Weekly Rewind 7.10.10

Beech Bend Amusement Park is looking forward to a prosperous summer this year. With Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom closed, visits are on the rise. Add to that the soon to be opened water park expansion and things only look better. Great news from a smaller, independent park!

The Gravity Group will design a coaster for a new Happy Valley park in China, which will be built by Martin & Vlemickx. The racing wooden coaster will feature the above pictured "high five" element - where the trains, banked at 90 degrees, will complete a camel back next to each other. Wild!

What's Cedar Point up to in 2011? A new thrill ride is planned, we know that much. More details are coming out here and there, though, we now know the ride will be announced in mid-August, be located near the beach, and hearken back to the history of Cedar Point. More here.

Those photos from the Legoland Florida preview I expected to surface did exactly that. Orlando Park News visited the event and took tons of photos of the displays and concept art available. Sadly, the park has confirmed that the Starliner will be dismantled in hopes of being sold - no chance of it opening with Legoland.

Of the many makeover projects either under way or scheduled at Disney California Adventure, the Funland Blog takes a look at Mulholland Madness' change into Goofy's Sky School. The concept art makes it look like the wild mouse style coaster will get a total renovation complete with a full new theme.

The development of the new Zippin Pippin at Bay Beach Amusement Park is speeding along - recently the city scored a lower than expected bid on the ride's foundations. I'm glad to see the plan moving forward so quickly!

Sources say that the construction of Shanghai Disneyland could begin as soon as November of this year. Apparently large construction projects were put on hold for the duration of the World Expo to improve air quality. The Expo ends October 31st, so perhaps construction will start then.

It's that time again! Universal has launched this year's Halloween Horror Nights website for the Orlando parks. This year celebrates the 20th anniversary of the event, so I would expect quite the scream-fest this year. Speculation is that the biggest HHN icons will return this year, but nothing is confirmed yet.

Do you want your own plush three headed dog? If Harry Potter merchandise is your thing, then Universal Orlando has what you want. To further capitalize on their Potter empire, they've now opened an online store full of Wizarding World items. Get out that Visa!

Orlando's Discovery Cove has filed permits to build a large expansion for 2011, focusing on adding a large saltwater reef to the park. It hasn't been announced yet, but appears to be a very large expansion. Based on permits the expansion value is at least $17 million, but really is probably quite a bit more.