Seabreeze Amusement Park Adds Two Rides for 2014

Rochester, New York's Seabreeze Amusement Park has announced the addition of two new family rides for the park's 2014 season.  The two attractions will come to Seabreeze by way of the closed Freestyle Music Park, where the rides had a short life previously.  That means that while the rides are used, they're still rather 'low mileage' which is great for Seabreeze!

Spinning is the name of the game for both rides, especially the Wave Swinger, seen above.  A classic ride for amusement parks everywhere, it's sure to be a hit with the guests at Seabreeze.  Riders sit in chairs suspended by chains from the attraction, and as it spins they swing out and around as the main arm undulates.

The Wave Swinger will replace the park's aging Yo-Yo, which is a similar swing ride.

Families with smaller kids will love the second ride, to be called the Great Balloon Race.  The individual balloon cars take riders up 42 feet in the air, and guests are able to spin them freely as the whole ride rotates.

Seabreeze will also renovate the park's children's area, known as Kiddie City.  Rides will be rearranged, some will have new themes, and the entire section will have new landscaping, benches, and lighting.  Sounds like some great improvements!

This also makes me wonder what is happening with the rest of Freestyle Music Park's rides, since obviously they are liquidating them.  I haven't heard of any other rides being moved from the park as of now, and I can't find any of them listed on used ride sites either.  I think we're all waiting to see where the coasters will go!

Footers for a Goliath and a Heartline for Banshee

Now that the off-season is really setting in for many of us, we can turn to watching some of 2014's thrills being built.  Thankfully parks often put up webcams that afford us some views of these new rides being constructed - and such is the case with the new Goliath wooden coaster at Six Flags Great America.

The above photo is not from a webcam, however, it was just shared by the park today and shows off some footers in place for the massive coaster!

This is the view that the park's webcam gives, at least part of it.  You're able to zoom in and check out a closer view of the work.  Lots of earth moving is taking place, and there's plenty of precast footers just waiting to go into the ground.  This project is moving along quickly - it probably won't be too long before we see structure start to go up!

Kings Island's webcam for Banshee - the world's longest inverted roller coaster - is also showing off the daily progress that the ride is making.  The latest element to be constructed is the enormous heartline roll - which takes the trains down to the back half of the ride.  The base of the exit to this element will be one of the fastest parts of the ride.  You can also check out a shot of the half completed element from the ground, taken yesterday and shared by Kings Island.  This is one massive inverted coaster!

NewsPlusNotes October 2013 Poll Results

October is a fun month for park fans.  We get to see many of our favorite parks all decked out for Halloween, and they are filled with monsters and special seasonal attractions.  Plus, many stay open until later than usual, making for some great night rides.

Our October 2013 NPN poll asked our readers which aspect of Halloween events you guys like the most, and while it was a close race one aspect beat all others - rides in the dark!

Yes you guys really like the opportunity to check out some of your favorite scream machines in the darkness that the fall provides.  That option came in first place with 43% of the total votes.

While rides can be scary, the haunted houses that parks create are also a major draw - obviously - and they came in second place with 40% of the vote.  The other experiences that Halloween events provide did not fair quite as well, with park atmosphere, scare zones, and live shows grouped closely together far behind the others.

This month's poll takes us back to 1998, fifteen years ago, and asks you guys which of the big new coasters that season was your favorite?  There's so many to pick from!  Head on over to the left and check out the list and vote!

From The Vault: Valleyfair! 2001 Brochure

The 2001 season was one of celebration for Valleyfair!, as it marked the park's 25th anniversary (first opening back in 1976).  Now around twelve years later than when this was produced, much has changed at the park.  But let's take a look back at how the park's 25th was celebrated.

Well, for starters they celebrated with some confetti and a fun anniversary logo!  The park did not add any large attractions in 2001, having just built the 275 foot tall Power Tower the year prior.  Naturally the back of the brochure featured the park's operating calendar along with the prices for the year.

The main section of this long fold-out brochure features 25 reasons to celebrate and also to plan a visit to the park, of course.  You can comb through them on your own but you'll notice that most rhyme, which is silly but fun.  The park's main attractions are all captured in the list, from the high thrills of the Wild Thing hyper coaster to a more sedate spin on the Carousel.  There's also the fun of pay extra attractions like mini-golf at Challenge Park and the included-in-admission Whitewater Country Waterpark.

The flip side of that long fold-out contains a whole bunch of 'fine print.'  With information on everything from the dress code to Canadian money, you'll find your answers in this section.  Challenge park is also promoted again at the top, the pay-extra area featured a skycoaster named Ripcord, mini-golf, go-karts and bumper boats.  Between last year's picnic grove addition and next year's Route 76 I believe all but RipCord will have been removed from the park.  That's progress for you!

El Loco Rising at Adventuredome in Las Vegas

© Adventuredome

The Adventuredome at Circus Circus has started to build El Loco, the park's new S&S Worldwide designed roller coaster.  The ride is one of the manufacturer's creations that shares the same name, known for its crazy overbanks, steep drops and hairpin turns.  El Loco's are a bit like a Wild Mouse only with inversions and exaggerated elements like outward banking turns and heartline rolls.

© Adventuredome

At the Adventuredome the ride is going to have a unique layout, different from the standard El Loco design we've seen at other parks.  The park removed the Rim Runner shoot-the-chutes in order to make way for the new coaster.

The second photo here shows the start of a twisting dive that will end the ride.  After the track inverts it drops, making for quite a finale to the coaster.  El Loco is going up quickly so hopefully we'll get to see a full look at the custom layout soon!

Ride Into the Abyss at Adventure World

A brand new, custom designed Euro-Fighter roller coaster, named the Abyss, has opened at Australia's Adventure World theme park.  Bearing a decidedly dark theme, the Gerstlauer designed Abyss takes riders up a vertical lift hill, down a beyond-vertical drop and through several inversions during the experience.

© Adventure World

Abyss actually starts out with an indoor section, complete with a couple quick drops and turns before a heartline roll.  The dark theming, which includes many creepy looking hooded "guardians" placed around the ride, makes the dark section of the ride a perfect fit.

© Adventure World

Topping out at around 100 feet in height, the individual cars pass over 2,000 feet of track.  The inversions listed for the coaster include the aforementioned heartline roll along with an Immelmann and a dive loop.

Adventure World held a giant opening celebration for the ride last night, again tying the coaster's theme to that of the haunted evening.  The first dispatch of the Abyss was accompanied by some great pyro and fireworks as well.  Quite a spectacle!