Mike's Fill-In Brochure Spotlight: Dorney Park 1977(ish)

I know you guys are missing Sabrina's weekly look at historical park brochures - I am too - but while she is knee deep in dirty diapers I figured I'd step in and feature some older Dorney Park brochures I have until her return.  I've actually wanted to feature some of them for a while now, so this opportunity seems perfect.

I actually featured this brochure 2 years ago on NewsPlusNotes, but the images weren't up to my standards, so I wanted a 'do-over' on this one.  The brochure is from around 1977, or so, and that's a pretty solid guess that my friends over at Dorney Park Online helped me figure out.

Alfundo is beckoning us to join his fun at "one of America's greatest amusement parks."  The aerial view behind him is what I love, though - it's a treasure trove of old attractions.

Dorney Park - the "Natural Spot."  They were quite proud back then that they could accommodate up to 10,000 picnickers per day in their many groves.  Thunderhawk was still The Roller Coaster at this point, and the brochure proudly proclaims it one of the ten best in the country.

The all important visitor's map.  The Dorney Park of the 1970s still was settled along Dorney Park Road, with relatively little of the park on the top of the hill.  Zoorama was still a popular attraction at the time, along with the sea lions and whale boats.  That spot was later taken over by Laser, and today sits empty - for now, at least.

Here's the start of the 'guts' of this brochure.  I love how old school brochures were simple - show pictures, give a description, and watch the people flock to your attraction.  Simple and effective, right!

Among the goodies here is the Bucket of Blood, listed as a "new experience" which helps date the brochure.  Joined by the Gold Mine, these were just two of the 'dark' attractions at the park at the time.  The Zodiac and the Scrambler one two of the popular flat rides the park offered, and the Show Boat took guests on a relaxing cruise around the lower lake.

Free admission always.  That's a good way to lure people!  Plus the free picnic tables, kiddieland, plenty of thrill rides, and even stock car racing!  Dorney Park had it all back then.

The Palacio De Cristal, or glass house, was another one of the newer attractions at the park.  The unique attraction was purchased from Italy.  The Flying Bobs is called the park's "newest" thrill ride, and the Dorney Park Theater provided free entertainment on Sundays and holidays - direct from New York and Hollywood!

Sounds like a fun day, right?  Now how do we get there?  They had that covered for you, too - even in kilometers!  For instance, it was a simple trip of 104 kilometers from Shamokin, PA to the park!  Knowledge is power folks.

Joking aside, I do like the Dorney Park logo used on the map, there.  You don't see that one often.  It's not too involved but works, and is super fitting for the time.

A Trio of Construction Updates

© 2010 Six Flags Over Texas

I know I just posted a link to photos of the New Texas Giant at Six Flags Over Texas yesterday, but the park released images of the new trains for the ride today and I just had to post one.  The new trains feature a distinctly Texan look to them - complete with longhorns on the front. The front is designed to look like a '61 Cadillac, and each car features stadium seating.  More photos are available on Ride Entertainment System's page as well, including close-ups of the seats and restraints.


Moving well North of Texas, the Zippin Pippin at Bay Beach is continuing vertical construction at what seems like a lightning pace.  The base of the first drop is now in place - only days after a construction update posted by Scott & Carol in which it was just footers!


Finally, today was a big day for Quassy Amusement Park, who's new Gravity Group coaster, the Wooden Warrior, went vertical!  The first supports for the ride are now standing proud.  The setting for the ride looks great, I love how the mature trees around it are being kept.

Heard On... Cedar Fair Long-Term Goals Conference Call

Cedar Fair held a special conference call today to discuss the long-term financial goals of the company, a part of which includes reinstating the distribution to unit holders each year.  The release is available on the company's website.  The distribution is what the financial community will be pleased about - the $0.25 that will be paid to each unit allows the company to have had a continuous distribution for 24 years.

The company also put out a plan of action to grow over the next five years.  There are details in the release, some of which I will cover below and some not, so check it out if you're hungry for number-talk.

As I love to do, here's some notes I found interesting:

•  2010 is shaping up to be a good year for Cedar Fair.  As of 9/5/10 overall revenues are up 4%, attendance is up 5%, Per-caps are down 1%, and out of park spending is up 10%.

•  Looking at attendance in 2010, higher season pass sales resulted in $16 million more in revenues.  Season Pass visits are up 870k in total, Group Sales up 365k, and Front Gate admissions down 395k.  In 2010, Cedar Fair picked up 900k of the 1.6 million that they were down in 2009.

•  Specifically by region the Southern Parks are up 9% in revenues, and 440k in visits.  Northern Parks are up 3% in revenues, and 83k in visits.  The Western Region is up 3% in revenues on an increase of 378k in attendance.

•  Planet Snoopy has been deemed a success at the parks it debuted at in '10, which makes sense as three more are coming in '11.

•  Capital Expenditures in 2010 will total $85 million.  In 2011 they plan on spending $75-80 million, and then $80-90 million annually after that.

•  Quick math:  Announced capital for 2011 totals $44 million so far.  No news yet from Kings Dominion, Michigan's Adventure, Great America, or the water parks. So even if they spend on the low side of the 2011 estimate, $75 million, that leaves $31 million unaccounted for.  Interesting, no?

•  Future capital will be spent similarly as the past.  World class rides, family attractions, and live shows were mentioned.  The company is looking to develop resort facilities at Kings Dominion and Carowinds, but that's at least a few years off.  As of now they would develop the hotels on their own, not in partnership with a chain operator.

•  An $80-90 million capital year lets them build two big rides while still adding capital at the other parks.  For the smaller parks, a big ride every 3-4 years will still be the formula going forward.

•  Per loan agreements, the more that debt is paid down the more they will be able to disburse as a distribution.  The hope is to have it up to between $1.25 and $1.75 by 2015.  Excess cash flow will be used to pay down debt when possible.

•  No plan for acquiring or selling parks is in the works now, but as always the company will evaluate any opportunities that may come up. (Personally, I think they would sell California's Great America in a heartbeat)

•  The Season Pass program has picked up significantly since they started marketing them as they did at the former Paramount Parks.  Applying those tactics to the legacy parks has had positive results.  Season Pass and Group Attendance accounts for around 50% of overall attendance each year.

•  The WindSeeker attractions for 2011 will be marketed as a major attraction, although the individual price tags are much less than a big coaster.  The company believes they could have a great effect at the gate, and could be a sleeper hit.

The company sounds like it's getting back on track after a rough year or two.  Naturally so much of this plan depends on the operating results each year, but if nothing else the reinstatement of the distribution should help build momentum going forward.

Now how about that unaccounted for $31 million for 2011?

Recent Photos of the New Texas Giant

Progress on the New Texas Giant continues, with each set of new photos showing more and more extreme track being placed on the ride.

Guide to SFOT has some photos from October 2nd that show off the most recent changes.  The overbank turns on this ride are going to be absolutely insane!  The park has also made a lot of progress on the 'flying carpet' ending of the ride, with some exciting changes involved as well.  Ledgers have been placed in the area for the former helix around the ride's lift hill, so it is safe to say that section will return in some form.

You can check out the photos that Guide to SFOT posted at this link. 

Starliner to Return to Miracle Strip at Pier Park

© Carol Holmes

The Starliner wooden roller coaster will be making a return trip to Panama City, Florida, after a four year stay in Winter Haven at Cypress Gardens.  The operators of the new Miracle Strip at Pier Park have purchased the ride and are starting efforts to get the coaster rebuilt.  The estimated cost of rebuilding the coaster sits at around $2 million, and it is hoped it can see a 2012 reopening.

This past March the 'new' Miracle Strip Amusement Park reopened at Pier Park, which is a large shopping and entertainment center near the beach in Panama City.  The park features four rides purchased and restored from the original Miracle Strip:  a 1964 Allen Herschell Carousel, 1958 Red Baron, 1985 Balloon Race, and a 1975 Eli Bridge Ferris Wheel.

© pcbdaily.com

Here's a shot of the new park after it reopened (more photos).  The busy location it sits in seems to have made it an early success, though the addition of the coaster is still a very large project for the park.

According to Miracle Strip they have already mapped out three possible locations for the coaster, all of which are located on the West edge of the property, near the ocean.  The development is huge, and while the aerials aren't fully updated you can get a feel for it by checking out this map.  The amusement park is located in the center of the development:

The large undeveloped section next to the park in the above photo was converted into a white sand beach this past summer.  That area will serve as a relaxing space to hold festivals and other events, which are common at Pier Park.  To me the proposed location of the coaster at the West end, by the beach and pier, means that it won't sit next to the amusement park.  That could hurt or benefit the ride; being near the beach would mean even more traffic from those out for a day of fun and sun.

As for getting the Starliner operating again, the owners of the park have launched a campaign to win $250,000 from the Pepsi Refresh Everything program, much like Conneaut Lake Park's Blue Streak did.  The idea is up for voting this month.  The plan needs more funding for that, but it's a start.

The coaster is a classic John Allen design, originally opening in 1963.  It closed in 2004 when the original Miracle Strip ceased operations.  It was then rebuilt and opened in 2007 at Cypress Gardens, but closed the following year.  It is now in storage, awaiting its trip back to Panama City.

The 4th Busch Gardens Tampa 2011 Attraction Clip

Another Monday, another new clip of Busch Gardens Tampa's 2011 attraction.  This week's clip focuses on the section of the ride that will reuse the water portion of Rhino Rally, and also shows off that the ride will have at least one inversion.  Try using the word power to unlock the 4th video.

The water portion looks pretty fun, lots of zig-zagging past waterfalls and along the rockwork that exists down there.  Someone put together the clips released thus far into one video, which you can see above.  Outside of the very first part of the ride out of the station you can see pretty the entire course now.

With only one more clip to be released I have to wonder if the full announcement will be next week?