larrygator

I've updated the list based on the latest US news out of IAAPA

No, why the hell would I want to read that garbage. Let me live in the TPR world where those that post in the SFGAdv thread are reasonable. Do yourself a favor and stop reading those Facebook pages? Find something more productive to do with your spare time.

rcdb is now showing a 3rd coaster at Nickelodeon Universe, a Chance Family coaster. And this shows up at IAAPA. Sure looks like a Nickelodeon paintjob

For those not following the IAAPA thread Here is the reveal of the Steel Curtain train.

And that is fine. As a whole, SFGAdv locals don't act as self entitled as many of our counterparts. Instead of bitching about it being 10+ years since El Toro, we are grateful to have El Toro. You don't hear nearly as many SFGAdv locals complain about being owed or deserving a big coaster.

Maybe you need to learn how to stand up straight!

I had Six Flags Great Adventure Hilton Garden Inn Outback Downtown Tattoo Parlor and I don't remember the specifics of the other two. I remember one being high end and one being downscale. Based on Your Local Grocery store being an option, I don't think the options are customized by your location or the park you picked. Also, all the chains mentioned to date are national in nature as not cause too much confusion. So they probably have a list of at least 12 businesses and the ones you receive in your survey are randomized, with the exception of the Six Flags park you choose.

The only part of the Great Adventure rumor I can not envision is the use of the old Rolling Thunder track, although it will be a good time to finally remove that section. The area in question is difficult to develop with smaller rides as people already complain about the walk to Zumanjaro. The park has made great strides in bringing the flat rides up to speed. The park is certainly more well rounded since the last time the park spent $8-$10 million on a coaster. Maybe they can even provide a path through the coasters to connect Plaza de Carnival to Golden Kingdom near the Kingda Ka entrance.

They clearly stated in the survey that they were considering changing their policy on employee facial hair!

While I haven't ridden Yosemite Sam's since August, so my memory might be fuzzy. I don't recall any sets that were so elaborate they can not be replaced. I really enjoyed the ride as a change of pace, but "elaborate sets don't can't be replaced"

I'll have a update later this week about Bushkill Park, but for anyway that is attending IAAPA, say hi to Chuck Burnham if you run into him. He'll be there walking the floor representing Bushkill Park.

As a fan of geography and history I'm ashamed to learn Europa Park is that close to the French border, I assumed it was about 20-25 miles as the crow flies. Sounds like a great way to make their French employees commute easier.

Wow, I completely missed this report. I was searching the web for info on Lionsgate Park opening in 2020 at Jeju Islands and this came up. I have never heard of the series but the park looks well done for fans of the series. Knowing this this park is affiliated with Lionsgate Park as part of Jeju Shinhwa World makes the destination all the more intriguing when it is completed. This link brings you to more details on Resorts World's Jeju project.

This article flew under my radar. Although it will not take up a huge footprint it sounds intriguing. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lionsgate-bring-hunger-games-twilight-attractions-new-yorks-times-square-1043940 Lionsgate to Bring 'Hunger Games,' 'Divergent' Attractions to New York's Times Square 9:00 AM PDT 9/28/2017 by Etan Vlessing The Hollywood studio will also introduce a 'Mad Men' dining experience and a 'John Wick: Chapter Two' shooting ride to 42nd Street, starting in 2019. Lionsgate is offering its first indoor entertainment center in New York's Times Square in 2019, it was announced Thursday. The studio is teaming with Spain's Parques Reunidos, a global leisure-park operator, to launch Lionsgate Entertainment City at 11 Times Square. The planned attractions include a Hunger Games-inspired Peeta's Bakery and The Capitol Confectionery; a flying-simulator attraction; a Divergent-themed obstacle course; and a John Wick: Chapter Two shooting ride where fans go head-to-head with a series of assailants. The flagship Lionsgate indoor attraction also plans a Mad Men-themed dining experience, a theater for 4D film, live show experiences and virtual reality entertainment. Lionsgate film and TV property-themed attractions are also planned in the U.S. and elsewhere internationally as the Hollywood studio eyes movie and TV tie-ins to drive new revenue opportunities. "We're delighted to kick off our partnership with Parques Reunidos in midtown Manhattan, and we look forward to extending our alliance to other major U.S. and European cities as we continue to grow our location-based entertainment business around the world," Lionsgate senior vp global live and location-based entertainment Jenefer Brown said in a statement. Lionsgate's location-based entertainment business includes separate planned attractions in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The studio earlier announced the launch of the outdoor theme park Lionsgate Movie World at Jeju Island, South Korea. Elsewhere, the indoor theme park Lionsgate Entertainment World is currently under development in Hengqin, China, and the Lionsgate Zone of the Motiongate theme park is slated to open in Dubai later this fall.

I'm surprised they never replaced this Air Race with a newer model, with Luna Park serving as Zamperla's US "show" park.

With the financial difficulties at Zhonghong. there is certainly someone within the Six Flags corporate structure tasked with keeping an eye on SEAS and occasionally puts feelers out to SEAS. There is just as surely someone within the CF corporate structure that does the same. I didn't see anything misleading about the original story in the Orlando Sentinel. If people decide to put more credence in the shaky source with a lack of details that's on the reader not the contact reporter. If this article is written by a feature writer, that's a completely different scenario.

The add-on window to the right of the entrance housed Laffing Sal. Bushkill's was almost destroyed in the floods, but the frame was salvaged and Chuck will restore it, just as he has done in the past with another Laffing Sal.

Thanks for filling some gaps in the Park Index

One interesting fact about the Fun House, there is no record of when it first operated. The earliest known document mentioning the Fun House are from a 1927 Sanborn Fire Insurance map. Kelly Feathers, the park historian believes it may date back to 1919/1920 but is still hunting for proof. Over the years the facade has changed many times. Here are a few versions courtesy of the park historian. Some of the photos are screen shots from videos and may not be in focus. Enjoy the history. These first three are from a 1940 video Current park owner Sammy Baurkot remembers the politically incorrect image on the right side of the Fun House from his formative years. This photo is from 1953. Owner Tom Long, taken sometime between 1960-64 From 1989 from the 1990s from the 2000s

Lancaster does pull in tourists all year round, although to a much higher degree over the summer. People love watching the Amish.

The Observation Wheel is still prominently featured on their website

Palace Entertainment, who purchased Dutch Wonderland in 2010, is partnering with the Cartoon Network to open the first Cartoon Network Hotel adjacent to Dutch Wonderland in the old Continental Inn. Palace Entertainment is part of Parques Reunidos, comprised of their US holdings. https://lancasteronline.com/business/local_business/st-cartoon-network-hotel-to-open-in-summer-next-to/article_fe79a898-dc43-11e8-abfa-9bffe5751e22.html 1st Cartoon Network Hotel to open in summer 2019 next to Dutch Wonderland TIM MEKEEL | Staff Writer Oct 30, 2018 If your kids would love to surround themselves with Cartoon Network characters, next summer you can take them to a hotel which does exactly that. Cartoon Network and the owner of Dutch Wonderland are converting the former Continental Inn into a family resort that’s wall-to-wall Cartoon Network characters, programs and products. The first Cartoon Network Hotel will open next summer, the network and Palace Entertainment announced Tuesday. Located at 2285 Lincoln Highway East, next door to Dutch Wonderland, the hotel “will immerse guests in the animation and antics of characters” featured on the network’s programs. “Through a combination of character animation and creative technology, the entire property will offer fun and unexpected ways to experience the animated worlds of Cartoon Network from the moment of arrival,” the announcement said. Hotel employees will be dressed as cartoon characters, according to the hotel’s website, cartoonnetworkhotel.com. New cartoons will make their world debut at the hotel’s outdoor amphitheater and movie screen. Lawn games and fire pits will be modeled after the network’s Summer Camp Island, according to the website. Dutch Wonderland spokesman Jeffrey Eisenberg said the hotel will employ about 50 people during the peak summer season. Eisenberg said room rates have yet to be determined, though hotel guests will be able to enter Dutch Wonderland at a discounted price. He declined to provide an estimate of the cost of the project, though in January, Palace Entertainment paid $4.7 million for the real estate alone, LNP reported at the time. The Continental Inn was closed immediately and all of its workers laid off. At that time, a Dutch Wonderland spokesman declined to discuss the future of the property. Broadening the brand A Cartoon Network executive told Adweek, a trade publication for the brand marketing and advertising industries, that the hotel is natural extension of its programming. “It’s critical that we continue to engage with our fans beyond the linear experience,” said Erik Resnick, a senior vice president. “The hotel will extend the brand in an authentic and relatable atmosphere. Fans today want to interact with our characters wherever they are; and what better way than on vacation.” Cartoon Network has wanted to open a resort for several years, Resnick said, but needed to find the right partner and location. Resnick told Adweek that the Lancaster site is “a great fit” because of its proximity to major mid-Atlantic cities. Adweek noted that the Cartoon Network strategy follows that of two other child-oriented channels. Most notably, the Disney Channel has Disneyland and Disney World. Nickelodeon has one resort and will add a second in 2019. The Cartoon Network Hotel will have 165 rooms, as did the Continental Inn, but the similarities will end there. Each guest room “will feature interchangeable show theming that can be customized around children’s preferences to make each visit a new adventure,” the press release said. The hotel also will have an indoor pool, game room, play area and Cartoon Network store. Outdoors, the 8.9-acre site will feature another pool plus a water-play zone, an amphitheater with an oversized movie screen, lawn games and fire pits. Palace Entertainment owns and operates more than 20 amusement parks, water parks and family entertainment centers in the United States and Australia. Based in Newport Beach, California, Palace Entertainment acquired Dutch Wonderland in 2010 from Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Co. Cartoon Network, owned by Turner Broadcasting System, was launched in 1992, a year after Turner bought Hanna-Barbera Productions, producer of classic TV cartoons such as The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo and The Smurfs. Initially tapping the Hanna-Barbera library for its content, Cartoon Network now relies on its own original creations. Among them are “Adventure Time,” “The Powerpuff Girls,” “Steven Universe,” “We Bare Bears” and “The Amazing World of Gumball.”

^Bill - thanks for your interest. The renovation is nowhere near the fun "stage" yet, still a lot of work being done by Chuck and John to the infrastructure of the building.

I was going to wait until tomorrow to post these photos, but when you have exclusive material and more is on the way, why wait. I want to start with the Fun House. It is the centerpiece of the park and its most identifiable attraction. It is the reason Chuck Burnham was brought in to lead the park's resurgence, and it drew Chuck Burnham to the park. They are now linked together. I will sometimes reference this unedited video from 1988, which starting at the 3:10 mark shows the most recent incarnation of the funhouse as Barl of Fun John Cory and co-worker Ceser are owed credit for starting the work on the Fun House rehab. After stripping away layers of paint and additional facades, the Hilarity Hall title was uncovered on the facade. This name predates the memory of many since the attraction has been called the Barl of Fun since 1938. Chuck is going back to the Hilarity Hall name and creating a navigational style maze. This will allow everyone to follow one path as opposed to the previous incarnation which allowed people to wander around and linger. When Chuck arrived on site 7 weeks ago, the building was in bad shape and starting to lean, especially the left side of the structure attached to the old Whip building. Chuck ripped up the floorboards of the building in order to raise the building the replace beams under the building, In doing so, he uncovered some interesting history in the building. Before he arrived some walls were ripped to uncover even more history and I going to share some of those discoveries. When the Barl of Fun last operated, the first room patrons encountered was lined with railing, painted black and had a strobe light to disorient you. From 3:10 to 3:40 in the attached video. After the walls were removed John and Cesar uncovered the following. If you look at the ceiling you see a black and white portion. That is the extent that the black room reached. If you look to the right of the picture you see more artwork that has been covered for decades. Looking from straight one, the keystone cop image and all images below it and to the right have not been seen in decades. The park historian did not know of their existence. But the biggest discoveries were not behind the walls, but under the floor. After ripping up the floorboards the first discovery was mud. Two feet of mud had to be dug out of the ground to reveal more secrets. This circular cement pit housed the mechanisms for a human pool table trick, one that even with grandfathered status, could not be brought back today. Videos of this stunt exist from Coney Island where guests go down a short slide and land on multiple circular discs spinning in opposite directions. Also sitting under the former black room were mechanisms that shifted the floor both front and back and side to side. These stunts will be re-installed. Here you can see the under workings of the spinning barrel. The spinning tub is just hanging out in the barrel awaiting rehab. In the future a Laughing Sal will sit near the wheel. Here on the right you can see the old drive train for the human pool table that no one knew about. On the left you can see one of many hydraulic jacks currently in use to stabilize the building. The whole building has also been lifted 5 inches. I saw some old hoses sticking out of the mud and Chuck confirmed they were old air blasts and they can be added to the attraction. To get to the 2nd floor you climb collapsing stairs (seen around 5:40 in the video). In the past guests would encounter a hall of mirrors, a rolling floor (8:00 minute mark or video), an antique rolling horse and a wood slide. The one portion of the attraction visible from the outside is where the rolling pins will be re-installed in the floor to slide across after rehab. The rolling pins are hanging out on the floor next to the old antique rolling horse awaiting rehab. The antique rolling horse will not be in Hilarity Hall. In its place a cage maze is planned with historical reference on the walls. One thing Chuck pointed out about the upstairs area was the openness of the area around the Hall or Mirrors. He stood in the middle of this open area and asked what was missing. A meekly answered "fun" and he said "exactly". To fill up space on the second floor and add more fun a glass maze will be added upstairs. Many of the old mirrors are still in place upstairs and more will be installed. This one is stretching out Chuck. Of course you'll need to get down from the second floor to exit. The slide is still in good shape.

The plan is to open the park for the 2019 season with the fun house and a few small kiddie rides as you suspected. More details to follow. . Mr. Fehnel sold his share of the park to Sammy Baurkot, but still his a share of the Skating Rink.