palmerleeberry

I saw my first show at KINGS DOMINION during my first visit there in 1978: it was a Broadway-styled show called "New York, New York". The other shows I remembered that came later were "Celebration", "Fantasy", Parmount's Ice Shows, and "The Ghoulish Rockers" ( in which I saw first at Carowinds before it appeared at Kings Dominion a year later). The was another show at Busch Gardens Williamsburg that ran for a few seasons and I got to see it about four or five times. I cannot remember the title, but they featured different types of shows from circus acts to TV shows. Six Flags America had an improv show during one season, and in another season showed how movies were made. Other shows I've seen - Magic, circus, stunt work, and music bands.

I often feel like Six Flags America has been treated like it was the bastard son of the Six Flags family; in as much so that a few years ago I boycotted all Six Flags parks until Six Flags America finally gets the props and respect it should deserve. I since then recanted that boycott and have visited not just Six Flags America, but also a few other Six Flags parks as well. But I will admit there was two seasons in which I purchased a Six Flags season pass, but not at Six Flags America ( one was at Six Flags New England and the other was at Six Flags over Georgia) even though it was the nearest Six Flags park to me. The last time I was at Six Flags America was during Frightfest a few years ago ( after the Ragin' Cajun debuted) and I enjoyed my visit there. Despite the negative press this park keeps getting, I feel that this park is decent enough, but it'd take something special to cause riders and amusement park flyers to want to return to this park season after season. I'm not perfect - I just love to ride!!!

After reading the last few pages of posts, I decided to add in a few of my comments - #1 - Say what you want about THE ANACONDA I don't feel that ride being too rough for me although I'm a big, muscular person with layers of cushioning fat. #2 - Ditto for THE GRIZZLY. Canada's Wonderland's Wild Beast coaster has that same layout, but that coaster was TOOOOO rough for me to enjoy. #3 - I lost some weight, but I have at least twenty pounds to go. While I do have a 44 inch waist, my upper chest is massive and I needed the ride attendant's help to push the restraints down one more click on Delirium and Windseeker, and I can only ride in the larger seat for DOMINATOR. Fortunately they are other rides in which my size won't be a problem ( Log Flume, Flying Eagles, Scrambler, Avalanche, Dodge 'Em, Bad Apple, and Rebel Yell, for example). #4 - TWISTED TIMBERS IS GONNA BE AWESOME!!! KINGS DOMINION -Betcha you can't do it all!!!

I thought my recent visit to KINGS DOMINION earlier this month would have been my last, but with the announcement of TWISTED TIMBERS has motivated me to lose some weight and get myself fit ( for the record I still have what it takes to ride, but only if I can fit into the restraints. I can still fit into the restraints for Intimidator 305 and Delirium and RMC coasters use lap restraints, but I want to lose twenty pounds so I can be positive I'll fit into all the seats. If I succeed I'll reward myself with a Platinum Pass!). Besides the inversions, it's nice to see that they are keeping this coaster as a triple out-and back like the old Hurler was.

Nice TR on Adventure Island. I have ridden a ride like Dragon Claw at Morey's Pier a few years ago. A ride like that should have been named "The Intimidator"!

As for my thoughts on whether or not a tunnel is too short on a coaster, just ride one several times. If nobody on the ride is screaming when the train runs through the tunnel, then that tunnel is too short. As for my favorite coasters at KINGS DOMINIONthat have the tunnel elements I will have to say REBEL YELL that have the tunnels at the end, THE GRIZZLY that has a tunnel in the middle, and The BACKLOT STUNT COASTER that has a tunnel that is long enough.

Another long lost post getting a reboot. You know, that is a good question and after nearly twelve years since the last post I don't think I've seen or heard any rides or attractions that were based off a video game, but we do have a few attractions that are like playing in a video game. Toy Mania at Disney California Adventures comes to mind, so does the Guardian at Canada's Wonderland, Men in Black at Universal, Ghostwood Estate at Kennywood, and all the other "shoot targets with your blasters" dark rides out there. Then there was a season at Six Flags America that offered the Nintendo Wii experience. That's all I can think of, so what do anyone else think?

After eleven years, finally this thread will get a post. Pass out the Champagne!!! Already Disney got two parks in California, four parks in Florida, one in France, and one in Hong Kong, plus several resorts and cruises. I cannot think where the next park will go next. There was a planned park in Haymarket, Virginia back in the 1990's, but the plans got scrapped and never came to light again. It's a pity because if the plans came to fruition and the park opened up in 1998, then that park could've been celebrating its 20th anniversary next year. If Disney were to try to build a new park in Virginia today, it would have to contend with the fact that this park won't be able to remain open everyday of the year like the ones in California and Florida ( unless a majority of its attractions are indoors and the fact the site it chooses could have significant historic connections ( like Haymarket did with being near a Civil War battlesite ). To me, with all the next buildings and new attractions slated for Disneyland and other Disney parks, I think they have more on their plate already than deciding to build the next Disneyland.

All right, I know I said a few posts back that I didn't want to continue on this topic, but this incident happened two weeks ago at KINGS DOMINION. I was in PLANET SNOOPY ready to ride FLYING ACE. To those who don't know what Flying Ace is - it's a circular flat ride you ride with or without a partner and it's almost like Windseeker, but doesn't go as high. Even though I'm a single rider, I had to team up with a little kid so he can ride with me. But I've nothing against this kid I was riding with; he was cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce - no, it was the group of older kids that were behind me. When the ride started, these kids started screaming like they were in mortal danger. Now Flying Ace doesn't go as high as Windseeker ( maybe one third of the height), but still you are so far off the ground. The kid I was riding with was smiling, laughing, and enjoying the ride, but the kids behind me thought they were going to die. As for me, I thought I was going to go deaf 'bout the time the ride ended. Finally the ride ended and those kids took a hasty exit. As for me, I reentered the line ( the line was non- existent ) and rode the ride again with no one screaming behind me. Those older kids should be embarrassed; here was a young little kid that wasn't scared of Flying Ace and I know once he becomes older and tall enough he'll be a rider and amusement park flyer like I am.

That, my friend, should be on the platform come election day. Beer and Roller coasters - what could be more AMERICAN than that? "BEER FOR PRESIDENT!!!"

It's a pity I didn't get to visit this park while I was in Iowa ( I went to Adventureland instead ) because I didn't know it existed. Nice TR report.

I travel very light when I enter a park. I wear a collared shirt, swimming trucks with pockets in the front, and shoes. The keys are tied to my trunk's drawstrings so they won't get lost ( I must not forget them whenever I visit the restrooms ). I have a coin purse I keep inside the pocket that will contain money and/or debit card and my season pass. At certain parks I might have my souvenir cup on hand and I might keep a folded copy of the park map in the other pocket. By traveling light and like this, I can enter through the bagless line and quickly go through the metal detector and never worry about loose articles.

I visited that park during a theme park tour back in 2009 and found that park to be enjoyable. I was surprised by the fact that many of the ride operators were older than I was when all the other parks would have ride operators still in high school and college. That mean green machine wasn't there, but the old log flume was and I'm thinking that former log flume site is where the Monster now lurks. If you are able to travel out to Iowa, then this park is a must-visit.

I believe that this is a "HOT BUTTON" issue when it comes to what you can wear when riding a water slide and what you must take off. I can understand taking off my shirt and water shoes when it comes to riding a body slide and even an inner tube ride, but one time when I got on a family rafting ride called Zoomer at Kings Dominion, I was told to take my shirt off. I didn't understand why I needed to; I was riding a family raft ride, not a body slide! Maybe I'll just stick to Log Flumes, Rafting, and Shoot the Chutes. On the subject of needing to remove water shoes, I removed mine before heading over to a water slide, and my poor feet felt like they were on fire! All that hot sun baking on concrete will do that to you. And even pre-wetting your feet won't work because they will quickly dry out and get hot within a minute. I just wanted to cool down in the water, not do any fire-walking while walking to a water attraction.

Judging by some of the responses made me think that maybe I need help, so if you all would be kind to start a fund and send me lots of $$$ then I'd make sure I use those funds to get the help I do need - to ride more Pinfari coasters!!! "There was somebody out here earlier, running his mouth, and saying that I was crazy. Well, I got news for him: I AM CRAZY!!!"

On Kings Dominion Delirium I sat next to a young girl who got so freaked out I thought she was suffering from a severe trauma attack. She was screaming "OH MY GOD!!!" and me (who rode many rides like that during my years as a rider and amusement park flyer - hmm I haven't used that phrase in a long while) started joking with her and singing the chorus part to The Battle Hymn of the Republic; I thought she found religion. As the ride was slowing down, I could hear her whimpering, so I quickly changed my tone and told her to take deep breaths; the ride was over. She got off the ride, ran to the exit, and was gone! It started as a funny situation, but methinks it could have turned serious and my joke of people finding religion while on a ride could had her actually going up to Heaven because the ride nearly scared her to death. Although I'll be riding more Deliriums methinks that poor girl would rather stay on the carousel than get on that ride.

^Yesireebob, that is the life for me. As for IT that type of ride I cannot get on so to my size, but I was able to ride the outer seating rides ( such as Kennywood's Black Widow and Kings Dominion's Delirium) and floored Frisbee rides ( like Six Flags Fiesta Texas Frisbee and Six Flags Great America Revolution). I often wonder why rides like IT ( and Hersheypark's The Claw) have to make the seats smaller than their cousins. Methinks its a way to get over-sized riders to slim down so, in the long run, they won't be stuck riding log flumes, carousels, and giant-sized Ferris Wheels because it'll be the only rides they can fit into. I'm working hard to ensure that I can ride all rides ( Five pounds lost, about twenty to thirty pounds to go)

Yes, I believe that the late, great Mr. Schultz would be mighty pleased if he could visit this park, just as pleased with the many Planet Snoopys that are in every Cedar Fair park. PEANUTS FOREVER!!!

^ "I'm hoping that I'm long dead before that happens; I don't want to live in a world with no more Pinfari coasters" ^ Holy John Miller, I think you've described my worst nightmare!

Well, I do know that riding a rough roller coaster after have a big lunch can cause . . . certain things to . . . be expelled from your own bodily functions! For a witty post, it's time for me to do my dance: !!!

^ Holy John Miller, that is one awesome water slide! I'm hoping my nearest water park WATER COUNTRY USA would look at this video and consider getting one for their park since they don't have a bowl slide yet.

I just became #8. I would drive thousands of miles just to ride a Pinfari Coaster. Kings Dominion used to have one called "THE GALAXI" when they first opened up their doors and I first rode it in 1978, my first visit to the park. If the lines weren't too long I would do marathons on that coaster. I remember other parks having that type of coaster; such as Busch Gardens, Magic Harbor, and Indiana Beach. But sadly that type of coaster is starting to become an endangered species with two parks that I know still operate a Pinfari coaster: Adventureland U.S.A. in Maryland, and Morey's Pier in New Jersey. Whenever I hear of any park getting rid of their Pinfari coasters I feel like .

Oh wow, just when I thought I've seen and rode everything . . . A Wild Mouse Water Coaster comes along and splashes its cold water on your face to make you wake up and prove to you that original ideas or amalgam of ideas in amusement parks are not dead. I would like to ride a ride like that and maybe a park nearby might consider this type of coaster. And not just an amusement park, but maybe in a water park ( that idea isn't far-fetched; Noah's Ark in Wisconsin Dells has a Shoot the Chutes ride )! Here's another idea to chew on - take that ride I've seen the video of, add in a longer, more visual tunnel, and end it it a big lift and giant splashdown in to a lake. Who wouldn't want to ride that. I'm so blown away I'm !

Last Saturday at Knoebel's Log Flume, there were two men who were popping quarters into the spray guns and getting everybody wet when their log came around the turn to enter the final lift. There are two of these spray guns and these men where using both of them. And I think they did this for about an hour. I'm sure with all the money they've spent spraying the riders would be enough for economy recovery of some third world country in Africa that I've never heard of before. "Hey, I wouldn't talk about it if I was you. What about you and all those quarters you've spent playing pinball, Fascination, and Pokereno? True, but did anyone else get wet when I won all those tickets and won replays on two pinball machines? What did those two men get besides soaking nearly half of the park attendants? I took home a lava lamp and two stuffed animals. What do you have to say about that? "Aww, kiss my !" "Hey, that's my line! I'll sue you!"

What? It flooded a few days before I got there the weekend of July 28-29? I never knew that. But on the two days I was there to ride a few rides and play Fascination and Pokereno, there was a light rain and light crowd on Friday. Saturday had sunny skies and huge crowds visited the park. That was the first time I've ever saw The Phoenix and The Twister run double trains, not to mention long lines on the Log Flume, Haunted House, and Black Diamond Mine. IMPULSE had all its lines filled up, but I got up and rode it because I was a and that line was empty. I wanted to try out their newest ride OVER THE TOP, but that ride was out of service ( so was Power Surge, Downdraft, and 1001 Nights on Friday, but got Power Surge running on Saturday). I played some pinball and cashed out some the Fascination Coupons and Playland tickets so I could take home some stuff. I still have tickets left over for a return visit. KNOEBELS - The park that all other parks wish they could be like!