Silverwood Theme Park Announces New Stunt Pilot RMC Coaster for 2021

© Silverwood Theme Park

Today Silverwood Theme Park revealed what they have planned for their 2021 season, and it was a wonderful surprise!  The park is going to build one of Rocky Mountain Construction's Raptor roller coasters.  Named Stunt Pilot, the coaster will honor the park's former tradition of offering visitors an air show each day while at the park, something that was retired in 1996.

Each day visitors would "watch vintage airplanes loop through the air and perform death-defying maneuvers at breakneck speeds," and in 2021 they'll be able to experience that for themselves on the new coaster.

© Silverwood Theme Park

Decked out in bright red supports with white single rail track, Stunt Pilot will feature the same layout as we've seen on other operating RMC Raptors to date.  That means the ride will stand 106 feet tall, featuring a top speed of 52 miles per hour over 1,800 feet of track.  The single rail coaster design utilizes cars that seat guests individually, low to the car's center line which gives a smooth and thrilling experience.

Riders will head through three different inversions while on the ride, adding even more thrilling elements to the attraction.  The coaster will feature two, ten person trains.

© Silverwood Theme Park

Stunt Pilot will be built in an open area in between the far end of the Tremors wooden coaster and the park's log flume.  The coaster will join similar rides already open at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and California's Great America, with another planned for South Dakota's Wild Water West.  Also opening next year is the Jersey Devil Coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure, the largest Raptor track coaster to date.

Stunt Pilot at Silverwood Theme Park is scheduled to open in the summer of 2021.

Knott's Taste of Fall-O-Ween Celebration Starts September 25th

© Knott's Berry Farm

Knott's Berry Farm is continuing their summer of special food, beverage and retail events with the announcement of their third installment - Knott's Taste of Fall-O-Ween.  The fall, and to some degree Halloween, themed event will focus on appealing to families and offer outdoor experiences that keep the park within California's current COVID-19 guidelines.  There will be a plethora of foods to try (each separate admission ticket comes with tasting cards) and also special retail available from craft vendors. 

© Knott's Berry Farm

Those fans that are bummed to be missing out on Knott's Scary Farm this year will be happy to see that the park is still decorating, only this time for Knott's Taste Of Fall-O-Ween.  The park's decor will celebrate fall and Halloween but without a big focus on scary as there will be no haunted houses or scare zones - this is a family friendly food and retail event only.

Kids will be happy to know that they will be able to do some Trick-or-Treating with in the Camp Snoopy themed area of the park.  And yes, they're allowed to come to the park dressed in their costumes!

© Knott's Berry Farm

Since each admission ticket comes with a tasting card (5 for adults and 3 for minors), there will be a ton of food and beverage options to choose from at the event.  Spread out over 28 different locations throughout the park, there are items listed such as Pastrami Tater Tots, a Graveyard Funnel Cake, Headless Meatball Sandwich, Pumpkin Spice Churro Sticks and plenty more.

Knott's Taste of Fall-O-Ween will start on September 25th and run Friday-Sunday until November 1st, 2020.  As with the past events this summer, guests need to purchase a tasting ticket online and schedule their reservation in advance.

Universal Orlando Will Test a "Halloween Seasonal Experience" at Both Parks This Weekend

© Universal Orlando

While Halloween Horror Nights may not be happening this year at Universal Studios Florida, that doesn't mean that the resort can't celebrate the season a little after all!  They have announced that they will be testing a new "halloween seasonal experience" at both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure this weekend, September 19th and 20th.  Best of all, the fun will be included with regular admission to the popular Orlando theme parks.

During the day there will be two haunted houses open, we're assuming these were built and prepared in case Halloween Horror Nights was able to happen.  They will be available to all guests who can book a entrance time through the resort's app using their Virtual Line feature.

The first of the houses is named Revenge of the Tooth Fairy, based on the concept that the "innocent traditions of the tooth fairy hide a darker ritual.  All children must give up their baby teeth to the goblinesque tooth fairies or pay a gruesome price.  Step into an old manor that has been overrun by yellow-clawed fiends who extract teeth by force.  It’s an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

 

© Universal Orlando

The second haunted house is named Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives. In the attraction, Frankenstein's "Bride is stepping out of the shadows to bring him back.  And there’s nothing she won’t do as she sharpens her brilliance by experimenting on unsuspecting victims."  Both houses are sure to please the throngs of guests who rush the park each year to get terrified - if nothing else 2020 has taught us that a little fun is better than none.

 

Islands of Adventure will also get in on the fun by offering Trick-or-Treating for guests aged 12 and under.  There will be specially marked (look for the pumpkin!) retail stores within the park that are offering treats for those who coming knocking.  And for fun all over the resort, Universal Orlando is allowing visitors to come dressed up in their Halloween finest!

 

While this is officially marked as a "test," one has to believe that if it is a success they will offer this throughout the rest of the Halloween season.

Busch Gardens Tampa Details Attractions for This Year's Howl-O-Scream

© Busch Gardens Tampa

Busch Gardens Tampa has added more details to their website for this year's Howl-O-Scream event, taking place from September 25th and running select nights through November 1st.  The event is one of the few large scale Halloween events that are still taking place this year, so it's nice to be able to see what the park will offer visitors.

They previously released that this year's Howl-O-Scream will not feature any indoor haunted houses, instead focusing more on scare zones, socially distanced live entertainment and an overall spooky atmosphere.  Limited attendance, only outdoor attractions and a focus on social distancing are key components of the event which has been designed with safety in mind.

© Busch Gardens Tampa

In total there will be 10 different Scare Zones and Haunted Trails, as the park is calling them.  As a special bonus, 4 of these attractions will be brand new.  These include The Junkyard, a trip through a scary "scrap site," The Escape, with menacing escaped penitentiary inmates, Lycan Landing, a campsite overrun with werewolves, and The Shortcut, a seeming easy pass through a cemetery that turns sinister.

These new experiences will join 6 returning favorites: Dia De Los Muertos, Hell on Wheels, Deadly Toys, Manic Midway, Little Nightmares and First Fear.  As previously announced, the super popular Fiends Show will move outdoors to a spacious area to allow plenty of distancing.  Visitors will also be able to check out Busch Gardens Tampa's thrill ride collection, getting in rides in the dark.

Howl-O-Scream will take place on 18 nights in total.  With limited capacity, the park urges those interested in visiting to make reservations as soon as possible in order to select their date.

Six Flags Darien Lake + The Great Escape Announce Plans to Stay Closed in 2020

© The Great Escape

Two Six Flags Entertainment properties, The Great Escape and Six Flags Darien Lake, have announced that they will not open at all for the 2020 season.

Both of the parks are located in the state of New York, which has not allowed outdoor amusements to open as part of their COVID-19 reopening plan.  While not confirmed by Six Flags, it would seem as though the parks were holding out to possibly be able to offer a Halloween or Christmas operating calendar to its visitors.  Alas, that wasn't meant to be this year.

The Great Escape posted that they have been able to assist the local community while closed through donating approximately 900 surgical masks to Glens Falls Hospital, giving free WiFi to local SUNY Adirondack students who used the Johnny Rockets parking lot as a safe remote location for online education and using the freezers and refrigerators from the Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark to keep food fresh for the local Washington County Office for the Aging.

All Great Escape season passes, and add-ons, have been extended through the end of the 2021 season.

© Six Flags Darien Lake

Six Flags Darien Lake, who rejoined the Six Flags family not too many years ago, also set up a page to announce that they will not operate in 2020.  Their information is a bit more brief than the Great Escape's, however they do also note that their 2020 season passes will be also extended through the 2021 season.

Carowinds Shares Views of Completed Boogie Board Racer + Grand Carnivale Arrives for 2021

© Carowinds

Another park that didn't make it to an opening day in 2020, Carowinds is already looking toward the future when the park opens its new waterslide tower and hosts Grand Carnivale in 2021.

 

Slated to have opened this year, Boogie Board Racer is a six lane mat racing slide that has been built inside the park's Carolina Harbor water park.  From the new images that the park has shared, the entire attraction looks complete.  They even have some short video clips of test sliders in action on the park's social media channels!

© Carowinds

The attraction features the colors of the rainbow over the six different paths, each of which includes enclosed and exposed sections along with a 360 degree horizontal loop.  Sliders will race each other down the slope to the finish line, which features a traditional black and white checkerboard motif.  The addition is the first since Carowinds' water park was expanded and rebranded in 2016.

© Carowinds

Additionally, the park had to push back the debut of the Grand Carnivale special event from 2020 until 2021.  Thankfully the park is still planning on debuting the celebration next year as the park's website confirms.  The event was a big success at other Cedar Fair parks in 2019 and I have no doubt that guests to Carowinds will love the colorful atmosphere, Spectacle of Color Parade, exciting street party and tasty food samplings that it offers.

The park has not released exact dates for Grand Carnivale yet, but should as the 2021 season gets closer.