larrygator

Construction of the Haunted Pretzel building will start soon, at the same time structural work continues on the Funhouse building,

I know that they have the parts and plan to restore the whip. I'm not sure what other flat rides are in the works.

Sorry for not posting in here for awhile. Structural work continues on the Fun House restoration, but there are delays moving full steam ahead. In the meantime, focus has shifted to bringing back the dark ride. Last week I drove out to Bushkill Park to help John Cory and Chuck Burnham unload Chuck's dark ride parts that he brought down by U-haul from Connecticut. Many of the stunts and props were already unloaded and brought to Chuck's workshop before I arrived, so I got my hands dirty and did some heavy lifting unloading the truck. We unloaded over 400 foot of track and 6 pretzel cars that last ran at Williams Grove in Dante's Inferno. There were plenty of other props stashed in the truck that we also unloaded. Since I was covered in dirt and grime most of the time I did not take a lot of photos. The plan is for the dark ride to run on the footprint of the old Haunted Pretzel dark ride. To minimize the effects of future floods, the new version will be built higher off the ground with a flood channel underneath the structure. There is optimism that the Dark Ride could can operating over the summer, but limited resources at a small park and any type of delay causes deadlines to move. Did I really volunteer to help move this stuff, it looks like hard work? Those track pieces are heavier than they look. John and Chuck doing the heavy lifting of the one car without a chassis. Those elephant tusks looking things on the left hand side are the bumper from the pretzel cars and damn are those heavy. You need to turn start and stop the ride. One of the props and before we knew it (actually 3-4 hours later) the truck is empty. and the storage shed is full. Parts of an Eli Ferris Wheel that will be re-purposed. And just so we don't forget the fun house is still a work in progress.

https://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/harrison-county/article229343274.html New Margaritaville amusement park will include a flying bar that lets you drink in the sky By Mary Perez April 17, 2019 New details are emerging on the new Margaritaville amusement park after developers brought plans to the Biloxi Review Committee on Wednesday. The Sun Herald has obtained a list of rides, including the first AEROBAR ride in the United States, along with the proposed opening time and the fact that a boardwalk with food trucks will be built. Heavy equipment moved in a week ago to ready the lot just west of Margaritaville Resort Biloxi, and the plan is to have the park open by next spring, according to Barrington Development. The company restored the former Casino Magic site that stood empty after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and reopened it in 2016 as Margaritaville. Now, phase II of development is starting with a 15 foot-wide boardwalk along the water. It will link to other walkways being constructed in East Biloxi as part of the city’s waterfront plan. “This will be good for East Biloxi,” Jerry Creel, Biloxi’s community development director, said of the amusement park. “It’s family entertainment,” he said, which will appeal to locals and tourists. In keeping with the Margaritaville theme — and to the delight of Parrotheads who follow all things Jimmy Buffett — one of the key attractions at the new amusement park is an AEROBAR, the first bar in the sky ride in the United States. Riders are strapped in — like on a roller coaster — and sit facing each other in a circle with a bartender in the middle. The ride slowly rotates as it climbs 115 feet in the air — 137 feet with the two-story parking garage underneath. The ride takes 2 minutes to go up and down and 5 minutes on the top, according to the company website. “It’s not a thrill ride — it’s a view ride,” said Cono Caranna, spokesman for Barrington Development. Also making the most of the view of East Biloxi and out to the barrier islands off the coast of Biloxi will be a giant Ferris wheel. It’s made by the same manufacturer who built the 20-story high Sky View wheel that overlooks Atlanta. But Biloxi’s version will be even taller since the entire amusement park will be built atop a parking garage that will provide plenty of room in an area that has historically been short on parking spaces. Other newly announced rides are: ▪ Family Swinger ▪ Bumper cars, like those that were popular at amusement parks in the mid-1950s and ‘60s ▪ Vertigo Swing ▪ Galleon, a swinging pirate ship ▪ Music Express, which is similar to the Himalayan fair ride The rides are on order from Europe, where amusements like this are manufactured. Precast sections of the parking garage are being poured at Tindall Corp. in Moss Point. After Labor Day and the end of the summer tourist season, the parts will be moved to the site and the garage will take only about 12 weeks to build, the developer said. Escape family entertainment center already inside Margaritaville will be linked to the new amusement park. Caranna said the same card customers swipe to to play the video games, scale the climbing wall and ride the indoor zip line roller coaster inside Escape will be used to get on the rides at the amusement park. Mississippi Power will bury the utility lines, the developer said, and palm trees will add more tropical feel to Margaritaville. A second hotel tower will be built west of the amusement park in phase III of the Margaritaville Resort development, said Allen Young, engineer for the project.

To me, it sounds like the shooting changes what you see/experience, but there is no scoring involved.

That's for pointing this out. I will probably take me a week or two to recreate or restore.

Oscar's Wacky Taxi - 1st coaster of the season

One or two of the coasters required two riders. I can't recall the specifics, I'm sure a local will chime in.

I love this conversion https://denverite.com/2019/04/12/take-a-trip-through-meow-wolfs-new-ride-kaleidoscape/ Take a trip through Meow Wolf’s new ride at Elitch Gardens Denverite Kevin Beaty The art collective remade an Elitch Gardens attraction to keep Denver satisfied until their big show opens in 2020, a move that will, hopefully, be mutually beneficial. Elitch Gardens and the art collective Meow Wolf have joined forces to bring a weird new world to Denver’s center city amusement park: Kaleidoscape, a slow-moving tour of a trippy art space. The new attraction, a revamp of the Scooby-Doo-styled Ghost Blasters, is officially ready for Elitch’s first guests of the season. Ghost Blasters’ track, cars and space are all still the same, but the environment has been dramatically changed into an odd, glowing universe befitting Meow Wolf’s flagship Santa Fe exhibit. On the way in, there’s a robot and video explainer that sets Kaleidoscape in the realm of some kind of (doughnut-shaped) quantum multiverse situation. There’s something about a “cosmic egg” and “q-particles” that you can shoot with laser guns – it’s enough to set the stage, but I’ll leave it up to you to determine what the story is, exactly. Matt King, a Meow Wolf co-founder and co-lead on the ride’s development, said he and his colleagues have been wanting to make a “dark ride” for a long while. But while the look and feel fits well within their stylistic canon, he said the concept behind this attraction is new for them. The meandering car on the track was an opportunity to play in a new immersive medium. “What we typically do is create environments that are free for exploration, so there are no maps, there’s no one telling you what to do, how to experience it,” he said. “A dark ride is the complete opposite. You’re in, and we have your attention to really take you through a linear story.” Reanna Reynolds and her family won a chance to sneak-preview Kaleidoscape through Denver’s KS 107.5 FM, and got to ride it a couple times in a row. Everyone enjoyed the weird trip. She rated it a “12 out of 10.” The 14-year-old said she’d heard of Meow Wolf before, but only knew a little bit about it. Her experience Friday sealed the deal: She likes what the art collective is all about, and now she’s pretty excited for their full-scale arrival in 2020. Kaleidoscape, for sure, is a new canvas for the artists to fill. But King said young Reynold’s reaction also demonstrates one of this installation’s goals: suck more people into the Meow Wolf orbit. He hopes the ride will help amp people up for the Denver exhibit’s opening and lure them down to Santa Fe. The ride’s novelty could be a draw for Elitch’s, too. Spokeswoman Jolie DuBois said the park’s stakeholders are hoping Meow Wolf’s presence will broaden their audience this summer, which usually hits about 1 million people per season but is mostly marketed toward families. It’s already making some waves, she said. Folks at the park were proud that Kaleidoscape made the LA Times’ top 10 list of new attractions, recognized alongside massive rollercoasters and the likes of Star Wars and Mickey Mouse.

If you are very large in the hips and/or stomach, size is a problem.

More expansion at the Park at OWA includes an RV Park (for 2019), hotel and indoor waterpark (for 2019). https://www.sunherald.com/news/business/article228728959.html Gulf Coast’s first indoor waterpark hotel is on the way with $100M expansion By Mary Perez April 02, 2019 Two years after The Park at OWA opened in Foley, Alabama, the amusement park is about to grow by $100 million. Construction of Phase II will begin this summer and will add a 100,000-square-foot indoor waterpark that will have water attractions open all year and in all types of weather. Also part of the expansion are a 200-room resort hotel with conference space plus a luxury family RV park. The RV park tentatively is scheduled to open at the end of 2019 and the hotel and indoor waterpark in early 2021. While indoor hotel waterparks are popular in the Northeast and now in the Atlanta area, the only other indoor waterpark the owners could find on the Gulf Coast is The Kroc Center, operated by The Salvation Army in Biloxi. “We chose to start the next phase with a large indoor waterpark because it allows our guests a year-round opportunity to play in the water,” said Kristin Hellmich, OWA’s director of marketing and public relations. “Whether it’s cooling off their summer sun burns or escaping cold temperatures, this exciting new amenity will provide never-ending thrills.” It hasn’t been decided yet whether the waterpark will be for hotel guests only or if it will be open to the public, she said. OWA (pronounced oh-wah) opened in July 2017 and now has 22 attractions, one of which is a splash pad. It is operated by Creek Indian Enterprises Development Authority, the economic development arm of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which also owns a casino site in D’Iberville. Adjacent to the park is Downtown, a shopping and dining attraction that is open with no admission fee. A Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen, a Southern-style restaurant and gifts, will open there soon. With this expansion of OWA, total investment at the park will exceed $350 million. “Being a substantial economic driver for the State of Alabama, we have continually invested into OWA’s diverse entertainment offerings in an effort to provide visitors and residents with a one-of-a-kind resort experience,” said Cody Williamson, president/CEO of CIEDA.

More expansion at the Park at OWA includes an RV Park (for 2019), hotel and indoor waterpark (for 2019). https://www.sunherald.com/news/business/article228728959.html Gulf Coast’s first indoor waterpark hotel is on the way with $100M expansion By Mary Perez April 02, 2019 Two years after The Park at OWA opened in Foley, Alabama, the amusement park is about to grow by $100 million. Construction of Phase II will begin this summer and will add a 100,000-square-foot indoor waterpark that will have water attractions open all year and in all types of weather. Also part of the expansion are a 200-room resort hotel with conference space plus a luxury family RV park. The RV park tentatively is scheduled to open at the end of 2019 and the hotel and indoor waterpark in early 2021. While indoor hotel waterparks are popular in the Northeast and now in the Atlanta area, the only other indoor waterpark the owners could find on the Gulf Coast is The Kroc Center, operated by The Salvation Army in Biloxi. “We chose to start the next phase with a large indoor waterpark because it allows our guests a year-round opportunity to play in the water,” said Kristin Hellmich, OWA’s director of marketing and public relations. “Whether it’s cooling off their summer sun burns or escaping cold temperatures, this exciting new amenity will provide never-ending thrills.” It hasn’t been decided yet whether the waterpark will be for hotel guests only or if it will be open to the public, she said. OWA (pronounced oh-wah) opened in July 2017 and now has 22 attractions, one of which is a splash pad. It is operated by Creek Indian Enterprises Development Authority, the economic development arm of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which also owns a casino site in D’Iberville. Adjacent to the park is Downtown, a shopping and dining attraction that is open with no admission fee. A Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen, a Southern-style restaurant and gifts, will open there soon. With this expansion of OWA, total investment at the park will exceed $350 million. “Being a substantial economic driver for the State of Alabama, we have continually invested into OWA’s diverse entertainment offerings in an effort to provide visitors and residents with a one-of-a-kind resort experience,” said Cody Williamson, president/CEO of CIEDA.

Cedar Fair has finally bought the land that California Great America sits upon. This could more quickly accelerate previously proposed changes to California Great America (front entrance plaza, expanded hours internally green lit rides). In the long run this relieves CF of a $5.3 million rent payment each year for the next 55 years through 2074. In order to create significant impact to the financial bottom line in any one year, the $150 million cost will be spread out over decades through long term borrowing. https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/03/28/great-america-amusement-park-buys-city-land-for-150-million/ Great America owner buys theme park property from Santa Clara for $150 million The theme park has leased the land from Santa Clara since 1989 By Thy Vo | tvo@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group PUBLISHED: March 28, 2019 at 12:44 pm | UPDATED: March 28, 2019 at 5:01 pm SANTA CLARA — In a move that could lay the groundwork for California’s Great America’s expansion, Cedar Fair Southwest has purchased the 112-acre theme park site for $150 million after leasing it for three decades from the city of Santa Clara. The Santa Clara City Council on Tuesday approved agreements finalizing the sale with the Ohio-based company, which owns 13 amusement and water parks across the country. A master plan approved by the city in January 2017 envisions an expansion of hours and park operations, as well as a new entertainment district outside park gates. “This is a once in a generation opportunity to solidify our control of 112 acres in the heart of Santa Clara,” Cedar Fair President and CEO Richard A. Zimmerman said in a written statement Wednesday. “The transaction underscores our long-term commitment to enhancing and expanding California’s Great America, insuring a high-quality, family-friendly entertainment destination for those who live and work in Northern California.” The city was forced to sell the property, which it bought in 1985 with money from its former redevelopment agency, as part of a state law that dissolved redevelopment agencies statewide. There have been rumors in recent years that another buyer would come along and try to change the property’s use, even though the theme park’s lease wasn’t set to expire until 2074. “It’s great we’re going to be able to retain a theme park here in Santa Clara,” Mayor Lisa Gillmor said at Tuesday’s meeting. “It’s hard to let it (the property) go … but I think the outcome is going to be very beneficial to Santa Clara.” Redevelopment agencies take portions of property tax money that otherwise would have been divided among local government agencies such as schools, the county and special districts and use it to improve blighted areas. Santa Clara’s redevelopment agency purchased a number of properties near the theme park, including the site of Levi’s Stadium and convention center. But after the state dissolved redevelopment agencies in 2011, cities have had to sell their assets and properties to pay off existing debt. That’s why Santa Clara had to cede its ownership of the Great America property. The company has leased the land from Santa Clara since 1989, providing it with the revenue to operate the city’s main parking lot there and an electronic billboard. When the city took bids on the property last year, Ashkenazy Acquisition, which has residential buildings, hotels and shopping malls in its portfolio, submitted the highest bid, at $158 million. But the city and bidder couldn’t come to an agreement over the terms of the sale, particularly about long-term use of the city parking lot, according to assistant city manager Ruth Shikada. Cedar Fair was the second-highest bidder and, as part of the existing lease, had first right to match the highest offer on the property. As part of the sale, the city will transfer the billboard to Great America and come up with a new agreement for use of the city parking lot. The lease generates about $5.3 million annually in fixed rent, plus additional rent — an estimated $1.18 million this past fiscal year — based on a percentage of revenue generated by the park, money that goes toward paying off redevelopment agency debts. Because money used to originally purchase the land came from the city’s former redevelopment agency, proceeds from the sale will be distributed among the various taxing government agencies. The city’s share of that is about 10 percent, or $15 million, according to Shikada. Council member Patricia Mahan called the sale of the land a “substantial loss” to the city. “The redevelopment agency dissolution has been a very painful and long process,” Mahan said. “In light of these very difficult circumstances, this is really the best outcome for the city and Cedar Fair.” According to the company’s statement, Cedar Fair will finance the purchase of the property “through additional long-term borrowings.”

Were the updates made between Sept-Dec of 2018? If so there was a hack and we had to default to an older version?

The UAE has more money than you can imagine. All enterprises are tightly linked to the government. The entrepreneurs and government will not pull the plug that quickly on these new investments. If we are still having this discussion in 5-10 years from now then I would worry about the life of the parks. The UAE prides itself in their low unemployment figures, also. They close these places and they just need to create more businesses.

Thanks for the updates

I haven't been in years, but it was worth the trip for Shivering Timbers. They also have a nice water park. Not many other reasons to travel hours out of the way for MIA.

It's that time of the year when I add all the new rides for 2019. I'll remove rides from these pages as I add photos to the Park Index. OPEN THOSE NEW RIDES! You can submit photos in this thread without the need to resize. Or you can use the submission tool in the Park Index, but in that case please resize your photos to 800x600 or smaller before submitting, otherwise they are difficult for me to review and place in the Park Index. Or if you have any of those photos already in an existing Photo TR just send me a PM and let me know. Please submit only your own photos. Do not take them from another person or website. If anyone has an opportunity to review the ride list for their home park in the Park Index and provide feedback (about missing or closed rides) we can keep The Park Index as accurate as possible, I can't do it all myself. For this first listing of rides we need any pictures you have of the ride (and signs if the ride is new): USA/Canada/Mexico Adventureland (Iowa) - Phoenix Arnolds Park - Mad Mouse Bay Beach - 2nd train loop to be added Bosque Magico - Policias y Ratones, Zombie Busch Gardens Tampa - Tigris Calaway Park - current log flume, Bumble Blast Cedar Point - Forbidden Frontier CJ Barrymores -S&S Drop Tower and Saddle Swing Clementon - Dragon Coaster, Tilt-a-Whirl and Scrambler Cliffs - Downdraft Disneyland - Snugglers Run Disney's California Adventure - Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind, Jessie's Critter Carousel Dollywood - Dragonflyer, Flyers Edaville - Kersplash Elitch Gardens - Meow Wolf's Kaleidoscape Fantasy Island - Dragon Wagon, Dragon's Flight Frontier City - Frankie's Mine Hersheypark -Reeses Cupfusion Jenkinson's Pier - Tidal Wave Joyland - Sand Storm Roller Coaster, Dragon Wagon, X-Factor Extreme Jungle Jack's (at Columbus Zoo) - Falcon Fall (Drop Tower), Sugar Glider(Paratrooper) Kennywood - Steel Curtain Knoebels - Tumbling Timbers (SBF Visa flat ride) Lakeside Amusement Park - Pinfari Zyklon (from FunPlex) Legoland Florida - THE LEGO MOVIE WORLD LunaPark - Atlantic Aviator, Clockworkz Magic Springs - Brain Drain Morey Piers - Runaway Tram Oaks Amusement Park - Adrenaline Peak Park at OWA - shooting dark ride, Rockin Raft, Flying Carousel SeaWorld San Antonio - Riptide rescue and Sea Swinger Sea World San Diego - Tidal Twister Silverwood - Krazy Koaster Six Flags Darien Lake - Skyscreamer Six Flags Fiesta Texas -The Joker's Wild Card (swinging pendulum) Six Flags Great America - Maxx Force Six Flags Great Adventure -Wonder Woman: Lasso of Truth Six Flags Magic Mountain - West Coast Racers Six Flags New England - Cyborg Six Flags over Texas - El Diablo Storybook Land - Cinderoller Coaster WDW Disney's Hollywood Studios - Mickey's Runaway Railway Western Playland - LOCO 360 Wild Adventures - the return of their Fiesta Express themed as Swampwater Snake Wonderland - Spin'o'Saurus UK/Ireland Alton Towers - Alton Towers Dungeon Botton’s Pleasure Beach – Cup and Saucer, Gallopers, Rockin Tug, Freak Out Chessington's World of Adventure - A Room on a Broom Codona's - Vertigo (Ropes Course) Flamingoland – Dodgems, StarFlyer, Hero, Twistosaurus Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach - Whirlwind, FamilyStar, AirMaxx Gulliver’s Warrington – Barrel Ride, Joker, Sky Tours Observation Tower, Tree Tops Swing Legoland Windsor - Haunted House Monster Party Pleasure Island – GoGator, Falls of Fear, Galleon Tayto Park - Viking Voyage, Ladybird Loop, Zierer family coaster Thorpe Park - Derren Brown's Ghost Train (ride vehicle, area) Germany Europa Park - Can Can Coaster, Madame Freudenreich Curiosities Freizeitpark Plohn - Drachenwirbel, Dynamite Hansa Park - Kleine Zar, Barcos Del Mar, Highlander Heide Park - Ghostbusters 5D shooting dark ride, re-opening Colossus Holiday Park - Tabalugas Achterbahn Legoland Deutschland - Ninjago: The Ride Movie Park Germany - Excalibur: Secrets of the Dark Forest Phantasialand - FLY Tripsdrill - Gerstlauer Sky Fly Wunderland Kalkar - Kernie's Boot (Rockin Tug), Tea Cups Denmark Djurs Sommerland - Jungle Rally, Tigeren Farup Sommerland - Hvirvelvinden Legoland Billund - Flyvende Ørn Tivoli Friheden - Gerstlauer Sky Fly Tivoli Gardens - Tik Tak, Mælkevejen, Kamelen, Fata Morgana refurb France Fraisperituis City - Golden Driller Jardin d'Acclimation - Rockets, all new ride package Le Pal - Yukon Quad Mer de Sable – Wild Mouse "La Mine Bleue" (formerly at Compagnie des Alpes), Riviere Sauvage, Train du Desert, Jungle des Chikapas (Indoor Tow Boat), Babagattaux (Outdoor Tow Boat) Walibi Rhone Alps - Timber, Mystic Italy Cavalinno Matto - Freestyle Etnaland - Dragon River, El Dorado, Hip Hop Coaster, Storm Mirabilandia - Desmo Race Rainbow Magicland - Battaglia Navale, Haunted Hotel Netherlands/Belgium Bellewaerde - Dawson Duel Bobbejaanland - Fury Efteling - De Zes Swanen Plopsaland De Panne -log flume with Volcano theming Walibi Belgium - Sky Pilot, spinning theater (Bollywood theme) and Popcorn Revenge (interactive dark ride) Walibi World - Untamed Finland/Sweden/Norway Furuvik - Fireball, interactive dark ride Grona Lund – Kuling (Rockin Tug) Linnamaki - Magia, Tiaga Särkänniemi - High Voltage (Zamperla Power Surge) Skara Sommerland - Rodeo and Jr. Drop Tower Spain Parque d'Attractiones Madrid - Los Rapidos Ferrari Land - Junior Red Force PortAventura - Sesame Street dark ride Other Europe Majaland Kownaty - GCI woodie Wiener Prater - Insider, Olympia Looping, Race, Testtrecke Connyland - 184 foot catapult tower China China Dinosaur Park - Super Swing (Wave Swinger), Coaster Brontosaurus (Disko) Happy Valley Beijing - Family Roller Coaster and Music Roller Coaster Happy Valley Szenzhen - a shuttle coaster Hong Kong Disneyland - AntManand Wasp Shanghai Disney - Toy Story Land rides including RC Racer Japan Legoland Japan - Brick Party, Imagination Celebration, Lego Ninjago Live Nagashima Spa Land - Hakugei Tokyo DisneySea - Soaring: Fantastic Flight Korea Australia Aussie World - Drop Tower (40m), Air Race, WindstarZ, Star Fly and Aerobat Dreamworld - Zamperla Air Race other Asia/Middle East Ferrari World - Mission Ferrari, Vortex South America Beto Carrero World - relocated Batman and Robin: The Chiller from SFGAdv Fantasilandia - Tren Minero ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the following rides we only need pictures of the ride sign: USA/Canada Kentucky Kingdom -Kentucky Flyer LaRonde - Aqua Twist, Gravitor Lake Winnie - Sea Warrior Silverwood - Spin Cycle Valleyfair - NorthStar UK Blackpool Pleasure Beach - Red Arrows Sky Force Flamingoland – Navigator, Sky Flyer Pleasure Island (UK) - GoGator Other Europe Bobbejaanland - Naga Bay Djurs Sommerland - Drageskibet, Soulken Farup Sommerland - Wave Swinger Hansa Park - Hanse Fleiger, Karnapulten Legoland Deutschland - Flying Ninjago Liseberg - Liseberghjulet (Giant Wheel) Parc St. Paul - Aerotrain, Wood Express Parque d'Attractiones Madrid - Noriavision (Giant Wheel), Ford T Plopsaland de Panne - Viktor's Race Power Park – Pegasus (Evolution) Tivoli Friheden – Forhindringsbane (Obstacle Course) Walibi Rhone Alps - Boomerang, Coccinelle WalyGator - G-Lock, Dino Raft Other Asia/Australia Adventure World (AUS) - Dragon Express Legoland Japan - SQUID Surfer, Splash Battle If you have photos of a non-kiddie ride that is not in TPR's Park Index, please submit that also. The list of what we need is not complete, only based on rides that appear on my personal park maps. High quality photos, please (not blurry, distorted or out of focus).

^thanks, I fixed IMG. I will get to Global Village later.

One's height and shape go a long way in one's personal opinion regarding bounciness or bumpiness on a 4D coaster

That is how you are going to have to handle it.

Arnold's Park had a BA Schiff designed Mad Mouse from 1958 through the 1970s. They have now purchased an Allan Herschell from Joyland Amusement Park. The relocation from Lubbock, Texas to Iowa will occur in 2019. https://www.spencerdailyreporter.com/story/2595210.html Wild Mouse returning to Arnolds Park Spencer Daily Reporter: Monday, March 18, 2019 ARNOLDS PARK — Arnolds Park Amusement Park representatives announced the addition of The Wild Mouse Roller Coaster for the 2019 season. However, this ride isn’t all that new to the park. In 1958, The Wild Mouse debuted in the park and was one of the most thrilling rides in the 1960s and 70s. The Wild Mouse is a roller coaster characterized by small cars carrying two people taking tight turns at moderate speeds. “The staff and amusement park board are pleased to announce the return of this new ride,” said Jeff Vierkant, CEO of Arnolds Park Amusement Park. “We know how important our deep history is to the Iowa Great Lakes region, so being able to bring back a ride that was once loved by so many and has some nostalgia at Arnold’s Park, is something we are proud of. We hope our guests will enjoy this exhilarating new ride.” The new ride, formerly known as The Mad Mouse, was manufactured by the Allan Herschell Company out of New York in 1959 and is now being relocated from Joyland Amusement Park in Lubbock, Texas, after nearly 45 years. Joyland Amusement park is planning a new ride for themselves this season, The Sandstorm Roller, and needed space. “When we heard this ride was available we felt it would not only fit into our nostalgic feel but our mission to keep rides like this alive,” said Marshall Doeden, operations manager at Arnolds Park Amusement Park. “We feel adding another thrill ride will greatly enhance the overall experience our guests will have while at the amusement park.”

I believe the trade name for Mack's version is "Mystery Swing" while Vekoma calls theirs a "Mad House" with Haunted Swing being the original generic name. These are my favorites Best Pre-Show - Magic House at Gardaland Best Storyline - Hex at Alton Towers Best Surprise - Cassandra's Curse at Europa Park Best Themed - Le Defi de Cesar at Parc Asterix Outside of the Houdini's at SFGAdv and SFNE (Vekoma models), I believe the only other ones still existing in the US are the smaller park made Bug House and Wonder House and the one at Clark's Trading Post (also a Vekoma). The one at Clark's Trading Post had a actor dressed in a Merlin robe and hat give a spiel and lead you into the actual ride.

The first page has been updated with additional news from many smaller parks that may not have been previous announced in the main forum. Parks such as: Western Playland Cliffs Jungle Jack's Jenkinson's Joyland