larrygator

Not very far. The ground breaking ceremony was today.

Since today was the last possible day for me to activate my 2015 SFNE season pass at the discounted rate from Labor Day weekend, I added a quick side trip to Wild Bill's to check out the progress of the pretzel dark ride. I saw Wild Bill post some picture earlier this week and had to see it in person. From the exterior the ride building is made to look like a circus tent. All the heavy lifting work is done, so from here on out the majority of the work will be done solely by Chuck. He'll still have carpentry help twice a week and some other volunteer help, primarily it will one man making his vision come to life. Chuck and Wild Bill in front of the circus tent building. The Facade is up in paint right now but will be converted to raised letters. Inspiration for the ride, Lake Compounce's former Laff in the Dark Authentic cages from a long closed zoo line the exterior of the building, allowing viewers to catch glimpses of the caged riders experiencing Chuck's dark take on a circus. I was blown away at how these cages (not fake plastic stuff) will be integrated into the ride. These is even an old lion cage from a traveling show. Now let me take you on a walk through. Here you approach the ride with the entrance ramp on the right The entrance ramp you walk up is on the left and you load directly behind the organ You go through the first set of slam doors You turn left encountering some stunts Through another set of slam doors and you will encounter lots of painted characters on the right. I love the cutout for each doorway cut in the shape of a circus tent entrance with bunting. Some of Chuck's great artwork is on the right. Sorry it is out of focus, you'll have to see it in person Make another right through more slam doors and encounter more evil clowns This next room will pay homage to these Pretzel cars recent installation as the Staten Island Fun House with decorations and signs preserved from that location. Completed props and stunts still need to be put in place in the back half of the ride. This second half of the ride will include a vortex (spinning tunnel) More original artwork I'm taking this picture from the unloading area. You will exit through this huge gate. The building has been wired for electricity and more lights are going in next week. Black lighting and flood lights throughout the ride. Lighting will be key to creating the mood along with hiding, revealing and highlighting each successive scare

Taken at the park today Wicked Cyclone lift hill is complete

^There is no joke. When Six Flags implemented their storage policy a few years ago, the bitching about it was out of control. A word filter was created so the proprietors of the site and the moderators could at least get a laugh out of everyone bitching about a friggin dollar.

Correct.

El Toro iSpeed Phoenix Coaster (from Playland) i305 Superman: Ride of Steel in it's original form any Intamin Mega-Lite Haunted House from Rehoboth Beach Men in Black Grona Lund's Funhouse Gasten Hotel (Liseberg) Flyers (Knoebels) Skooters (Knoebels) A classic Huss flat ride package Valhalla Pooh's Hunny Hunt Journey to the Center of the Earth

No, it did not have to be done. Whether you agree or not it's a new coaster and a great improvement to the park that many other Six Flags park's would love to have over their additions the past 3 years. And many Six Flags could really use a quality dark ride, so SFoT is really ahead of the game. Except for the horrible operations in recent years.

Robb - I have held back my thoughts on your unhealthy Frozen obsession until now. This is brilliant!

On a Saturday during HOS, Quick Queue is a necessity. I don't want to comment on how it works because it may have changed since I was last there two years ago.

^^Nine is considered a lucky number in Chinese culture. ^However, six is not a lucky number in Japanese culture.

Use this thread

Here's an article on the 2015 announcement and 2014 results. Some of this was already known, some is new is Kektucky Kingdom says they are expanded the ride selection more quickly due to a successful first re-opening season http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2014/09/25/kentucky-kingdom-drew-first-year-re-opening/16179885/ 2014 attendance surpassed 600,000 Re-introduce - T2 (as T3), River Raft Ride and the Enterprise New - a 130-foot-tall SkyCatcher swing and Cyclos, a pendulum that rotates 360 degrees Kentucky Kingdom drew 600K after re-opening Kirby Adams, Michael Clevenger,Grace Schneider, The Courier-Journal 8:59 September 25, 2014 When Kentucky Kingdom kicked off its comeback in May after a five-year hiatus, no one knew if the theme park could recapture its status as a Louisville landmark. But Kentucky Kingdom attracted nearly 600,000 visitors and sold 117,000 season passes in 2014 — strong results that led the theme park's owners to expand the schedule and accelerate investment in new rides for next year. Although the $43 million relaunch included a few stumbles, officials with the Kentucky State Fair Board and city of Louisville are upbeat about the reopening and the park's long-term prospects. "It's really great having Kentucky Kingdom open again," said Clifford "Rip" Rippetoe, president of the Kentucky State Fair Board, the park's landlord at the Kentucky Exposition Center. "It's brought energy to our campus." Kentucky Kingdom's return "has had a significant impact on quality of life and the attraction package we can offer visitors," said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. "It also provided a badly needed boost in summer experiences for young people." The theme park will close out its 2014 season this weekend. The owners declined to disclose profits but pointed out that $8 million to $10 million spent on additional rides and improvements for next year is an indicator of results. "We feel good about where we are. We have a very healthy cash flow," said Ed Hart, leader and majority shareholder of an investment group that has a 50-year lease deal with the fair board. WHAT'S COMING: 5 new rides for 2015 at Kentucky Kingdom The bottom line for parents is that the cost of daily admission, $44.95, as well as season passes, $59.95 for early buyers, will remain the same next year. The season will be lengthened from 94 days this year to 110 days in 2015. The park will add five attractions next year, including three rides mothballed by prior owners — the T3 roller coaster (a refurbished T2); the Raging River Raft Ride; and the Enterprise, a modernized Ferris wheel-shaped ride that flattens as it spins its passengers in gondolas. A first-person view of the newly-renovated Thunder Run rollercoaster at Kentucky Kingdom. Also debuting next year are two rides — a 130-foot-tall SkyCatcher swing and Cyclos pendulum that rotates 360 degrees — that will cost about $1 million with installation. The focus during 2014 was to create a clean, safe atmosphere where families, particularly mothers, felt comfortable spending a day with their children, Hart said. Feedback from internal surveys and mystery shoppers was positive, he said. The only consistent gripe by patrons centered on the food prices, which Hart said the park addressed by posting the 20 percent discounted rates season pass-holders received for pizza, burgers, chicken nuggets and pulled-pork sandwiches. Many complaints declined after the pass-holder prices went up, he said. Although management focused on training employees to be helpful and courteous, Hart said, it couldn't foresee a controversy that blew up after a teenage employee told a woman who was breast-feeding her infant that she needed to feed her baby in a restroom. Park officials sparked outrage on social media when they explained that policy calls for mothers to be discreet and to use three "health services" stations for feeding. They backtracked within 24 hours, announcing that mothers were welcome to breast-feed anywhere, any time. Hart said they fumbled and learned from their mistakes, including the need to train employees thoroughly on policies. Kentucky Kingdom began in 1987 under a Dallas-based company that went bankrupt after a year. Hart, a New Yorker and one-time retail buyer, stepped in and reopened the park in 1990, expanding it and adding roller coasters and other rides. Attendance grew to 1.3 million by 1998 when Hart sold the park to Premier Parks for $78 million. That company's acquisition of Six Flags theme parks a year later led it to rebrand the property as Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. Attendance and revenues declined during the next decade, as rides were closed and roller coasters were dismantled and shipped to other Six Flags parks. The largest blow came in June 2007 when 13-year-old Kaitlyn Lasitter, riding the Superman Tower of Power, had her feet severed when a cable broke.

Thank you for pointing this out. I don't add anything until I see confirmation (or construction). In the future if you have a link please include to save a little time to allow me to update the first page quicker. Muskegon, Michigan If your are asking about their plans for 2014, nothing has been announced.

But da riginal had loopz n loopz r awsum So says the GP

Agreed, Tennessee Tornado is the only good Arrow.

That's pretty cool that they picked up a Sky Fly and an Air Race in consecutive years

Knoebel's Flyer

I have a nickname for this thread. Dumb Moving it to the Random Forum. We don't have to be serious but we prefer to have better topics in the Main Forum.

Yes, the plan is to create a Fun Grove with those kiddie rides.

^^They have at least a half dozen kiddie flats that are being restored. The ride you mention is their Jet Fighter I have a better picture of it in this Update . Also I mention at the tail end of that update a German Carousel that Wild Bill bought last year, it was recently delivered on site. It is similar to the one that used to be at Kiddieland in Chicago pictured here

But Epcot's World Showcase is a shopping mall, not a theme park. Its always sad to me when people dont recognize the greatness of World Showcase, or well-themed areas in general. A well-themed environment without rides, to me, can be a more exciting theme park than a mish-mash of basic rides. I do recognize how well themed this mall is!

If the Newsies could forever stop It's a Small World, I would became a fan.

I will wager that you missed the walk through haunted house at Little A-Merrick-A. Am I right? Well you didn't miss much, just walking around in the dark.

The only thing that is surprising is when GTA recognizes excellence over mediocrity. But Epcot's World Showcase is a shopping mall, not a theme park.

Attached below is a governmental Press Release stating that refurbishment of Margate's Scenic Railway will start next week. Work to restore Britain’s oldest surviving rollercoaster to its former glory starts next week marking another significant milestone for Dreamland. From Monday 15 September, the iconic Grade II* listed Scenic Railway is being lovingly restored by contractors Topbond Plc. Group on behalf of Thanet District Council. Workmen will undertake an intricate programme of work to restore the historic structure, ahead of the opening of a re-imagined Dreamland amusement park next year (2015). Initial work recording the building and structure for historic purposes has already started, but from next begins in earnest with the dismantling of the buildings and structure on a phased programme - commencing from the motor house moving north. Restoration will include the replacement of the foundations on which the newly fabricated timber trusses will be erected. Secondary timber structures will then be fixed to the main structure. All the works will systematically follow the scenic in a clockwise direction. Leader of Thanet District Council, Cllr Iris Johnston said, ‘It is very exciting to see work start on Britain’s oldest surviving rollercoaster. The Scenic Railway is synonymous with Dreamland and the Council is very proud to be leading the way, breathing life into Dreamland once again.” Eddie Kemsley, Project Director at Dreamland, said “This is an important milestone in Dreamland’s history and is symbolic of the enormous achievement of the Dreamland Trust’s ‘Save Dreamland’ campaign. Work on the Scenic Railway is the first crucial step in our work towards opening a re-imagined Dreamland”. During the re-building works, The Dreamland Trust will continue to host an exhibition on Dreamland’s history and future. The Dreamland Expo: a past, present and future, describes the revivial of Dreamland – one of the UK’s best loved amusement parks and has to date welcomed more than 25,000 visitors. The Dreamland Expo is free and open weekends from 10am to 5pm. For more information, please visit www.dreamlandmargate.com or call 01843 295 887. Ahead of the anticipated 2015 opening, award-winning designers, HemingwayDesign led by Wayne Hemingway MBE, Gerardine Hemingway MBE and Jack Hemingway are working to create a re-imagined Dreamland as a unique vintage-style amusement park with lovingly restored thrill rides, classic side shows and destination dining set within a landscape capable of hosting national festivals and major events. The new Dreamland will be a visual and sensual delight, delivered by creative thinkers and designers ensuring every nook and cranny is touched by the hands of artists and artisans. With a creative use of up-cycled amusement park artefacts and fairground paraphernalia creating an immersive, timeless environment