Rachel127

I agree, those are all basic requirements for starting a new park but I would think for a new park to be successful you would need to have at least one major steel coaster other than a boomerang (but then again, Knoebels doesn't have any steel coasters do they?) as well other classic rides like tilt a whirl, scrambler, heck thow in a good drop tower for good measure too! Btw, they're opening a new park in Kansas?

I started in 1990, when I was 5, my parents took me to Knoebels. They tried to get me to go on kiddie rides, but I didn't want to, I only wanted to go on the Phoenix. I rode phoenix like 5 times that day and my parents had to drag me away, I've been hooked ever since! Sadly, now that I live in AZ I haven't had a chance to go to a park in a long long time, but hopefully sometime in april, I'll be able to make my first visit to SFMM, yay!

I don't have a pic, but basically all coasters at Expoland in Japan. They are all white! absolutly no color, how boring is that!

The site just says " a wide range of thrill rides" . I think it will be interesting to see how exactly they incorporate the rock and roll theme, Imo it could either end up a really cool park or just lame depending on what they do with the theme.

I like the Gold and Purple of Apollo's Chariot, and also Deja vu is pretty

according to screamscape, its going to be approximately 150 acres and a 200 mil investment featuring thrill rides and lots of other rides with a rock and roll theme.

Here's the article from Screamscape.com Hard Rock Park (Proposed New Park) Myrtle Beach / Fantasy Harbour, SC 2007/2008 - Planning Phase - (9/22/05) Hard Rock Park received the final rezoning approval needed to move ahead with their plans for the park yesterday. They will begin the meetings with bankers to set up the bonding / financing needed to begin construction this week and they expect to have everything complete before the end of the year. Read all about it at Myrtle Beach Online. (9/21/05) The developers of the Hard Rock Park claim that construction could begin in early 2006 if Horry County votes to rezone the land the park wants to use. The rezoning would be the final vote of confidence needed to secure the last bits of financing they need to move forward. Visit Myrtle Beach Online to read the details and see an overhead map of the property. (8/15/05) The developers of the Hard Rock Park say that they need another month or so to finalize their financing before meeting with the County Council to vote on final approval. They hope to do some sometime in September if all goes well. (7/11/05) Here is another article about the Hard Rock Park along with a map showing off the proposed site. (7/8/05) The latest news about the proposed Hard Rock Park indicates they the project is alive, well and seems to be 100% privately funded now. It seems the developers have made a plan to build the park with private funds and are no longer requesting any kind of public funding for the park, which is where they still were back in January. (10/10/03) On Tuesday the local council approved unanimously the required rezoning of the Fantasy Harbor site needed to move forward with the Hard Rock Theme Park project. The developers are still working out the details of their financing at this time for the $200 million rock ‘n roll themed park and the outdoor 15,000 seat concert venue, but they would still like to try and open it by 2005. (8/8/03) The local news outlets have confirmed that the Hard Rock Cafe is involved with the proposed new theme park project and will lend their brand name to it. The name “Hard Rock Park” with a logo said to look just like the Hard Rock Cafe signs has already been filed with the trademark office and www.hardrockpark.com has already been bought up as well, though it only points to the HRC website currently. The proposed 150 acre park may cost $200 million to build and would have a wide range of thrill rides, heavy Rock & Roll themeing throughout, plus an outdoor concert venue that could hold 15,000 people.

Hydra @ Dorney Park. It has no forces or airtime, its so smooth you could practically fall asleep. Even though Hercules was rough Imo it was still way more entertaining than Hydra.

I think a park could work here even in the summer, CNC is open year round. The key to making it work in the summer would be to install shade canopys over the ride lines and add misters and fans under the canopys. They could also build those splash fountains where you stand on it and water shoots up as well as offer an all day beverage pass for x amt of money you get all the free refills you want. Plus they could run limited hrs in the summer like 6pm-1am. Having lived both in phoenix and on the east coast, 110 with no humidity is a hell of alot better than 95 with 95%humidity.

Aww...Im so jealous! I miss snow! I moved to Phoenix 4 years ago from northern PA and I haven't seen snow since! Right now its like 70 and sunny here.

It looks amazing so far, hopefully the weather won't delay construction too much. Also, hopefully SFGadv will maintain it and not let it fall apart after a few years.

Rumor has is that Santa's Christmas Theme park at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix, Az could become a year round fixture. Holiday-theme amusement park may develop into year-round facility Owners of the new Christmas theme park at Firebird International Raceway are in negotiations with a major developer to expand their operation to a full-blown, full-time amusement park. Santa's LLC would be the newest name added to the list of companies trying to build a year-round theme park in Arizona. The Phoenix-based company opened Santa's -- A Christmas Theme Park Nov. 16, just off Interstate 10 in Chandler. With more than 50 amusement park rides, 2 million light bulbs and a 78-foot Christmas tree, the $15 million investment spans a mile along I-10. But it could be a holiday anchor for a major theme park if negotiations go well, said James Knips, president of Santa's LLC. "Without mentioning who, we have been in talks with major theme park developers, and it's possible we might do something together," Knips said. "We hope to be a major theme park down the road, then we can bring in Santa's during the holiday season and possibly add a theme park." Knips said he wants to continue the company's rental agreement with the Gila River Indian Community, adding it would be a couple of years before his company would expand. "We would love to stay in the Gila River Indian Community," he said. "They have been very good to us. They have a tremendous master plan for that community." The seasonal amusement park at Firebird follows varying stages of discussions for other parks being considered throughout the state. Groups in west Phoenix and Williams secured special tax districts earlier this year to create a water park and an amusement park, respectively. And for years, owners of Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek have tried to quash rumors that they are selling their 300-acre farm to an amusement park such as Disney or Six Flags. Danny Brand, general manager and chief executive of Santa's LLC, said he chose Phoenix for his park because of its growth, diverse population and moderate weather. With his best friend Knips at his side, he brought on Guy Leavitt as chairman. Leavitt is president and chief executive of Ray Cammack Shows Inc., which provides amusement park rides for Santa's park as well as for a dozen state fairs across the country, including the Arizona State Fair. "A park of this nature costs more than $15 million as a startup, including infrastructure, equipment, decorations -- everything involved in starting up this park," Knips said. The company's agreement with the Gila River community is for 80 acres at Firebird, which can be renewed year after year, Knips said. On the land that runs along I-10, there was no infrastructure, which meant Santa's LLC had to install more than 20,000 feet of sewer and water pipes, as well as new electrical poles and lines. The company also laid more than 1,000 tons of asphalt and surfacing material. "The infrastructure cost was enormous, which tells you we're committed to the community," Knips said. "We have a lot invested in the project -- a lot of sponsorship obligations that we are proud to be involved with, such as Coca-Cola, Bashas' and Food City." They also chose Phoenix Children's Hospital, YMCA and Make A Wish Foundation as charities that will receive a portion of ticket sales. The park will be open through Jan. 8, 2006. Tickets are $23 for adults and $18 for seniors and children under 10 years of age. Once in the park, all the amusement rides are free. In the first days the park was open, Knips noticed some adults weren't interested in the rides, preferring to spend their time watching live shows and walking through Santa's Christmas Village, which includes 23 Christmas fantasy themes. Tweaking the program as it goes along, Knips said beginning Dec. 2, customers will have the option to buy a $16 no-ride entertainment pass. Company officials also decided to change park hours, opening earlier on weekends and holidays than originally scheduled. Knips hopes to attract as many visitors to Santa's park as the Arizona State Fair, which saw a record-breaking 1.28 million people go through the turnstyles this year. Santa's will be open for 53 days, compared with 17 days for the state fair, he said. He figures there are more weekends and students on winter break who will help boost the attendance numbers. Jeff Brooks, general manager of Castles N' Coasters near Metrocenter mall in Phoenix, declined to comment about the competition. "Any time there's a like business, there's competition," Brooks said. "What they do is their business. We've got all we can handle here." Brooks declined to reveal his costs when he added Castles N' Coasters to the existing miniature golf facility almost 20 years ago. Knips said the company could turn a profit this first year, but said he is more focused on building a park that will be accepted by the community. More than $3 million has been spent on advertising, he said. Plans call for building additional Santa's theme parks in other warm climate states, such as California, Texas and Florida as well as in Mexico, Knips said. "We won't do any expansion in 2006," he said. "We want to fine-tune this to be our premier startup and then we have forecast to go into other states, starting in 2007." Brand had worked for more than 22 years in Florida as executive vice president of Santa's Enchanted Forest in Miami, which grew from 175,000 visitors to 800,000 guests before he left in 2003. He retired from that company in January 2004 and began putting his plans together to open the Santa's theme park in Phoenix. "We're very excited to be bringing this wonder-filled event to Arizona," Brand said. "The holidays tend to create a special feeling, and we want to capture that feeling for as long as possible." © 2005 The Business Journal of Phoenix

Thanks everyone! Happy Birthday to everyone who shares my b-day: cadillacranch, GoldRusheROCKS, Gregory DG, and laserranger1064nm!

If you go to the website Homedebut.com it gives you panoramic views of all parts of a home, plus it has all the important info like sq footage and price. Good luck finding a Home!

My First name (Rachel) + my b-day 12/7

Yes they are all different, but they are all still coasters and will all provide different experiences. I am excited about Tatsu, not only is it the closest to me (probaly the only one I have a chance to ride) but it looks amazing, I can't wait to try it! *Thanks you guys for helping me with the poll thing too, I've never tried to set one up before *

Which coaster are you most excited about for 2006? Tatsu The Voyage El Toro Goliath Expedition Everest Patriot

I miss 90210. It was the original O.C. Does anyone know if they have a dvd collection of it out yet?

I also had no idea it exsisted. I live in phoenix area is it worth a trip to go?

I wonder how badly the park overall was damaged? I know that SFNO was not a particularly high volume park I almost would'nt be surprised if it was the next SF park to close and get sold off.

I get scared on any ride that hangs you upside down and holds you there ( like Evolution and Tango to name a few). I hate the feeling of your chest falling foreward. Inversions don't bother me if they are quick like on coasters or if they force you back in the seat. The only other rides that would scare me is the stuff on top of the Stratosphere, its way too high!