gr8LAboy

Not suprised. Through a good chunk of the 90's this was the policy at most of the Six Flags parks. Something about needing to have witnesses if someone misbehaves/falls out of a ride.

Me too... And incidentally speaking of Vortex's station I have always wondered if the large concrete area under the loading area (seen to the left as you go down the stairs) was ever used for queue. I have been going to KI since about 1988 and do not recall it ever being used, but I seem to remember 15-20 years ago seeing neglected speed rails set up down there. Was this used for the Bat and as just left over? I always found it odd that KI would just let the queue spill through Coney Mall following the painted "track fists" clear back to the games when there seemed to be a perfectly good queue area under the station.

Mind Eraser at Elitch Gardens was SO rough...it tore open THE FRONT of my shorts. It violently shuffled back and forth slamming my crotch over and over into the restraint. By far the WORST SLC I've ever encountered. Happily the Guest Relations folks at Elitch bought me some new shorts and gave me some Elitch bucks for my trouble. Way Classy. Hello, wiener!

Who names these things? It sounds like it could either be a new english speaking Asian person or a fan of George Orwell's 1984 'Futurespeak'.

Ha Ha...Magic Park! I lived in Thessaloniki for about 5 months several years ago (I was a performer at the nearby Hyatt Regency Casino) and spent lots of time there. The place is well run and the swing ride used to (and still may) give the most insane spin of any swing I have ever been on. After a few beers it was even better . Thanks for the memories!

Well, take this for what it is worth, my buddy is in the Waterworld show over there (they hire foreign actors) and he said that yes, indeed, a seat FELL OFF the Cylon side somewhere during a test run. Again, grain of salt alert, while my buddy is a little bit more than the Dippin Dots guy, I can not attest for the accuracy of his information. This could be very bad for Vekoma. Lets hope it is not true...

As much as I'd like to see a first gen Freefall preserved, especially Demon Drop, somehow I feel that this could be a complete red herring. I could be wrong, but seeing this in a Buena Park Community Development newsletter is not a conformation in my eyes. I wonder who they really heard this from. I'd like to hear it from the park, please

Sounds very very much like Marriott's Great America's "Carrousel Song" from 1976.. Totally love the funky "March" version of the song. Very groovy.

That's amazing! Here's hoping that one day ALL OF US will be able to get married under Tatsu!

Rode it twice today..single rider line totally rules. Ride is ok. Just ok.Fast and Fun but I feel there are other rides that are far more intense in the park. Like Adventure Express Honestly, Diamondback had its moments and as previous posters mentioned it was better at night. I wouldn't make a special trip to the park just to ride it tho. It ain't no Nitro..and it certainly ain't no Raging Bull. Flight Deck was kicking ass tonite tho..

I like "New for 1996!"

Huh..interesting. I had always wondered what those turnstyles to nowhere near Flashback were used for. In my mind I always assumed they were the left over entrance to the old grandstand area on Mystic Lake. But SFMM wouldn't leave something like that sitting there for that long..would they??

Thats the copy I had too..Roller Coaster Thrills. It was made by Kodak.. and has an advert for other Kodak videos on the tape. I loved it for the random "fantasy" coaster they put together at the end. And I remember HATING the way the ice Cream Guy said "Corkscrews". Yuk.

Looks like the bottom pic was taken on a buisy day at Geauga. Look at the line for Music Express and Spider. My little 13 year old self is probably somewhere in that pic as I went to the park something crazy like 72 times that summer. They used to punch holes in the season pass on the day you visited. Mine was nothing but my picture, park logo, and a couple of missed weekend days. There wasn't much to do in Solon so we'd ride bikes to Aurora.

I skated the ice rink under Moonsault in the winter of 99. It was actually quite a beautiful place to go in the winter with Fuji right next door and all. The ice rink in the summer was an extreme eyesore, however. The parks in Japan mostly stay open year round. So riding the coasters during a snow storm at 32 degrees is fairly common. Common, yes. Fun? Eh...well...

Great pics! Having worked at GL in high school in the late 80's early 90's they brought back a lot of memories. Something I have always wondered though.. In a few of the pics of the Corkscrew (and in images in my memory) you can see a second train on the transfer track. Did the Corkscrew at GL..or ANY Arrow Corkscrew for that matter..ever actually run two trains at the same time? I know CP's Corkscrew frequently to this day runs 3 but I'm wondering about any of the copy cat two inversion standard model.

I rode Moonsault back in 99 when I was on contract at Tokyo Disneyland. Let me tell you..it was one of the more terrifying moments of my coaster experiences. The first time going up the first lift backwards made the sheer fear of massive headbanging totally intense! Thankfully I escaped with only mild ear-redness. The ride wasn't all that rough.. I find Deja Vu more intense. Fujiyama was new(ish) back then and I paid more attention to it during that particular visit to the park.

Hmm..Dale Van Voorhis...Wasn't he involved in Funtime, Inc.? The name seems so familliar from when I worked at Geauga Lake in the Early 90's. Wasn't he GL's President or something similar??

While it would make me feel good that a piece of my childhood is moved into my new "backyard", I truly doubt that KBF will get Double Loop. And to clarify...KBF once had a CORKSCREW. Identical to the one that was removed from Geauga Lake for Headspin. KBF does not have very much room to expand at all..let alone for a "State of the Art" (circa 1977) Arrow Looper. Double Loop is and was one of a kind. I hope they get a good price on the scrap. Although..has anyone called North Korea? I'm sure they would find it fun.

Sigh. Its a shame, really. Having grown up in Solon (next door neighbor to Aurora) and worked at G.L. all through High School this kinda hits a lil hard. But am I really that upset? No. The park in its current state actually was a detriment to all of my good memories of the past (late 1980's to early Nineties -when the park was just the right size for the market it serves). The Cleveland area itself is changing and rapidly deteriorating-Smelling like Detroit II. Nobody likes going to a funeral and Geauga Lake's has been going on for several years now. Its time to say good-bye and move on!

TDR is a completely different animal. While yes, it may be preferred to have standard american "sound alikes" it isnt as scrutinized in Japan as it would be in the US. Then again...I've heard many an Aladdin at Disneyland who seemed to have flown to Anaheim from Agrabah, MEXICO. Heck, most of the "Prince-types" get to play "The Wacky Chimney Sweep from Mary Poppins" as well. Even tho you are an Aussie..they will think you stepped right out of London

Hey.. Long time lurker..first time poster. Had to respond to this one as I once "smiled and waved" for a living at TDR. The "face" audition (as they call it) is a little different than a normal auditon. They first take all the auditonees, give them numbers, (and usually there are many) and divide up the boys from the girls and line them up in groups of 10-20. Next they take the lines into a large room and call up the lines one by one. There the whole line "faces the judges". They analyze your face and may ask you a few questions as you stand there in line with everyone else .This is usually the most nerve wracking part of the auditon, even though you are just standing there. They make notes on how you look, hold yourself, etc. Next comes first cut. They call out the numbers of the people they would like to see more of and politely dismiss the others. If you made it through first cut, you now get to dance. The combination is often to a disney parade song (as part of yoru duties as a Prince will be to dance in the shows and parades). The combination is usually fairly simple and represtentative of the dance in the shows. Just make sure to smile..VERY IMPORTANT. Second cut after that. They call out who they want to keep and then politely dismiss the rest. If you are fortunate enough to get kept this far, you are taken away to have mesurements taken. The measure every inch of your body and for the women and some of the guys (who they are looking at for Aladdin..etc) its wig and polaroid time. At this point they could ask you to come back and watch an orientation video about the TDR etc. Thats pretty much it. Be prepared for a looong day. Bring snacks..dont smoke etc. Break a leg..My years at TDR were the best ever.