cfc

^I guess if you can survive Lethal Weapon at Movie World, you can survive almost anything.

My first SLC was Kumali at Flamingoland in the UK, and it was good ride; then again, it wasn't a "standard issue" SLC. Everest is basically a variation on a Vekoma Mine Train (which are pretty good rides, overall).

^My problem with UPS is that they tend to break things--and good luck collecting on their "insurance." Never had an issue with the USPS Web site, either. Anyway, I hope my uber secret gift arrives before Christmas.

My guess is that they were Jehovah's Witnesses.

I tend to have more trouble with UPS than USPS, for some reason.

I remember a neighborhood in Ceres, California, not far from my hometown of Patterson, that was famous for its Christmas displays. This street was so popular that you couldn't drive through. You had to park your car elsewhere and walk it. But there was one family that refused to play along. Everyone else on that street had enough lights on their houses to create an artificial aurora borealis, but this one family didn't even turn on their porch light.

The park had hired a local contractor to finish the last bits and to get the ride running again... So i'm not sure how much S&S will be bummed as they have not been part of this project for over a year (or at least that's how it appears to have been) Okay didn't know that, but it doesn't makes it better that the Air-Launchers from S&S seem to have lots of problems, that is at least what i have read. I think S&S would be better off stressing an air-launched coaster along the lines of Powder Keg at Silver Dollar City--now there's a great ride that's worth promoting. These ridiculous "record breakers" really aren't worth the trouble.

Falling into that soaking-wet net on the SCAD Tower was like being dropped into a swimming pool. The Elses Hotel was awe inspiring in its cheesiness--beware the ticked-off suburban housewife with the butcher knife!

BGT's Howl-o-Scream 2011 was more enjoyable that Halloween Horror Night at Universal, and that's saying a lot.

Just dopped my gift off at the post office. I hope whoever gets it likes it; if not, maybe they can trade it for food or something.

^The park implied that this was the plan from the beginning by stating that Verbolten would "follow" BBW's old route. It'll be nice to see a coaster dropping toward the Rhine River again.

^^Count Floyd rules! This has not been my experience when it comes to SLCs. But this isn't to say that Vekoma hasn't built some good rides. Many parks have made good use of Vekoma Mine Trains, and Kumali was good back in 2006.

I agree. The thread is about Canada's Wonderland, not Millennium Force and Intamin cables. Please stay on topic.

^Hey, kids! Let's build a roller coaster! All kidding aside, I'm glad to see that Fun Spot has a realistic plan for expansion. I hope they succeed.

^I guess you have take what surplus airplane parts you can get.

"Nara Dreamland China"?

They've even upgraded the Flight of Lights a bit. Instead of the more "standard" Christmas lights on each gondola like last year, they used some sort of LED strip that changes colors during the trip around.

Great report, Adam--but this is the creepiest holiday topiary I've ever seen. Stitch with Christmas-light teeth is nightmare fuel.

I completely missed this report earlier, too. Phantasialand is a great, quirky park, and Maus au Chocolat looks like a great addition. (Had no idea that it was going to be Midway Mania wtih rodents and cocoa.)

^I'm not entirely sure either, but I think he's referring to the maximum height a coaster can be before it "intrudes" on a neighborhood, such as Kingsmill. James City County does have height limits for structures (60 feet, I think), and BGW often has to obtain waivers before any project can begin. They had to do this for Verbolten. The tallest structure in the park is Mach Tower (240 feet).

^Rcdb.com says BBW's bige drop was 80 feet, but I recall the park claiming it was 90.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled broadcast for a very special "How the Grinch Seduced and Abandoned Christmas." Or just some more Christmas Town at BGW. Rudolph was tired of being both ridiculed and exploited for his red nose, so he decided to get back to nature at Fort New France. Hmm--looks like a "light" snow is falling. Welcome to Christmas in Germany. All will make merry. These are orders! Bet you didn't know Germany was so close to the North Pole. You are now stronger, thanks to this knowledge. Sebastian thought this was the greatest ride ever. Really, I've never seen a kid smile so much on a carousel before. On to Oktoberfest. "Ho, ho, ho! You misfit toys can bite me!" The Festhaus looks great each year. And now, Illuminations: Reflections of the Festhaus. Sebastian is going to stomp that giant snowflake into submission! The Festhaus has balls--big, illuminated balls. We did catch a little bit of "Deck the Halls" while we were there. This is their "Andy Williams Christmas Special" type show. "What? You again, kid? It's almost closing time!" I do believe Sebastian is wiped out. I went back another night to check out some stuff I'd missed before. Such as a nice, invigorating session of "Freeze Out" . . . . . . on Alpengeist. I caught some of "Miracles," the show in Italy, too. "AGHH! MY GROIN!" All this fabulous merchandise can be yours, if the price is right! "Gloria" is the park's new show for 2011. The piper is back for 2011. Off to Italy and the . . . . . . Polar Pathway by Escape from Pompeii. The park did a nice job decorating this section. It's a big improvement over last year, which was just some purple trees and not much else. Everybody seemed really taken with the spot--lots of pictures were took. Be careful--purple polar bears are the most dangerous of all! Look very closely . . . nope, sorry. It's too dark to see Verbolten. Merry Christmas, everybody!

Merry Christmas Town, Everybody! Hello, thread. I know that it's been a while. But I finally sorted through my Christmas Town pics, and this will probably be the last update of 2011. So, off we go! This year's visit to Christmas Town has a bit of a twist. My friend Carola and I have been hitting this event ever since it began, but this year she brought an extra guest: Sebastian, the two-and-half-year-old son of a friend of hers who was attending a conference in D.C. So, off we went on a somewhat more "kid-centered" evening at Christmas Town than in years past. It's been fun watching this event develop. The park tweaks it each year, and it really is starting to become a tradition in Williamsburg. We went on the first Sunday of December, which is also the night of the annual Grand Illumination in Colonial Williamsburg. CW is always mobbed on that night, so the crowd at BGW was manageable. This was a good thing, as this meant no wait to see the annual penguin exhibit, and Sebatian loved those freakin' birds! We had to check them out twice. Here's a look at Christmas Town--along with some bonus pics from last Sunday (when it was quite crowded). As the sun sets over the England parking lot . . . . . . Carola struggles to get Sebastian strapped in. My god! Those snowflakes are huge! They could kill someone! Just making sure we're in the right place. Hmm--looks like Sebastian is a bit embarrassed to be seen in public with us. England is all dolled up. My chins and I wish you all a joyous holiday season. I wonder if Lou is about? About 4,000 miles away, that is. It's a Blue, Elvis-style Christmas in Scotland. First stop, the Flight of Lights. A good thing we hit this when we did--even on a slow night, the line for this ride can be ridiculous later in the evening. Ireland from the air--not to be confused with "Europe in the Air," which is running during Christmas Town. Soarin' over France, which you can't do at Epcot. Descending into Germany. The "traditional" English roast beef dinner at the Squires Kitchen was pretty good--as was the egg nog cheesecake (but I think I prefer the ginerbread). It wasn't too cold that night, so we didn't freeze to death on the train. They play Christmas carols, and these lights change color during the trip. This is what the Polar Pathway looks like in hyperspace. On to Ireland in search of Antarctic water fowl. These folks must be Irish. Their sweaters and his jaunty cap betray them. We continue on our quest for penguins. Getting warm . . . OK, those freakin' birds are around France somewhere . . . To reach the penguins, you must first vanquish the dreaded French snow man (or "bonhomme de neige"). At last, our quest is at an end! God be praised! I'm playing the "does this bug you?" game with a penguin. Penguins doing what they do best--other than smell. Still more Christmas Town to come.

They really are taking a lot of care with this project. Nice to see these classic attractions in good hands.

According to the USPS site, a return address is required on a Priority Mail package: http://pe.usps.com/businessmail101/addressing/returnAddress.htm. This does refer to "business" mail, though. I was just going to put my street address and leave my name off.