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From the photo of him at dispatch and other photos I think it was height preventing the harness from rotating further. This was linked from a Reddit post. Note the guy on the left. https://imgur.com/a/15kXOhk He's not very big, but the harness was hitting the top of his shoulders (per his comment)

Well apparently the president of COTAland wasn't joking... (Congratulations, you've got even more reason to celebrate Bert!) They've "announced" (more like put in a random news article) that COTAland will (supposedly) be receiving America's First and Only TILT Coaster, in 2023!! https://www.fox7austin.com/news/full-amusement-park-with-roller-coasters-coming-to-cota-in-2023?fbclid=IwAR3YYH-L8VvL9ZeDPPBYF2gjeyX-uRjMSiZXG9nE8wiC6mEFVIkYeJvTEp4 From the article: "It'll [COTAland] be equipped with at least 25 rides when it opens, including five roller coasters. "We expect the kiddie park to open sometime this year and then the thrill rides and entire park to open in 2023," he said. One of those coasters will be the Circuit Breaker, which will provide a truly unique experience. "It’s a tilt coaster, it’s going to be the first of its kind in America. It does have a sister overseas. It’s just the most neat experience to be dangling facing downward waiting for it to drop," said Matt Hughey, Sr. Manager of COTA Karting and COTALAND." Sadly, no other details were provided, at least that I could find. I have seen some photos and stuff floating around of Vekoma working on something mysterious at their facilities in Europe, which makes me wonder if this is what they are working on? Allthough, I've also heard that a tilt coaster is planned for Energylandia as well. Gotta love that name though..."Circuit Breaker"...I can hear the puns now...

El Toro has now passed state certification. Looking good for this one.

At the very least, having a buckle between the harness and the seat would have made it more clear that he wasn't going to fit properly because the buckle would never have latched. I had to walk off Batman: The Ride in STL because the OTSR wouldn't come down far enough over my large bosom to buckle to the seat; they wouldn't have turned me away at this drop ride.

I have watched the video, and I will say it is INCREDIBLY SHOCKING, so I would not recommend it to the faint of heart. There isn't much to say other than it seems relatively clear the restraint should not have been able to lock at that level. I am not sure a seatbelt would have helped. With the angle and the forces involved, I think his top half would have still been able to slip out and toss him. Of course we will never know that. We shall see how the investigation and eventual lawsuits pan out, but I see nothing in the video to indicate wrongdoing by the operators save letting a rider too tall/heavy to ride. Are there any photos of the rides warning signs with restrictions listed? While it is incredibly unfortunate for the victim and their loved ones that the video is available online, it is a great thing to have the before, during, and immediate after events recorded.

Those vest restraints gonna prevent that airtime lol.

Yep, our very own MrRC has been posting pictures in this thread here of a tilt prototype at the Vekoma facility, largely assumed to have been the one going to Energylandia (as they'd already announced one), but it would appear now that with the red track/blue supports, it is actually the COTA one.

An update about the accident reports that the ride manual specified a maximum weight restriction of 287lbs, but Sampson's weight was 340lbs. https://www.newsweek.com/tyre-sampson-14-year-old-300-pounds-weight-limit-manuel-falls-death-icon-park-1692763 I guess I still can't understand why a brand new ride is able to dispatch with restraints in an unsafe position (whether the accident happened or not, I think it's clear from that screenshot it's not safe). I do wonder whether it was his height (6ft 5in) or weight stopping the restraints from coming down - maybe we'll end up with a maximum height restriction on this in future.

^ The restraint actually looks completely different than the one at Icon park all together. But still, I would not be surprised if seatbelts are added during this closure. I dont blame them though. Its good for their reputation and there is nothing wrong with a little extra safety.

Looks pretty darn awesome.

It's the corn maze. You can see other Fright Fest items in place around the park. Google's had these images up for at least a few weeks.

"Just Found Out:" I'm in two A&W burger commercials, right now! In Western Canada. And since the first broadcast week has past, suddenly "Didn't I see you?"s come from out of the woodwork, locally. Much fun. And still a week to go, before the 2-ad campaign ends. EDIT To Add: (as of May 8th): My income tax return, got me nearly $40 MORE than I had calculated, and submitted. Woo Hoo! Add to that, that 'they' (A&W) paid me another rather large amount (to me) of $ late April, as a 'buyout' thing, I learned. I was shocked, then immediately overjoyed. Now, I am happy to report, my two credit cards will nearly be almost 'nil,' by the time summer comes around. Happy Happy Joy Joy!

The water wheel has returned on Race For Your Life Charlie Brown (the log flume). It's an original feature of the ride and was removed around 2005 or so.

so after spending most of the day at SWSA, I was pretty wiped out. . but since I had to pass SFFT on the way home (and no way I wasn't gonna pop into the park to see Dr. D's Cliffhanger in person), I made a quick stop at Fiesta for ~ 1 1/ 2 hours to take some pics, ride the Carousel, and pick up dinner (I had brought my tupperware in my backpack to ensure I could bring leftovers home, figuring I'd be stuffed from Seaworld) I got there ~4:45, and the lot was pretty full. . but from way back I got a great view of the new park skyline. looks amazing. the 30th Anniversary signage is a nice touch too Surprisingly, the park didn't seem too crowded - despite the amount of cars, it wasn't so packed in the walkways that it wasn't fun. Hadn't seen this yet in person, but also really love the "throwback" sign they erected in the Central Plaza, to celebrate the Anniversary: and the backside of it has many classic pictures from the Park's history but I was here to check out the progress on Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger. Wow. .do they have a LOT of this done already. . I'd say at least 2/3rds. It's really impressive in person, and looks WAY bigger than the height of the drop. of course, still a lot to do before it's ready (all the landscaping, the queue line - including the Doctor's lab, the actual Station). . but they look like will have the full circuit up and ready for initial testing by mid April! onwards to LOTS of pics: after walking all the way thru CrackAxle to get some different angles, I really needed to sit down for a bit. So a quick refill at Bubbas (yeah, i had brought my Membership Drink Bottle along with the Tupperware), and then I spent about 15 minutes people watching, and riding "Bench: the Ride" and Fiesta has put in at least 50 (or more) new Benches. . . lots of places to sit now. it really is a lovely park! Rested up, I made my way towards my 1 ride goal this afternoon: the Carousel. and I was able to get my "Bowie Bunny" - the White Rabbit with the two colored eyes that I love after my ride, I headed into Sangerfest Halle - reopened after a major refurbishment. . .but still not ALL the options on the Menu just yet. A *lot* of good choices tho. Have to say hello to "Sweet Connie" tho. . over by the restrooms. I'm so happy that Jeffrey Siebert and the Park kept this wonderful mural by the restrooms. (it's actually rather sad how excited I was when he told me she was sticking around. . I love this hooka) the refurb in the hall looks AMAZING. Rather than Food Court style, you now go to registers at the front to order (I assume it will remain this way once the full kitchens are open, and the menus will just offer more options). You put your order in at the front, and they give you a receipt and a "token" that you take down to the back end of the hall, where individual lines are set up for each "token"..and you trade that for your food. Here's the Individual lines: (since I had gotten the Chicken Dinner - which was EXCELLENT by the way, and still eating the leftovers from it today. .it's a LOT of food) - I had the line with the Chicken picture on it) the flooring and new paint in here makes SUCH a difference and the "wall" put in the back - blocking off the Bathrooms - make a big difference as well. . . it's a fantastic open space now! with a lovely fountain in the middle (that many were taking pictures in front of) I'm sitting with my back to the Stage, but behind me is the main performance stage for Sangerfest Halle. and with most of my meal packed up, I ate what I could fit in my belly after full day at SeaWorld, and headed out. I'm back at Fiesta on 4/9, and my Dr. already has my BP meds being adjusted. .so I expect I'll ride the crap out of stuff on that day, and spend much more time in the park. it's one WORTH a lot of time.

yes. . .tho for Passholders, the $80 gets you a lanyard with 18 punches (so bonus 3 punches for Passholders). I used 9 of them. .so I have 9 left on my badge, and I get a 3 punch badge at the Great White Birthday Party I'm going to on 4/10. . so I'll have 12 samples I can get) gonna TRY to use them all, as not sure I'll get to go back later in April. . tho if I don't use them all, I certainly will try to make a trip up.

ABSOLUTELY new park skyline:

^ Speaking of 'obelisks' ...... Oakwood Park, Wales. TPR 2010 UK/Europe Tour.

Closer to actual summer than SFMM's definition?

So yesterday, I went up to SeaWorld San Antonio to enjoy the 1st weekend of Seven Seas Food Festival. had a really good time, although dealing with some Med interaction issues, that made me take it pretty slow when moving between Food Stands (resulting in one loop around the lagoon taking ~5 hours to stop at each stand), and tho it was a GORGEOUS day, the ride I did the most was "Bench" Here's how the day went. . and please keep in mind that I didn't try anything from Hawaii, Japan, Italy, or Greece (yet. . was just too full! So those will get tried, along with my favorites from Saturday, when I'm back in 2 weeks to help celebrate Great White's Birthday). let's take a look at the Seven Seas Food Festival at SeaWorld San Antonio! Lovely drive from Austin to San Antonio today. . . SW is a bit further than SFFT for me, so it takes ~1:40 to get there from my house. but I arrived just before opening to a bit of a back up at the parking gates, and a LOT of cars in the lot already. Luckily, because my Season Pass has a hard time reading, the gentleman at the parking booth apologized for the extended wait, and gave me an Up Close Parking pass. I'll take it, even tho a day at SWSA involves a lot of walking anyways - it's a big park! hmmm. . . doesn't look too busy just before opening. oh. . . on the OTHER side of the main arch. yeah. . . Luckily it turned out the vast majority of these folks were either heading to Aquatica, or were going into the SW side for some sort of cheer competition that was taking place at one of the large auditoriums. so it meant that we had lovely weather, and really short lines for both the food, and the rides (tho as noted, I skipped pretty much all rides due to concern about my BP being low) Once the main gates opened, the lines moved fast tho, and before long was at the main Welcome booth - where i decided to wait in the short line to pick up my Seven Seas Food Festival Badge - which would have been WAY quicker, if both registers were only selling that. However, the registers also were selling meal plan. .and almost everyone in front of me were large groups buying meal plan for the day, and unlimited Drink Cups. So . . yeah, that took a while. On the website it notes you can pick up your prebought Seven Seas badge at any booth. . but I only saw one other booth (Korea) that actually had them available, so I was glad I waited here to pick mine up. To be fair, it's the 1st weekend. . I'm sure as it progresses, more booths will have the lanyards/badges available for pickup. one thing I noticed as well. . many folks were paying cash for the daily meal plan. So SWSA is still a cash *and* credit park. once i had my lanyard/punch badge, I headed to Mexico. . where I was meeting up with several folks from the "local" / Texas Based: Thrill Seekers United Group. and my Friend Amy, who had helped organize the casual meet up to tour the world of food, wanted to start at Mexico (I suspect for the Margaritas :p) Unfortunately for me, alcohol is a no-no for me at he moment. But everyone that tried the drinks said they were excellent at every booth. here's the offerings at Mexico: these are the Baja Grilled Shrimp Street Tacos. the shrimp were great, as was the tortilla, but I found the red cabbage way too dry. . I think the fix for that would be to either add more of that Aioli, or toss it in a vinaigrette - or a quick pickle - would have made it better, I think. But it was good. the top are the Chicken Tacos (which I was told were good) and below are the Sopapillas - which I tried one of and were really great. Just sweet enough with the brown sugar & honey, and pillowy soft. this is the Deep Fried Elote - which I was told I must try when I go back (so I will). . it looks great. and below is the Braised Beef taco, which got the comment to "pick off the jalepeno, as they are super spicy" While waiting for some to get Margaritas (with edible flavored straws!), I peeked over a construction fence. what in the world is THIS?? . . .hmmm. . . . we discussed among ourselves, and we think we know exactly what this foundation is for. . but wont' say in public, as we wouldn't want to ruin the park's big 2023 announcement! then it was onward to France! this is the Chocolate Cherries & Cream on the left, and the Caramel Apple on the right. I'm not an apple fan, but was told it was good. The Chocolate Cherry is excellent, but a little bit too sweet for my tastes (tho others with us loved it) the winner of the day for me: the savory Turkey, Mushroom, Spinach and Swiss Crepe. this thing was AMAZING. . .I could have had several more of them. Favorite thing I tasted today, and highly recommended. oh looks. . some of the Countries have entertainment, and some of them have Photo Ops set up. how fun. . I'm in a Seurat painting! (A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte) Seurat, knew a lot, about dots While sitting eating the crepes, we got a lovely view of Steel Eel & Wave Breaker across the lagoon. . look at that Lovely Weather! It got a little warm, but beautiful. (tho by now I was really feeling "off" and knew I wasn't going to be riding anything "extreme" today) Sad that Tidal Surge had very little line, but no way could I chance a ride on it. So I focused on the food, and visiting with friends - which were the main reasons I had come today anyways. onwards to Germany! this is the Beer Braised Bratwurst with Caramelized onions. the Bratwurst itself was very good. The onions simply didnt' have enough to counteract the amount of mustard on this thing, and therefore couldn't really taste them. but the real sad part was the pretzel bun just was not good. . it tasted a bit stale. Top is the Braised Beef Spaetzle, and bottom is the Beer Cheese (without the Onions) the folks who got this said it was "ok" but it doesn't look like a "must try" to me, which is a shame. and this is the Apple Strudel - which I was told was fantastic, and the best offering on the Germany menu (didn't try, as I don't like apples). It's a shame the food isn't as great as I expected, because the German Beirgarten area is fantastic, and was among my favorite "areas" for the festival. Great photo ops we made our way over to Greece next. i was so full. . I knew what I wanted to try here, but my stomach insisted I take a break..LOL So Lamb slider for SURE on my next visit. the Baklava looked SO good. as did that Lamb Slider! and it smelled absolutely wonderful. (the drink behind it is the Sparking St. Tropez cocktail. .that everyone who tried it raved about. Here's the Gyro (also on my to try list. . as was the Shawarma, which no one in our group tried yesterday.. so basically, next time in the park? Greece gets a lot of my punches!) the "entertainment" over here is the living statue. . she was wonderful! and repositioned herself for pictures. . . I love this stuff. I was a bit worn out here, so I rode some Bench: the Ride, while folks went back to Italy (tucked back by Tidal Surge) to sample some deserts (they also offer Flatbreads) so I don't have a picture of that menu, but will get it next time. I really wanted to try the Caramel Chocolate Chip Cannoli, but i was simply too full.. so again, next time! This is the Tiramisu Gelato (told it was very good) and the Frozen Peach Bellini coctail here I am enjoying "bench" and you can kinda see Italy behind me some in the group I was hanging with wanted to go on some rides, since the lines were really light today. . so I found another bench and enjoyed the surroundings. Texas Stingray was a walk on? on a Saturday? and stupid blood pressure.. . I was afraid to ride. most of the group split off with the kiddos to go to the Splash Pad area in Sesame Street. . so I went with Juan and Erika to head to the next booth around the lagoon: Jamaica: Juan got the Curried Chicken Street Patty, and said it wasn't too impressive. I got the Spicy Beef Street Patty, and the Rum Raisin Ice cream. the filling in the spicy beef is incredible. . flavorful and SO good. . but it's severely let down by the bland (and cakey) dough around it. If this had some kind of sauce drizzled over it, I think this would be greatly improved. But as it is, I'd recommend it for the insides only, but otherwise skip. NOT to be missed, however? The Rum Raisin Ice Cream. SO, SO good. The photo op at Jamaica is adorable! I only wish I had a cocktail in my hand instead of Powerade. tho I couldn't do any intense rides, Juan, Erika and I decided to ride Rio Loco. . . I always bring along plastic bags for important stuff to go into on Water rides. . and I put my phone/keys/wallet in that. . but Juan wanted to get a locker. the timing was iffy, as the ride was a walk on. . until a Show let out, and EVERYONE headed here. . luckily Juan got back after only 30 or so folks caused a 5-10 minute wait. Turned out it was worth the effort for him (and Erika's phone too) as the Waterfalls on Rio Loco were on. freezing cold water, dumped directly onto most of the raft - tho I lucked out and only got "moist" For them tho? it was like being directly under a full blast shower. . . so here's the "after" pic To help dry off, we strolled over to Korea to check out the Menu there. the Galbi sounds really good, and is on my list to try. . but the *must get* here is the Black Sesame Ice Cream it's very "peanut butter-y" tasting, with a really pleasant after-taste of nuttiness from the sesame. Recommended. This booth too, has a lovely background for photos. we were SO full. . . but multiple things offered at Japan really had my interest, and I was gonna get something and force it down. in particular, the Tuna Tataki (that's in the pic at the top of the menu) really sounds amazing. And those we saw carrying it? it looks as good as it does in the picture. I'm also a sucker for Gyoza. . . but yeah. . the Japan booth had the longest lines of any we saw all day (it was probably a 15 - 20 minute wait) and as we weren't super hungry anyways? the wait convinced us to keep moving along. Japan is across from Penguin Encounter, and they have some very nice decorations up here. Unfortunately we just missed the Taiko Drummers.. so they are on my list to see next time as well. (we would have hung around and waited, but it was getting close to 4pm by now, and SFFT was calling. .and we still had 2 more booths to stop at!) They even have a Cherry Blossom photo op set up in Japan. lovely. this one is so odd. . . as the rest are all Countries. . but "Hawaii" gets their own Food Stop. Still.. can't argue with the food choices available as pretty much all of it sounded amazing. and I absolutely LOVE that for an extra $5, you can get your cocktail in a Pineapple! Here's the Salmon Poke Bowl, and the Tuna Poke Bowls (from a nice guy who called me "Bro", as in "Sure thing Bro!" when I asked if I could take a picture of his order). . . somewhat appropriate for Hawaii I thought. LOL And the others got the Pina Colada Sorbet. . . which I tried, and must say, it was really impressive. Tart and coconut-y. the Hawaii stop has Totem Poles, lots of thatching. . and, of course, Surfboards. "Bro" as we waddled towards the last booth (actually first booth, we did it backwards by starting at the Mexico booth which is last on the map). . we knew that some of us just had to try the Empanadas. LOL. . Brazil is a food truck. .. but it WORKS! it fits in the area so well.. so Kudos to SWSA for that choice here. This is the Frozen Blackberry Acai and it was also a strong winner. . . tart, and not too sweet, with just the right amount of sour "punch" from the berries. a wonderful palate cleanser. . and I got the Spicy Beef Empanada with Chimichurri sauce flakey, with a wonderful filling. . .it blew the similar presented (but different tasting) street version from Jamaica. SO good, and the Chimichurri was just the perfect amount of spicy/sweet to make a perfect bite every time. I'm eager to try the Chicken & Spinach versions. the Brazil area (where the children's hay maze was for Howl O Scream) is perfectly decorated, with the shady trees wrapped in traditional colors a very "Carnivale!" photo op. . and a show! - that I didn't notice any signage for, but while sitting and eating, they just came out and started performing. Now, were they up to EPCOT level of traditional Brazilian performance? Not necessarily. .but they crooned a good 4-5 songs (including "Girl from Ipanema" and interacted with the guests in the area. . including starting up a dance party for the final song. even coming to join us at our table while singing all in all, it was a fantastic day, even tho I hadn't been feeling 100% (tho the food and hydration helped, and I remained perky for much of it). Highly recommended to check out if you're in San Antonio. . . you'll want to try so many things! in summary: by FAR my favorite 3 of what I tried today (and keep in mind, I didn't try anything from Hawaii, Japan, Italy, or Greece (yet. . was just too full!): 1) Savory Turkey, Mushroom, Spinach & Swiss Crepe in France 2) the Beef Empanada from Brazil 3) the Rum Raisin Ice Cream from Jamaica . . .but also good and I'll try again: the Black Sesame Ice Cream from Korea, the Aciai Berry Sorbet at Brazil, the Pina Colada Sorbet from Hawaii, & the Soppapillas in Mexico.

great pics! (*and report) ummmmmm. . . I just NOW noticed that's supposed to be a sword, as I see the "fist" at the bottom of the sign. (I know I have a filthy mind. . but having the fist there makes it somehow even dirtier to me than it looked before!!!)

What Have the Roman Gods Wrought? Some Thoughts on and Photos of Pantheon Sing to me, o muse, of Busch Gardens Williamsburg and its tribute to the majesty of the Roman gods! Swift Mercury of the winged feet! Minerva, whose wisdom and beauty shamed the rosy fingered dawn! Neptune, master of the wine dark sea! Pluto, the sinister lord of the Underworld! And Mighty Jupiter, father of the gods and the most powerful of all! OK, my knowledge of classical poetry is a bit rusty, so I think I'll stick to regular old prose now. Pantheon, Busch Gardens' new multi-launch coaster, opened to the public on Friday, March 25. Well, "officially" opened following a few weekends of previews for Busch Gardens member passholders. I rode it three times during those preview days--front, middle, and back. The verdict: It's a very good ride that's finally brought some nice Intamin ejector air to the Williamsburg park. Here are a few thoughts: For me, the backseat is the best place to ride most coasters, and Pantheon is no exception. The ejector airtime is more pronounced, and when you go backward up that spike (excuse me, "Neptune's Trident"), it's pretty hair raising looking straight down. That being said, the front seat offers a great ride too--especially when it comes to the hangtime through the inversions. The initial launch into an inversion is a great beginning, and the weird outward-banked bit just before the brake run is a good finish. I like the outward-banked turn near over the banks of the Rhine River, too. I wish the Rhine River Cruise was operating, as you can get some good views of Pantheon from down there. The station is rather small for such a big coaster. The queue is a bit odd, too. The ride is susceptible to windy conditions; that is, they'll suspend operations during gusty days until things die down. Although this isn't a "top 10" ride for me, it could find a place in my "top 25." My first ride was in a middle seat during a cold day, and the coaster seemed a bit sluggish. But when I rode it on a warmer day in the back and front seats, I thought, "This is more like it." Let's have a look at Pantheon. This rather threatening sign shows you the way to Pantheon in Festa Italia. Those who would ride Pantheon must get past this imposing iron monster! (Fortunately, that's pretty easy to do.) Here's what you'll be getting yourself into. You can put your bags in the lockers on the left. There is a wire basket on the station for smaller loose objects. I think you can wear glasses on Pantheon as long as you have sport straps for them (they've been getting stricter about glasses on coasters this year.) After you leave the station, Winged Mercury gives you a nice launch through this inversion, which I think has something to do with Minerva. Perhaps Minerva, in her wisdom, is preparing you for what's to come. Come on, Mercury! You can do it!! Oops! Big raspberry from Jupiter, try again. Fortunately, Neptune is there to help with his trident. Jupiter says, "Greetings, mortal fools!" Yep--nice pop of air in the back seat here, as the train just makes it over the hill. Pantheon: Hi, Tempesto! Tempesto: Back at ya, new kid! Here's part of what Pluto has in store for you after your initial plunge. "Nice view . . . aghh! What the hell?" You can get a good view of this element from the bridge between Italy and Germany. It's such a weird (but cool) feeling as you lean toward the river. Tempesto: Hi, Loch Ness Monster. Loch Ness Monster: Best returns of the day to ye, laddie--as long as ye show proper respect to your elders." Verbolten: Ach! don't mind him, Pantheon. Those old Arrow coasters are always grouchy. Congratulations, mortals! Your quest is at an end! And that's a wrap from Pantheon. Get out to Virginia and ride it, lest your cowardice anger the gods! Thanks for reading.

Just throwing in my opinion of Emperor. The ride itself is actually really good and probably in the top of the Dive Coasters. I love that it doesn't have a midcourse or the same repeat sections that so many of the dive coasters have. They do need to theme it up a bit more though, and KT and I got super sunburned while at the park!

Popped into SFFT yesterday after a day at SWSA for the Seven Seas Food Festival. I'll have way more pics up later. . but damn, does Dr. D's Cliffhanger look INCREDIBLE in person, and they have so much of it done already!

Well, the commercial was released, a friend saw it and was kind enough to email it to me, since David and myself hadn't seen it, yet. Kind of sorry to hear only one line from me, but it's The Punch Line to it all... "That's not an A&W Burger." It wasn't, and I got The Real Burger at the end of my shoot; as did everybody else in this one. Hmmm. 8 of us picked, out of 40+ who showed up...? Lucky me and us! Here's the link to the commercial and other A&W commercials of the past: (Um, my friend paused it at where I showed up. So you have to restart the vid. No big deal.) My 2 seconds of burger fame. Impressive, huh? I even, sort of, match the food truck! And what I was wearing, was my 700+ Coaster t-shirt! (In golden) And I had The Punch Line, to the whole thing, HaH!

One of the rides are already on site a chance wipeout) and the area should have a flight theme. I love how they are actually emphasizing the theme aspect of the areas vs just throwing in rides. Guess it's easy to theme a park with such rich history. The park said, long ago, that the people have spoken and the people want more flats and that is what they seem to be installing now. It went from a handful to this. I am impressed.

Well either way...the ride is closed for who knows how long right before peak season...AGAIN. No way I can put a positive spin on that.

This honestly has to be one of the most overly-complicated ways to get people to go downhill.

I was confused when I read that as well. Even LR has more theming in it's queue than WE in my opinion. Probably best theming recently on a ride is firechaser. Fireworks are placed throughout the area even on the ground.

Theme Park Review was invited to experience the opening weekend of Knott's Boysenberry Festival! The tasting card has raised another $5 in price compared to the last event to now be $50 for adults, but now offers a 6th tasting item. Here are a few helpful tips for attending the event: -We recommend starting at food locations towards the back of Ghost Town instead of making an immediate left towards the booths near Ghostrider, as just like with Halloween Haunt, a large number of attendees go there first. Come back to the booths near Ghostrider at the midpoint of your visit. We very much enjoyed the "Boysenberry Lane" section of the festival which offered a large food booth with many umbrella-shaded benches to enjoy your Boysenberry overload! -If rides are a priority during your visit, we recommend you arrive right at park opening, and ride as much as you can. With a park opening of 9am, and arriving at 10am for our visit, we were surprised to see a 120-minute wait for Ghostrider, 130-minute wait for Silver Bullet, 30-minute wait for Pony Express, and a 45-minute wait for HangTime, just 1 hour into the operating period. -Many food items can be found at multiple food locations, so check to see if one of your desired items can be found at a location off the beaten path. The event is scheduled to run through April 24. To plan your Boysenberry overload, visit this link for more details: https://www.knotts.com/events/boysenberry-festival We love these continual Knott's food festivals, giving us a reason to come back again, and again. Thank you so much to the Knott’s team for your hospitality! Welcome back to the Boysenberry Festival! This suits us: First item: Boysenberry Filled Donut Open-faced Chicken Sandwich topped with a Bacon Jam and Arugula (though it seems just to be bacon bits and not a bacon jam, as a bacon jam and boysenberry seems redundant). Mini Crab Sushi Roll with a Boysenberry Aioli. Surprisingly refreshing on a warm day, and one of the seemingly best "values"! All-Beef Meatballs in a Boysenberry BBQ Sauce on Mashers. Consistently great year after year! Boysenberry BBQ Chicken Pizza. Picture=Terrible. Taste=Perfection! Trio of Sausage with Peppers and Onions on Boysenberry Polenta. Another "good value" dish, very sharable. The sausage and peppers were good, though the boysenberry polenta didn't translate for us. Boysenberry Mudslide. Yes, yes, and yes again! Now for desserts! You can (jokingly) choose between either the listed "Boysenberry Mousse Chocolate Cake", or the written out "Boysenberry Mouse Cake"! Either way, you can't go wrong! Our favorite sweet item of the day! Finishing up with a Boysenberry Pie Bar! We visited Town Hall in Ghost Town to learn a bit about Knott's history. The Blacksmith is always a great place to see the old-time charm of Knott's alive and well. Oh hey, Catawampus! A fun photo backdrop in Boysenberry Lane just beyond Ghostrider. We highly recommend this area. Finishing up with a bit of entertainment, we visited the Camp Snoopy theater and enjoyed a show with the Peanuts friends: Finally, The Bird Cage Theater in Ghost Town present a Melodrama, all centered around Boysenberry Schnapps! What could be better than that...and air conditioning! At more than 30 minutes in length, this is a great way to enjoy the shade and relax between Boysenberry courses! Thank you again to Knott's for inviting us to the opening weekend, and here is to a great Spring full of food!

The word is Xcelerator will be down for an extended (several months) period of time again. It's currently listed as closed on their website. Bad news with Monte being closed until next year.