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You should form an unholy alliance with Team Volcano.

Tired of Pokemon Go? Kings Dominion is adding a little of their own virtual action to the park. Battle is Brewing at Kings Dominion Park debuts interactive, augmented reality game DOSWELL, VA (May 17, 2017) – Step into a brand new virtual world at Kings Dominion as the park debuts an interactive, competitive gaming experience – “The Battle for Kings Dominion.” This immersive gaming app combines augmented reality with traditional gaming and will take the in-park experience to the next level, allowing guests to declare their loyalty to a coaster alliance and then “battle” against each other to take control of the Kings Dominion realm. “We are excited to introduce our guests to an entirely new digital layer of the park experience,” said Gary Chadwick, Kings Dominion’s Vice President and General Manager. “Being able to gamify the park through the Battle for Kings Dominion, from interactive queue lines and midways to the personification of rides, will make for an even more engaging day.” The cutting-edge Extended Experience game was developed by experiential design experts Holovis. Gamers will be able to choose from five coaster alliances: Dominator, Flight of Fear, Intimidator® 305, Avalanche or Volcano. Each alliance has its own unique character avatar and a custom battle shield. Guests will compete against each other and attempt to defeat the other alliances for dominance of the park throughout the day. Players can earn points in various ways including playing augmented reality mini-games in special parts of the ride queue lines, taking over territory from competing teams, answering trivia and riding roller coasters. Augmented reality moments from the experience will also come to life on the guest’s Apple® or Android™ device and can be shared with friends and on social media. “Extended Experiences are the future of entertainment,” explains Amy Steele, VP of Development at Holovis. “This is where every element is connected together allowing guests to discover hidden narratives and gamify what are traditionally passive moments. They can even continue to customize their Coaster Alliance avatar from home as people prepare for their next visit.” The Battle for Kings Dominion will be available for download on May 19. To complement the game, Kings Dominion has added free park-wide Wi-Fi, making it even easier to play and connect while visiting. A new mobile app complete with an interactive park map and ride wait times is now available. For the full calendar of 2017 operating hours, visit www.kingsdominion.com.

"Deep Fried Nachos"!

Reminds of the old days at the Stanislaus County Fair in Turlock, California, when I was a kid. Thought I was gonna die on the Toboggan.

Who wouldn't love "Jaws"/shark slides (except for Universal Orlando)?

I've been watching these Disney fireworks shows since I was a kid--remember "Fantasy in the Sky" at Disneyland? It's amazing how they combine projection mapping with pyro now.

Bow down to the the Center of the Universe--or feel the pain of . . .

I haven't seen, or even read, Matilda, but I was a Roald Dahl fan when I was kid. His stories were always a bit on the "dark" side, which is probably why I liked them.

Thanks for the detailed report. I've yet to visit Italy (would love to someday).

^Yep--it's good, too.

Using a Master Blaster as both a thrill ride and a transport system to other slides was a stroke of genius.

Hopefully now you realize why we have such a fondness for this incomparable work of greatness. A true cult classic.

Thanks for the Drop of Doom report, Kyle. It looks like a pretty good addition to Zumanjaro, but I think I'd still prefer the "regular" version of the ride.

Trapper's Smokehouse used to cook their ribs outside on the large grill in front. The cooks would be there slathering the sauce on the ribs and the big fans were used to blow the smoke all over New France which would make guests hungry and draw them to Trapper's. However, I haven't seen them use the grill in several visits, both last Fall and this Spring. Maybe the ribs are pre-cooked now!! They still use the grill (especially for chicken). However, during the Food and Wine Festival they use the grill for the Canada booth (and cook the venison sausage on it).

The Smokehouse can be hit or miss. Get there at the right time when they've just brought out a fresh tray of ribs and it's great; but if you get the last rack of ribs in the tray, they might be bit cold.

Mack has been on quite a tear lately. This new ride at Movie World looks great.

I've often thought that, too. It'll be tough the beat the view from this ride--nice addition to Dollywood.

This is great news! Hong Kong Disneyland is a good park that now has the potential to become a great one.

Thanks for the report. New Texas Giant blew me away a few years back, and Mr. Freeze isn't too shabby, either.

We never hear much about Gold Reef City, but it looks like a beautiful park. I like how Anaconda wraps about the rock work.

^I think it is a different version of the Spring Bloom Festival, which had some good offerings. I'm hoping to get up there one day for it, but I'm booked up this weekend.

Looks like we're getting close to "food fest" season. Get Your Taste Buds Ready for Kings Dominion’s New Food Festival Taste of Virginia offers Virginia-grown food, drinks and entertainment DOSWELL, VA. (May 1, 2017) — Virginia is for Lovers! Whether you love food, wine, beer or coasters… Kings Dominion’s brand new event, Taste of Virginia, is sure to delight! On Saturdays and Sundays from May 6 to May 21, this brand new, mouth-watering event, will take place in the Candy Apple Grove section of the park. Kings Dominion’s culinary team has whipped up a menu that will take guests on a delicious journey through the commonwealth. The festival and entertainment are available to all park guests, but by purchasing tokens, you’ll be able to taste sample-size dishes inspired by regions such as Chesapeake Bay and Tidewater including crab cakes and seared oysters. Perhaps the delicacies of colonial Virginia will have you coming back for more with Smithfield ham and cheese empanadas or sweet potato and roast duck popovers. And don’t forget dessert! Taste of Virginia has that covered too, with peanut butter fudge, fried Winesap apple pies and much more. The park has partnered with several of Virginia’s world-class breweries, wineries and distilleries to help quench your thirst featuring favorites like Hardywood, Copper Fox Distillery, Legend Brewing Company, Center of the Universe, and many more. Enjoy all of this home-grown deliciousness while grooving to the sounds of the BEST local live bands. Visit Kings Dominion’s website for the full entertainment lineup. Plus, on May 13, Taste of Virginia will feature appearances by two special guests: Tim Smith, from the hit show, Moonshiners, will hold a meet-and-greet with fans from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Damaris Phillips, winner of the ninth season of The Next Food Network Star and host of Southern at Heart, will showcase her talents during two cooking demonstrations at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Come experience all that Taste of Virginia has to offer. Your taste buds will thank you! To see the full menu or purchase a Taste of Virginia Combo Ticket with taste tokens and park admission, visit kingsdominion.com. KD has done some "mini" food festivals in the past with an international theme. I think it's wise to focus on Virginia fare, much like Carowinds' Taste of the Carolinas focuses on that region.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Pandora for myself. I've always believed that DAK was a bit under-rated among Disney's parks, but I think this new land will give the park a big push.

I finally watched the movie last week, and liked it more than I thought I would. The world they created was remarkable (more so than the story, although its eco message seems to resonate even more now). Looks like Disney did a great job re-creating Pandora--perfect for DAK.

^Hey, even Goliath gets the blues sometimes. Thanks for the report. This is a slightly underrated park. I was there last year, and our group was blown away by Lost Gravity (not to mention Goliath). All it needs is a good dark ride.