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this honestly has not much to do with the merger. he's taking personal time, and it's his choice to step away. he told me it's an amicable split, and referred to this as a "pause in his career" and that he'll be back in the industry in some form after a break. (and yes, I believe him because he did tell me more details that aren't for public consumption).

The merger fucking sucks.

Behind the Scenes at BGW’s Verbolten: Forbidden Turn Changes are brewing in Busch Gardens’ Oktoberfest. The park gave us a peek at Verbolten: Forbidden Turn--the updated version of their popular launched coaster Verbolten. This “hard-hat tour” took place on Wednesday, April 15, 2026. While the basic ride itself will remain the same, the storyline is new. In the original version, guests “rent” a car from Gerta and Gunther’s Tourist Center and take an ill-advised detour into the mysterious Black Forest. This journey involved one of three different stories: Storm, Spirit of the Forest, or Wolves. Much twisting, turning, and plunging ensued. While the twisting, turning, and plunging remain, Gerta and Gunther have mysteriously disappeared. The Tourist Center is now under the management of Frau Hexel and her associate Brüme. Frau Hexel just might be a witch. Her operation of a fleet of “enchanted” cars could be a tip off. These cars are supposed to keep guests safe--provided they turn left instead of right and avoid entering the Black Forest, where she has been working some magic on the trees. I think you can guess what happens. By the way, Brüme is indeed a broom--another hint that Frau Hexel might be a witch. BGW is installing new theming elements in the queue and the show building to help the story along: A fully animatronic Frau Hexel in the queue’s “ticket booth” will admonish guests not to take that wrong turn. She’ll be in the Black Forest, too. An animatronic Brüme in Brüme’s closet (formerly Gunther’s office in the queue). There was a bit of intrigue about the voice of Brüme. The park wouldn’t reveal who voiced the character. Make of that what you will. A huge, evil-looking enchanted tree, which menaces riders as they speed through the Black Forest. There are other tricks and treats coming, too. It looks like a very good upgrade to the original ride. Theme Park Review thanks Busch Gardens Williamsburg for inviting us to take the tour. Because I know someone will ask, the ride is still scheduled to open this spring. Here’s a look at what’s been going on in Verbolten: Forbidden Turn. Just look at the sea of blue and black hard hats. Park president Kevin Lembke welcomes everyone to Verbolten: Forbidden Turn. I'm pretty sure that you'll see that Black Forest billboard right before you make that forbidden turn. Call it a hunch. We're going to the Black Forest? Isn't that verboten? The evil enchanted tree is going to be installed in the next few days. The ride's layout will remain the same. Sketches and blueprints show where the new theming elements belong. Speaking of theming elements . . . Watch out for that blue lightning as you negotiate the ride's twists and turns! Hey! What's that old lady doing up there? Here's a closer look at Frau Hexel--who just might be a witch. Good luck installing the giant evil tree! This is to let you know what you're getting yourselves into. Richard Smith of Guernsey Tingle tells about the new storyline and theming. Guernsey Tingle is a local architecture and design firm (they also worked on InvadR). Frau Hexel will be in the ticket office. I like the concept art. Should be much better than the Gerta video they used to run here. This will be Brüme’s closet. More concept art. As you can see, all of Gunther's gear has been removed, but there could be some Easter eggs referring to the original ride somewhere. Here's a closer look at the mysterious Brüme. The station will retain its old look, but Frau Hexel and Brüme will appear here, too. Pay attention to those "windows" in the queue (see the upper right of the concept art). See you later, Enchanted Blue Train. You'll exit via Frau Hexel's house, which by a strange coincidence also contains a gift shop. We also sampled some of the new food for this year's Food & Wine Festival (starting April 23). Here are the Caesar Salad (Italy), Mofongo Casserole (Puerto Rico), and Bourbon Pecan Balls (Scotland). One last look at Verbolten: Forbidden Turn. Thanks for reading!

So disappointed to see the news of restructuring (again) and the return of park presidents to some of the big parks (SFOG & SFOT included) but absolutely crushed to hear that Six Flags and Jeffrey Siebert have parted ways. A huge loss to Six Flags regardless on which side the separation initiated from He did SO much to improve not only SFFT in his years there as park president - but so much to improve the regional properties in the past year he will be truly missed and I wish him the best in future endeavors