larrygator

I love the Georgia Tech PSA that just ran during the game. I know the video is a few months old but great that the school turned it into their PSA. You Can Do That! Have they been running this all season?

Ten days ago the local paper also reported Family Kingdom buying two smaller rides from the old Freestyle Park. Magic Bikes and Jump Around Dunebuggies. http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2013/12/20/3914925/some-freestyle-rides-find-new.html Some Freestyle rides find new home in Myrtle Beach By Dawn Bryant dbryant@thesunnews.comDecember 20, 2013 A couple of the Freestyle Music Park rides that were up for sale have found a new home just a few miles away in Myrtle Beach. Family Kingdom Amusement Park on Ocean Boulevard wasn’t hunting for new rides – the park added four earlier this year – but couldn’t resist the chance to pick up two slightly used rides from the closed theme park just a few miles across town. Family Kingdom bought Magic Bikes and Jump Around Dunebuggies, two interactive family rides that were the right size to squeeze into Family Kingdom’s 13-acre park on Ocean Boulevard near Third Avenue South. Crews picked up the rides last week and will have them installed and ready to go by the time the park reopens in the spring. “We are making some room for them,” said Donnie Sipes, Family Kingdom’s general manager. “These two have small footprints so we are making room for these.” Freestyle Music Park, which closed after the 2009 tourist season and has sat dormant since, is trying to sell off its rides, with more than a dozen of them – including the signature roller coaster along George Bishop Parkway – popping up for sale on the website of Ital International, which brokers the sale of new and used theme park rides. Sipes declined to say how much Family Kingdom paid for the two rides. They are only slightly used, with the theme park in Fantasy Harbour only lasting two summers, as Hard Rock Park in 2008 and Freestyle Music Park in 2009. “We thought it was a good deal for us,” Sipes said. “They are here locally. We got to go over and take a look at them.” Once the two rides are in place, Family Kingdom will have 39 rides in the park, which has been a staple on Ocean Boulevard since 1966 when it was known as Grand Strand Amusement Park. It was renamed to Family Kingdom in 1992. Other rides at the former Freestyle are still listed for sale on Ital International, including the roller coaster that was known as the Led Zeppelin and Time Machine. Read more here: http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/2013/12/20/3914925/some-freestyle-rides-find-new.html#storylink=cpy

I remember all the food in the parks to be quite underwhelming except for the Croque Monsieur

It reached like 103 in the afternoon. That's HOT! We stayed in Johnny Rocket's for the A/C. That day was especially awful due to the high humidity, but least we forget that when TPR went to Isla Magica in 2007 the temperature topped out somewhere between 112-114 degrees. I remember Robb and Elissa encountered some ridiculously hot temperatures on their first trip to Italian parks.

RCDB link please? I'd love to see how it compares with Canada's Mindbender and Orlando's Rockin Roller Coaster. ^If it is at Amazing World it is only about 1,800 feet. I think that is why Yin is questioning how the park advertised the coaster. Of course, it doesn't come close to Mindbender.

^Where is that? Amazing World?

At least TGIF doesn't have a height restriction!

This is the most comprehensive (although still not 100% clear) article about the recent state of Rye Playland. Sustainable Playland Inc. Still wants to turn half the parking lot into sports fields. Many locals say that sports fields are not needed for the youth, plenty of fields exist in the area. Many locals also feel limited parking will ultimately strangle the amusement park forcing it to close. Some people behind Sustainable Playland originally wanted to just shut down the rides area. Plans for amusement park improvements are still not approved. Sustainable Playland could still potentially ditch their proposed plans for the amusement area and let CAI follow their own proposal. Central Amusement International which Sustainable Playland hired to run the park, has not moved forward on manufacturing any of their Zamperla rides for 2014, but would still have time to make installations for the 2014 season. One legislator, Ken Jenkins, is still fighting the whole process saying there have been illegalities in how the whole process (turning over authority of a government park to a non-profit entity) was handled, but his lawsuit was recently dismissed by NY State Supreme Court. http://rye.dailyvoice.com/news/questions-uncertainty-linger-over-plan-playland-rye Questions, Uncertainty Linger Over Plan For Playland In Rye by Casey Donahue News 12/18/13 Many parties involved with reinventing Rye Playland still have questions about the process and the plan. RYE, N.Y. -- County legislators and other parties involved in the reinvention of Playland Amusement Park still have questions regarding Sustainable Playland Inc.'s plans to take over and upgrade the park. Members of the Board of Legislators' Government Operations Committee met on Tuesday, Dec. 17, with representatives from Central Amusements International, the company hired to operate the amusement portion of the reinvented Playland. The CAI officials said they are still waiting on some information such as an updated parking study, which could impact attendance and revenue projections. "We're far away from settling things with SPI right now," said CAI Vice President Peter Pelle. He said that CAI has also asked for a letter issued from the county executive's office, naming them as an approved subcontractor for the Playland reinvention, but that the company has not yet received one. "We're at a place where, generally speaking, we think people know what it is we can do, want to do, intend to do, would like to do, and really we just need to sit down and discuss something in more concrete terms with you, and with SPI," said Joe Montalto, a consultant with CAI. "It's just reached a point where I think that needs to happen. Otherwise, I don't know where we go." Legislator Catherine Borgia said that the board is technically supposed to approve the Playland Improvement Plan by the end of the year, but that taking additional time to review would likely not trigger SPI to pull out of the asset management agreement. She said there is still a lot of uncertainty about the project. "I feel like there's a lot of moving pieces," said Borgia. She said that the board has not received an updated parking plan and financials. There are also issues of a lawsuit by Legislator Ken Jenkins against the Playland Improvement Plan, as well as Rye residents' objections to the proposed field house. CAI was one of the companies that had originally responded to the county's RFP with a plan to revitalize the park. Legislator Bill Ryan brought up the possibility of CAI going forward with its original plan, instead of SPI's plan. "We really want to be a part of Playland. We entered into a letter of intent with SPI to try to stay involved in Playland. We made it clear to SPI that if there's a chance we might still want to pursue our own proposal, we can do that," Pelle said. He said that the company is willing to work with the companies running the Ice Casino and the Westchester Children's Museum, but that operating the sports zone and field house is not what they do. With the delays in approval of the plan, Pelle said that the company is running out of time to manufacture and install new rides.

Not a big deal. Most of the Chinese coasters are absolute crap. Those that aren't crap now are likely to become crap over time as the parks can't handle the maintenance. Chinese has 4 times as the population as the US, they should have more coasters. There are plenty of European countries with a higher coaster per capita than the US.

I just find it dubious when someone says they will make an announcement in two weeks and a month later we only hear crickets. Never promise if you can't deliver. Or at least if the project still has potential come out and say legal issues are still being worked through. My concern is that the coaster manufacturer spilled the beans too soon and the builder might now be facing increased difficulties either obtaining permits, soothing neighbors or acquiring land.

^That and the proposed American Dream Mall Complex is supposed to include an indoor year round park. Once the mall owners and the local football teams stop fighting about traffic problems in the area I expect this project to get moving.

Not enough people to make it a good and profitable idea.

I don't think they have a set schedule but, for the past couple of years it seems like they tried to add a ride every year, even if its a kiddie ride. Stratosfear Flying Turns Black Diamond Fandango Kozmo's Kurves Wipeout Flying Tigers Looper Don't know if this is typical of amusement parks, but Knoebel's asked longtime visitors on Facebook what ride from their childhood they missed. Maybe they will try to bring back another ride from yesteryear.

We leave complaining to people on the West Coast.

The fact that there are so few should tell you the appeal is not huge. With that said I'm still a big fan of Riddler's Revenge and Georgia Scorcher (and even Green Lantern on occasion).

The word "supposedly" is not necessary.

With their horrible operations Movieland Studios is turning into a two day park.

Get something straight here - no one copied anyone. AJ - no reason to get nitpicky with our foreign members about their choose of words. Copying is the proper term to use. Stealing implies illegal activity, copying does not.

Proof? You really didn't show any proof. Kings Island marketed The Beast as the longest, tallest and fastest when it opened. Link to promo info And I'm sure that wasn't even the first time a park marketed a coaster in that manner.

I'm not sure they even saw the documentary.

Another excellent point!

When do the petitions begin to stop supporting businesses that only pay minimum wage versus a living wage? We could easily shut down 90% of companies.

Would love to see a Flying Fury from Technical Park (Vertigo at Tivoli Gardens) but in the US it would have to be at a small park or Pay Per Ride park due to low capacity

John - thanks for your continued updates. I've turned all your work and previous news about Adventuredome into an Official Discussion Thread

You are free to disagree but the currently available footprint is only approx. 40 feet by 20 feet. I was curious and measured it myself after the Astrotower came down. Look at the 10th picture in this post It would have to be a small drop tower and just don't see them adding another mini drop tower.