cfc

^Players could dress up like John Wilkes Booth.

Mr. Yeti's Cousin Sasquatch is intensely jealous because Yeti has his own ride. Grr! Sasquatch tear up Matterhorn track! Make own ride! Make Disney cough up money to build ride at DCA! Growl! Grr!

^Actually, all you win for lighting up Bill Clinton is a gift certificate to a Gap outlet, good for a "slightly irregular" blue dress.

^^I think we have a winnah, folks!

Hit the the ball at Bushie's nads and get a FREE Pizza!!! They'd deserve waaaaay more than a pizza from me! And if you light up Clinton's nose, you win . . . well, maybe we don't want to know that.

Hey, kids! Want to read more about Presidents Park? Here's their Web site: http://www.presidentspark.org/

I kid the place, but it actually is rather pleasant, Soren. There's even a gazebo out by Lincoln that would be a nice spot to eat a sandwich. Now if only they could've added a new president this year . . .

Nope--no pic of Hayes. But here's Martin Van Buren for ya! I'll give President Hayes your regards.

Well, I have all these pictures of Presidents Park--may as well put them to good use (and expose myself to public ridicule with something I slapped together just five minutes ago). Gentlemen, behold . . . Expedition Millard Fillmore! It combines the thrills of the Big Bad Wolf, with the majesty of the Fillmore administration! Experience a 90-foot drop into executive mediocrity! New at Williamsburg's Presidents Park! Yeah, I was president once--what's it to ya?

If they'd made it a mini-golf course, they might've had something.

Wonderland Amarillo? I guess the name says it all. I do like the Big Texan steakhouse in Amarillo, though. I guess, in a sense, I'm fortunate to have not visited enough parks to really consider one to be "all that bad" (although Magic Mountain back when I was in high school came closest).

According to the Chinese government, "the park's ticketing arrangement could be improved." Hmm--but can the manners of the Chinese public? Bet they won't try that "open-date" ticket arrangement again.

Presidents Park near Williamsburg, Va., located just across the Rt. 199 from Water Country USA, attempts to answer a burning question that has dogged historians for decades: What if all the presidents of our great nation had heads bigger than Buicks? The park, possibly the Williamsburg area's weirdest attraction, has a pretty weird history of its own. It seems that this wealthy visionary, whose name escapes me, purchased an entire set of huge concrete busts of all the presidents--from George Washington to George W. Bush--simply to build an educational attraction to appeal to school kids and families. Well, he laid out the park, trucked all the busts from Texas to York County, Va., and set about getting his building permits. Local reaction was, shall we say, unenthusiastic. Williamsburg was afraid that the whole concept, basically a rock garden of giant presidential heads, would be in bad taste. Even York County, which had gleefully allowed a Pirates Cove Adventure Golf and a Hooters (the county's motto is "if it feels good, build it") to be built right on the dividing line with snooty old Williamburg, balked at the idea of a 30-foot statue of the Father of Our Country towering over the trees and glowering at passing traffic on I-64. It took three years, but our visionary got his permits and built his park (sans the giant Washington). Yes, now you can stroll the winding paths of Presidents Park, gasp in awe at how much work must've gone into those concrete chief-executive kissers, and learn little factoids about our leaders past and present. Well, I did, indeed, wander amid the monumental mugs of the presidents. And I couldn't help but wonder just what they would say, if they had concrete tongues to go with their mouths. Perhaps it would go something like this . . . Ford: Hey, lady--would you say that Nixon is "compensating" for something with that huge nose? Just wonderin'. Sigh . . . we Virginia presidents pretty well crap on all other presidents until Lincoln, don't we lads? T. Roosevelt: Oh, leave poor Fillmore alone. At least we were still at war with somebody when I led the Rough Riders up San Juan Hill. Jerk. Jackson: Yeah, right Millard! It's not like you, oh, won the Battle of New Orleans or something. But you have my permission to come and pull this tree out of my eye. Fillmore: Oh, gee, I feel so sorry for you "big name" presidents. I wish there was a "Millard Fillmore Day Sale" somewhere! Please, use my kisser to sell major appliances! I don't mind. Lincoln: I'm with you, George. And I resent having my face used to sell washing machines and used cars. I held our country together during the Civil War for god's sake! Washington: Remember when you used to get my birthday off? What is this President's Day nonsense? Abe, what say you?

^You're probably right, although I'm not certain about this. Anytime BGW builds a new coaster, Kingsmill residents go ape about noise, "that damn amusement park," etc. So a restriction against rumbling woodies wouldn't be surprising. I guess those folks didn't notice the huge theme park in their backyards when they purchased their $1,000,000 homes. But Busch does a pretty good job using terrain to hide the "offending" structures from the upper-crust golfing set.

^That makes sense--France doesn't have much in the way of attractions except for Le Mans and a skyway station (and I doubt the big theatre is going anywhere). There are some "virgin" woods between France and Ireland. But time will tell. EDIT (for clarification): The Gazette article did mention "France" and not "New France." Apparently, a test balloon was seen floating in the vicinity of Alpengeist, which had me thinking "New France"; however, 'Geist is fairly close to the LeMans Raceway (in "France"), too. Hmm--not sure I clarified anything here . . .

How about a coaster with every restraint system known to man on each train--lap bars, OSRs, stand-up restraints, seat belts, even a length of rope. Riders could pick their own restraint system. Call it "X" Unrestrained! Or just "X"straint!

Actually, I'm not surprised that BGW is coasting a bit this year. DarKastle was a large investment (that's paying off nicely, I believe). I am pleased that they want to enhance DarKastle. As for what's going on in New France, I've heard the dive-coaster rumors, too (especially after Sheikra). Works for me, it that's what they're doing. I wonder where in New France. The current location of the Le Scoot log flume would be perfect, I think (it is getting pretty old).

^Hmm--perhaps "Emerald Beat" is some sort of leprechaun masturbatory fantasy.

Hey everybody! This thread is simple! Rather than having a million little threads about everything that goes on at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW), this thread is designed to consolidate it all into one user-friendly thread. Feel free to use it to post updates, trip reports, questions, comments, and of course, general discussion. For pictures and videos of the park as well as past updates, see TPR's Park Index Page. Official Park Website Below are some links to past updates from the park, you may be interested in. Enjoy! --Robb _____________________________________________________ 2006 January 30th, 2006 - Changes for 2006 announced March 4th, 2006 - Balloon test at 210 feet structure with James City County Planning April 1st, 2006 - Pre-show set-up for Curse of DarKastle tweaked June 27th, 2006 - LeMans Raceway to close August 23rd, 2006 - Specs for new coaster announced September 17th, 2006 - Ground clearing photos for new coaster 2007 May 13th, 2007 - Griffon opens 2008 March 6th, 2008 - new "land" rumored for 2009 August 8th, 2008 - Sesame Street area announced for 2009 2009 July 24th, 2009 - Closure of Big Bad Wolf announced July 29th, 2009 - "FAQs" about the Wolf's upcoming demolition Sept. 2nd,-2009 - Howl-O-Scream details announced Sept. 6th, 2009 - Brochure from BBW's debut year Sept. 8th, 2009 - PTR of BBW's last day Nov. 4th, 2009 - Christmas Town announced Nov. 14th, 2009 - More Christmas Town details Nov. 20th, 2009 - Busch Donates BBW train to The National Rollercoaster Museum Dec. 2nd, 2009 - Christmas Town Pictures 2010 Jan. 28th, 2010 - New attraction "Europe in the Air" announced Feb. 18th, 2010 - Follow Busch Gardens on Twitter and you could win prizes! Feb. 26th, 2010 - Christmas Town 2010 operating schedule extended March 4th, 2010 - Park adds sheepherding demonstration to Highland Stables March 16th, 2010 - Media Day for Highland Stables, Europe in the Air, and Celtic Fyre March 17th, 2010 - Official Highland Stables photos and video March 18th, 2010 - What's new at Wolf Haven? April 8th, 2010 - Big Bad Wolf trains delivered to coaster museum April 11th, 2010 - Robb visits the park! April 19th, 2010 - Pretzel Coaster Contest returns for a another year! April 22nd, 2010 - Europe in the Air Update April 23rd, 2010 - Electronic Hazardous Waste Recycling Day April 28th, 2010 - Drop Tower on the horizon April 30th, 2010 - Celtic Fyre & Europe in the Air grand opening photos! May 17th, 2010 - Park makes its B&M coasters more accessible June 10th, 2010 - County awards height waiver for new drop tower ride June 27th, 2010 - Blackstone may buy Kings Mill, BGW open year round? September 8th, 2010 - 2 year expansion plan teased in new video September 18th, 2010 - BGW makes their official announcement--and updates their video December 1st, 2010 - Christmas Town preview photos & video now online! 2011 January 5th, 2011 - BGW clears two more hurdles for 2012 coaster in Oktoberfest February 4th, 2011 - Busch Gardens Williamsburg expansion research February 21st, 2011 - Major Expansion Construction Update! Photos & Video! April 11th, 2011 - Busch Gardens Ramp Jam 2011! June 12th, 2011 - Verbolten Construction Begins! June 19th, 2011 - TPR Day at BGW! July 15th, 2011 - Howl-O-Scream 2011 website launched! July 19th, 2011 - Summer concert series lineup announced! August 13th, 2011 - Verbolten Construction Update! October 11th, 2011 - Water Country seeks permission to double in size October 30th, 2011 - More Pictures of Verbolten track! November 22nd, 2011 - Water Country USA gets approval for major expansion! December 2nd, 2011 - Verbolten: Construction Phase 2 video from BGW! December 11th, 2011 - Mini Update of Verbolten Construction! December 31st, 2011 - Last Verbolten Update for 2011! 2012 January 26th, 2012 - Verbolten update from the park! February 11th, 2012 - Brian Morrow shares new details about Verbolten March 1st, 2012 - Verbolten Hard Hat Tour! March 17th, 2012 - Big Verbolten update from Passholder Preview Day! April 5th, 2012 - Verbolten officially opening on May 18th, 2012 April 8th, 2012 - An Easter Sunday Verbolten update! April 15th, 2012 - New Verbolten Update! April 21st, 2012 - Verbolten is testing - Video proof April 27th, 2012 - BGW press release: Verbolten enters final testing phase! April 29th, 2012 - Another Verbolten Update! May 3rd, 2012 - Official Verbolten testing video from the park! May 9th, 2012 - Verbolten to feature multiple ride story lines! May 17th, 2012 - Verbolten Blogger Media Day! June 29th, 2012 - Busch Gardens orphaned wolf pup! July 23rd, 2012 - New ways to save at Busch Gardens and Water Country! August 11th, 2012 - BGW's Wolf Pups Media Day! Darling pictures of baby wolves! August 16th, 2012 - NASCAR Driver Ryan Newman to visit BGW on August 23; special discount admission offer! September 2nd, 2012 - Prep for Howl-o-Scream 2012! November 1st, 2012 - BGW expands Christmas Town with "Holiday Hills"! 2013 March 1st, 2013 - Want Busch Gardens to landscape your yard? March 13th, 2013 - Vote for the winner of the BGW Landscaping Giveaway! March 26th, 2013 - Landscaping Giveaway winner announced! August 15th, 2013 - Park releases information on Howl-o-Scream 2013! September 3rd, 2013 - New pirate-themed store for Howl-o-Scream! September 7th, 2013 - BGW announces new London Rocks show during Passholder Appreciation Weekend! September 14, 2013 - Howl-o-Scream opening media night event! October 29th, 2013 - Video teaser for new Water Country slide in 2014! November 12th, 2013 - Water Country announces Colossal Curl for 2014! November 23rd, 2013 - Opening night of Christmas Town! 2014 January 24th, 2014 - Caribbean cuisine is coming to the Food and Wine Festival! February 28th, 2014 - 2nd annual "Let BGW Landscape Your Front Yard" contest announced! May 26th, 2014 - Report from the Food & Wine Festival! August 24th, 2014 - Update: Festa Italia Ground Clearing and Howl-o-Scream Prep! September 6th, 2014 - Update: Passholder Appreciation Day, blue walls, and more Howl-o-Scream prep September 13th, 2014 - Blogger Preview Night for Howl-o-Scream! November 21st, 2014 - Mini construction update of the new ride being built by Apollo's Chariot! November 22nd, 2014 - Opening night of Christmas Town! December 5th, 2014 - New ride construction update! 2015 February 26th, 2015 - Tempesto announced Report from Passholder Preview Day--Tempesto "official" announcement March 29th, 2015 - Photos of Tempesto Testing! April 7th, 2015 - Busch Gardens' POV video of Tempesto! April 18th, 2015 - Tempesto soft-opening photos! April 25th, 2015 - Tempesto media day! August 26th, 2015 - Bier Fest coming in September! September 27th, 2015 - Opening night at Howl-o-Scream 2015! December 5th, 2015 - Christmas Town 2015! 2016 January 29th, 2016 - BGW posts teaser video for "Project 2017" February 3rd, 2016 - Second teaser video for "Project 2017" February 9, 2016 - Third teaser video for "Project 2017" March 19th, 2016 - Park confirms 2017 wooden coaster in released video teaser March 20th, 2016 - Report from Passholder Preview Day May 29th, 2016 - Food & Wine Festival/InvadR Update July 17th, 2016 - New InvadR update July 31st, 2016 - New InvadR update August 28th, 2016 - New Invadr/Howl-o-Scream update September 25th - Howl-o-Scream opening night October 10th, 2016 - InvadR goes vertical November 1st, 2016 - InvadR update December 5th, 2016 - Invadr & Christmas Town update 2017 January 2nd, 2017 - First InvadR update of the year February 22nd, 2017 - InvadR Hard-Hat Tour March 19th, 2017 - Passholder Preview Day and More Invadr April 7th, 2017 - InvadR Media Day report May 27th, 2017 - Food & Wine Festival Report July 14th, 2017 - Prepare to catch Frostbite at Howl-o-Scream September 4th, 2017 - A look at Bierfest and Howl-o-Scream prep October 8th, 2017 - Report from Howl-o-Scream December 3rd, 2017 - Report from Christmas Town 2018 February 28th, 2018 - Battle for Eire hard-hat tour March 30th, 2018 - Battle for Eire media day May 20th, 2018 - Busch Gardens starts teasing details for the 20th year of Howl-o-Scream: XX New Era of Terror May 27th, 2018 - Report from the Food & Wine Festival July 31st, 2018 - Park releases details about Bierfest 2018 September 5th, 2018 - Park announces Screamin' Swing & water coaster for 2019 September 18th, 2018 - Information about Howl-o-Scream XX September 27th, 2018 - Media day for Howl-o-Scream: 20 Years of Fears November 11th, 2018 - Christmas Town "hard-hat" tour December 5th, 2018 - A night at Christmas Town 2019 January 25th, 2019 - Large piece of Finnegan's Flyer delivered! March 14th, 2019 - Construction tour of Cutback Water Coaster and Finnegan's Flyer March 26th, 2019 - BGW announces Summer Nights Lineup May 4th, 2019 - Media day for Finnegan's flyer May 7th, 2019 - Finnegan's flyer POV video July 3oth, 2019 - Pantheon multi-launch coaster announced! September 18th, 2019 - A stroll through Howl-o-Scream 2019 October 3rd, 2019 - Pantheon track pieces begin to arrive at the park! November 4th, 2019 - A quick look at Pantheon! November 17, 2019 - Christmas Town opens! 2020 January 23rd, 2020 - Pantheon Hard-Hat Tour March 1st, 2020 - Pantheon construction complete, coaster train delivered! August 6th, 2020 - Coasters & Craft Brews Sneak Peek August 29th, 2020 - A Taste of Busch Gardens in September! September 5th, 2020 - Report from a Taste of Busch Gardens September 24th, 2020 - Busch Gardens announces Halloween Harvest October 12th, 2020 - Report from Halloween Harvest November 15th, 2020 - A Night at Busch Gardens' Christmas Celebration 2021 February 7th, 2021 - Busch Gardens' Mardi Gras Celebration March 14th, 2021 - Happy St. Patrick's Day from Busch Gardens March 26th, 2121 - Pantheon Testing Photos & Video April 19th, 2021 - Food & Wine Festival Report May 22th, 2021 - Sesame Street Kids' Weekends coming in June June 7th, 2021 - Busch Gardens Summer Nights June 27th, 2021 - Summer Nights Opening Weekend Report July 17th, 2021 - Bierfest coming on July 30th August 10th, 2021 - Howl-O-Scream 2021 details revealed! September 8th, 2021 - Pantheon opening March 2022! September 10th, 2020 - Opening night of Howl-o-Scream October 28th, 2021 - Christmas Town details revealed! 2022 January 24th, 2022 - Pantheon opening on March 25! March 27th, 2022 - What Have the Roman gods wrought? Some thoughts on and photos of Pantheon (opening weekend) April 14th, 2022 - Park releases Food & Wine Festival Info April 25th, 2022 - Aquazoid Amped & more coming to Water Country USA May 2nd, 2022 - A Sunday at the Food & Wine Festival July 16th, 2022 - Speakeasy coming to Busch Gardens August 8th, 2022 - Howl-o-Scream returns on September 9th September 6,th, 2022 - Busch Gardens Gives Us a Look at DarKoaster September 24th, 2022 - Howl-o-Scream Creeps Back to Williamsburg September 27th, 2022 - Riptide Race Coming to Water Country USA November 5th, 2022 - Christmas Town announcement 2023 February 1st, 2023 - Mardi Gras at Busch Gardens May 19th, 2023 - DarKoaster Media Day October 1st, 2023 - Loch Ness Monster: The Legend Lives On announced! November 4th, 2023 - Media Town Hall: Loch Ness Monster & more 2024 April 4th, 2024 - Sneak Peek at the Loch Ness Monster & More April 11th, 2024 - Loch Ness Monster Media Day Report September 18th, 2024 - Family inverted coaster announced for 2025! December 9th, 2024 - A Stroll Around Christmas Town 2025 February 25th, 2025 - Hard-Hat Tour of the Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge __________________________________________________________________________________________ According to today's Virginia Gazette, here's what will be happening at Busch Gardens in 2006: 1. The return of the summer concert series--there was no announcement of any specific performers, but the concerts will be part of regular admission (no upcharge) 2. "Emerald Beat"--the replacement for "Irish Thunder" will be (surprise!) another Irish dance show, but with new music and costumes and improved theming in the theatre, including the lobby 3. "Kinetix"--the replacement for "Imaginique" (another "Cirque-type" show) 4. "Curse of DarKastle"--Busch plans to enhance this already great ride for 2006 with "intensified fire vehicle propulsion" (that is, enhanced movement--perhaps they'll be beefing up that fireplace sequence, eh?) Busch didn't formally announce what type of attraction they'll be installing for 2007, but they have applied for a "height waiver" for a planned attraction in France. This waiver is needed for structures taller than 60 feet. Let the speculation begin . . . Chuck EDIT: The height-waiver request is actually for "France" (or "Aquitaine") according to the Gazette, not "New France" (or "Fort New France"). This has been mentioned in later posts, but I've finally corrected it here as well.

This park needs a special section: "Knott's When It Was Still a Good Park Land." Rides would include the Wacky Soapbox Racers (and Motorcycle Chase), the Parachute Sky Jump, and (God help us) Knott's Beary Tales. I'd also include a re-creation of the Lost Dutchman Mine from the long-gone-but-not-forgotten Frontier Village in San Jose.

Yes, the Lost Aisles of Gemco--the queue area would be themed like a Best store, thus providing a place to shop and wait at the same time. Snack stands should be well stocked with deep-fried butter sticks and ten-pound funnel cakes.

My policy is to never "look back in angora." You know, a DarKastle/Spidey-like ride based on Plan 9 from Outer Space could be hilarious.

^You mean MIssion: Space isn't based on Ed Wood's Jail Bait? Boy, that changes everything! Next you'll be telling me that Showgirls didn't inspire Journey Into Your Imagination. Oh, and everybody should ride DarKastle--kinda lost the thread, there.

I understand your feelings here; I usually don't check out videos of new rides, either, because I like there to be a few surprises. That being said, there are plenty of folks who may not get a chance to check out E:E themselves, so it's good that the videos are available. As others have said, you don't have to watch them.

Excellent work--well thought out and presented. I'm not a big fan of The Lion King but I'd line up to ride this bad boy. Guy has a point. Do what you must to copyright and protect your ideas, lest you become one of those poor souls who sues Disney and becomes a target on Disney message boards. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a presentation to make to WDI. Something to do with lions and volcanoes and hyenas . . .