SbSteveZ

Scrolling through Facebook I found this cool vintage picture of the original Devil's Hole at Fantasy Island! Photo Credit: Forgotten Buffalo via Facebook Speaking of this new development with Premier and Apex with their respectively parks, I'm booking forward to the improvements to both as these next couple years go on. It looks like WNY parks are starting to get the attention they deserve!

This past Thursday, I took my little sister to Kissmas Bash out in the KeyBank Center / First Niagara Center / HSBC Arena / Whatever else it's been called, and I noticed that the event was sponsored by none other than Darien Lake (and like 7 different companies but that's not what's important here). If my memory serves me correctly, they actually gave season passes to an entire row in one of the 100's sections, which was pretty cool, and they had a commercial rolling between artists, plus they had a Darien Lake table out in the [Whatever you call that area outside of the bowl where the entry ways are to get into the seating areas are]. So out of curiosity, do they sponsor events like this very often? I don't recall them being at Kiss the Summer Hello, but it was cool to see their name in a venue with thousands of people there regardless!

Darien Lake posted this pretty nice photo of RoS in the light dusting of snow this morning!

I hate to nitpick but isn't Darien Lake's Ride of Steel the original? May 1999 I believe was it's opening date, whereas the Six Flags America one opened in 2000.

Speaking of new additions and the 2017 season in general, I am actually more excited to see what may happen with MFI than with Darien Lake. The simple truth is that MFI could really take a turn under new management and I'm looking forward to seeing whether or not that turn is a positive one! Darien Lake probably won't be adding anything too exciting, and more likely than not, it won't be an attraction to really write home about. Same as usual since about 2008, and even then, people weren't all that impressed with OCCMC (which to me is a shame, because I love that ride!). Unfortunately for us, the couple of parks we have locally, (DL, MFI, ML, CW and SB) don't do that much teasing either for their new attractions so there's not much for us to really dig up and find like there would be with CP for example. I do wish that local parks would try to tease new attractions, because it creates a cool buzz and an even cooler atmosphere around the park when you're there. I think to my handful of visits to CP 'this past season and I thought it was great to hear all the buzz over mean streak (whether or not it's opening next year is a whole different story), and you see people taking pictures, getting their last rides in, and talking a TON about the future of the ride itself. General Public and Enthusiasts alike were all really interested in the fact that the park was being so hush hush over it and even now it's still generating a lot of buzz! For us, with Darien Lake specifically, it's really not as big of a deal. From time to time you'll catch people talking about the Lake monster pipe dream, and a couple enthusiasts talking about the potential for 2 train operations / new trains on Mind Eraser / the second train on RoS, but the rumor mill for any new attractions has just about run dry, and it's a shame in my opinion, because to me, the rumors are half the fun! With all of that being said, I really do hope that they can prove me wrong and their 2017 addition is actually really cool and impressive, but no one can really tell for sure until things are announced. I do hope also, that the plans for a second train on the RoS don't fall through. I remember they announced the first new one at an ACE event in 2015, was there a similar announcement at a 2016 ACE event that anyone knows of? Or perhaps any other event where this information was made official?

You know what else is coming up? 2018.

As of right now, rumor has it that IAAPA is where the announcement will be made official, which would be very cool, but I'm thinking if that doesn't end up being the case, isn't the Santa Hustle coming up? As well as the Ride Warrior Club holiday get together? I'm sure they could easily route the Hustle away from that area but I feel like it would be strange of them to invite a large group of enthusiasts to the park who all know about this rumored RMC, and still not have anything Announced. Basically, I'm thinking if it's not IAAPA, maybe it will be before/during the RWC holiday get together. (Hopefully they don't wait until the chill out... )

^ it's never long before that happens. At least there was something on this thread before it turned wacky again..

^ I know the acquisition happened a while ago, I was more so trying to find out where I can find the list of parks/properties owned/run by Premier. I feel like they operate more than CNL parks don't they?

Does Premier have an official website? I've tried to search them, using multiple different names (Premier, Premier Parks, Premier Entertainment, Premier Rides, and all of those with an LLC attached to them too just in case). But nothing pops up except some godaddy pages saying the sites are available for purchase. The CNL Lifestyle properties page lists out their properties (as it should) but I was more interested in specifically what Premier runs instead. Also, any word on the Apex Group acquisition of MFI yet? I think I saw one post on their page thanking the family for all their hard work but I believe that's all I've seen. And if im not mistaken, that was in August.

^ I've said it before, I think a star flyer / wind seeker type ride would be awesome at Darien Lake. And it could easily become the tallest ride in the park. I suppose only time will tell. Aside from Brain Drain / Rolling Thunder, are Premier installations typically similar in their park portfolios, like Six Flags or Cedar Fair?

I do believe there is some decent queue space within Gemini's prelift area. It typically seems excessive but during busy saturdays in October it's probably perfect!

It took me a minute too. I think he means that he fixed his initial post. Yep. Ah, okay. I'm too accustomed to seeing that used in a way that implies a fix has been made. Same. fixed

^ what's going to be interesting with a new flat is where they'll place it. I keep thinking about the decent chunk of land between twister and motocoaster. If they also plan on opening up twister again next year they could touch up the entire area and bring some life over to that section of the park!

1) who knows? 2) I wish, but I doubt it. 3) this is Darien Lake we're talking about. They don't have rumors anymore. None of which that are valid at least. Shall I bring back the Lake Monster rumor? I love this park, but I wish they'd be a little more out about their additions from time to time. Like back in 2012 when they announced Blast Off in September. I'm not PR though so I would have no clue to whether or not there's a benefit to announcing in January as opposed to in the end of the regular season.

^ speaking of Mean Streak and its destruction - while in line for Eden Musee last weekend I did notice they already have chunks of track marked on Mean Streak that I'm assuming are for removal. I'm not sure how common it is for RMC to remove track in such small parts when it comes to revamping coasters like this - but regardless it's pretty cool to see this happen.

^ I hate to say it but weren't those added for a 40th anniversary? the quote mentions 50th, 75th, 100th and 150th anniversaries. not 40th.

^ From my personal experience this year alone, each of my 13 visits saw the first parking lot full, with the second one about half full if not worse almost every single visit. One visit in particular, Both lots were full, and they were having theme park goers park in the grass across the street from the second lot. I have never seen it that bad before, so I had to assume that was a rare phenomenon at the park. I would say that though there probably was some sort of increase in Foot traffic, most of it seemed to go to the water park. That doesn't matter all too much for attendance, since both parks are included, but I did find that relatively interesting.

Grizzly Run had water in it but no current flow. I saw it from the kiddie coaster queue. The ride op at the kiddie coaster said they were considering opening Thunder Rapids and he might have to go work it, but they never did. He said they don't drain them until October. My mistake, I didn't get too close to tell for sure if it was completely drained or not... I wish they would've opened it, I love log flumes! (My top 3 are (3) Thunder Rapids (2) Log Flume at Seabreeze and (1) Splash Mountain at WDW)

Darien Lake Scenic Shots - 2016 These images are posted roughly in chronological order ranging from June-September of this year - enjoy! There will probably be a ton of shots very similar to this one. I do apologize - but its one of my favorites for sure! Nothing beats a theme park sunset 2016 Brought a revamped "Ignite the Night: Colorblast" to the stage, and boy was it a HIT! (I even have a video of it here ---> <--- for anyone who picked up on it, this was from June, they changed a few animations and effects around mid-July, but for the most part it was all the same!) Boomerang caught the sun! I am definitely a fan of the entrance. especially with that nice paint job! Motocoaster was a fan favorite for the people I brought to the park this year (and boy did it have quite the line on closing day!) Blast Off may not be the biggest drop tower, but it is a really fun one! Especially with all the fun operators it had this season! Good old Redhawk. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't been on one of these things! The Giant Wheel is nothing short of spectacular. And Massive! (Sorry CP fans, we have the bigger wheel!) I cant remember exactly when they repainted the Viper sign, but I do love its bright shiny colors! The Laser Amphitheater received a slight upgrade to its preshow lighting. As well as they added the mirror lights back during "Where's the Walrus" (the preshow song), which was nice. If only they had the lights on the screen doing things like they used to. maybe next year? We all know this one is a favorite among the enthusiast crowd! its just so realistic and immersive! (No hate, I actually do thoroughly enjoy Moose on the Loose!) The Giant Wheel from above, looking down. Viper! One of the best Arrow Loopers out there! Hey, at least one of the coasters has non-faded colors. (I'm looking at you, Mind Eraser and Ride of Steel) A nice look down the midway on a warm summer evening The fountain is a really nice touch. I always like walking up that first hill and seeing the emporium and the fountain. Its no Main Street USA, but it is a nice touch. I was totally suckered into buying 8 of these things over the course of the season. They were actually REALLY cool! I recommend them to anyone who has a couple bucks to spare! This was new. At the end of the show, they projected the Colorblast hastag (from the beginning of the show) back onto the screen. I was an avid user of said hashtag (for any of you following me on Instagram or Twitter you would know exactly what I'm talking about) I am a huge fan of Viper. I want to say its my favorite roller coaster in the park, because you really can't beat the classics. I love Ride of Steel, but to me, Viper takes the cake! Boomerang was being kind and offering us some shade I think I've said it before on here, but if not: I HIGHLY recommend riding the giant wheel at night (if its still open), the views are spectacular! did you know if you look across Lake Erie you can actually SEE Mind Eraser from CANADA?! how cool is that?! Just kidding. but still, I love when Rollercoasters are right up on the water like this! The good views of Predator are hidden on that resort walkway. Go check it out! you wont be let down! In case it hasnt been made incredibly obvious, I am a HUGE fan of the laser show here and I have been for almost 10 years. I cannot praise it enough! (Coming from a guy whose seen Disney shows, and some Cedar Fair shows, I love Ignite the Night the most - yes, I am totally bias.)

Darien Lake Final Day of 2016 Season Hello all! As you know I have been posting mini trip reports throughout the season, so for the final day, I went back to take a look at the 2016 Harvest Fest event, and get some last rides on some of my favorite coasters! After the actual TR, I will also post some nice(ish) pictures I have captured throughout the season and some comments about the overall experience that I've personally had this year as a season pass holder (your results may vary.) lets do this thing! Sunday, September 25th, 2016 Comments: - What I've learned over my visits here in 2016 is that there are 2 types of Darien Lake employees, the awesome fun loving ones who tell jokes and get involved with the riders and make the experience fun, and there are the dull ones who are only there because "a job is a job". For a park that had a "happiness guaranteed" policy last year, they really should have had a few more happy employees than they had at least during this last visit. Maybe its because I'm spoiled by WDW, CP and even CW, but the fact that its so half and half to me is pretty crazy. Anyways, I mention this because typically the ratio of happy to non-enthusiastic employees is more along the lines of 60-70% happy to 30-40% non-enthusiastic. On closing day, the attitudes of most all of the employees was disgraceful, and I was very ashamed of the park for having such a poor attitude on the last day of the season. There was one operator (running Blast Off) who was having fun with the riders and telling jokes (which I've come to expect from that ride's operators) but every other ride in the park had very boring/annoyed/tired employees who didnt care about the park atmosphere at all. (mini rant over) - Moving onto the rides themselves, I was thoroughly impressed by Mind Eraser AND Predator (crazy right?) because of the new methods I've been using to ride them, they've went from "one and done" rides to things I would ride multiple times each visit. For Mind Eraser - I tried to push myself Forward as far as I could (into the restraint of course), while my sister tried to push herself as far back as she could, and both of us experienced shockingly smooth rides. With Predator, we applied the Coaster Bill Mean Streak Method, and again, amazingly smooth ride. I highly recommend it to anyone who is iffy on Predator, its one helluva ride! - As you'll see in the photo TR (to follow), I was let down by the Hayride, and the Magic Show. I wont get into it too much here, but simply put I really feel like they could've done a little better. (If anyone has seen the injest comedy juggler at the Great Pumpkin Farm @ Clarence NY, I was hoping for something like that, and was pretty disappointed) - RoS has been fantastic all year, and that did not change today. My only complaint would be the paint but in all reality, that doesnt effect the ride experience, so it doesnt really bother me all too much In the end, regardless of how I felt about some of the attitudes of the employees, I really did enjoy my final day at the park, and I haven't really had any "bad" visits this year. Compared to the past years, I do think the park is trying its best and I appreciate all of their efforts Scorecard: Ride of Steel x1 Predator x2 Mind Eraser x1 Corn Popper x1 Blast Off x1 Giant Wheel x2 Onto the pictures! It was a nice (but chilly) September afternoon, perfect for the last day of the season here at Darien Lake Right at the gate, they had entertainment - this was a little folk band that played from about 10am - 2pm as most of you know, they took down the fountain to install this temporary stage, I'm not sure which dance academies come, but they all do a pretty good job, and they hold a crowd for sure! For some reason, they had the water running on the Thunder Rapids. There were no boats in sight, and it didnt seem like they were draining the water by running it like this. (Grizzly Bear was empty and Shipwreak was still full, but not running.) We had to get *one* last ride on Mind Eraser - she's been pretty unpredictable this season Even though this ride is pretty rough, it is pretty photogenic as well. Especially being over the lake. You can already hear their screams (of pain!) I cant tell, but it seemed like they had maybe started to touch up more of the supports? maybe? Maybe I'm just seeing things but the supports did look rather nice (Minus the ones before the final brake run, and the ones at the top of the lift) you can kind of see where the paint stops in this picture I haven't mentioned it yet, but, the park was definitely crowded. Even Pirate had a line! I havent seen that boat fill up all the way all season! Looking down towards the boardwalk from across the lake The best part of Harvest Fest, in my opinion, is the Food Trucks! this year they had Lloyds! But sadly the Club 716 truck was nowhere to be seen... We decided to go here, they have the best Bacon Mac N Cheese you can get in the park! BUT! Before we ate, we heard there was one more show at the Grande Theatre A Magic Show! When the show was beginning, the lights and music were actually really cool, but they set the expectations for the show WAY too high. The "magic" involved 2 pumpkins appearing "out of nowhere" and a "Magic Pumpkin" telling you how life is magic and its a miriacle that we even exist ( #PhilosophicalPumpkin anyone?) and you left the show very let down, in my opinion. If anyone saw the magic show (either last year or the year before, I cant remember), it was nothing compared to that. when I said the dancers held a crowd, I wasn't kidding. They all did really well though! what an experience! During the day this is one of the best rides to get pictures of, during the evening, not so much... Its a lot more fun however to get pictures ON the ferris wheel of the rest of the park! Here we see the most typical shot of the park from the Ferris Wheel (as seen on Darien Lake's own facebook page). Regardless, this is one of my favorite sights at Darien Lake The other incredibly common picture taken on the Ferris Wheel. If i remember correctly, they use a picture similar to this for Boomerang's wikipedia page The Ferris Wheel saw its shadow! 6 more weeks of winter! This stage had some more folk type bands on it when we were by it, it was pretty nice. My only issue is that they didnt really have much in the name of seating, for viewing or for eating - since this was at the end of the Food Truck midway. We ended up going to eat our food at the Anchor Bar because that was the closest place to find seats! Oh the Laser Stage, what fond memories I had here this summer! Im glad they didnt take down the screen during the day like they did on Closing Day last year, but you could tell they had already removed the lasers and some of the other lighting components. Pretty cool for those Stage Tech nerds out there to see I didnt know about this last year, so I figured I'd give it a try this year Mainly because I was hoping for some nice shots of the rides I got a couple, but for the most part, the views on this hayride were just empty campsites. And of course we stopped by and payed homage to the Rental Trailer Graveyard - RIP but after that the "ride" was over and again you left a little let down. Harvest fest was 0/2 at this point for special events (excluding the foodtrucks) I dont know how I've managed to go to this park 12 times, and NOT ride the Corn Popper! I had to be sure to get on it before the year was up, and boy was that a great idea! I love this ride! It was time for the final ride of the evening, The one and only, Ride of Steel We managed to get in line right as they were closing it down (at 7:00 on the DOT) - so we were some of the last riders of the year, which was pretty cool After that, we went out to get a couple pictures of the rides in the sunset Its a shame the park was only open until 7, usually when i see this view leaving the park, its pitch black and crowded (thanks to the laser show ending and everyone leaving the park). either way, its a cool view Thats all for this year, Darien Lake! Thank you for the memories, we'll be back next year! I'll post the other pictures I mentioned earlier in a separate post, This one is already pretty bulky!

Maybe they'll announce an announcement date at the Last Rites Ceremony. It's really anyone's guess at this point but mine is if they don't announce RMC Streak this friday, maybe they'll announce when they're going to announce it! Wouldn't be the first time they left us with a cliffhanger. In all seriousness though that's what makes it fun

So, The Buffalo News has put out a story that I figure this page would appreciate, sooo here it is! (The link to the actual page will be below the story. All credit goes to the author whom'a name I actually forgot. My bad...) http://buffalo.com/2016/09/03/news/bitten-by-the-viper/

An in park update: at around 4:10 PM, All major attractions within Darien Lake have been shut down. American Rock, lasso, and the 3 point shootout, are the only things besides restraints I've seen running. I have no clue why, I'll be investigating after the show ends. I hope all is well... EDIT: as of 5:00 the rides were mostly back up and running, several are still testing. Viper already has a full station. I've been here 11 times this season and have yet to see something like this happen aside from the occasional closure due to weather.

^ & ^^ that's not entirely true. You can see the plot from Shipwreak Falls' queue, parts of Thunder Rapids, the slingshot, and actually also from the base of the hill itself where that fence is. However, for the GP (and apparently also enthusiasts), if you aren't looking for it, I agree it can be easy to miss, but not impossible