cfc

^That depends. I think what little they lose in admission revenues could be offset with gains in food sales and merchandise at the parks (where the real money is). But this is all just idle speculation on my part.

There's been a fair amount of tension between park employees and InBev locally (thanks to cuts in pay and staff, loss of the free beer samples through the Brewmaster's club, and the cutting off of free park passes for brewery employees--or so I'm told). So, I think that the Blackstone deal is a good thing overall. At least the parks will be in the hands of someone who wants to be on the theme-park business.

Why is that so bad? I can honestly say that I don't go to any Busch or Sea World park to "See the Clydesdales." If you want to see them so badly...go to your state fair or a NASCAR event. --Robb I'd rather keep the Clydesdales and lose the lousy beer.

This was posted on the "Worlds of Discovery" blog by Jim Atchison, president: Take this as you will, but I wonder if the "new" name will be . . . "Worlds of Discovery." Stay tuned.

I find it amazing that so many pages have been devoted to an "incident" in which a ride malfunctioned, the safety systems worked, and no one was hurt.

^I imagine it would detract a bit from the atmopshere of Club Blood to have a loud coaster train rumbling by every few minutes.

Please review our Posting Rules before posting again. At TPR, proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation are a must. Thank you, Chuck

^Correction--Griffon (a B&M ride) once suffered a chain break and was out of commission for about two weeks.

More blood-curdling horror from Doswell, Va.! Eek! The Eiffel Tower is getting more evil by the second! That's all. Thanks for a fun evening, KD. Fry, baby, fry! A perfect set up for the Maze of Madness. And now, presenting one of the coolest things at Haunt. Ready! Set! . . . and big punkin-head dude. . . . an by night. I like this one. Especially the giant crow . . . "The Harvest" acarezone by day . . . Once again, aren't you blown away by the immersive theming? Look! It's the farting horse's butt from Blood Shed! He found a new home. "Stand by to stand by, mates! Tis a powerful long line yet through that gate." "Arr! That's what I gets fer me constructive criticism! Blackbeard be a cruel man--but fair." "Captain, that new mast. The wood seems a bit green, sez I, what with all the bark and leaves and such." Did I mention that KD likes fog? I think these fog machines are sponsored by some company that makes asthma inhalers. The source of the Tower's EVIL. Clowns. Why did it have to be clowns? . . . to make Uncle Bob's fritters. You know, it takes all kinds of critters . . . As darkness descends, the Eiffel Tower becomes EVIL! OK, who's been eating at Taco Bell? Those burritos'll kill ya! You know, it really does smell kind of funky around here. OK, found it! Never mind! Sheesh, could this be any more difficult to find? I mean, why all the secrecy? Where the hell is this joint? OK, I know Club Blood is around here somewhere.

The Halloween season is in full swing in Virginia, what with Howl-o-Screamat Busch Gardens and Haunt at Kings Dominion. Both parks have their own spin on how best to entertain and scare their guests. BGW is more about mood and atmosphere with more elaborate mazes, while KD takes a more "minimalist" approach emphasizing gore and shocks. Both approaches have their uses. I enjoy them both. KD boasts two new mazes this year, in addition to six from last year (some of which were jazzed up a bit). The Doswell park's scarezones tend to be more active than those in Williamsburg, too. And there's fog. Lots of fog. Lots and lots of particulate fog that can make you cough, choke, and smell like an oil refinery. (Yeah, I think they can cut back on the fog a bit.) Here's what I think of the mazes, starting with the best and ending with the worst. Medieval Macabre (Dodgem bldg., The Grove)--Ever wonder what it was like during the Black Death? Well, here's your chance. The dark ages theming is a bit minimal, but it works reasonably well, and there are plenty of scareactors crammed into the maze. Beware the "two-stage" queue, though (you think you're in, then there's a another mess of switchbacks to get through). New for '09. Slaughterhouse (Grizzly Arcade, Old Virginia)--Welcome to Uncle Bob's BBQ! Today's special: Honey Barbeque Filet of . . . YOU! I was afraid that this would be just a renamed version of "Blood Shed," the old maze that sat here for years. However, KD gave the space a pretty substantial overhaul, while keeping the cannibalism theme. Good, gory, goofy fun. New for '09. Maze of Madness (International Street)--OK, this is probably the cheapest maze at KD: a tent partitioned with chain link and mirrors and filled with fog and strobe lights. But hit this thing after dark, and it works really well, especially if the scareactors are really energetic and work that chain link. Club Blood (Hurler turnaround, The Grove)--Personally, I think the "vampire nightclub" routine is a bit overworked, but this maze is OK, and there are certainly plenty of bloodsuckers about, one of whom knew my name. I think. Could've swore I hear "Chuck" or maybe "Chock" from some big ghoul (or maybe he said "ch-a-a-a-a-a-w"). Toxic Plague (Old Hypersonic queue, The Grove)--Face hideous mutant bugs in the sewers of KD! This maze is better than last year's version, and it features some of the most elaborate sets at Haunt. OK, if a bit cartoony. Blackbeard's Revenge (White Water Canyon, Old Virginia)--OK, I guess I'm willing to accept that Blackbeard somehow managed to get his ship into the woods of Doswell. The forest, some creative lighting, and liberal sampling of the scores of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean flicks do make this the most atmospheric of KD's mazes. But be prepared for a long wait before boarding, dogs! Big Top Terror (Lazer Tag bldg., The Grove)--Oh, look. A 3D clown maze. Joy. Well, this is is fairly trippy, at least. Alien Outpost (Flight of Fear queue, Congo)--God, this thing is so hit-or-miss. Mostly miss. Most of the aliens were on their coffee break, I guess, but there is one pretty nifty surprise. Still, I'd rather have the ride than the maze. The scarezones feature ghouls, twisted versions of fairly tales, evil clowns, voodoo priests, and farmers. (OMG! NOT FARMERS!) I passed on the Blue Ridge Bloodbath car ride (it has been fun in past years) and the shows (maybe later in the month). Here's a peek at KD's Haunt. "3D." Any questions? More to come from Haunt. "2D." And now, I'd like to demonstrate the difference between "2D" and "3D." As I leave, aliens start showing up. Figures. First maze of the night. Some folks there thought they were queuing for Flight of Fear. "Yeah, I'm all family friendly and stuff. NOW YOU DIE!" "I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture--a pale blue eye with a film over it." "Yes, I appreciate a good pun--AFTER I SWALLOW YOUR SOUL! Let's see . . . Patty O'Fur . . . I say, how delightfully droll! KD is in no way responsible for this head. Rebel Yell is ready for Haunt. Yes, aren't you blown away by this authentic Medieval theming? I know I was impressed. Why, Shakespeare might walk through that door at any second. Kids, this is what will happen to your brains if you watch too many Transformers or Twilight movies. Any questions? But that seems a bit extreme. Yeah, I could stand to lose a few pounds. "Er, dude? I'd really like to swallow you whole, but I've already eaten. Come back in about two days." Crap! Now I'll never get to Volcano. See? A bit scarier after dark. I don't even want to know what the angry tiki mask is doing to the stuffed dragon's butt. Run! Run in fear from Pinkie the Shark! No lie--he'll put a hurtin' on you! Welcome to the "Feary Tales" scarezone. Well, it will be a scarezone in about two hours. My god! There is nothing more terrifying than . . . corn! Well, maybe kiwis. Those little furry fruits are kind of disturbing. Come to think of it, egg plants look like space-alien pods. Yeah, corn gets a bad rap. We now return to Haunt, which is not quite yet in progress. Some of the mazes open at 6:00, others at 7:00 (like the scarezones). "See--what did I tell you?" "Dude, that news is older than us. Go up the Eiffel Tower and see for yourself." What? KD is getting a new ride? This is huge! "Elementary, my dear Watson! Now, I wonder if there's someplace where one can purchase a shirt." "That's uncanny, Holmes! How do you do it?" " . . . there appears to be some sort of Halloween event taking place at Kings Dominion!" "Hmm--unless I miss my guess, Watson . . .

^Hmm--I'm not an ACE member, but I recall some bloodsucker in Club Blood calling out my name on Saturday night. Was that you?

^There was an ACE event at Kings Dominion yesterday? I was at the park from about 4:00-10:30 (checking out Haunt) and didn't notice any signs of an "event" (for example, people with wristbands). Was it a construction tour of Intimidator?

Look at it this way. You buy a new car, drive it hard, but fail to perform any routine maintenance as required by the manufacturer, such as changing oil and filters. Your engine blows up at 20,000 miles, thanks to a lack of clean oil. Whose fault is that--the car manufacturer, or yours for failing to follow instructions?

Looked like Danish for "go something yourself."

Ladies and gentlemen, the polls are closed, the results are tallied, and the big winner is . . . J man! J man, be sure to PM your address to Robb so that he can ship you your official Bag 'o' Crap! Who knows what kind of cool crap it will hold? Thanks to everyone who entered, and all who voted. Good stuff!

To reiterate: "Please. No pointless polls."

^Then do "Stay and Scream." It's win-win.

^Get a room, you two.

^I've been on two Ultra Twisters in Japan, and both were good rides. I guess it all depends on the upkeep.

^Ah, but are you "real" even when off the Internet? Indeed, are any of us?

Agreed--a large, lit-up attraction like Rockit would detract from the Halloween atmosphere. Rides like Men in Black and Revenge of the Mummy are a better fit for Horror Night.

13/20 I'll go hang myself in the toilet now.

It always amazes me that anyone would want Fast Passes for Honey, I Bored the Audience. I mean, what is there to "Fast Pass"? You hang around in the same big room as the "standby" people, sit through the same annoying pre-show, then sit in the same freakin' theatre a bit earlier than anyone else. It's like getting a Fast Pass to walk down the street or hang out in front of a convenience store.

I caught Adventureland a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it, but, yes, the ad campaign was a bit deceptive. And I now despair that I will never win a "giant-ass panda."

Scarezones are usually the weakest part of BGW's event (they put more into the mazes and shows). I agree that KD does a slightly better job here (at least in the park's Old Virginia section). I'm hoping to check out KD's Haunt either this coming weekend or the following weekend.