Weekly Rewind 4.24.10

Do you love Pretzels and coasters? (Notice I said coasters, not beer) If so, and you're the creative type, then you'll be excited to know that Busch Garden's and Snyder's of Hanover will again hold their pretzel-coaster building contest this summer. Read about the details here!

Heide Park, located in Germany, has opened their new Pirate Bay splash battle attraction. They've released the above photo of the ride, which shows off the very nice theming job they've done. I hope these rides continue to pop up at parks here in America!

Playland Amusement Park, located at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver, Canada, is celebrating it's 100th anniversary this year. That's quite an achievement for any amusement park! Here's an article about the history of the park that's worth checking out.

The Karate Kid returns this summer in the form of a new feature film, and Six Flags is helping celebrate with the Karate Kid Challenge. The event is being held at parks across the country in May - one 'karate kid' and his coach can enter and perform a 90 second routine. A winner from each park will have the performance posted on Yahoo where the public will vote for an overall winner. Details are available at the Karate Kid Challenge website.

Knoebels may not have a big new ride this year, but that does not mean the park is taking the year off. They've greatly expanded the park's infrastructure, including computer and phone systems. They've also already poured the concrete pad for Black Diamond, planned for a 2011 opening. And yes, Flying Turns is still being worked on.

Well that was both fast and not surprising - the Minnesota based developer that said they wanted to redevelop the former Six Flags New Orleans has already pulled out of their plan. I hate to say it, but it seems we'll really never see an amusement park operate there again.

A plan for Ghost Town in the Sky to be purchased by a former owner out of bankruptcy has been proposed, though it's not clear if the court will allow it. If the deal does not go through the park well be auctioned off to the highest bidder as early as June. If the deal does go through there are hopes that the amusement park could possibly reopen this summer.

The much anticipated World of Color lagoon show at Disney's California Adventure will officially open on June 11th. The park recently opened the area that will hold 9,000 guests per show, named Paradise Park.

This news come in Finnish, but we can still gather that Linnanmaki, Finland, will add a Maurer Sohne X-Car coaster in 2011. RCDB is reporting that it's a standard model, much like the one at Magic Springs.

Funcoast visited Cedar Point and published a slew of new photos of Shoot The Rapids. Photos include all aspects of the ride, including plenty of shots of the final splashdown water feature running. Looks nice!

Busch Gardens Tampa is offering a great Monther's Day lunch and breakfast with the Sesame Street characters at the park's new Safari of Fun area on May 9th. If I were closer I'd take my Mom! You can purchase tickets through the park's website, located here.

Staying with Busch Gardens Tampa, BGTGuide has been doing a great job featuring information and photos of work on the park's 2011 coaster project. They've also uncovered another trademark application for a ride, this one called Cheetaka. Could that be the ride's name?

We haven't forgotten Sky Rocket at Kennywood this week - Kennywood Connection has been doing almost daily updates so we can all watch the coaster going up. It's looking really great! Here's a link to there most recent photo update, which includes shots taken inside the park.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg's new attraction, Europe In The Air, isn't quite ready to open, but the park gave us a bit of a preview (including video) this past week on their blog. Sounds like they're using smells heavily during the ride, including chocolate! Mmmm.

Canobie Lake Park has stars in its eyes this year - they're debuting the "Summer of SuperStars" entertainment series. A variety of shows that feature tributes to Michael Jackson, Elvis, and plenty of other huge names. You can see more on the park's site.

And we'll finish with the story I wish I could hit the fast forward button on. Cedar Fair vs. 49ers. Now Cedar Fair wants the rent they pay to the city to be reduced and based on performance, should the stadium be built.