mrceagle

I finally made it to Canobie lake Park for their Screeemfest Halloween event arriving at 2:10. I missed the 1 pm opening but arrived to a half filled parking lot. Crowds were moderate as I made my way into the park and to Equinox Canobie's new ride. Despite 3 attendants being on the ride it was not operating. As I approached to get a photo I saw a team of maintenance workers attending to the ride. I talked with the attendant that was eager to describe the ride but I knew all that was to know form covering it on the Whalom forums. I was told I could check back but he wasn't expecting to see the ride operating. I made my way to Untamed, Cannonball has a 2/3rds Filled Queue as I walked by and as I got to Untamed I was surprised to find it a walk on. I hoped in the main queue and walked up the stairs to the ride. I was let right in for a front seat ride. As I exited I noticed the path was blocked forcing guests to walk around the ride to the bear lodge. I walked to skater and took a ride. Phycodrome was closed despite operating last year's Screeemfest. I then made my way to Caterpillar and Davinci's Dream. In all except for Water rides and Mine of lost souls(affected by Village haunt) the only rides down were Equinox and Phycodrome. Every other ride was open. I road Star blaster and as I exited I heard the Madonna show so I walked over there. I looked around and quickly found a few members of Canobie fan; JustplainSteve, madjennymorgan and Ben James Ben. Jimmy mass was there but I didn’t notice him too bad. Canobie#1 also admitted to being there but he was stuck in line. I did see a few Canobie staff members I know so dropped a quick high to them but missed out on meeting up with an High School acquaintance that works at the park. All of us Canobie fans opted to hang out for a bit and made our way to the Corn maze. Later this attraction would be fogged and reopened as Terror in the corn. It was enjoyable but the path was a little muddy despite having not rained in a couple days. We also looked over the autumn fairground. This attraction was found uninspired. The attraction consisted of a couple consigned out tents and a bunch of tents run by Canobie selling miscellanies stuff. There was a Canobie museum store selling old signs and an outlet for old T-shirts and store items. One food stand offered sausage and sliders (2 sliders for $4 dollars). From the write ups and advertisements I expected much more. I also didn't get the location. We all headed back to the midway stage were we all branched out to do our thing I left been to play the Shooting gallery which I have not used in a couple years because of the $1.00 dollar cost to play up from .50 cents. Funny at .50 cents I played at least once a trip. I then made my way to cannonball and a Full queue. Took nearly an hour and after sitting down and buckling I voluntarily moved so 2 friends could sit together. Great ride good speed given the cold temps. Not wanting a big meal I walked over to the Poncho Cantina to get Fried Dough. The Fried Dough cost $4.50 I got a Souvenir cup refill for .99 cents. So dinner was $5.98 not too bad. The Fried dough was OK. I think it was pre fried not fresh and seemed to mess the stomach up a bit. I ate my meal while watching the mini Kiss show. Shows Madonna - This is the better of the 2 shows. The dancers are great a few of which are back from previous shows. The Tribute artist did a good job but seemed to be a bit off from last year’s show. I later found out that much of the cast had a cold which would account for the problems. But overall it was a good show. Though I think the Prince show was just a tad better. Mini Kiss - It's an OK show. It's more of a gimmick then a real show. The Drummer and Guitarist are the best performers and the Bass player is pretty good but the lead singer just isn’t that good. Only plus size is he seems to have memorized the song list which is better than their first year. but it pulled a crowed So I doubt it will be going away. Monster Parade - I didn't see the parade, but with the crowds I really don't see how it can be done sadly after 5 on Saturdays. Having seen Equinox testing earlier a bit early in the night I figured I’d head over and see that was up. The ride was still down and the parks Rides manager confirmed that it would not be operating that day. I videotaped a test run and then asked a few questions about the ride. Sound and music will play during the ride and rock movie played between rides. I asked about volume and the music bleeding into the carousel and not hearing the band organ, I was told that wasn’t their concern. Which I find disappointing! There was talk of adding Fiberglass walls to the carousel to block some of the noise. Later in the day while they had music playing I could hear it by Rowdy roosters over wipeouts music and down the midway by the tea cups. I left the park for a bit my phone had died and I wanted to drop off my backpack. So I charged my phone for a bit. I did notice that the park has added a charging station by the lockers but it costs $3 dollars for 15 minutes of charging and it shows ads while you stand there. Though I think Sky Vodka is a bit inappropriate for a family amusement park. After 15 minutes in the car I moved forward closer to the entrance. All the after 5 traffic was being directed in to Kelly's field and the new overflow lot. I went back in and the park was crowded by this point. In fact it was busier then my August trip. Closing shows the entire main lot used and both over flow lots used. Every ride had full likes and every haunt queue had full to over flowing queue. I invested the rest of my night from 7-11 on haunts expect for 3 more rides on Untamed using the single rider line. Screeemfest haunts Headhunters of Cannibal Lake/Terror in the Corn Cannibal Lake for 2012 was turned into a read haunt using the castaway island area. Well it actually only used the front and part of one side of the area. The haunt was well staffed and used heavy smock. They did use a few lighting spots were a bright light shot at you but nothing complicated. A good start but needs more. You had to use the queue and enter the corn haunt after the Cannibal haunt. I did this twice with first time was a 45 minute wait with lines starting by the kiddie swings and second was a 20 minute wait. The fog was to as thick the second time and I could see the props better. Terror in the Corn was a simple haunt Portions of the village were moved to this a=haunt the Scarecrows the jump nest and the camo suits are now here. Fog was the main theme with a good staff count. One aggravation was the heady use of in face lighting. And all were clear bulbs. Colors would have really been appreciated and offered more variety. The haunt was still a bit muddy which is not much of an excuse since there are ways to dry off the paths and not overly expensive. Dead Shed - nearly full Queue 35 minutes wait. The haunt is very good, good themeing but little has changed. Biggest change is at the end were they expanded the butcher room. They added bloody skeletons that hang and a torso table. Nice to see something new but needs more. I miss the cockroach/bug room that was removed a couple years back. I went through this twice The Village - The village used the majority of the old Canobie area. 50 minutes wait the queue sent you into the flume exit and through the entire main and overflow queue as well as the added queue. The attraction starts with a black out constriction hall and works down the path. The only addition was about 50ft of expanded haunt that brought you closer to the timber splash and the chain saw guys now use this area. The second building is not in front of the mine and is now a dark hall with ah simple haunted in there with a strobe light. I felt this was the weakest of the 5 haunts with a good staffing but needs more. Merriment Inc - 40 minutes got in line about 20ft form the queue entrance. The haunt is the most elaborate. There was a number of performers and in a variety of costumes from clowns to gas masks. The majority of the haunt is identical to last year with a few midway prices tossed in to the mix. The most changed came after the White out constriction tunnel. The park seemed to have listened to me and black light the boxes after the tunnel which drew you forward. They also has one actor at this point to scare you. They then hung midway game prizes along the wall and fence to present some sense of continuity to the haunt. Worked well no one slowed or got lost like previous years. In all it was an OK day. I was very disappointed in the new ride. Seems withal their efforts to compete with SFNE they have done it and found themselves their own Catapult. Hopefully the ride will open soon but to and I think it will be a good overall addition but I dislike it'd location and impact to the area. I will see Canobie again in 2013. More Photos here - http://s1181.photobucket.com/albums/x439/mrceagle/Canobie%20Screeemfest%202012/

News of Canobie's plans has hit the news through the Eagle Tribune. With that I made an Official thread on the Whalom forum with Information above an beyond anything offered by the Tribune or Canobie itself. Enjoy! http://s6.zetaboards.com/New_Whalom_Park/topic/8835749 This should be an amazing ride for the park. It is a step up in there Thrill ride section.

While the park is owned by Six Flags. TGE is anything but a Six Flags park. they have always been their own thing except for the short stint were they had the Loony Tunes themed area which opened with a unique theme not seen before. The news report talks about higher speeds. This is a ride were even a few extra MPH makes a big deference. Most parks slow then down because the arms are pron to warping, cracking, and braking. Story Land Bought Whalom's Scooters that ran as hard as Knoeble's and the ride had so many cracks and warps it was cheaper to buy a new Larson model then to rehab Whalom's to be operated gain.

The topic is simply titles TGE discussion thread. so you came to the right place in my mind. fanatic news. It's about time they got a second haunt into the park.

I am happy to see so many positive statements about the addition. their Facebook page and a few other forums have been sharing the love. From the inscription I think you will be able to snap them. they talk about it operating at a high speed and stating that if you want a mild ride hold the Rutter steady.

The hard part here is I don't know what you don't understand. but Lets try this The park is adding a new Thrill ride, a KMG Tonga The confirmed location is between the Dodgems/bumper car Building and the Carousel/Carousel building This location once held another ride an SDC Matterhorn The location is Currently a dining area with a giant hot dog themed stand (See photo here)) This stand need to be removed, but many want to see it relocated (this is easily done since the hotdog is Simply a shell over a concrete box. the Shell can be set up in a new location) Screeemscape started a rumor that the ride will be temporary and only for the Halloween event. I have pointed out he likely got an e-mail by someone that was confused with the plans. That the ride is a permanent addition to the park but not to that location. the Park has been know the set up a portable ride in one location and relocate it a few years down the line. I hope this help. I will be happy to answer any questions about the park.

I got the same feeling. They should have waited a way, added to the water park and build a better coaster.

I find this to be a disappointing announcement. this is a throwback to the Chip Trick Gimmicky coasters of the 70's and early 80's. They actually brake the coaster to a stop simply to have the reverse an forward launches. they aren't needed. and a top hat? that's called a hill.

I agree it's a better addition then Full throttle. and the Scooters will be a great addition. Also from talks it will replace the aging 180 dome so the are will look much better.

I'm sure it will be relocated. I will try and get info when I go on opening weekend for Screemfest. What I would like to see is it relocated to Kiddie land 2. there is very little food in that area and every option, you have to walk away to use. The RCT like Building would fit well and expand a very small area. Like I said before The temp may be location not addition. Most likely it will be a carnival model not a park model.

The stand is a Concrete box with the Styrofoam Sculpture set on top of it. So the hotdog Sculpture can be removed and relocated.

I finally got around to using my second of 3 tickets I bought on opening day. I was meeting up with 2 friends and one of their relatives. I arrived at 11:05 park had only been open for 5 minutes and despite being a Friday I found myself being parked on the far side of the parking lot. I also noticed a few busses unloading campers and driving off to be parked off site. Needless to say the park was very crowded. Every ride even the smaller flats had full queue lines that overflowed into the midway by Noon. My friends were running late so I hopped on Xtreme Frisbee and spent the rest of my time looking over the park and taking pics. The corkscrew is being repainted, you could smell fresh paint. I had seen a photo of a test section and was not impressed but as they paint more of the coaster I am finding I like the new color scheme. The park is also adding a new haunt for this year’s Screeemfest event. Terror in the Corn will be an outdoor maze that they grew on site. They added a number of small touches to the front and side of the attraction to make it more appealing to the park itself not simple a field of corn. They even planted a small garden in front of it. The rest of my group arrived around quarter to 12 and it was time to start our day. My friend Andy and I road Wipe out, later we all road the Dodgems. I have not been on the bumper cars in years. Fun ride, like that there is no divider, but cars are slow. We then made out way to the Be Bop Diner to eat. I refilled my Souvenir cup for a 1.08 after tax. The rest of my group got 2 Chicken Finger baskets and 2 waters for just under $26. It was a very good meal and I liked the chicken. We then went to hit a few rides before the shows started. Ride count: (rides down none, Untamed did have some down time but was up quickly) Untamed X 5 most of the rides were alone later in the day in the rain Star blaster X 2 (end of day in the rain) I rode the fallowing rids X 1: Dodgems, Zero Gravity, Wipe out, Tea cups, PhycoDrome, Caterpillar, Xtreme Frisbee, Canobie 500, Log Flume, Mine of Lost Souls, Canobie Express, and Yankee cannonball. Read the full Photo Trip Report: photos.newwhalom.com/Trip Reports/Canobie Lake Park/CLPSummerShows

I can back up the confirmation. A sign has been hung on the Dodgems Building and the park marketing Manager confirmed the attraction when asked by a friend of mine.

The only days The park is not busy during Screeemfest is Sunday. A new ride is great but if they are not interested in Screemfest they will wait till next year. So I don't see a new ride giving them much of a boost. Only bonus is if they add a ride at he end of 2012 they can, if they don't get a ride, heavily invest in capital improvements in 2013 but still have the new ride to advertise.

I think the ride could be a good addition if the location is right. I woudl also prefer to see a new ride where they can control the paint and lights. A straight carnival model might stick out a bit too much. on a side not here is a POV of the Canobie 500 I took last Friday. PTR coming soon.

OK lets try to clear this up a bit. it is claimed by 2 regular park visitors that one was told. but he other was shows along with a full Dance hall of Jackson tribute show goes a video announcing a ride for October. She goes on to say the rides name was Equinox. on the Canobie fan forums she then posted a link to a KMG tango which a carnival operate under the same name. another carnival operate a freak out style attraction under the same name. It is not a production name for any ride. I know I don't post here often but here is what I know. I asked about a new ride to a owner I talk to regularly and I was simply told you will find out soon enough. this was last Friday. There is no mention on the attraction on facebook, myspace, or twitter. If I felt anything was confirmed I would have updated the Whalom forums with the news

There was a very low speed collision in 2001. No injury and no damage. but because it happened shortly after the train on superman at SFNE hit sending a dozen to the hospital it got more publicity then it would have if the topic wasn't in the news at the time. The park did redo the brakes in 2002 while GCI re-tracked the rest of the coaster M&V redid the station and added new skids/a computerized system. but it was decided after inspection that on a wet day a hit is still probable. Not wanting to take the risk they opted to run on train and they swap then out weekly. There are plans to redo the coaster to operate 2 trains. If they go with traditional mags thy would have to rebuild the station. turns and re-track the entire coaster added more height to the rails. this would make the upgrade extremely expensive. There is a new system that uses Skid style mags. this would be the parks best bet. It would allow for the upgrade with no re-tracking.

They do do an amazing job. Living in NH the lake to attention always seems foreign. Other NH parks like Story land and Santa's village also put just as much into Their parks. Lake Compounce also dose a pretty good job. On a side not not part of my trip. the park has started clearing land. not for a new ride but for a corn field. the Corn will be sold in the fall as a food option and the field will be converted to a corn maze for Screeemfest.

I was invited through ACE to attend the Media day for SFNE's newest coaster Goliath. Goliath is a Vekoma Giant Inverted Boomerang which the chain relocated from their Magic Mountain park. The ride replaced the parks Shipwreck Falls shoot-the-Chute attraction. I was able to arrive later in the day after getting prior permission. I was not going to be able to make the 4:30 call time. I instead left home at 5:00 and arrived at the park slightly after 7:30. I walked to Crackaxle via the restroom path next to Main Street and picked a spot to camp out for the day. Food Dippn Dots X 3 Kettle Corn X3 (brought some home) Drinks X5 (Ice tea, coke, Mr. Pib) Lunch was at the Riverside, They split the group between the riverside and the new JB’s Smokehouse but all the food was that featured at eh smokehouse. I made beef brisket sandwiches and had a side of pork brisket. There was also Cole Slaw, Some sort of backed Corn chowder and cake but I did not eat any of that. Opening ceremonies The park introduced the mayor of Crackaxle Canyon who welcomed us all and introduced Goliath. He then invited the head of Tourism for the region who did a quick speech. Nothing special pretty much the same speech heard every media day, new is good. The park president spoke for a few minutes and the coasters stats were given. A small shows was then put on with 2 performers that came out shooting and surprised at the new ride. They stated that it was not there went hey went into the new JB's Smokehouse and that they were there for 2 weeks drinking sarsaparilla (Root Beer). The mayor told them that this was the newest addition to the town and that it's for all to enjoy but first we invite all our David's to come forth and tame Goliath. They launched the inaugural ride with Confetti cannons and music and the ride was officially opened. Read my full report: photos.newwhalom.com/Six_Flags/Goliath_Media_Day

Corkscrew was very troublesome on opening day. The train was on more then one occasion stopped before the station. Click to see larger image you can hear more about opening day in my Trip report. themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=62407

The time had come for Canobie lake park to pen for its 110 season. I managed to get to the park at 10:00 am just in time for the park's opening. I made my way to customer service and bought 3 tickets one for today and 2 more to use later in the year. They were at a discounted rate of $25 dollars. Standard adult admission for 2012 is $33 dollars. While personally I am crying for a season pass. The opening day price was not slowing any sales. I saw many people getting 6-12 passes at $25 a pop. I worked my way into the park and noticed 2 of the Canobie Critters greeting guests. They had nearly all of them out and about throughout the day. I also noticed that they replaced the Michael Jackson statue with a Lady Gaga statue to promote the upcoming show. Like the Jackson statue it got a lot of attention and many were taking the opportunity to snap a photo with family and friends. The day was clear and sunny but very cold. Not too bad in the sun but get in the shade and it was very bitter. Crowds were very light compared to the last few years when we saw nicer weather on opening day. Today's ride count X4 - Untamed X3 - Cannonball, X2 - Mine of Lost Souls & Star Blaster X1 - DaVinci's Dream, Skater, Phycodrom, Caterpillar, Ocean Trip, Train, Turkish Twist, Frisbee, Rowdy Roosters, Wave Blaster, Crazy cups, and Pirata Read the full report: photos.newwhalom.com/Opening2012.html

I totally agree, they needed a few more high profile slides. and the extra lounge space is much needed. My only aggravation is that he dry park has seem very little in the last decade. basically every addition except for one was for the water park. The only dry park addition since Dragons descant in 99 was the replacement of galaxy with the mouse.

I made a few corrections to the total and added a description. I have found that more often then not people know what the event is from years of covering it. the few that don't ask what it is.

The Park is goign with a Greek theme for the new slide tower: The park is also rebuilding the kiddie/umbrella pool and making git larger. To do this they removed the 2 old speed slides.

I had an opportunity to speak with the parks owner about their 2012 plans. The main street/down town project is in it's 1rst phase (see photo above). there 3 new structures will house a open air stroller parking area, new restrooms and a new Elfabet University. The old University will become a Book store called Full of Dickens. The parks current restrooms will be removed and the entrance midway reworked by opening 2012.