tower, which signaled the official entry to the property for hundreds of thousands of cars.

From The Vault: Knott's Berry Farm 2002 Brochure

The copy of the Knott's Berry Farm 2002 brochure that I came across for this post was folded in half, but for good reason.  I picked it up while traveling in California and figured that having a folded copy in my pocket was better than none at all.  And a good thing that was, as now we can take a look at it here in From The Vault.

There was a period when Knott's sorta used a very similar brochure with only minor changes each year.  That's somewhat the case with the 2002 brochure - only the cover was redone to include an image of Xcelerator.  The back cover gives some needed details for those planning a trip, including information on the world famous Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant.  Mmmmm.

Xcelerator was new in 2002, not that I was able to ride it however.  Turns out I was visiting when the ride was down to have additional cable supports added to the two top hat towers - a total bummer.  But Knott's is pretty wonderful regardless, so all was still well in the end.

Anyway, the Intamin accelerator coaster made quite a splash with its quick launch - zero to eighty in two point three seconds - and paved the way for even bigger versions like Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point.

All these other rides, shows, and attractions were why my visit to the park wasn't spoiled by one closed coaster!  Knott's has a ton to offer visitors, and in the past few years has really shown its ability to shine in the sunny southern California market.

From The Vault: Hersheypark 1998 Brochure

A new ride blasted into Hersheypark in 1998 as if from the heavens above, and had fans of the park lining up for hours to take a ride.  Let's take a look at the park's 1998 brochure and see what the fuss was about.

Well the brochure's cover certainly gives us some hints, but let's ignore the obvious and head to the next page...

Great Bear - that's what the fuss was about!  The B&M Inverted coaster was the first steel ride of its kind in Pennsylvania, and the park took full advantage of advertising it as such.  Have to love the space themed concept art seen here as well, there's something to be said for hand drawn concept art versus current digital versions.

I love being Hersheypark Happy!  There's a lot of text here to check out, and the park is covered in great detail within it.  The park was also still singing the praises of the latest development, the whole new themed section named Midway America.  1998 was pre-Lightning Racer, that would come two years later, so the section was still very much under development and had no water park next door!

Living so close to the park I can say I've never really experienced the resort side of Hershey.  But there's a ton offered for those looking for a getaway!  The Hotel Hershey offers wonderful amenities such as restaurants and a spa, and downtown Hershey is just next door to the park.  Plus the park is known for their Christmas Candylane celebration, which means that even when it's cold you can still have fun in Hershey.  Hmmm, I think I've convinced myself, I need a getaway!

From The Vault: Six Flags America 2000 Brochure

Let's take a trip back to 2000 and have a peek at Six Flags America's general park brochure.

2000 was a big year for the park growth-wise, though it had been expanded pretty heavily in the years prior as well.  As we've mentioned before while looking at these brochures, the Six Flags boom of the late '90s and first couple years of the '00s was kind to most parks, Six Flags America included.  New rides were built at a rapid pace, too rapid in reality.

The cover of this brochure proudly shows off Superman Ride of Steel, an Intamin designed ride that reached the 200 foot mark.

The year before Superman came to town the park added Two-Face: The Flip Side and Joker's Jinx in a massive expansion (and one year before that Roar).  To follow that up with a mega-coaster like Superman, and then in 2001 put in a Vekoma flying coaster - well that is a bit nuts in retrospect.  That kind of expansion path can't - and didn't - last, after 2001 the amount of rides added to the park dropped like a brick for many years.

But enough thoughts on the prior Six Flags management, let's see what else Six Flags America had to offer!  This panel shows off a bunch of fun, including the Roar wooden coaster and the park's shorty Intamin free fall.  For the kids there was Looney Tunes Movie Town, filled with smaller versions of the park's big rides.

Six Flags America is a two park, one price gig - visitors could check out the Paradise Island water park while visiting as well.  It has since been renamed and expanded, but still had a full selection of slides and pools to keep guests busy in the summer sun.  This was also the time period when the stunt show arenas at the Six Flags parks were actually used, instead of sitting vacant, as seen over on the right.

Things seem to have swung back around for Six Flags America in terms of expansion, as it seems that current management might have targeted the property for future growth.  We shall see!

From The Vault: Dorney Park's 2003 Water Park Expansion

It seems fitting that since Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom are adding a large, six slide tower for 2014 we take a look back to 2003 when the park saw a similar expansion.  That year ten slides were added on two separate towers.  Also similar to the changes planned for 2014, 2003 also saw heavy renovations throughout Wildwater Kingdom, everything from the wave pool to walkways were upgraded.

This news release contains a wealth of information on the new slide towers that went up in 2003.  One tower had slides depart from two different levels, Patriot's Plunge from 51 feet and Wildwater Rapids from 40 feet.  The former has patriotic red, white, and blue slides that utilize inner-tubes for the way down, while the later was a set of four zippy body slides.  

Jumpin' Jack Splash was the second slide tower that went up, starting at 30 feet above the ground.  These slides are 'beginner' slides, meant for smaller kids and low on the intensity scale.  They're actually receiving some modifications this winter to change their ending from a splash pool into run-out sections.

I've always been fond of the concept art the park released for the larger of the two slide towers.  It's stylized in a way that was different from what Cedar Fair was releasing at the time.  It's also a plus how they added Talon standing proudly behind the slide structures!

From The Vault: Universal Studios Florida 1996 Guide

Here's a fun one, a Universal Studios Florida brochure from February 1996.  My how this park has changed!

There's a lot of familiar faces on the cover of this brochure... but almost all of them are gone from the park in present day!  The mentality of the park was totally different than it is now, this was no resort at the time and they literally gave away a second day's admission if you were willing to come back.  An adult ticket at the time was $37 - currently a single park admission ticket is $92 - right around a 250% increase from '96.

Here's a map of Universal Studios Florida, a bit smaller than we are accustomed to now without the extension to where Men In Black currently is.  Since the resort had not yet been developed, it is super strange to see a Bus/Taxi Pick Up area out front of the gates!  Also the Hard Rock Cafe was still in the old location, where both visitors to the park and outside guests could have a meal.

The center of the brochure has one point and that is to show off all the rides and attractions that were offered at the park.  Nickelodeon Studios was up and running at the park, filming several shows on property.  Specifically during early February The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo was being filmed, featuring Pat Morita!

In 1996 Universal Studios Florida still offered a Production Studio Tram Tour, something brought to the park to mimic the success of the Hollywood version.  Wikipedia says that the Tour closed in 1995, so I'm not quite sure why it is still listed in this brochure!

Other big attractions at the park are featured here as well, including Jaws, Kongfrontation, Earthquake - The Big One, and Back To The Future - The Ride.  Only one of those four is still in operation, though under a different name (Disaster!).

Barney was a recent addition to the park in 1996, having just joined the lineup the year before as part of an expansive area for kids that was also the home to Fievel's Playland.  Kids were also sure to get a kick out of the E.T. Adventure, and the Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera.

Along with plenty of dining and shopping options to fill in a visitor's time, the park also heavily promoted the Dynamite Nights Stuntacular, which took place on the central lagoon in the evening.  Without a second park, Harry Potter, Resorts and CityWalk, guests would often taken a bus back to their hotel in Disney World after spending a part of the day at Universal Studios Florida.  At least my family always did!