fatdaddy

Yes, beer garden somewhere around the gazebo. I'm not sure the reasoning behind the characters they chose for Suicide Squad, but I'm kind of excited to see what Killer Croc will look like, and of course Harley Quinn.

Today we got a quick tour of the beginnings of Justice League: Battle for Metropolis and the eventual transformation of the area in front of Riddler's Revenge into Metropolis, along with a Fright Fest preview showing off the new Aftermath 2:Chaos Rising maze and the Suicide Squad scare zone. Keep in mind that vertical construction hasn't started on Justice League and although the plans for Metropolis are pretty much set, there are still some details that need to be approved before they move forward. Also,the last details for Fright Fest are still being put in place, so forgive me if the pictures are sparse for Suicide Squad. Okay, JL:BFM is basically dirt right now, the old theater is gone and everything is marked off ready for construction. The area around Riddler's Revenge will become Metropolis, a complete retheme including removal of the rock wall, removal of some of the planters, and renaming the BBQ restaurant to something appropriate to DC. As for Tidal Wave, at this point there is no word on retheming it to a DC character (Aqua Man?). SFMM was kind enough to show us a 3D rendering of what the final area should look like using the goggles from The New Revolution, very cool! In any case, expect a very well done area similar to DC Universe, with a few easter eggs for for comic book nerds. Oh, and I heard beer mentioned, so that's another thing to look forward to! Aftermath 2: Chaos Rising is an update on the old Aftermath that used to occupy the space where JL is being built. The new maze will be Fright Fest's largest ever outdoor maze, new concepts, including a cohesive storyline, two different paths to take, and an in-maze scare zone. The experience starts in the queue, with audio getting you into the right mind set for your "evacuation", the maze is very large and gives you the impression of walking through rubble rather than being pushed in a directions by walls. At some point in your evac, you get exposed to the virus, and the maze changes to fit that storyline. A little farther, the infected start to turn, and as you are guided to the cure and safety...do you survive? I don't know, but considering that the maze empties out into a scare zone, I think the odds are the rescue was a bust. In any case, the maze tells a story start to finish, lending to a more immersive experience. Okay, Suicide Squad will be a scare zone. Now, as weird as that sounds, for those who saw the movie you know it had a voodoo witch (Enchantress) who turned people into her minions, and not just that, but scary looking monsters that killed or captured anything in their path as her brother created and army, etc., etc. So, those are your monsters, also from the movie Harley Quinn, Joker, and Killer Croc, who will be available for photo ops in several set pieces resembling the movie around DC Universe. The only scene we got to see was the crashed helicopter, which was still being assembled. Also, the movie soundtrack will be featured and there will be light/video mapping to go with it. We didn't get to see it, so you'll have to experience it yourself. Well, that's what I got out of it, Justice League slated to open spring 2017 and Fright Fest starts this weekend September 17th. And pictures... Dirt, everyone loves pictures of dirt! New dark ride goes here somewhere, in the dirt. This whole area will be Metropolis. Lots of dirt, makes people smile. Scare zone here. "Aftermath 2: Chaos Rising" is located in the area where DejaVu used to be, next to Apocolypse. This. The queue will have a elements to get you in the right mind set before entering the maze. Yay, your saved? I need the wheels off this truck. Looks like an apocolypse...that IS Apocolypse...No, I mean the pile of rubble...it's rough, but I wouldn't say it's rubble just yet... This guy is possibly infected, possibly needs a cab. Too bad, looks like he was having a good hair day. Childrens toys make excellent barriers against zombies. At least he didn't get a head injury. I call dibs on his brain, for some reason I now crave brains. Post apocalyptic bathtubs fill the street! Beware! The cocks have escaped their pen and become infected! Funny, I don't miss them at all. My kid made one of these is school, pretty sure it's supposed to be a turkey Nothing good ever comes of opening cool looking puzzle boxes. This guy has obviously been in a pie eating contest. Apparently the chickens were not the only farm animals randomly driving through the city. In this reality, they all drive AMC Gremlins. The virus turns your insides into foam. On the bright side you don't need couch cussions anymore.. This open area is basically a scare zone inside of the maze. There's deffinatly an exit, but how to get there? The virus also rusts classic cars, so make sure you clear coat before the zombie virus hits. So, I'm guessing this plane crashed, because it um...had no wings? Themeing! I think...could be a pile of rocks...I mean, it is a pile of rocks, but it could be zombie themed rocks. Um, a popcorn popper maybe? Better from this angle, it's deffinatly, um...I have no idea. Not sure what's happening behind the blue tarp, but Mr.Panda doesn't look happy. Warning to the ladies, this is what happens when you wear giant stripper shoes at the playground. Total safety hazard. This is a scout, on of the best 4X4's ever made, that is all. So, at this point some are infected and some aren't and those that are are starting to turn. Yes this guy is frightining, no he's not in the maze. These guys didn't make it. FYI Suicide Squad! Really wish Harley Quinn was there, but... On this episode of Magnum PI...wait no, helicopter crash from Suicide Squad, if you saw the movie, but if you didn't... And there it is, if there's any mistakes let me know. Thanks for looking, leave a comment!

It's funny, I've done this event tons of times, but the email said to "READ THIS ENTIRE EMAIL"... so I did! Event completely explained, if something wasn't made clear...read the email AGAIN!

Knoebels is such a great park, can't wait to go back again.

Was focused on the pie eating contest, which I believe I won. So, now that Robb is moving Japan...

Ghostrider line jumping is awful! Mostly because the employees they have posted at the emergency exits just let them in! I mean what's the point of posting an employee to stop line jumping if they just let everyone in? Here's a clue, if you didn't let them out of the exit to use the bathroom, etc.,...don't let them in, they were not in line!

Awesome! Must ride Tron!

I hear the complainers, but that's all they are. I doubt they'd be happy regardless of what they did to Ghostrider. It's been smoothed, a lot of rough laterals taken out, much improved trains. Yes, it's still a little sluggish, but it just reopened and needs time to get to its full potential The turnaround with no brake keeps the speed through the second half and the finish has no bruises or brain trauma. It's epic, complain and nitpick all you want, the rest of us will have fun riding an amazing wood coaster!

Really? That's what you were thinking? Sounds like regardless of what they did and how well they did it...you would have been thinking the same thing. How about enjoying the ride?

Excellent footers and dirt.

Pretty sure at the moment the single rider line is gone, since they moved the ADA and Flash Pass line. I think the only way they could offer single rider would be without the VR, because you enter the opposite side.

That rapids ride nearly claimed my phone, lucky the TPR backpack kept it dry! My clothes, jacket and everything in my other backpack were soaked.

Retro? OTSR's are not retro! The trains are identicle to the origin ones, and the VR is completely optional. It is NOW more like it originally was, regardless of the VR system.

While at the Boysenberry Festival I took a few shots. Not sure if this is progress or not, I just know they said June and hope that's when it opens. Structure going up in the Wagon Camp. Mrs. Knott's getting some paint.

One last update before the Boysenberry Festival ends April 3rd. My goal was to get one last Fun Stick, and try some of the other boysenberry foods that weren't on the tasting card. I had the boysenberry turnover in mind, but during the festival all things boysenberry are flying off the shelf, the bakery looked like it had been ransacked by pastry thieves! I settled for a piece of boysenberry cake, very rich, instant head rush! I'm pretty sure they sell the turnovers year round, so I'll get it next time. The boysenberry chicken sandwich was basically a grilled chicken breast with boysenberry BBQ sauce on a wheat bun. A good sandwich, not anything I'd rave about, but I would buy it again. An item that used to be on the tasting card was the roasted corn with boysenberry butter, boysenberry butter is just awesome melting all over the roasted corn. The Boysenberry Pulled Pork Sandwich is huge! Seriously, if you're a light eater and want one, bring a friend or something to take it home in. I had the foot long hotdog with boysenberry relish last year, but wanted to try the jalapeno sausage. Another huge food you need to bring a friend to finish, loaded with jalapenos. Yup, it's got some heat and the boysenberry "relish" is somewhere between a sauce and preserves, which gives you a hot and sweet combination, they also offer boysenberry ketchup. The cinnamon chips with boysenberry topping were basically fried flour tortillas sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, and topped with boysenberry sauce, very simple, but really good and you get a decent sized portion. Still lots of other food I did not try, but I think I'm good for this year, and was barely able to force down that last Fun Stick. Oh, and no I didn't buy the boysenberry pie hat, $25 is a little steep for a pie hat in my book. PIctures... We are here! Festival food. Festival map. Festival entertainment. Which, Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies play EVERY DAY of the festival! Not to be missed! Boysenberry cake, every bit as rich as it looks. Hot roasted corn melting boysenberry butter, it's a beautiful thing! I didn't really get any corn, you don't want to get between the boy and food. Lots of flowers everywhere! A special photo just for Shawn, I know how much he likes...Knott's! This. Boysenberry pulled pork sandwich comes with chips, coleslaw, and a drink. Corn was extra, but I had come boysenberry butter left over so... Eat this! Cinnamon crisps with boysenberry topping. Also, boysenberry cotton candy in the background. My jalapeno sausage, with boysenberry relish. Yup, it's that big! Jalapenos you can see! The hat wasn't to be, maybe next year. My final fun Stick, you shall be remembered fondly. Okay, you only have until Sunday to experience all this boysenberry goodness for yourself! Crowds were not as bad as I expected, I would assume it will be worse on the weekend, but then it always is. Really, go check it out, it's totally worth the trip. Thanks for all the replies and positive comments, keep them coming!

The rider video was provided by Six Flags, I'm not sure how they synced it , but it was done very quickly. Still, it turned out better than some others and we only got one shot at it, so it is what it is. Sucks, because it synced so well.during the ride.

I've heard that the goggles don't calibrate in the front row, not sure about the rear. But, the goggles are always optional.

Heading there again this week, I will definitely try turnover...and get another Fun Stick!

Looks like wiring is in too, but it's Six Flags so... The trains are awesome! I can only imagine how much better they'd be without trims.

Okay, Media Day for The New Revolution with the VR goggle systerm...AMAZING! Not so much that the video itself was amazing, it's very video game-ish, but the ride experience itself was amazing! The goggles completely cover your line of vision, so despite the lack of movie level CGI, it is very immersive. Once the goggles are active you can see a 360 degree view of your new surroundings and get adjusted to the VR, as the ride starts you are able to shoot at targets, very cool. What made the first ride so intense is that you forget the coaster layout while experiencing your new environment, and are taken completely by surprise when the drops, banks, and loops hit. The obvious question people have is why use a VR system on a coaster? It's easy to see after even one ride that the system is unlike any simulator, the drops and motion are real, the wind is in your face, the experience is not dependent on you looking straight ahead at a screen, you feel part of reality that is being pumped into the VR systerm. The designer was very excited about the future possibilities for this system, any endless number of scenarios could be piped into the goggles to keep it fresh. So, before you say you don't like it, give it a try and I'm sure you'll see it's a great system that could pump new life into old coasters. As for the New Revolution itself, the new trains are awesome, so smooth you could hardly hear them coming. There was some questions about the comfort of the seats, but I have to say they were some of the most comfortable seats I've experienced. Lap bars are hardly noticeable, as are the seat belts. Riding without head knockers is great, along with the seat design it's a very open feel. The one thing that I hope improves is the train speed, it was very sluggish and somewhat slow, I'm hoping it will improve after the break in period. The slow speed actually wasn't as noticeable when you were using the VR system, which actually made it seem faster. The ride itself is much smoother, not as jerky, very happy with the new trains. Okay, here are a few, and I mean a few...basically on media days they have so much video taping and reporting going on the trains don't launch very often and there's just a clutter of people and equipment everywhere, not very photogenic. So, just a few shots... Nice! There's virtual reality and then there's Cliff's reality. So early that the signs were lit in the dark of morning. The VR goggles in question. This little room is where all the charging takes place. #REVUP You'll see people having these little freak out sessions when they put the goggles on. Just looking all over at stuff that's not there, that only you can see. Train good! The New Revolution tramp stamp! Lots of media here to check out the ride. Here it comes... There it goes... This is your gunner, or as we call him..."The Riveter". "I like this reality better, I have no car payment when I wear these goggles." I'm here to kill aliens and ride roller coasters...and get some orange chicken at Chop Six. See! They are cleaned, and obsessively cleaned, not to mention antimicrobial material! "Don't worry ma'am, I've dealt with these aliens before. The planet is safe, as long as I have these goggles!" Oh no, Kentucky Fried Panda is gone! Chop Six is soooo good! The ride is still in testing and open to pass holders only, go online to the SFMM website and sign up for a time to ride! Leave a comment!

Thanks for the replies, the pie eating contest was brutal! Several competitors were literally holding the food in, so it wouldn't come out! I talked to another media guy who had to leave because he was getting nauseous and wanted to puke. Truly epic, too bad they can't have that every day! Okay, I went back to the park for another round and decided I missed a few things, so here's a little update. And, yes I got my Fun Bun this time! A little sample of what boysenberry items are available. Lots of fun merchandise. Noted. If I failed to mention it, the tasting cards have numbers on them and a map, you simple follow the map and look for these numbered boysenberries. Boysenberry pie hat...yes it's a hat! Photo ops all around Ghost Town. Love the retro Crafty Coyote. Got my Fun Bun!!! The center of the cinnamon roll is all hot and melty, crispy funnel cake shell, and boysenberry creamcheese sauce dripping all over! Not just for kids, I saw several adults making mini pies. That is boysenberry filling she has. Looks something like this.D Do a little Vine Dancing. I tried to escape, but somehow was lured into a jug band. My children were very proud, i could tell by the way they were laughing. I look good! If your going to do it...do it well! Thump, thump, thump... What was that noise? "You broke it!" At least I didn't get the chicken hat. It's all in the hips! Here's a little clearer picture of the boysenberry cider pull handle. I tried the "mix" this time, half boysenberry beer and half boysenberry cider. If you like the cider, but find it a little too sweet, then get the mix, it takes the edge off the sweetness. Now ladies, THIS is how to look sexy! Get yourself a chainsaw! Boysenberry mercantile. Always need to stop by the Calico Saloon. Here's a little better look at the referbished salloon. And upstairs. And a photobomb from Bullet. Also, I forgot to mention that food cards are $25, beer/wine cards are also $25. Six foods or six beers, or buy both cards, great deal! Okay, get out to the Boysenberry Festival, it ends April 3!

Okay, as I mentioned there are various shows every half hour at Bird Cage square, but they all culminate in a pie eating contest! Children and adults are encouraged to sign up before the event and contestants are drawn at random. Here's some pictures... Suiting up for some pie eating. People signed up and names were randomlhy selected. Release the Tucker! "Tucker want pie!" Half a pie each. Kids got to start first. This woman started nibbling the edge... ...and then this happened! Wait, what am I doing?! That's good pie! I thinik she's done this before. This little guy somehow drug his pie out of the tin and ate it off the table. I likes me some pie! I include this only because the angle makes it look like she's eating that othere kids head zombie style. Final countdown! This is just ridiculous! Who needs to win...I'm eatin' pie! The look of satisfaction and shame. I've seen that look from women before. I'm just here...for the pie. The mayor and his wife judge the winner. Contest was over several minutes ago, but this kid... I'm never going to eat pie again! Oh the horror! Wait, I have to leave? But there's still more pie! Night time is the right time to Salsa... Or possibly to be Jammin' After Dark... And that's all I got. A truly epic event, fun for the whole family, food, shows, fun...and beer! Huge thanks to Knott's for inviting us to experience this event...it was awesome!!!

A few random festival pictures... Boysenberry photo ops throughout the park. Now for the food... Tasting card, everything is good! It's easy to be popular when you have lots of short ribs with boysenberry BBQ sauce. Served on a bed of rice, you can also get green onions if you'd like. I'm going to eat you beautiful ribs! Brains! I mean ribs! That sauce! Luckily my kids too pictures of their wings... ...because I inhaled mine. Pro tip, bring wipes, lots of bbq sauce and powdered sugar! Lots of people walking around with bbq sauce on their face. Get this with boysenberry relish, it is awesome! Grilled to perfection! Mine! Apparently there's no need to chew, just inhale. Kids loved these! It's time to make the flautas! Loaded with boysenberry preserves! It's time to eat the flautas! Boysenberry Panna Cotta. Remember to buy the sport bottle, you'll thanks me! The kids were fighting over the last bite. Beer and wine tasting card, great deal! Boysenberry beer, very nice hint of boysenberry, but not sweet or overpowering. A fine selection including boysenberry hard cider. I love Knott's Beer Farm...Berry Farm, Knott's Berry Farm...and beer, boysenberry beer. Cider is crisp, light, very sweet and a little dry. Good stuff. The fun stick, not a great picture, it was dark by the time the line for these died down. Deep fried cheese cake with boysenberry sauce! Melts in your mouth. The gator bites, if you haven't had gator...you need this! More pie next...

Peanuts Party in the Park... I like high kicks and boysenberries! I really liked this show! Boysenberry Festival or Bust! Jammin' with boysenberry jam! Chuck gets the kids involved! Everybody wins a blue ribbon! Still working...

And Joey Chestnut pull out another win with 14.5 pounds of pie in 8 minutes... No reversal of fortune! War paint! Counting the tins to see how much he ate. Finished second with 10.25 pounds of pie! If you want a long relationship, you gots to get the pie all over your face! Food fight! 9.5 pounds of pie in that little woman! Third place. The master of the boysenberry pie...JOEY CHESTNUT! My helpers for the day and the champ! Pie contest done, now on to Party in the Park...