pianojohn

Pump Up the Volume! But, I WOULD prefer hearing one of the following: Hungry Like the Wolf DURAN DURAN Head Like a Hole NINE INCH NAILS Step By Step NKOTB

Went to the park yesterday, July 3rd, and got some video of the testing. The lift hill is VERY LOUD. After that, very quiet! Then off to the Magic Kingdom to see the 4th of July fireworks. Very hot and crowded. Enjoy the pics and Happy 4th! HRRR Test 7-3-09.avi HRRR Testing 7-3-09 ...or not! I love crowds.... The on ride photo is set up in the building fly thru in the lower right hand corner. The ride's entrance with signage Over a fence at HRRR near the main entrance.

Found some press kits in great shape and thought I'd scan them for you viewing pleasure! Note: the Geauga Lake photos were actually printed on paper and not photo paper, hence the faded quality. Oooo....Tron sounds so cool! Check out those prices!! And Disney World circa 1981 Cedar Point pre: Raptor on the Main Midway Big Dipper Double Loop Geauga Lake's Corkscrew And in operation The Bat at Kings Island And the splahsdown that never was Big Bad Wolf Drachen Fire at Busch Gardens Williamsburg And for White Water Landing circa 1982 The original concept for Disaster Transport. 1990

Found some more pics from 1983, the last year the Wildcat ran. The Jack Rabbit's 1st drop view from the parking lot. Took this picture with a 110 camera! Remember them?? Midway view View from the fan curve View from the first hill turnaround

Paid $200 and probably sold it for the same. Kind of cool to own, but really a pain in the butt to store! Even now that I own a home, I still wouldn't have room to store it.

I was home this past week and found some old slides from Idora Park in Youngstown, Ohio. I was there on auction day in 1984 after the park closed. For those who don't know, Idora Park was a traditional amusement park with two coasters: The Jack Rabbit, a tradtional out and back with a 45 degree turn half way through the course, and the Wildcat, a GREAT twister coaster with a wicked fan curve half way thru. Right before opening weekend in April 1984, they had a fire which destroyed the park offices and about 1/3 of the Wildcat. They ended up closing after the season and sold off almost everything. Sorry they look so scratched up, but they are 25 years old! And I had to transfer them to digital files. Anyway....enjoy! Another shot of the Wildcat. If I remember correctly, they let us get some pretty good shots since the coaster was not running. What was left of the Wildcat after the fire. The car in my parent's garage. The blue train and yellow one in the background in the Wildcat station. I ended up buying one of the blue cars which sat in my parent's garage for several years until I sold it. The warning sign in the Wildcat tunnel. Wildcat station Wildcat The Jack Rabbit Ok...do NOT laugh at my hair. Anyway, I was sitting in the front seat of Jack Rabbit, known that year as Back Wabbit since it ran backwards.

Very cool!!

They SHOULD have kept their unique rides like Schwabinchen, Tiki Twirl, Pirate Ride, and Earthquake instead of replacing them with generic rides you see everywhere like Chaos. And classic rides like the double Ferris wheel! Does any park still have one of those?

I did this same trip last summer but stayed in the city of San Francisco. Getting to GA was fairly easy on two trains. The trip to SFDK was not so much. I took 2 trains than had to transfer to 2 different buses. Make sure you get a transfer after each leg. I know I was able to use the transfer going bus to bus. Try to following sites for all the info you should need: http://www.bart.gov/ And on the Six Flags Website: BY FERRY High-speed catamaran ferry service is offered from San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf at Pier 39. For schedule information, call the Blue & Gold Fleet at 415-773-1188 or Baylink at 707-64-FERRY. BY TRAIN Amtrak serves Six Flags Discovery Kingdom via Thruway Shuttle from the Martinez Station. Bus transit time is 20 minutes. Call 1-800-USA-RAIL for information. BY BART Vallejo BartLink offers transportation to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom from El Cerrito Del Norte BART station. Call BART at 510-236-2278 (for train information) or BartLink at 707-648-4666 (for shuttle information). No Sunday service.

So I went to the park today to shoot some video of test rides. Alas, they were not testing! But I did take some pics and most importantly the t-shirts are already for sale! Sorry for the quality. I took stills with my Insignia digital camcorder. And the non-looping loop! Still an awesome view I love how they re-lined the street to make way for the coaster! And the official RRR shot glasses T-shirt 7 T-shirt 6 T-shirt 5 (I like the retro 80's vibe on this one) T-shirt 3 and 4 BACK T-shirt 4 FRONT T-shirt 3 FRONT T-shirt 2 T-shirt 1 There was a train in the station. See it towards the back. See? The epic fail is fail no more! High as an airplane! The walls are down around the back turn so you can get some close up shots.

Hate to jump on the bandwagon, but four things: 1) Spell checker 2) Grammar checker 3) Punctuation checker 4) PLEASE keep paragraphs to a manageable length (3-4 sentences) And yes, my eyes hurt too.

That's great! Brought a smile to my face here in the bible belt south! Hmmm...wonder if Mickey would mind if I did the same thing in front of Space Mountain? Hmmm.....

Just a quick update. We got an awesome review in the Orlando Sentinel: Fringe review: Excellent Adventure Productions’ ‘Edges’ By Elizabeth Maupin Sentinel Theater Critic Want to relive your 20s? Take the journey through Edges, a song cycle that will remind you of what it was like to want to be something other than what you are – or forces you, if you’re going through it right now, to face it full in the face. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s song cycle captures those years, from the wistful longing to be somewhere, anywhere, else (“nothing ever happens in Monticello”) to the not-quite-confident insistence that you’re in way better shape than the people you knew in high school (“Better”). Parts of Edges are a stitch (the audience favorite is a song about a certain social-networking procrastination device), but more of it has the self-absorbed feeling that older people are glad to have left behind. Still, the nifty cast (Luerne Herrera, Ame Livingston, Michael Rodgers and Scott Sidler ) can sell a song, and the clear-voiced, expressive Sidler is a treasure. I suspect Edges will divide the audience – those young enough to feel these characters’ longing, and those old enough to be happy it’s gone in their past. Remaining shows: 8:50 p.m. Sunday 5/17, 9:20 p.m. Thursday 5/21, 11:40 p.m. Friday 5/22, 5:15 p.m. Saturday 5/23, 1:10 p.m. Sunday 5/24. Green venue. http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment_stage_theat/2009/05/fringe-review-excellent-adventure-productions-edges.html

For those in the Orlando area, the 2009 Orlando Fringe Festival has begun! It is a 10 day festival of theatre, music, dance, comedy, and everything in between. I have been a part of the festival for many years, and this year, I am music directing and playing piano for EDGES in the Green Venue. The show times are below: 5/15 FRI 8:05PM 5/16 SAT 12:00PM 5/17 SUN 8:50PM 5/21 THU 9:20PM 5/22 FRI 11:40PM 5/23 SAT 5:15PM 5/24 SUN 1:10PM EDGES is not a traditional musical; it is an exciting new show about four burgeoning adults asking these classic coming-of-age questions. Written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (2007 Jonathan Larson Award Recipients) in their sophomore year at the University of Michigan, the contemporary song cycle carries an honest voice advocating introspection while maintaining wit and charm. Confronting emotions, escaping expectations, and deciphering complicated relationships - the songs cover such universal issues as love, commitment, identity, and meaning. Pasek & Paul want you to explore what happens when we are teetering on the edges! It was created by the emergent musical duo, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who were just listed as part of the "50 To Watch" upcoming playwrights and composers by The Dramatist magazine. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul began their collaboration as freshmen at The University of Michigan and completed their BFA degrees in musical theatre in December 2006. they are the winners of a 2007 Jonathan Larson Award and at age 21 became the youngest recipients in the history of the foundation. The team’s musical revue, EDGES, has been performed numerous times at various professional venues and colleges throughout the country. Pasek and Paul are writers for John Tartaglia’s Disney Channel television series, Johnny And The Sprites and contributed music to Off-Broadway’s White Noise (A Cautionary Tale) which won Talkin’ Broadway’s 2006 Summer Theatre Festival Citation for Outstanding Original Score. They were invited to participate in the first ever Johnny Mercer Songwriting Festival funded by the American Musical Theatre Project and were commissioned to write Horace and Morris But Mostly Dolores for Theatreworks USA. Under the direction of Douglas White, EDGES will feature Luerne Herrera, Scott Sadler, Ame Livingston and Mike Rodgers. John deHaas musical directs. This year marks the sixth Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival in which Excellent Adventure Productions will participate. The company earned the “Patrons Pick” award in 2004 for “Streakin’! – A Musical Flashback to the 1970’s” and in 2008 for “Dysfunctional Fables” and received much praise for their productions of “Cupid and Psyche” and “Thrill Me”. Tickets are $10 with a Fringe Button and will be available beginning on April 13 at www.OrlandoFringe.org For more information visit www.ExcellentAdventureProductions.com or www.MySpace.com/ExcellentAdventure If you come to the show, please stop and say hello afterwards! Thanks!! The cast of EDGES

Ah, memories! I need to dig out my old CP pics now! The flume ride in Frontiertown was called Shoot the Rapids. We used to call it Shoot the Rabbits! It was awesome. A mostly wood trough and wood boats with a double down at the end. So many great memories of the park back before it got all corporate!!

I worked at the Point in '89 when Magnum debuted. It was smooth, fast, and ALWAYS had an hour wait every single day. I rode it as much as I could, but always had to have at least an hour to wait. Now, it's pretty rough and not that rideable in my opinion. Not sure if there is anything you could do to fix it since all Cedar Fair hypers of this style (Steel Force, Mamba) are pretty much the same ride. I'm really looking forward to Diamondback since Apollo's Chariot is one of my fav hypers.

AK Lodge: definately do BOMA for dinner or breakfast. It is a great African buffet with some unusual foods. I have never had a bad meal there. In my opinion, it is best to avoid the parks with the Extra Magic Hours since they tend to be more crowded than usual with all the hotel guests. Also, I have been to Mythos since it opened, and the quality has gone down significantly. I say save your money and do Latin Quarter at CityWalk. While the bus MAY run from Disney to IOA/Universal, your best bet would be to rent a car. Good luck!

Just returned from Sea World's Media Day for Manta. The coaster officially soft opened today at noon, so they invited the media out to take some pics and ride the ray! Since there have already been a ton of pics of the coaster in action, I took shots of the queue line as well as the yet to be open Aquarium/non-rider area. The ride itself is great but intense! We rode in the front seat, and you get some nice negative G's at the top of the pretzel loop. But the bottom of the loop is pretty intense, and when I rode it in the back, I nearly greyed out! The coaster is in an ideal setting right in the middle of the park, and the ops crew did a great job of keeping the trains running. Since there is a double loading station and 3 trains, you actually exit from the opposite side from where you entered. Thanks to John from Marketing for showing us around! Enjoy the pics, and Bryan should be uploading some video he shot as well! Manta at Sea World 5-4-09 001.avi The final splashdown filmed in HD. Oooo!! Splash down! Climbing out of the pretzel First test run of the day One of the many cool light fixtures. Can't wait to ride this at night! The opening day crowd And a beautiful mosaic on one of the outside walls The aquarium Outside more theming There was a diver working in the area at the time. Finally, they are growing a living reef/coral in this tank. He looks happy! A ray from underneath The final room (or maybe it's the first room depending on where you enter) has a tank with an overhead viewing area. Basically, the ceiling is all water and the rays swim right over you. Here's the octopus. There is a cool tank with an octupus. It even has a pass thru so he can go from tank to tank! The big tank as seen from the other side. It's pretty awesome! Help! I'm trapped! In the non-rider aquarium side, there is a cool pop-up window similar to the one at Jungala. Eventually, there will be tons of fish swimming all around you. Wheel enthusiasts rejoice! The lead car The whole train The station and one row Looking down the stairs from the station. There is cool lighting that simulates being underwater. After the tanks, the line splits into two sides, each with a set of stairs leading to the station. The far right side was for Quick Queue as well as Single Riders. Another tank with some cool rays Hi Mr. Ray! The big tank with lots of ray swimming about. One of the many tanks. Some were still waiting for their fish to arrive Without a flash Inside is dark ( I used a flash) and air conditioned. Very comfortable on a hot day. Exterior of the Aquarium and Station The bridge to the indoor queue As soon as you enter the queue, you pass under this waterfall. As the trains zoom by, they tend to spray the waiting guests. O minutes! Sweet! And more signage! Signage Some local media were out and about The sign More theming The splash effect. Later on it's hard to see the jets as the water keeps moving. The view as soon as you turn the corner at the front of the park Another beautiful day at Sea World Immersed in the world of the Rays – Standing in the queue line at Manta, SeaWorld Orlando’s all-new, must-see attraction, guests find themselves immersed in the mysterious world of the ray. Soon enough, though, they find out what it’s like to spin, glide, and fly like the biggest ray of all – the manta – when they go for a ride on the only flying roller coaster of its kind in the world. Manta is a blend of up-close animal encounters with a head-first, face-down thrill ride. Manta is now open, only at SeaWorld Orlando. Photo credit – Jason Collier, SeaWorld Surrounded by Rays – At SeaWorld Orlando’s must-see new attraction, Manta, hundreds of rays – including the cownose rays shown here -- surround guests as they wait in the queue line for the only flying roller coaster of its kind in the world. Manta is a blend of up-close animal encounters with a head-first, face-down thrill ride. Manta is now open, only at SeaWorld Orlando. Photo credit – Jason Collier, SeaWorld Top of the Drop – Riders on Manta, SeaWorld Orlando’s new attraction, get ready to drop over 100 feet and find out what it’s like to spin, glide, skim and fly like a giant ray as they experience the only flying roller coaster of its kind in the world. Manta is a blend of up-close animal encounters with a head-first, face-down thrill ride. Orlando’s must-see for the summer, Manta is now open. The thrill seekers are (l- r) Brittany Tollerton, Emily Ludder, Adam Shipton and Alison Valentino. Photo credit – Jason Collier, SeaWorld Orlando Dive Deep. Fly High -- A theme park visit gets turned upside down for riders on Manta, SeaWorld Orlando’s new attraction. The only flying roller coaster of its kind in the world, Manta is a blend up close animal encounters with a head-first, face-down thrill ride. Manta – Orlando’s must-see for the summer – is now open. Go to RideTheFlyingRay.com to discovery more. The thrill seekers are (top to bottom) Brittany Tollerton, Donnie Gallagher, Mari Delgado and Emily Ludder. Photo credit – Jason Collier, SeaWorld Orlando

I was at the park yesterday, and they started testing around 4pm with employees. I also heard about soft opening around May 4th... Anyway, onto the pics! Holding up the track Note to self: SUNSCREEN!! Yes...you will be mine! Yummy! Tastes like blueberry!

WOW! THose rides are amazing for the time they were built. Thanks for the pics! Wish we had a video of that last ride to get the full effect!

Just a pet peeve of mine: if possible, please us their when referring to people and there when referring to a place. But awesome pics! Thanks for the report.

When I went to Hard Rock Park last year, they closed about 5 hours early due to extremely low crowds. As in MAYBE 10 cars in the parking lot. Sorry....such is life.

I actually rode the Cyclone in its opening season. It was a few weeks after a local IDIOT decided to stand up and was thrown from the coaster. They modified the trains which then took at least 5 minutes to load and unload. The standard PTC lap bar now had a chain connecting it to the floor of the car. After it was connected, each rider had a harness type seat-belt to wear when then had to be fastened in the front. And they may have also had a regular seatbelt for each seat. I honestly don't remember the ride that much. I think it was pretty rough, but you really couldn't move with all the restraints in place. I do remember buying a piece of wood from the coaster with a placque on it. It's somewhere in my Mom's house in Ohio!

I think the peacefulness of Frontier Trail started to go in 1986 when they installed Thunder Canyon and was completely gone by 2000 when MF opened. Now the only really quiet spot on the Point is the beach. Still, it will be neat to look at if not necessarily all that quiet.

Universal Studios FL Six Flags (so cheap to renew, I just keep getting it) Cedar Fair (not cheap, but I usually get my money's worth) Then my employee ID's Disney Busch So I think I have most of the parks covered nationwide! Now if I could just get a month or two off (paid of course) to really use them!!