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In early 2019, Scandia Ontario closed their doors forever. The small park had some awesome mini golf courses, a few carnival rides, and most notably the Scandia Screamer, a giant Miler coaster with some frightening airtime and aggressive turns. The ride was sale for a few years, but it finally found a new home. Traders Village in Grand Prarie, Texas will be opening the Prairie Screamer this fall. Link to Traders Village SCREAMING INTO TRADERS VILLAGE FALL 2021, PRAIRIE SCREAMER, a family-oriented roller coaster that will be popular with all ages! • Drop 80 feet • Speed 50 mph • Duration 1:56 • 2 Trains with 10 riders per train Until this announcement was made, I honestly had never heard of Traders Village. But this place is less than 5 miles from Six Flags Over Texas and while it's mostly a flea market, it has a decent flat ride lineup, including a Larson drop tower. And rides cost just $3 a piece or $14 for an unlimited wristband. I will be sure to check this place out once the Screamer reopens because that coaster really surprised me.

Theme Park Review was invited out to Knott's Berry Farm this morning to check out the all new Knott's Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair. "“Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair” is a new 4-D interactive dark ride that will take guests on an exciting journey through reimagined show scenes that are reminiscent of the original dark ride, including the Boysenberry Pie Factory, Frog Forest, Fortune Teller Camp, Thunder Cave, and Weird Woods, culminating in a celebration at the County Fair. The story takes place 34 years after the original adventure and will follow Boysen Bear and Girlsen Bear as they travel to the Country Fair to earn the blue ribbon prize for their famous boysenberry pies, but Crafty Coyote is back along with his mischievous pups intent on stealing all the pies for themselves. Guests will climb aboard ride vehicles equipped with jelly blasters to try and recover the stolen boysenberry pies as they travel through whimsical and beautiful environments while competing for the highest score." This is somewhat of a re-skin of Voyage to the Iron Reef. But, calling it that is doing a disservice to all the theming inside the ride. There is much more than just the screens. Even some theming looking up where it's not just a blank ceiling. Similar to Toy Story Mania, Bear-y Tales uses a Knott's Berry Jam jar with berry pull string to fire at the screen, gaining points as you go along. I love these rides, just because it's a game and a ride. Even if you don't care, there's still so much action to watch as you ride along throughout the story. Knott's Bear-y Tales has a much more family friendly theme that I feel fits in great and more families will want to ride than the previous Iron Reef. Of course, there's all new merchandise to go with the ride. A lot of plushies, pins, shirts, etc. Here's a full POV of the attraction:

Strange things are afoot at the Circle K.

I was scrolling through looking at photos, and didn’t realize I had made it to the end of the post, and I was like... Why the heck is there a picture of some random hands... and then I realized. It will be interesting to see what project this track becomes!

Weird how Six Flags had the exact same problems to contend with and figured it out at all of their parks... I'm not going to be as hard on BGW as I've been on Cedar Fair. They also opened all winter and threw the maintenance schedules for a loop and back when they finalized details for this event the park hadn't been as crowded. People got vaccinated fast and the demand rose very quickly. That said, how many people would it honestly take to open Loch Ness and Tempesto? The answer at Six Flags would be like 7 or 8 people total. Nobody would question it if the water rides, Skyride, the indoor ride and Rhine River Cruise were closed and they probably would assume Mach Tower was broken. The Flying Machine... . nobody cares but also doesn't it need like 1 staff member and someone to cover breaks? lol At this point it just seems weird to keep those rides closed if staffing is really the reason why and if they really can't find 10 people even by using less staff to run the rides currently running then maybe... I don't know... pay people more to work there?

I enjoyed Voyage to the Iron Reef, but I think bringing back a classic Knott's ride in a new form is a smart move.

Apparently construction walls have gone up around the Green Lantern/Tidal Wave site. If anyone here is going to the park this week please confirm if you can.

*sad trombone noise*

Several new track pieces and supports were spotted outside of Clermont steel fabrication in Ohio. No idea what coaster this could be for, but perhaps it's for SeaWorld Orlandos New coaster? Photo credit goes the Amusement Park Portal. More pictures are located on thier Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/446279452634367/permalink/838406406755001/?comment_id=838425193419789

it ABSOLUTELY is a violation of ethics, trust, and just a really shitty thing to do.

Eh, I like the new St. Louis/arch-themed logo. The change is nice. And I am sure whichever employee has to trek out to the sign to change the message (and it is probably always cold or raining that day) will love being able to sit at a computer and put new messages up

I have not been to the park but I have seen pictures and can confirm walls are going up!! Exciting news!

you type less than me.. LOL. . so you got your answer in first

Hersheypark's official statement was that Storm Runner was closed in 2020 since they were waiting on a part that was delayed due to covid.

After this fun stop we made it to Mount Olympus. here's a couple of pictures from my first couple of hours there. We had more time the next morning. first coaster spotted in a tent join the line outside area and then there was this.. Cyclops. hairtime machine that back row was so much fun Guess not everybody felt comfortable letting go of the handlebar night time rides on this... so many stories.. grin more pictures from this park in the next update Hope you are still enjoying this trip through memory lane.

I think bringing back the Over Mid-America name is a great idea!

Now that we know what it is. I wonder what the new one looks like

Thats whats left of the old sign

We saw Working tonight livestreamed from the Theatre and Dance Department at Missouri State University. The kids did a great job! Still super missing live theatre, so I'm glad our local university found a way to give the kids some show experience and bring the arts to the Ozarks safely. I don't have any photos or screenshots or anything, just a little shout out to some hard working (pun intended) college students, and a reminder that if you got some arts going on where you are, keep supporting them!

Okay, I'm coming around on this new poetry form. !!!! is a brilliant line. You pronounce that chk-chk-chk-chk, right?

Made a reservation for preview night. Should be able to get over there for a couple hours. Never been on a Friday in May without hundreds of school busses dropping kids off, so might actually be decent!

Am I missing something? All of those structural components can't just be for a sign. They certainly don't look like they are for a ride, what is it?!

Members and passholders: May 14 Public: May 15 https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210427006188/en/Six-Flags-Announces-Reopening-of-Six-Flags-New-England-Hurricane-Harbor-Los-Angeles-and-Hurricane-Harbor-Concord Edit: ah someone beat me to it Back on the Windexcyanide topic (never forget word filters), I could very well be wrong but I'm pretty sure they run more than one type of wheel on it. In the cooler season it runs different because of the wheels they put on. Yes weather effects it too but I think that's why you see such a difference sometimes (and why it makes a different sound). Someone please correct me if I'm just making this sh!t up. lol Edit again: When it first opened as per RMC: "the train is running a combination of nylon, steel, and urethane wheels" -- so in other words there are times when they switch things out. I forgot where I gained all of this wisdom but it intrigued me because it's completely true that sometimes the ride is barely making it back, and some times is absolutely running in hyper speed; regardless of weather.

May 14th Preview and May 15th SFNE is open again!

I don't think you do this stuff for a rollercoaster or anything. Some of this is addressing deferred maintenance from the bankruptcy era, and the rest is probably beautification for the curtailed 50th anniversary celebration.

Oh wow, that's pretty high to be fair. Blackpool do actually do Big One lift walks, so knowing them they charged the riders for the walk down.

^ I can confirm this, as I had the pleasure of walking down it today at the park.

Folks are reporting that the path below Skyrush is back open.

IKR its finally running fairly well and people just gotta tempt fate for us 1st timers. All a big joke when you've ridden already XD Also glad to see the waits are looking back to normal, (prepared to say the stupid huge crowds really were all spring break) Can anyone confirm how quickly TimeSaver has been selling out, or has it generally still been available day of? Im thinking when I go it'll prob be quiet enough to not be necessary. It SEEMS like on weekdays its generally been like 30 mins and under which is fine, I can tolerate that. BUT looks like $44 for up 8 skips? Lets say I use like 1 on MM 7 on LR or 8 on LR for $5ish per skip (basically)? Not a bad deal tbh.....

I disagree, I think there still very much is a point to rebutting idiocy. It's not to convince the idiot, we all know that'll never happen. You're really talking to a third party who is reading and not speaking, who knows the science and needs encouragement to keep going.

Tells someone to keep politics out of it. Procedes to add politics. Typical As for SFMM, they're going to follow what is required by the state... At least on paper. So your shove it comment is misplaced.

There are less than 10 days until Season Pass Photo Day and I just wanted to update on progress at Waldameer. Pieces are starting to come together for the 125th season but I will be investigating more in the coming weeks. The Food Stand Reveal: Last month, I mentioned about a new food stand coming where the former Zeke's Shack game used to operate. Now we have an answer regarding it. The name of this place will be Carousel Delights and will be severing foods such as nachos, Dippin Dots, and much more. I am a bit disappointed that a new food option wasn't coming but it will be another place for food in the amusement park. New Spider Sign: Old Man Winter visited Erie yesterday morning for one last time and Waldameer posted it's yearly snow picture to their social media. In the picture, there is a new sign for Spider. The sign is now all black, matching the ride and a brand new web on top of the letters. I personally love the new sign and should be a good "sign" of things to come. A "Stupid" ICJ Plug: As it gets closer to Waldameer's opening, I am optimistic about how this season will operate. With COVID protocols being relaxed a bit and the fun cosmetic upgrades looking promising, I can't wait to see what my home park has to offer. I'll be visiting on both Season Pass Photo Day (May 1st) and Opening Day (May 15th) for my first rides of the season as well as any other updates that the park have made so stay tuned on this thread and my YouTube channel InsaneCoasterJunkie for more updates regarding Waldameer. I know this might be a shameless plug but Waldameer is my second home and I'm very passionate about how this park operates :) New Spider Sign: https://www.instagram.com/p/CN7VOSWLcTk/

Yeah pricing for those Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodges etc aren't really a fair comparison. $150 a day is steep, but a room for $300 a night which includes 2 days of access for a family of 4 isn't to bad. That's the game they're in.

You must be new around here if you think I’m a “boot licker” for SFMM. I’m just someone who realizes covid enforcement is a joke everywhere now and understands that if you chose to go somewhere you know will be a gathering place for thousands of strangers, you assume the risks that go with it. But some would rather aim for tik tok clout than just say “I don’t feel comfortable here. I’m out.” There is no entry level job in America that pays enough for anyone to care about enforcing things for all but the worst of the worst violators of covid precautions. Nor is there a business capped at 25% that can sustain throwing a crap ton of extra labor at something and be expected to make any money. You accept this reality when you visit any theme park right now. Should it be that way? In a perfect world, no, of course not. But in the real world...that’s how every park, stadium, large store, airport, and so on is actually operating.

Still can't get over how ugly Pantheon's station is compared to...basically every other inch of the park...but I'm very excited to see the ride nearing opening status. Thanks for the report, Chuck!

People are generally over it and even parks that did a great job with covid protocols last summer are struggling now. The data coming out now is highlighting just how insanely rare outdoor transmission is with even incredibly left-leaning publications calling for an end to outdoor mask mandates (and I'm someone who is generally very pro-mask but data is data) but if that doesn't put you at-ease then I would not recommend that you visit a park right now. Most parks don't have enough staff to enforce this and compliance is going to get worse every day from here-on-out.

So in the past year I kind of made a rule for myself...no new parks during COVID. I broke that rule on Sunday and immediately wished I didn't. First off...for COVID protocols the park kinda talks a big game but doesn't enforce anything at all. In most of the lines they had an employee (usually a younger one) walking around with a sign that said something like "Please Social Distance, Masks Required in Line" but there was 0 personal space at all nevermind social distancing. Id say a good 25% of the people in the lines were just wearing the masks on their chin and some didn't have one at all. Occasionally the employees would say something, but then keep walking and the person would just laugh after they walked away. I'm not much of a worry wart about COVID. I've traveled numerous times in the past year on planes, trains, and buses. Been to quite a few parks, ski resorts, casinos, sports games etc. I've felt slightly uncomfortable a couple times (previous top 2 times were the boardwalk in Wildwood on a Sunday and a couple lines at Hershey), but Sunday at Lagoon blew all those away. My wife was trying to get me to leave after an hour or two because she was even more uncomfortable. I know it's Utah and I should've kind of expected it to be not great, especially on a 65 degree day in full sun, but damn. If you're nervous about social distancing and that kind of stuff, I'd say don't bother with Lagoon until this is over unless it's a dead rainy day or something. Anyway, onto the park review... At arrival I wanted to get the most anticipated ride out of the way first and headed right for Cannibal. The line stretched past the Ferris Wheel, but then I remembered that this park doesn't actually have queue lines for its rides for some reason. So the crazy looking line was only about 20 minutes and I scored the front row. I think I overanticipated this ride as it wasn't quite as great as I was expecting but it's still a really good coaster. It's extremely smooth and flowy, but not the most forceful coaster. The elevator lift and first drop were terrific. I wanted to ride Samurai as I've never ridden a a Top Scan before, but I walked by it as the line was very packed in and overflowing (this is one of the few rides that actually has a dedicated line). We walked past a few more rides and coasters and eventually came to the Log Flume. Not sure why, but they didn't allow single riders so I got put with another group. Layout reminded me of the old flume at SFNE with some low to the ground turns and one drop. Not a great flume but there's no such thing as a bad flume. After visiting the village and checking out a few barns and museums in the quiet back of the park, we headed back towards the madhouse front of the park, past a closed Wicked (which I was looking forward to but knew it was unlikely to be open) and got in line for Colossus. Running two trains and they run Knoebels style dispatches, so it wasn't even 10 minutes from the entrance to sitting down. Good classic Schwarzkopf with pretty forceful loops and good helixes. Wish there were more of these coasters around. Continued on to Spider which had a line out the entrance path and unfortunately this line crawled. Pretty good ride though with a long layout and decent amount of spinning. Very tight and uncomfortable legroom, and I'm only 5'8". Passed up the long line for the standard Wild Mouse, but couldn't pass up a ride on Rock-o-Plane. This thing was a mashup between a Skydiver and a Zipper and thankfully allowed single riders (although it was a tight squeeze for me) as my wife wouldn't go near the thing. I almost made myself hurl before it even started because it's super easy to get flipping and it can flip very fast. If i were still 15 I could've ridden this over and over but after 1 ride I was seeing stars. Loved it though, Knoebels should get one of these. Headed for Roller Coaster next which was running two trains and also had a very fast crew. Thought I scored by ending up with the back seat but they mandate two riders in the back so I had to switch with a pair in the middle of the train. This place is bizarre. Anyway, for a 100 year old coaster it is super smooth. Not a ton of airtime but a perfectly acceptable family classic. We stopped at the Biergarten for lunch which was very good, although it had me longing for BGW. Definitely one of the better park lunches I've ever had. Headed back in Cannibal's direction, past a broken down Samurai but got distracted when it started testing, so I got out of line to go wait by the entrance. Unfortunately after 15 minutes or so an op came down to tell the growing line that it wouldn't be opening. Big bummer that I missed this and Wicked as they were among the top things I was looking forward to. Finished up the day with the spinning car Ferris Wheel, which was unique for sure and had some great views. The line was over 20 minutes but they were only loading 8 cars out of 40+ which was kinda lousy. Had to pass up on the Jet Star as my wife didn't want to wait in any more lines and they don't allow single riders. Ended up passing up the family coasters as well and eventually just made our way out of the park. With the park doing 0 enforcement of their policies, we just didn't want to be there any more. Definitely mad at myself for breaking my own rule and putting a bad taste in my mouth at a park I've never been to before. But a little more enforcement on their behalf would go a long way. Looking forward to going back some day and getting a better experience.

Ed Hart would just work on it for a couple of years and then sell it to someone else.

I just ran across a CBC Television Special, I was a dancer in.... it aired in Dec.1975! I was 22 at that time. Called "The World of Ivor Novello" it was a look back on his career and music, especially operetta musicals. Had a few well known (at the time) opera singers in it, and all of the dancers (& choreographer) were people I knew and had danced with in a lot of musicals produced by a good number of amateur theatre companies, at the time in Vancouver. Here's the photos with me in them. And don't judge on the tights and slippers in the last pic! It's European! If you want to read more about this special, and see other photos, here's the link to it: http://www.stationbreak.ca/photo_gallery/index.php?SCRAPBOOK-THE-WORLD-OF-IVOR-NOVELLO-1975-272 BTW, these shots were taken, in between tapings. It was also re-aired in Australia a couple of years later! And I got a small residual cheque for it. Cool! That's me in front, in the lighter blue jacket. Luxurious costumes they were! All of us, on the stairs. With Judith Forst at the top. In Dance Ready Mode, with our Choreographer JEFF HYSLOP standing behind Mary Costa, checking our positions. (o; Us dressed to dance something "Tyrolean". I forget which European country we were, lol. My partner for the whole special (right) Lorraine King, was my choreographer for the musical "Seesaw" when we did it in 1976. She featured me, and I loved doing it!

You know Jesus, always playing tricks!

Hey everyone. Thanks for all the food suggestions. We ate our way through the (very crowded) park yesterday trying everything from the pierogies to the potato cakes, pickles and pork chops on sticks, waffles ice cream sandwiches, and more. Everything was wonderful. Best pickles I ever had, no shit. Oh and also- Phoenix is the real f**king deal, huh? Jesus.

Empire Adventures is officially disbanded https://buffalonews.com/business/local/fantasy-island-revivalists-are-big-on-plans-short-on-details/article_e576cc48-a696-11eb-b24a-97081b018dfe.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1 Black Bart is out. Marshall Dan is standing by. And those dreaming of a reopened Fantasy Island are still millions of dollars away from seeing it happen. Last summer, a group of former Fantasy Island workers formed a company called Empire Adventures and announced its hopes to reopen the park, restoring a beloved Grand Island institution. But that group, led by former Wild West shootout star Bill "Black Bart" Baldwin, seems to have disbanded. Now, former Fantasy Island maintenance worker Jay Wilcox, who stepped away from Empire Adventures, is moving forward with a Connecticut amusements operator in order to keep the dream alive.