htomc42

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It's old, and it's small, but I've always enjoyed riding the old Chance Toboggan ride/coaster. Maybe its just those little cars.

Nights in White Satin dark ride, at the long-defunct HRP. Bonus points for riding it 2 minutes after watching the Moody Blues perform the song, live.

There's tons of neat stuff there, non-ride related. There's a bar with a brick wall behind it- that was originally the wall behind the stage at CBGB's. I don't know if they still have it, but they had the bus from 'Magical Mystery Tour'- and it ran, too.

I hope someone gets that too and keeps the lift as is. Very unique but I can see maintenance being a pain and replacing it with a standard lift hill. During the Freestyle season, I was told by a girl minding the closed coaster that they had a machine shop and 3 people, to fabricate replacement parts for the thing. I'm guessing that Premiere probably wasn't too cooperative when the bills were overdue. Just about all the HRP/FP vendors were owed, including a lot of small local companies that could hardly afford it. I heard that these new rides can be monitored and controlled remotely- I wonder if Premiere hit the 'off' button? That might explain why the water coaster also wasn't working when I was there. As I was looking at the mechanism, she remarked "isn't it awesome?!". I responded "yeah, but it would be even more awesome if it worked."

Definitely Central Florida- I'd love to see SoCal, but I can get to Florida much easier!

The "Centrifuge Brain Project" gives an insight on scientific experiments with amusement park rides. [youtu_be] [/youtu_be]

Yeah, I just can't wait for the Jar Jar ride.

People who drive along I-95 along the east coast should be very familiar with "South of the Border", the kitzchy tourist trap right on the NC/SC border. I just drove by there this past weekend and noticed some changes: 1) Their "Sombrero" ride, a rare Soriani-Moser polyp type spinner, appears to be gone. 2) The L&T Crazy Mouse, that has sat inoperable for years, possibly since 2001, has been dismantled. No idea where that might be going. I drove down I-95 late Friday afternoon and saw it all apart except for the loading platform and lift hill; when I can back the other way on Sunday, the lift hill was almost completely apart. A great place to see pictures of this is: jimvid.smugmug.com/Amusement-Park/South-of-the-Border-41506/1374946_68h5R/2/64892581_gZQXj#64892629_y8n87 3) The arcade has been moved to the building right under the huge Sombrero Tower. I think it might be free now; at one time, they charged to go up it. 4) They once had what they called the "world's largest indoor miniature golf course". That was later turned into an antique store, right on the miniature golf course- they didn't take out any of the holes or anything. That is now completely gone, the building has been torn down and nothing remains. 5) Their big new attraction is the "Reptile Lagoon". I didn't go in, but it sure sounds like the same sort of "Alligator Farm" attraction that was big in Florida 40-50 years ago.

The removal of the entire Pavilion Amusement Park in Myrtle Beach, SC. That park, and its famous Pavilion building on the ocean, were icons for nearly 60 years. Nothing but big empty lot now, for several years. People who experienced it back in its "golden age" of the 70s and 80s know what I mean. Then, just a very few years later, the complete failure of the Hard Rock Park/Freestyle Music Park. This was very embarrassing for the amusement industry as a whole.

Not sure if anyone else from the Raleigh, NC area would be coming up, but at least I will.

No, this is the one that is all the way across the state in Raleigh. In fact, yesterday was the last day of it.

It's that time again for the NC State Fair! This year, it's Powers Great American Midways that is providing all the rides. Plus, all the deep-fried honey buns and doughnut hamburgers you can eat! Early afternoon on the midway. It's not nearly as crowded tonight as it was on Saturday. Still too sober for this one, only about 0.08 on the Piers Scale. Flat ride goodness - they have some of the more energetic ones at this fair. Dark Ride! I rode this one later in the evening, when it was dark. It looks like they spent some money on this- very nicely themed outside, with spooky music, monsters, etc. Once inside, however, it sucked so bad that Bill Tracy turned over in his grave a few times. None of their light effects were working, so they actually had the work lights turned on, so you could (almost) see some of the monsters. The scariest part of the ride was a ringing bell. I have yet to see a really good portable dark ride- if they simply had everything clean and working, with even a bare half-assed effort to make it scary, it would be 1000 times better than the crap that makes it even onto a 'respectable' midway. COASTER GOODNESS - actually, the only coaster that I could find at the whole fair. This one is a Pinfari RC-48, and might be the one that was originally at Morey's Pier. I also rode this when it got dark- no airtime, but a surprisingly long ride with lots of good loops, all in a fairly compact footprint. Classic flatride goodness. I rode this one too, just for old times, it's still a great ride. Another haunted house. Look how nice it looks on the outside. Too bad it's pure lame-ass crapola inside. Let's go back and forth in the dark a few times. These dark rides are embarrassingly bad. An appropriately-themed Huss Enterprise. Some Fun House goodness. Actually fairly "standard" for a fun house, but at least everything works. Actually, the crowd here is far weirder. Save your money. Unless I saw it wrong, it actually looked like the two arms of this pivoted at different angles, "twisting" the car, unlike a regular Top Spin. Classic! I remember riding this one way back in the early 70s. Some more views of that Pinfari coaster, from the other side of the main midway. Let's ride the Turkey Shoot! 20 Gauge goodness! Lots of Flying Bobs and Himalaya clones around. Why do we never see any of the Bayern Kurve type rides anymore? They are from about the same era, and I like the latter much more. Wacky Worm! Unfortunately, no kids available for credit-whoring. Another dark ride. Yes, I had to try it. This one is almost like a roller coaster; it is unpowered, and has a lift hill that takes up up, then the ride does a dip right in that big open area, then goes inside. Once inside, it does a series of mouse-like back and forths until the end. The scariest thing inside was a 2-foot square red area (the Tile of Doom?), but at least it did have an actual operating gag at the very end when the cars came out. Domo !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let's ride the Flu Shot! It's probably scarier than all their dark rides put together. Night on the midway. There is a -great- fireworks show at 9:45 Time for another spin on the coaster. Currently at 0.20 Piers Great lights on the midway.

This just in- coaster accident at Knott's Berry Farm http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/10/knotts-berry-farm-accident-occurs-after-roller-coster-car-fails-to-climb-tracks.html this happened on the 'Pony Express' coaster; apparently the safeties on the lift hill failed, and it rolled back into the station, hitting another car.

So, I'm trying to get the ticket for the East Coast Bash, and I don't have a season ticket, but it won't allow that option! The dropdown where I have to select whether I have the season ticket or not, only allows the 'Yes' option! Did someone steal the 'No' option?

The pictures that I took were everything that was completed. It looks like the final sections of track, leading back into the loading platforms, haven't been installed yet. I expect that it is probably finished now; the work crews were so ahead of schedule that they ran out of coaster track to install, at one point!

I was down at Myrtle Beach a couple of weeks ago, and went by the Hard Rock Park preview center. I also got some pics of the actual coaster, under construction! The local news said that it is going very smoothly, and is ahead of schedule. There's still major construction going on, but the park should be open for the 2008 season. Give me a call anytime someone wants to go to this park, I missed the first Deep South tour! Looking the other way, showing the entire ride so-far constructed, including the loading platform. The big Zeppelin cover hasn't been put on it yet. Looking toward the lift hill. The Led Zeppelin coaster, located along a side road, so it was possible to get fairly close. Best picture I could get of the whole thing. Another angle. They will have several coasters, and a dark ride. Another view of the park Scale model of the entire park I wonder what a punk-themed coaster would be like? British invasion section. I'm not sure if that is the Austin Powers car. Different areas of the preview center mirror the different zones in the park, which include hard rock, country, 60s/70s, British invasion, and more. Side view. This is the best picture that I could take through the plexiglass case. Another view of the coaster Scale model of the new Led Zeppelin coaster! Entrance to the preview center, with Led Zeppelin statue. Sand sculpture. They're really going all-out on this park, even though its nowhere near as big as Disney. Major $$$ going into this. Yes, its the real bus from the movie! Hard Rock Park, along US501 near the Intercoastal Waterway

I know it was a bad, very rough coaster, but still its depressing to see it come down instead of being fixed. That entire amusement park has now been destroyed. People visiting the beach this season will be greeted by a huge empty lot, in what was once the heart of the downtown entertainment district, and the historical area where Myrtle Beach itself was started. Last of Pavilion coaster torn down Article Video of Lift Hill being torn down! This link also has video of the last section of the coaster, the top of the lift hill, coming down.

Actually, I rode the Hurricane a couple of last times during the Pavilion park's "Last Ride" event on Sept. 30th. I found that you could "ride" it certain ways through the helices so that the dreadful shaking really wasn't too bad. It was still rough, though. That whole historic downtown amusement area is going to suffer for this.. it will be very weird, this summer will be the first time in about 75 years that there haven't been some kind park or rides in that area. They tore down the Haunted Hotel dark ride too.

I'm not sure about that... it looks like the Hurricane is being cut up into pieces and made into memorabilia... check out the pieces of track that are now being sold as paperweights on the MB Pavilion website: Hurricane Paper Weight They are even crushing up the Pavilion building and selling bags of concrete pieces. I was in MB on November 1st, and they were just putting the construction fences around the park. Several of the rides had been packed up and moved, but no actual destruction had been done, and the Pavilion building was still in one piece-- it even had most of the crappy redemption games still in the arcade. I will be back in MB over christmas, at the latest, so I'll have some updated pics of the carnage.

The heart of the midway... End of the night. I'll catch the fireworks in a bit, then head on out. I give it all a "B-" as far as NC state fairs go. They also lost points for not having an arcade. Easily 100' or more. Did I mention that this is an agricultural fair? I love the smell of gunpowder in the afternoon. I rode the Turkey Shoot, too. Sarah Brady was not amused. Suck it, Al-Qaeda. Too bad they wouldn't let me ride it today-- I'd love to take out all of those ^&^%%$ baby-strollers that are clogging up the crowd. The rest of it. Its the classic Galaxi configuration. The line moves quick, too. The only half-way decent coaster, a Galaxi clone called Avalanche. Ewwww..... I'm not sure I want to get on that thing. Approaching the main center of the midway, where all the big rides are lined up in 2 rows.

Lots of old stuff, a bit of new stuff.... AAARRGGHHH! Another dark ride. this one was much better- it was actually 2-story, and briefly went out over the covered "porch". They could still do a LOT better with the effects. More swinging goodness. This is the first time that I've seen one of these in years. Wasn't it once called the "Rock-A-Plane"? Freak show! Actually, its probably redundant, given that we are in North Carolina. All you have to do is look around to get a free show. A new ride- Disko by Zamperla. It goes fairly fast, riding up the sides of the U-shaped track almost like a skateboard ramp. An oldie but goodie. Decent mix of old and new rides. The one behind is huge, with two 4-person carriages at the end of arms that must be 100' each. The first dark ride that I came across. It really blows, though. inside, it just goes back and forth along big U-shaped halls. When you get to the end, a light comes on displaying an un-maintained monster figure. The same as the ex-MB Pavilion's version. This ride generates some wicked lateral forces.

Its time again for the North Carolina State Fair! Its actually not bad for a travelling fair. This year, no government officials are going to prison over scandals regarding the fair, either! Another fun house, and a log flume. Its actually warm enough to day to ride it without freezing. Lots of fun houses too. I hate it when they won't let you hold onto the sides of the spinning barrel at the end and spin with it. Lots of classic flat rides, too. Another kiddie coaster, the "Orient Express" by Wisdom. I passed on this one as well. Everyone must have a Wacky Worm these days-- in fact, this fair has two of them. Does this count for coaster credit? Out of the exhibit building and on to the midway! Exhibitors too, including major political parties. This is an Agricultural and Industrial fair, too, with all kinds of arts and crafts. Too bad this is all locked up! And a map of the fairgrounds, which is big. This year, an old racetrack was coverted into the new midway. The official fancy flashing color sign.

In literally a couple of minutes, I'll be hitting the road to Myrtle Beach; I'm going down a day early to do some other photograpy in the area, and I'll have a TR of the Pavilion event on Saturday. Official hours for this are 3-8pm; I think that tickets are still on sale for this, although they are an extra $5 on that day (making it around $40 or so). I'll probably be wearing my standard camo pants and black NIN t-shirt if any of the TPR crew wants to get together. Catch me at 919-602-8529.

I suspect that one reason it was held last weekend, was to avoid being at the same time as the Last Ride event at the MB Pavilion, on Sept. 30th. It wouldn't have made sense to do both at the same time. They plan on starting the redevelopment on November 1st, so that gives them roughly 6 weeks to take everything down and clear anything of value off of the property. Unfortunately, its not going to be anything amusement-related. I spoke with Robby Lazarus' wife as I was leaving- she said that it would be something shopping-related, thats just the way the economics are right now. Except for a much-smaller park with some go-karts and miniature golf, there are essentially no amusement parks in the North Myrtle Beach area now; the old Sun Fun Amusement Park in Ocean Drive has been gone for many years. A recent article said that a Bi-Lo store would be going in there. Maybe we should all show up there and ride their shopping carts one day.