Reality15

BkkMan13 - I use a LOT of different custom scenery. Pretty much all of shyguy's stuff as well as a lot of other random things I've found over the past few years. ========================= Building more for you October 12, Year 16 With the season closing just over a month ago, we've been hard at work preparing for the Year 17 season. Here's a look at what we're doing: -As previously announced, Chaos is no longer at the park. After the damage sustained by the storm this summer, we have decided to remove it. -Wild Mouse will be getting a new paint job, new computer system, and most importantly, a new location! -A new and larger entrance will be located between Hangman and Splashdown. The old entrance will become a season pass-only entrance -Hangman's entrance will be relocated to accommodate the new entrance. -Picnic shelters will be constructed outside the park -A new ride will be joining the skyline just inside the new entrance That being said, let's look at what's being done. Here's a look at the area for the new entrance and ride. Hopefully this will help get you into the park faster. Meanwhile, here's where the new entrance for Hangman will be going. The old park entrance will still be here, but will only be for season passholders. Here's looking back down from the entrance of Skyscraper towards the new entrance area. Wild Mouse was moved quickly, and paint crews are nearly finished with its new red and purple paint scheme. It might not look good at first, but it will grow on you. As you can see, Wild Mouse really looks nice sitting along the beach. Over here is where the new picnic pavilions will go. For now, we're building two and if they turn out to be popular, might add a few more. We have already begun to sell Year 17 season passes. Buy now and get the best deal of the year! Just think, a month ago we could stand here and hear the screams of riders flipping upside down five times. Opening day can't get here soon enough! Sam Stillwell Marketing Manager Lakeside Park

Again, thanks for the comments, guys. Your comments are what keep me going. ========================= Record-breaking year September 3, Year 16 Our 16th season here at Lakeside is quickly coming to an end, and what a season it has been. We've had record-breaking numbers all season long, in fact our first time over 500,000 guests! We hope to continue up these great numbers for the seasons to come, but for now, it's nearly time to close up shop and work on everything for next year. Here are today's photos. Unfortunately, Wild Mouse and Chaos never re-opened since the storm. Chaos will be removed prior to the Year 17 season, while Wild Mouse will be seeing a major refurbishment before the park opens next year. I haven't really covered the Antique Cars a lot on the blog, but they really are a fun ride that everyone can enjoy. Plus they take you right up next to the Cyclone. Our friends at the park sent us this new skyline shot. The Skyscraper is clearly a great icon, and with the storm getting rid of a lot of the trees, Sea Dragon and the Cyclone are much more prominent. What is this? Looks like there might be something happening for next year... I'll have to see what I can find out. This was the view from my old office, of the Cyclone's last turn. Sadly, my view of the Cyclone changed when I moved to the new Administration building. Here's my new view, looking towards the park. And here's the view the other way, towards whatever might be happening over here. We'll be announcing our Year 17 plans any day now, so stay tuned for more updates! Sam Stillwell Marketing Manager Lakeside Park

I plan on posting an update every day around 7:00 as long as I'm not having to double post, and I've got about 18-20 updates ready to go up (I build quite a bit ahead). I'm not going to beg for people to comment just so I can update, though, so I guess that gives an incentive to at least leave some kind of comment. Anyways, onto the update. ========================= Won't let a little wind get us down July 27, Year 16 As most of you know, a violent storm ripped through west Michigan a week ago, bringing hurricane-strength winds and huge amounts of rain to the area. Lakeside was hit pretty bad, and we were forced to close for a few days to make repairs and clean up fallen trees. At this time, Chaos and Wild Mouse are currently closed, and we do not know when they will be reopening. Chaos sustained heavy damage when a nearby tree fell on the ride. Wild Mouse's electronics were damaged when lightning struck nearby, and we are awaiting parts for repair. Again, we do not know when they will be reopening. But that shouldn't stop anyone from enjoying their day at the park! Check out today's photos. Papa Romano's has become our most popular restaurant, and is getting attention from food critics around the country. Skyscraper has also been very well received. We'll have to see if it's more popular than Hangman when the season comes to a close. In case you haven't seen, our final "new for Year 16" improvement has been completed, our new administration offices and warehouse! I might be a little biased, but I think this is my favorite addition this year. A bunch of coaster enthusiasts came to the park for our first annual "Hang 'em High" event last night. From what I gathered, Hangman is one of the smoothest SLC's out there. Then again, they also talked a lot about gravy... not sure why. Maintenance was kind enough to take me on one of their morning inspections to the top of Skyscraper, where I snapped this picture of Hangman as employees were coming in for the day. As you can see, a lot of the trees surrounding the Lakeside Cyclone and Antique Cars were removed after the storm. It's not nearly as wooded as it felt before, but it was all in the name of safety. Looking over at Sea Dragon, I never really realized just how close it was to the Antique Cars! Last picture for today, we figured we would save the best for last. Our famous hot pretzels (voted 2nd Best Park Food by readers of Amusement Today) continue to sell better than any other food item at the park. We might have to build a second stand someday to keep up with the demand! Sam Stillwell Marketing Manager Lakeside Park That's all for today folks. Hope you enjoyed.

Season passes are only $50 each, and can be picked up from the Group Sales office at the park entrance. ========================= Let the fun begin May 14, Year 16 Opening day. The day our coasters begin taking riders around the tracks. The day our hot pretzels can be smelled all around the park again (and most importantly in my office!). We had a great turnout today, just see for yourself. As you can see, lines were long all day today. Even the Scrambler had about a 15 minute wait. Skyscraper was thrilling riders all day long, and the general consensus is that it stomps on the old Screamer double shot. When the park first opened the line for Skyscraper was all the way back to the entrance, but by afternoon it had died down to around 30 minutes. The Cyclone even drew big crowds all day. Not surprising since it's one of the best family rides in the park. Lots of people were talking about how smooth it's running this year. Sounds like all that trackwork paid off! The staff at Subway were efficient all day long and never had much of a line. Good job Subway! The crowds didn't even stop when it came to Splashdown. Even in 60 degree weather, people still want to get wet. I snapped this as I took a quick ride on Sea Dragon in the middle of the day. Still one of the most fun rides in the park. The park's skyline really is starting to change over the past few years. With Skyscraper this year and Hangman the previous, we're really becoming a park you can see from quite a ways away. More updates coming soon! Sam Stillwell Marketing Manager Lakeside Park

Thanks for the comments guys, I appreciate it. A.J. - the shoot-the-chutes is a 2nd generation O.D. Hopkins, like Shipwreck Falls at Geauga Lake. You can see the support system here: http://geaugalaketoday.com/Rides/Shipwreck%20Falls.jpg ========================= Get ready to scream! May 13, Year 16 Well folks, you've been waiting all winter, and tomorrow is opening day! We can't wait to show you everything we've been working on this winter, including our new drop tower, Skyscraper! But enough talk, let's let the pictures show you. This is probably the first thing you'll be seeing when you enter the park tomorrow. Try not to make too big of a rush for Skyscraper! Workers are putting the finishing touches on the ride, including the sign and doing final crew training. Across the midway, Hangman Pizza was taken out over the winter and replaced with Papa Romano's. In addition to even better pizza (and calzones, you MUST try the calzones!), it also has a large covered seating area. The entire area looks much better than it did when Scrambler was located over here. Meanwhile, over in the new area, we've got lots of new things to show you. On the right is the new bathroom/changing facility, and on the left is our newest restaurant, Subway! Be sure to pick up your season pass for a $2 off coupon valid all month long. Having the lake nearby has allowed us to take some really nice skyline pictures. Last but not least, be sure to enjoy your favorite classics, like the Lakeside Cyclone. See you all tomorrow! Sam Stillwell Marketing Manager Lakeside Park

Got the book yesterday, and all I can say is WOW! I took it to class and read the thing cover to cover. Dude, you are one hell of an artist! Even my fiance who doesn't like roller coasters or comics wanted to look at it because it's so well done. Seriously dude, this is beyond amazing. I can't wait for your second English book to come out!

Lakeside Park reaches for the sky with Skyscraper Grand Rapids Press December 1, Year 15 As Lakeside Park enters a new era from their 15 year history as Riverworld, they will usher in the tallest ride in the state of Michigan: Skyscraper. A product of Intamin AG of Switzerland, Skyscraper is being called "205 feet of screams" in honor of the former Screamer double shot tower. The giant difference between Screamer and Skyscraper, other than 120 feet, is that Skyscraper will slowly bring riders to the top of the tower before releasing and dropping them in freefall. "We're really excited to bring this new thrill to our guests," said Lakeside CEO and President Kevin Michaels. "It will truly put Lakeside on the map and give us a central icon to focus around as the expansion of the park continues." In addition to Skyscraper, guests can look forward to expanded bathroom facilities, a new location for Scrambler, and two new food outlets for the Year 16 season. The park has also spent quite a bit of money behind-the-scenes to bring everything up-to-date. ================================================== The change of seasons March 23, Year 16 Well, well. Looks like the snow is finally gone for the year, and we can focus on everything the Year 16 season has to offer, including our newest thrill ride, Skyscraper! But first, a video I promised way back in November: the front seat POV of Lakeside Cyclone! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM5NDjQI6Gg And now, onto today's pictures. Construction is nearing completion on Skyscraper, which will sit on the former location of Scrambler. Skyscraper really towers over the park, much more than Screamer did... a whole 120 feet more! You can see it all the way from downtown! Meanwhile, the old restroom building that sat next to Screamer has been expanded and rennovated this past winter. Splashdown received quite a bit of attention this winter as well, complete with a new sign and control system. Our friends over at the Lake Wilde Beach and Recreation Center sent us this picture from across the new lake. The sign shop has been cranking out signs all winter long to give the park a fresh look, this sign being for Hangman. Scrambler is looking great in its new location. Looks like there's lots of space behind it, too. That's all for today. Just two months until opening day! Sam Stillwell Marketing Manager Lakeside Park

Thanks for the replies, guys. Really glad to see that the RCT3 version of the park is looking as good as the older versions. It's also nice to finally get back into building it after 7 years of the 2004 RCT2 version sitting on my hard drive, and I've got a lot of great ideas for things I'd like to build. The original map was only 50 x 50, so the Year 15 RCT3 version was only 50 x 50, which I've started expanding to include the parking lot and the new expansion area. Right now the map is around 125 x 125, and my goal is to have it somewhere around 300 x 300 when I'm done. Anyways, enough of me rambling. Onto the update! ================================================== Goodbye Screamer! November 2, Year 15 Seems like all I've been doing lately is bringing bad news on the blog lately, but I promise this one has a good ending. After thrilling riders for 10 seasons, the Screamer double shot tower is leaving the park. At 85 feet tall, Screamer was one of our biggest rides, dominating our skyline between the Skywheel and Hangman. Unfortunately, due to increasing maintenance and labor costs, it was placed up for sale and will be relocated to a park in New Jersey next year. We're almost ready to announce our Year 16 improvements, however! Ground work has begun on what could possibly be the most thrilling ride to ever hit Lakeside. While I can't give any details, let me tell you that the sky is the limit with this one. Onto today's photos! This was the view just last Friday. It only took three days to get the tower down. Here's the view from this morning. The space will be home to an expanded bathroom as well as all new lockers, provided free of charge to our guests. Meanwhile, Scrambler and the midway around it are being relocated next to the Sea Dragon for next year. This area will see the most work in Year 16. Workers put up the new signs on the coaster now known as the Lakeside Cyclone earlier yesterday. The ride will also be getting some trackwork done to the first drop this winter. You can barely see the Scrambler sitting over in the corner there. This midway will be expanded with a new restaurant and bath/changing room next year. Just to the right of that will be the new warehouse/maintenance shop, administration building and employee parking lot. Over $3 million will be spent on these and improving our infrastructure with a new telephone and admission system. Here's a shot from the top of Splashdown of the new expansion area. The entire area is just over 3 acres in size. I'm going to miss having the screams of the Cyclone right outside my office window, but my new office will give me a nice look at everything we'll be building the next few years! Before maintenance crews took the trains off the coasters for the winter, we took a film crew up and took POV video of each coaster! I'll leave it up to you guys to decide which one you'd like to see first: the 1999 Reverchon spinning Wild Mouse, the 1991 CCI wooden out-and-back Lakeside Cyclone, or the 2004 Vekoma SLC Hangman? Whichever one gets the most votes will be posted online for everyone to see with our next offseason update. Sam Stillwell Marketing Manager Lakeside Park

================================================== LAKESIDE PARK An RCT3 / Jon Roost Production ================================================== First, before I get into the actual story, let me give you some info on the background of Lakeside Park. Lakeside Park is the latest version of my longest running RCT:LL / RCT2 park, Riverworld. Riverworld first started in 2000 as an original RCT:LL park, 50 x 50 in size and located on one side of a river. After developing the park once each year in RCT:LL, in 2002 the park was moved to RCT2, continuing at it’s 50x50 size. The park’s last update was in 2004. Now, in 2011, Riverworld will be returning to the internet, but as Lakeside Park instead. From this point on, 1990 (year the park opened) is considered Year 1, making 2005 into Year 16. The updates will come as blog posts, either from the park's Marketing Manager Sam Stillwell. Everything prior to the Opening Day Year 16 update are older updates, so bear with me while I get the story up to that point. Now that you have the basic premise of the park, I present to you: Lakeside Park! ================================================== The end of an era September 14, Year 15 Well folks, I know it's been a while since I've updated you on the happenings at Riverworld. Let me fill you in on what's happened in the past month. As most of you know, our CEO and President, Ken Michaels, passed away at only 56 years old from a heart attack in early August. His death dealt a major blow to all of us here at Riverworld and he will be missed. After many long discussions, the family have promoted his son, Kevin Michaels, to the CEO and President position. We hope he continues the tradition of quality family fun and extreme thrills that Riverworld has come to be known for. Check out these pictures from closing day: Another beautiful day at Riverworld, though it is very sad as it's closing day. Pretty soon Hangman will be covered in snow and the screams of riders will turn silent. Already some of the restaurants have been closing up shop. The Dog House is still the most popular food stand in the entire park. Everyone's getting their last rides in on their favorite rides. Luckily, the Riverworld Cyclone only had about a 10 minute wait today. The Cyclone is one of the oldest rides in the park, and the second coaster built by CCI. Pretty soon, the white wood of the Cyclone will blend right into its surroundings. The Carousel was originally built in 1912 and operated on the Coney Island boardwalk. After that it spent about 20 years at a park in California before being moved to Cedar Point. It was brought to Riverworld in 1991 when Cedar Point replaced it with a larger version. Splashdown is looking nice after its paint job this past winter. It always has such a long line during the summer, since it's the best only way to cool off. Wild Mouse opened back up a few weeks ago, and riders can now spin out of control again. We apologize for any inconvenience the downtime has caused. If you're looking for the best way to flip around in every direction, Chaos is for you. I can usually hear the screams all the way from my office. You should pay attention to this view in the upcoming months. But we aren't going to drop the ball just yet on what's going on. What better way to finish off the season than with a ride on Hangman? Alright, alright, I promised an announcement about what's going on with the Cedar River, so it's probably best to give you the latest. As you've heard in the news, a local developer purchased 600 acres across the river and adjacent to Riverworld, and has plans to create a man-made lake with a beach and recreation area. The 200 acres adjacent to the park have been purchased by us for future expansion, and the new Lake Wilde is on its way to completion. Wait, you mean we won't be located along a river anymore? Well, there's only one solution to that! I'm pleased to announce that from this day forward, Riverworld will be known as Lakeside Park! For more information, check out the News Releases section of our website. We've got a lot of fun stuff coming to the blog this winter, including POVs of all three of our great coasters and construction updates on our New for Year 16 improvements. More on that at a later date. To everyone that visited us in Year 15, thank you so much and we hope to see you back again in Year 16! Keep posted to the blog for all of the fun updates during the winter. Sam Stillwell Marketing Manager Lakeside Park

Hey John, might want to look at the last line of the second paragraph of your press release again. The next few years will be interesting to see how things line-up compared to the real-life timeline of Six Flags (influx of outside brands, focus on family and kids rides, highly themed rides), I'm hoping that Firebomb will be the last of the Burke-era improvements.

Reminds me almost of Six Flags St. Louis for some reason. Looks really nice. Personal suggestion for the "instrumental" piece you were asking for on SGW, but what about the Social Network soundtrack?

Tomi, This is so. Freakin. Cool! I've loved your comics since you started putting them out on TPR, this is just icing on the cake. Very happy to support your artwork and comics, and I can't wait for the next one. -Jon "Just purchased my very first comic book" Roost

Here's how I ranked things this year: 1. Shivering Timbers @ Michigan's Adventure 2. My Favorite Steel (Maverick @ Cedar Point) 3. The Beast @ Kings Island 4. Hades @ Mount Olympus 5. Cornball Express @ Indiana Beach 6. Phoenix @ Knoebel's 7. Kentucky Rumbler @ Beech Bend 8. Cyclops @ Mount Olympus 9. Raven @ Holiday World 10. Comet @ Hersheypark 11. Voyage @ Holiday World 12. Viper @ SFGAm 13. Wildcat @ Hersheypark 14. Thunder Run @ Kentucky Kingdom 15. Wolverine Wildcat @ Michigan's Adventure 16. High Roller @ Valleyfair 17. Racer @ Kings Island 18. Twister @ Knoebel's 19. Legend @ Holiday World 20. Blue Streak @ Cedar Point 21. Big Dipper @ Geauga Lake 22. Lightning Racer @ Hersheypark (both sides tied) 23. Thunderbolt @ Kennywood 24. Jack Rabbit @ Kennywood 25. Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain @ Indiana Beach 26. Hoosier Hurricane @ Indiana Beach 27. Thunderhawk @ Dorney Park 28. Racer @ Kennywood 29. Twisted Twins @ Kentucky Kingdom (both sides tied) 30. Son of Beast @ Kings Island 31. Mean Streak @ Cedar Point 32. American Eagle @ SFGAm 33. Zeus @ Mount Olympus 34. Fairly Odd Coaster @ Kings Island 35. Zach's Zoomer @ Michigan's Adventure And a couple of notes: -Cornball Express was a big change for me this year, simply because of the five amazing rides I had on it during a trip this year. My last visit in 2006 had me hating the ride, and honestly I didn't think I'd ever go back on it because it was just so boring. Took some advice and tried it again in the back seat, jumped about 20 spots on my list. -The Beast also made a big jump thanks to two night-time rides, one in the front and one in the back. Sure, the back seat of the Beast beats the hell out of you, but riding it at night is one of the wildest, uncontrollable coasters I've ever been on. -Mount Olympus was a new park for me this year, and Cyclops and Hades both ranked very high. Was able to do about 5 laps on Cyclops in the back seat without getting off, all of which were just amazing. I couldn't say enough nice things about Hades, between the giant drop right out of the station, the tunnel, nearly getting stuck on the far turnaround (they were requiring that 8 people minimum ride at a time so it didn't get stuck), and coming slamming into those brakes... I wanted more. -Shivering Timbers regains my number one slot this year after all of the work they did on it this past summer. It runs just like new again, which I hope some people were able to feel at TimbersFest. I've ridden this thing every year since it opened, and I don't think it's been this good since 1999 or 2000. At the same park, Wolverine Wildcat was giving some insane rides when I rode it back in May, and had some similar trackwork done to it that made it enjoyable again. Not top-10 worthy, but probably the best Dinn coaster out there.

As soon as I go through my collection sometime soon here, I'll have an updated list of what I have to trade. I should have a bunch of Kings Island/Cedar Point/Michigan's Adventure stuff, though, as usual.

So glad to see it's back. Can't wait to see the new show. Oh, and my guess is 7 ducks. -Jon "Marrying one of Big Mike's 10 hotties to meet in 2011" Roost

Who cares about CiCi's when Chet & Matt's is right down the road? Give me Chet & Matt's any day.

If you kept watching, you would know that they gave $5000 of the proceeds from the banners to Bushkill Park. -Jon "A TV show just did a better preservation effort than Save the Big Dipper" Roost

So let's see... you're telling me all I have to do is link to Club TPR? Like the URL http://www.clubtpr.com or using ClubTPR? Nah, that would be too obvious.

I don't know, that face might be considered kinky turtle sex in some cultures. Should probably get back to searching, now that I've made two completely pointless posts...

And, just in case anyone's wondering... it's not the turtles having kinky turtle sex on the cam, because that's definitely not happening.

Too kind, sir. Too kind. If all works out I'll be back to maximize your ride count this year.

As resident Michigan's Adventure fanboy, I can honestly say this was an addition that was much needed and will be very well received. The original kids area, Half Pint Paradise The original kids water area, Half Pint Paradise, opened in 1990 and only has two small slides and a wading area. 1997's Jolly Roger Pirate Ship The other 1997 addition, Treehouse Harbor In 1997, with Phase Two of the waterpark, they added the Jolly Roger Pirate Ship and Treehouse Harbor, which both are very small and are very limited in their offerings. For a park whose primary audience is families, they've needed something with more for kids to do in the waterpark for a long time. Beach Party will definitely be a huge hit at Michigan's Adventure. While I would have loved for the amusement park to get something new, the waterpark is the big draw at Michigan's Adventure. Any summer day you'll find when the waterpark opens that you can wait over an hour for one waterslide, but Shivering Timbers will be a walk-on. It's very clear what the public wants, and that's what they're going to get.

Call me biased, but I've been riding Timbers every year since it opened, and it was running a lot better this year than it has in years prior. They've fixed a lot of the trouble areas they've had with the ride, and was running faster than normal all year long. They also added a single trim brake on the drop before the helix to help the helix not get destroyed like it did every year, though I can't say I ever felt it on any of my rides. Timbers also had an amazing crew this year... Then again, this is the same park that did wonders with Wolverine Wildcat. That ride was stereotypical Dinn just a few years ago, and now it's actually enjoyable and worthwhile to ride. Any park that can keep a Dinn in good condition deserves recognition.

Granted, they haven't ever "announced" small additions like the Bumper Boats, Swan Boats, or expanded Timbertown. The "announcements" have always been for the bigger additions like Thunderhawk, Grand Rapids, and Funnel of Fear. Just something to keep in mind.

Really glad to see despite all the monkey poo flinging going that someone has the class to post something like that. Seriously, I don't know you, and I probably never will, but I have immense respect for you now after that post. In honor of the $50 you donated to the Big Dipper cause, I've just donated a $50 gift to CFF. Thank you for showing that despite the craziness that can happen online, good people still exist out there. -Jon "Having faith in the internet again" Roost