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I have never felt unsafe on any ride myself however my parents on the other hand had a very horrible experience on a scrambler. Long story short back in the summer of 1974 they were at a county fair in Virginia. Dad wanted to ride the scrambler but my mom had a bad vibe about riding it but my dad talked her into it. While they were riding the scrambler according to my mom the ride got stuck running full blast. If that wasn't bad enough just before the carnival folks had managed to stop the ride one of the empty cars flew off from the ride and crashed into a nearby tree. My mom had told me over the years that when they finally got off the entire fair was totally quiet as everyone was in shock and the only thing they heard was the then Billy Swan hit song "I Can Help" coming from somebody's AM radio. That song gives her the creeps to this day.

I live in Denver and I pretty much agree with you however to be a theme park/coaster enthusiast and living in Colorado, at least along the Front Range area anyway doesn't really have to suck as we do have a very large airport and unlike so many other airports that are losing service Denver is actually gaining flights plus with having United, Frontier and Southwest calling DIA their hub/focus city one can get some very good deals too. One big plus also is considering how so many cities are only an hour or two away by plane from Denver one can easily leave town in the morning, do the local theme park during the day and fly back to Denver at night. My boss recently did this with Lagoon in Utah. He left Denver in the morning and not only was he able to visit Lagoon he had more than enough time to check out Salt Lake City as well and he was back in Denver by sunset. ..of course it would be nice if Denver had a decent park of its own but having access to so many cheap non-stop flights from DIA can make up for it.

The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival carnival in Winchester, Virginia. While the food and ride selection was pretty good but OMG... THE POLITICS !! Back in 2012 I actually saw a few folks who were turned down from riding the Ferris Wheel because they weren't supporters of Rick Santorum who was at the time running for president. I wish I was joking about this but unfortunately I'm not and it is a shame too because it was such a nice large carnival. The Arapahoe County Fair just outside of Denver, Colorado is a "runner-up" for me. Again as it was with the Apple Blossom carnival the food and rides were great but in this case it was the rather aggressive vendors that killed it for me. Last year some guy was selling those e-cigarettes at the fair. He approached me asking if I smoke. I told him that other than maybe a cigar once in a full moon the answer is NO and that NO I was NOT interested in e-cigarettes. Apparently he couldn't accept my answer as he kept following me around the fair BEGGING me to at least try an e-smoke. It was so embarrassing that it had got to the point where I had to get security involved. Won't be going back to that county fair.

In my collection I have on VHS video tape two television commercials from the 1950's that was shot on location at an amusement park. *A mid 1950's ad for 7-UP that was shot at the original Elitch Gardens in Denver. The Wildcat and most of the rides were shown as well as that famous big Elitch Gardens sign that was on the corner of West 38th Avenue and Tennyson Street. *A late 1950's ( perhaps early 60's ) ad for Winston Filter Cigarettes that was shot I believe at the now defunct Rockaways' Playland in New York. A couple rides the wooden roller coaster and other rides then they decide to light up their Winstons. A close up of the pack of Winstons is shown in the coaster's loading station with the voice guy saying "Winston taste good..Like a cigarette should". A few other clips I have however unfortunately they are on VHS..... *The 1978 Dick Clark special "Good Ole Days" with Frankie Avalon & Annette Funicello was shot on location at Knotts Berry Farm. Singer Freddy Cannon is singing his old hit "Palisades Park" right in front of the corkscrew coaster. *Elvis Presley's 1963 film "It Happened at the World's Fair" was shot in Seattle during their World's Fair. Don't remember if any roller coasters were shown but many rides were..and the then-brand new Space Needle. *The 1970's Jack Webb show "Emergency" at least two episodes were shot at amusement parks including one where a man was almost killed on a double Ferris Wheel. Not sure if the parks were real or did Jack Webb borrow some rides to make it seem like an amusement park though. *The 10/27/1967 episode "And A Child Shall Lead Them" of Gomer Pyle USMC had many scenes that were shot at the long defunct Glen Echo Amusement Park outside of Washington DC. Yes one does see the Coaster Dips roller coaster and some of the other rides Glen Echo had at the time as well such as the Trabant, Ferris Wheel and the Whip.

http://www.wvec.com/news/local/Giant-Ferris-wheel-could-become-oceanfronts-newest-attraction--249350631.html Why is it that I get the feeling that within 10 years every large city will have their own giant wheel ??

While you are for the most part right actually with the exception of the state of Montana the law in America is that employment is "at will" meaning that a business can fire someone at anytime and for any reason unless it's a protective class such as skin color for example. Read your company's handbook and/or the contract between an employer and employee and chances are they usually bring up "employment at will". However with that being said since most businesses have their own set of rules as to who gets fired or not plus add in workplace politics as a result many of times "questionable" employees unfortunately do keep their jobs while those who do work hard are usually the ones who are shown the door. I have seen this sort of thing many of times when I had spent almost 20 years working in the radio biz.

I am curious about that one myself. Will Elitch Gardens, Lakeside and Waterworld restrict smoking to just cigarettes and e-smokes only ?? When I had lived in West Virginia several years ago the bars that were located in my county had a similar policy in place between them however the reason behind it wasn't due to marijuana but rather it was due to cigars. Apparently there were too many fights between customers because someone had dared to light up a cigar even though the bars themselves still had allowed smoking inside the establishment.

Even though I somehow have my doubts but then again since I have never been there I guess it "could" be true but over the years I have been told by many that Alaska is the only state in the US that has never seen a roller coaster, not even a kiddy coaster on the carnival circuit.

I'm from West Virginia and yes I agree it would be nice to see a park in the mountain state. Don't know about the rest of West Virginia but unfortunately in the Eastern Panhandle ( Martinsburg & Charles Town ) there is still a lot of that "..oh hell no..not in MY backyard" attitude there. 30 years ago there was talk about building a small family amusement park not far from the Berkeley Plaza Shopping Center. The locals killed the idea before the town of Martinsburg even had a chance to discuss the idea. Today nobody even remembers it. My parents can remember back in the sixties somebody had expressed interest in building a small park similar to Gettysburg, PA's long defunct Fantasyland near the Charles Town Races today's Hollywood Casino..that too died a quick death. Though not West Virginia the city of Winchester, Virginia is only 9 miles or so from the WV boarder. About ten years ago the city was looking at turning the public swimming pool in their city park into a small scale waterpark. Winchester as I can recall even had the money for it too. Again unfortunately the old timers there fought tooth and nail to fight it only to succeed. Today that pool is well just that..a pool. Today if Winchester would look as much as having anything close to an amusement park no doubt too many of the locals would scream "remember MAGIC VALLEY FOOD N" FUN ??....we can't support one". Magic Valley was a small Jeepers like indoor family funplex and they had a small coaster. Even though Magic Valley is long defunct it was a number of reasons including landlord issues that sealed it fate. It wasn't due to lack of business which it received from not only Northern Virginia but the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia too...of course the foes would say otherwise. **sigh** http://rcdb.com/3405.htm

Back in the 80's I can remember when Richmond's WRVA-AM 1140 had a studio at the base of the Eiffel Tower. Funny that of all the times I had visited KD back in those days I never once saw anyone in that studio. I had always felt that was odd since that studio would had been great PR for Kings Dominion considering that WRVA was and still is Virginia's most powerful radio station since one can still pick up WRVA as far away as Chicago even well into Canada. Come to think of it I seem to remember the old Piedmont Airlines having a ticket office not far from the Eiffel Tower. I do know that Piedmont was KD's official airline back in those days.

This past summer visiting Lakeside in Denver I had noticed a few guys walking around the park...smoking joints. OK I know marijuana is legal in Colorado but still it was odd to see people smoking pot at an amusement park.

This is exactly what many do when they decide to visit Kings Dominion and BGW. Fly into either the two DC area airports, Baltimore, Raleigh, Charlotte or even PHILADELPHIA..rent a car and drive the many of miles even though nearby Richmond and Hampton Roads have their own airports, actually Hampton Roads have TWO ( Newport News/Williamsburg International and Norfolk International ). Charlottesville and Roanoke also have airports but of course neither is near any theme/amusement park, well Roanoke did have Lakeside but they have been gone for over 25 years years now. Over the years I have heard many of stories as to why people tend to avoid Virginia's airports other than Dulles and National near DC such as "too expensive", "hard to get to" ( that one I do not buy at all ) and the ever important "..lack of non-stop flights". Of course its easy to fly non-stop to say Richmond or Norfolk from Charlotte, Atlanta and Baltimore and most other big cities up and down the east but just try to find a a non-stop flight say from LA or Phoenix to Norfolk..not gonna happen. Considering that region not only has BGW but Virginia Beach, Norfolk Naval Base, water parks such as Water Country USA and many other attractions plus being a metro area with close to 2 million people one would think Hampton Roads would have a major airport with lots of non-stop flights nationwide..but they don't. Oh well the lack of non-stop flights is a gain for the many of hotels/motels on the way. Both Hagerstown, Maryland and Winchester, Virginia their hotels and restaurants do get a LOT of business from travelers from Ohio, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis and Kentucky who make those areas a "stop over" on their way to the various Virginia attractions in other parts of the state.

Gotta factor in those "metro" numbers... Denver.....2,645,209 Indianapolis...1,928,982 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_United_States_Metropolitan_Statistical_Areas

Valley Worlds of Fun in Fairmont, West Virginia south of Morgantown. Been there..it IS bad !! The day I went my camera had issues so I didn't get any pics but i did find this...the reviews pretty much says it all. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g59052-d896989-Reviews-Valley_Worlds_of_Fun-Fairmont_West_Virginia.html#REVIEWS

Forgot one... Over the years I have heard from a number of Colorado old timers about the young man who back in the mid to late 1950's was decapitated on the Wild Chipmunk Coaster during a company picnic at Denver's Lakeside Park. Actually last year I had met a 94 year old man who swears not only did it happen but he was there when it happened too. According to him it was a King Soopers Supermarket picnic ( the chain had rented out the park for employees and their families only ). That part I have my doubts. In the 50's King Soopers was a very very small and struggling grocery chain. At one back then according to my dad Kings had filed bankruptcy It wasn't until 1972 or so when Kroger took over when King Soopers became what they are today..a big chain, at least in Colorado anyway. Back in the 1950's King Soopers couldn't afford to rent out Lakeside much less Elitch Gardens. Now did someone actually get the head cut off on the Wild Chipmunk ?? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm