CoasterGuy06

^ That would still fit with the third letter they unvealed today. _ _ R T _ _ O _ _. Could the image they are posting be an edit of the Holiday In The Park logo? Holiday in the Park logo SFOG photo

If that was the reasoning for adding them then in a way the park confirmed their fears of "no seat belts=unsafe."

Except the fact the B&M has been building this type of ride seat belt free for 15 years and has not had a single incident with them.

My understanding was it changes something with the drive tires to counteract how slick the rains makes them, so the system then requires two blocks between trains instead of the usual one, which requires two train rides to drop to one and three train rides to drop to two. It has been several years since it was explained to me by someone that had operated B&M rides, so I might be messing something up.

Many (maybe all?) B&M coasters have a "rain mode," but I believe it requires you to remove one train to use it.

Did you happen to ask an employee for a reason? I only ask because I can't even remember the last time a saw a coaster run only one train at SFOG where the other trains wasn't actually being worked on by maintenance.

That is my issue though. It's Ed Hart saying it. You would think if it was such a money maker pre-Six Flags that several people would have wanted to get the park when it closed, but it seems the only interested parties were Ed and the Koch family, and they backed out. It would not surprise me if the park was profitable in the sense that their revenue was greater than their rent, labor costs, food costs, maintenance costs, etc. I just have a hard time believing they were very profitable when you include their capital expenses for Vampire, Thunder Run, Hurricane Bay, T2, Change, etc. I'm not trying to call Ed a liar or manipulator of facts, but I have know business operators that when they publicly spoke about their business they skewed facts to make things look better when in reality they were breaking even, if that. So unless same actual black and white revenue figures get released, I just find it hard to believe.

^I believe the original story was it was time for a paint job and they needed to replace the trains anyway, so they figured if they were going to put that kind of money into an existing attraction that they might as well make it so they could market the investment.

Today the park had local media out to talk about the changes coming this year, which included them smashing one of the parking booths to mark the end of paid parking at the park. Pics and videos included below. The local Fox station did four segments during their morning show, and the actual smashing is in segment number 2. Segment 1 Segment 2 Segment 3 Segment 4 Article from AL.com/The Birmingham News Parking Booth SMASH! From AL.com

Was KK really a money maker before Six Flags though? I know Ed always points out the attendance numbers from when he last ran the park, but I don't he ever has discussed actual profitability of the park back then. When Premier acquired the park I read in one local article that no cash actually changed hands, but they just acquired the parks debt load (which was $60 something million at the time if I remember right). That seems high for a park that size.

Huss raised their minimum on Enterprise rides to 54" several seasons ago. The requirement for the pirate ship is shocking. Unless something has changed, Huss allows a much lower requirement than the one they have posted

I got both the fresh food and employee dress code surveys. I just hope they don't use the names they asked about in the food survey, because they make Cedar Fair's Flight Deck and Drop Tower seem like great names.

That's just so weird to look at

Looks like Lake Erie Flyers have arrived! From Bryan Edwards twitter: "We're getting closer and closer to Opening Day @cedarpoint ! #NewRides "

If you are there at opening hit up Nighthawk as soon as possible. By far the slowest moving line of the coasters. Lines elsewhere should not really be an issue.

Love the colors of The Bat. Hope Banshee brings more guests over to it, as it always feels so far away from everything else.

Dan has been tweeting out some Rampage pictures today. You can follow him @SplashinDan "Wicked finish into the station on Rampage! Whoa! #Splashadventure " "Complete re-track needed. Coaster cats! We call it like we see it! Where is my hammer? #SplashAdventure " "Trains need TLC too! We can get this animal going. Stay tuned. Not opening soon but it will open. #Splashadventure " " Rampage is very fixable. Need a chain gang to emmm fix the chain! #Splashadventure " "I love Rampaggggeeee!!!!!!!! #Splashadventure "

No only Gold and Platinum.

The Carowinds comments say the same thing. It sounds like if you are getting there early enough to get a space in it in past seasons, you will still be arriving early enough for a close parking space in the main lot.

Sadly season pass holders can be some of the most irrational guests for a park.

Just posted on the park's Facebook page: Anyone up for a little competition?? How about for 4 FREE one-day passes to Splash Adventure for the 2014 season?! We want you to Name Our Next Ride! We need YOUR help naming one of our newest park rides, the Wacky Worm Coaster pictured below. Comment your best suggestion below between now and April 11, 2014, and the person with the winning name will receive 4 FREE one-day passes! Share this photo with your friends and let's see what you all can come up with! The rules for the contest are as follows: 1. All entries must be posted as a comment on the picture below no later than Friday, April 11, 2014. Please don’t include your address or phone number, we’ll notify the winner via Facebook by April 18, 2014. 2. More than one entry per person is allowed, but each entry must be posted as a separate comment in order to be considered by our judges. (We don’t want a list. One at a time, please.) 3. To enter, you must be 16 years or older. 4. The prize is FOUR one-day tickets for the 2014 season. Only one winner will be chosen. 5. Employees of Alabama's Splash Adventure Waterpark and their immediate family members are not eligible to win (so please don’t enter). 6. If we receive more than one entry suggesting the same name (and choose that name), the entry received FIRST will be the winner. Good luck, everyone! Coming 2014!

It looks like I will be getting what I want to see most, and that is Rampage opening back up As for my "home park away from home," I would love to see SFOG add more flats. Maybe a Screaming Swing, Aqua Twist, or Flyers Scooters.

^Front row of the last car is the magic Arrow seat.

Why can Carowinds complete major rehabs to their Hurler and still open it on time but Kings Dominion cannot? Same thing happened in 2010. Hurler at Carowinds was running on their opening day but at Kings Dominion it was closed the first several weeks.

^One of The Birmingham News articles mentioned they will be keeping the Splash Adventure name for the waterpark and the rides park will be known as Alabama Adventure as it is rebuilt.