garyman6

I just learned something interesting about North Star! I went on opening day and I have to say that I absolutely loved the ride. I was really surprised by the ride cycle. I did not expect to get to the top, descend 100' then back up again. It was tons of fun with great views and a bit of apprehension because of the chains. Well I wrote a letter to Funtime asking them why we have the version with redundant chains and not just a single set of chains per chair. Here is the response: Thank you for your feedback and nice to hear you liked the Starflyer ride. To answer your question about the NorthStar at Valley Fair, yes the chains are arranged differently from some of the other starflyer rides you may have seen, this is because the ride in Valley Fair is a 32-seat version and the chains are rigged to attached to the anchor point in front as well as the anchor point behind, this prevents the chairs coming close to each other in a high wind situation. The other Starflyers you may have seen with the single chair attachment method (yes they move a little more) would have been the 24-seat version, the 24-seat version has a greater distance between the seats. The very tall Starflyers such as the Six Flags Over Texas and Six Flags New England Sky Screamers are over 400 feet high but also only have 24 seats. The rigging method is to restrict forward and back movement not because of redundancy, the chain we use is made from a very high grade German steel with a minimum breaking load of 1.6 tons, there are 8 chains per seat. Let me know if have any further questions. Warmest regards Brian Mirfin General Manager – Funtime Group of companies O.K, my first thought was why? Why go with the 32-seat version over the 24-seat? The 24-seat version would have cost less. Just my thoughts, but does anybody think they are preparing for much larger crowds in the near future? It seems that everything Valleyfair has been doing lately has been geared for larger crowds. For example; The new dining pavilions and kitchen that can seat and feed thousands at a time, Northern Lights has a high capacity, The renovated amphitheater included additional seating, etc. Also, I don't see the entrance being redone anytime soon. They just built a new building for tickets and added metal detectors to the old ticket booth area. Getting the permit approved in FANTASTIC! My guess is they are added parking back there because the want to redevelop parking areas up front. In any event things are getting exciting for Valleyfair. I can't wait till they make an announcement for what's coming!

Just read the Cedar Fair 4th quarter earnings call and something very interesting was brought up. Here it is... • California's Great America receive several shout-outs by executives, congratulating them on their recent zoning approval. This will let the company focus on the park's "long-term master plan" as research has shown the potential for the park to grow in attendance significantly. Matt Ouimet even stated that it could be one of their "top-tier" parks when they are done, and he has very "high expectations" for it. A question was asked if the expansion will be as big as Carowinds, and it sounds like perhaps not quite as big, but they will go in an update infrastructure, add capacity to the park, and build "significant new rides, a la Fury, et cetera." They plan to talk more about the expansion in 3 to 6 months. • It was also asked if the plan to expand Valleyfair significantly was still on the table, and they replied that that is still "a little further out." They just lost the park's General Manager to the Minneapolis Zoo, so this year will be one of transition and study of the marketplace to understand it more. Notice that their reply was that it is still "a little further out". Not dead, not no comment but further out. This is still in line with what they said two years ago that Valleyfair will be a growth park for them! It's obvious that CGA is next but after the new GM gets his feet wet and they get that permit approved then Valleyfair will be in the crosshair for expansion! It's still on the way folks and when you look at what they have planned for CGA it's really exciting. I would expect Valleyfair to get a similar treatment to CGA but maybe not as extensive at Carowinds. What do all think?

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O.K. I take it back. You all were not hard enough on jordanwilcox11. Now that he had been banned (again) we can get on with business. When we are talking about the population draw for Valleyfair you have to included all of North and South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and parts of southern Canada including Winnepeg. I actually met a famaily from Winnepeg in 2015 who made Valleyfair their destination park. Also, I disagree that Minneapolis/St. Paul are not travel destinations. This region is a huge travel destination. MOA alone attracts millions per year. 40 million guests visit MOA each year. Yes, at least half are locals but that is still a huge amount. We are a destination stop for many international flights for a reason. I'm convinced that Cedar Fair is just waiting for the right time to add our next coaster, in the mean time I really can't complain about what they have been doing to the park the past 8 years. Even last year was setting the stage. Redoing the amphitheater the way they did shows me they are planning for larger crowds. The bike show was great and will be back but I only see it going one or two more seasons which means they have other plans for this venue. Wild Thing is getting some much needed TLC this off season and they are taking steps to quiet the MCBR. This will make the amphitheater more appealing to entertainers. I for one, cant wait to try out North Star. I've ridden a windseeker and found them a bit dull but hanging from chains on the star flyer really looks thrilling.

Whatever they build at Valleyfair isn't something I can ride during a long layover at MSP on a weekday in February. That's inherently limiting. I haven't even been to Valleyfair itself in 12 years, but I've been to the MOA recently enough to go on Shell Shock. You all are being a bit hard on jordanwilcox11! Yes, maybe his cost number are off but his enthusiasm is spot on. Dirk, how can you even comment when you haven't even been to Valleyfair in over a decade. The park has changed immensely in the last 12 years and when you look at what they have done and are trying to do it's pretty evident that they are prepping the park for significant growth. just in the last 5 or 6 years, Cedar fair has invested 30-40 million into the park. If you go back into the archives of newsplusnotes.com and look up Cedar Fair posts you will find the Cedar Fair posts stating that Valleyfair has been marked a growth park and they see significant growth for Valleyfair, California's Great America and Carowinds. They said Carowinds will be first. The original post is on 12-11-13 with followups on 5-2-15 and 11-7-15. I also was looking for information on each parks market share but was not able to find it, but it has Valleyfair with a market of over 8 million. I believe it had Carowinds at 7 million and Canada's Wonderland at 9 million. Does someone have that info still that they can share? The point is that Valleyfair has great growth potential even with Nick U. In fact, I think having Nick U. so close is a benefit to Valleyfair. They are two completely different parks and not really fair to compare them. During Valleyfairs operating months I would chose to go there over Nick U. 100% of the time. Nick U. is cool during the winter but it just can't compare to what Valleyfair has to offer, not even close. Honestly, I would guess that most Nick U. visitors are from out of state or country and go there because they wanted to see the mall not because they wanted to visit the park. The state fair does impact attendance for Valleyfair but ValleyScare makes up for that. When the weather is nice the park has their highest attendances of the year during haunt. Valleyfair's haunt is among the top haunts of all Cedar Fair parks that have a haunt event. So jordanwilcox11....keep up the good work....just leave the cost of attractions out of it.

I was able to confirm a couple of things this weekend that are pretty cool! First, Northstar's chairs have lights as well so it will be quite a sight when it fully operational and spinning around. Second, Valleyfair did receive the brand study that was slated for it this last summer, now its just a matter on how they implement the study. I didn't get any specifics on what they determined that Valleyfair needed. Anybody know anything else about this?

I'm just adding an entry cause this thread has dried up! I got that information first hand by Mr. Dave Frazier!

Definitely check out Hacks! Very funny but it is a PG13 event! You will love Haunt. The whole park takes on a completely different atmosphere. Hope for the winds to die down because still nights are the best, it causes the fog to be very heavy. Renegade is amazing right now! Look for Renegade Mike!

Did anyone read screamscape today? They said there is a rumor of a 2018/2019 new B&M invert going it a CW. But he then said that he has a hunch that Cedar Fair would put in a new B&M at another park before it put in another one at CW. Possibly Valleyfair?!?!?!?

Don't forget Northern Lights! It is way more fun than it looks especially if you get a back row corner seat! Have fun, I'll be there too so maybe we will bump into each other.

This has been brought up many times in the past. Valleyfair features clips from other coasters in their commercials, I think cedar fair just uses a general outline of their parks in their pictures for advertisement. Doesn't mean what's displayed in the picture/video will be actually at the park. Yes, I know its been brought up a lot in the past but this one is different. It was made specifically for the promotion of North Star. Everything else in the video (Yes the dark one where North Star is the only thing in color) can be easily identified as being in Valleyfair. Take another look, its right in front of the new slide tower and it doesn't look like Excalibur or mad mouse. From left to right you have Wild Thing, Slide Tower, Power Tower, Renegade, Ferris Wheel, Corkscrew, and Steel Venom. North Star is right behind the Ferris Wheel but right in front of the slide tower and between Wild Thing and Power Tower there is coaster track unlike anything else Valleyfair has. Everything else is accurate, Why would they just throw in some random track? I don't know! The video/picture I'm referring to is the top header of their facebook page.

Anyone else notice in the promotional video for NorthStar that there is an unknown coaster planted between Wild Thing and Renegade? This is a brand new video made just for Valleyfair. Why would they put coaster tracks in there that are not in the park? I'ts the only thing that I can't recognize. I suppose it could be Excalibur but the track profile doesn't fit. Any thoughts?

Yes, you are correct. So if Cedar Fair did indeed get the trademark for Startosoar, it only makes sense that they would name their first star flyer using that name. Did you know that the starflyer can be programmed to spin backwards as well as forwards. Apparently when spinning backwards it tilts your chair forward causing you to face the ground. It also can be programmed to ascend and descend multiple time per ride. That is how many European parks have them programmed. Hopefully Valleyfair will follow that example and have them do more that just spin forward and go up once per ride. I, for one am really looking forward to a star flyer. I watched several POV's and the chairs really sway and tilt especially if its windy. Windseekers are too rigid and do not do that. I'v ridden the windseeker at Carowinds and found it amusing and relaxing but definitely not thrilling.

Im going to make a prediction on the name of the new star flyer if indeed that is one thing Valleyfair is getting for 2017. The name will be Stratosoar! I just read an article from 2010 when Cedar Point announced their windseeker. Apparantly Cedarfair had an agreement with funtime to purchase a star flyer instead even going to the point where they filed a trademark application for the name Stratosoar. Cedar point changed their mind and got a windseeker intead. Funtime filed a lawsuit and somewhere along the way it was settled. I couldn't find the settlement agreement though. Any thoughts?

I have a feeling that we will be hearing several more announcements this fall, not just what's going to replace Enterprise. I'm betting a new version of Enterprise will return to the park at some future date. What ever is replacing Enterprise must be pretty substantial if construction is going to have to start before the end of the season. I can't remember when we have seen construction for a new attraction starting so early except for a coaster!

Enjoy your visit to Valleyfair! Make sure you ride Renegade!

Dang, I knew that months ago but I was planning on throwing out all kinds of impossible to decode hints about it to try to get you guys to guess what I knew. Ah well I guess I'll keep the other coaster a secret for now. bummer! You forgot the part where you name drop the park GM's name consistently to make it sound like you actually have insider information. === Still say that the next addition will be water park related Haha! I actually do know Dave Frazier. He is a friend but he is very tight lipped.

Dang, I knew that months ago but I was planning on throwing out all kinds of impossible to decode hints about it to try to get you guys to guess what I knew. Ah well I guess I'll keep the other coaster a secret for now. bummer!

Nice Pic. I rode Corkscrew on opening day and thought it ran fantastic. The old girl is running like new! Guess it's going to stay awhile yet!

On the topic of another SC expansion. Mr. Frazier did confirm with me that we will not get a new coaster in 2017. That does not mean they couldn't start one for a 2018 opening. So, it would make sense for another Soak City expansion and the location of the Looping Star Ship is the most ideal spot until the area out west can be expanded. I'm guessing they will keep the LSS. I have seen pretty decent crowds for it lately. Also, by relocated and some refurb and maybe a theme change I think it could become popular again. There are not many around anymore and they are more fun then just swinging back and forth. It would be cool to build it over water and have sprays of water shoot up during the ride cycle. Also, Valleyfair can't afford to loose an inverting ride. On to Soak City. With a possible new expansion, do you think they will move the entrance over by Mad Mouse? That way they could use the existing entrance for more space for a new tower or more space for lounges. I wouldn't be too surprised if they added another new flat ride in addition to the SC expansion. Don't you just LOVE speculation?

The slides had some surface issues that are being corrected by the manufacturer while it's still under warranty. It should be open by memorial day as long as the weather warms up.

to rockinroller29, Valleyfair is a great park! I highly recommend it and would make it a must do if your in this area. For that matter Nick U. and Como town are also pretty great. Como Town is a kids park but there are a few fun things for adults. The best part is the zoo which is free. There is also a world class conservatory and Japanese Garden which is also free. They do ask for donations but it is not required. Over all, with everything there is to do at Como Town, it will make a full day. Have a great trip!!

The brand study that some on here have dismissed is a very big deal. Cedar Fair only does one or two of these per year. It's a long exhaustive study to find out what the local market wants. The purpose of it is to determine what expansions Valleyfair will be getting in the next few years. -A couple other things that I learned last week, the trains on high roller are the same trains. They are only getting refurbished, not replaced. Dave said the seats will be higher and much more comfortable. They are not Dorney's old trains as some have speculated. -Another thing is the amphitheater remodel. They have actually added seating to get closer to the stage. Mr. Frazier said they do have some concerts scheduled there this year. They are going to take some measures to muffle the MCBR of Wild Thing so it's not such a noise issue. There are a couple of things they are going to do. If they are successful in muffling the brake run then the amphitheater may just become a permanent venue that they will use for more live shoes. So it seems clear to me that our future dark ride will not be located there after all. -When Mr. Frazier stated in his star tribune interview that the park is physically unable to expand he was telling the truth. I think it may have been a PR statement to put some pressure on the city and ACE to approve the permit. In the meantime, while the park may not be able to grow it's acreage just yet there is plenty of room in the current boundaries to add attractions. They could also just move much of the parking toward the dorms and expand out into the existing parking lot.

WOF had a bigger budget than VF and CGA this year so they decided to invest their money wisely. I'm guessing KD and WOF both got around a $5 million budget, but WOF decided to spend it on seven smaller rides (plus GCI on Timberwolf and Mamba repaint) while KD put all their money into one ride. That expansion list is BS by the way. If Matt really said investments were coming, they would've come. The only reason CGA revealed a massive plan was so the city would back them up in their efforts against the 49's. I'm not saying this from a fanboy perspective. Just a logical one: If any park needs expansion right now, it's WOF. Silver Dollar City is about to build two massive new roller coasters by 2020, Schlitterbahn just built the world's tallest water slide, Six Flags is most likely building a new coaster, and Adventureland is killing it with Storm Chaser and Monster. The competition is fierce in Missouri right now. WOF needs to do something or it will be a thing of the past. Mr. Ouimet has stated multiple times now, at the Cedar Fair share holders meeting, how VF, CGA and Carowinds have been listed as growth parks and that Cedar Fair will focus on expansion in those parks. It does not mean that WOF or any other park is going to be neglected. He never said that the expansions would be immediate nor did he say it would be a decade or more. The point is that the investments will be spread out of several years so they don't overextend themselves. He did mention, in the last quarterly meeting I think, that they were very pleased with Carowinds and that their expectations have been far exceeded.

I want to try to redirect the focus of this discussion. Everyone seems to focus on the "no coaster in 2017" statement. I understand, I'm frustrated about it too. But as many have already said, its not a surprise. If we were getting a new coaster in 2017, we would have already seen ground work being done last fall. So, we could still see ground work start this fall for a coaster in 2018! That does not mean that we won't get something really cool for 2017! Now, to add something to this discussion. When submitting a permit like this, the company or organization which is submitting the permit, in this case Valleyfair, has to put on the permit what they intend to do with the area if its approved. That can change! Think about that for a min. I am surprised to not see too many comments about the brand study in July. This is huge! I would have thought VF would be further down the list for having this done but they will do it in July this year! It's the same study they did at Carowinds before they took that park and blew it out of the water. It's the same study they did at Knott's before they focused on returning that park to what the people wanted and its blowing all of their attendance estimates out of the water. Let's put it all into perspective for a moment. Cedar Fair has listed VF as a growth park several times now to its shareholders. Now, we learn that a brand study will be done in July and this study is what will determine what Cedar Fair exactly is going to do with the park. You couple that with expanding the berm to the west which will open up about 30% (my estimate) more land to expand, coupled with what Cedar Fair has already done in the last few years and that gets me excited. I asked about ValleyScare and how it did last fall. I was told it did "Very Well". Some of their biggest days were weekends in October. Valleyfair really does an outstanding job with this and it's paying off big! I do have more to share but I'll open it up for comments again and share the rest later. P.S. In case your wondering where I'm getting this information, as some have asked me already. I met with Mr. Frazier on Wednesday morning and took a tour of the park. He cannot share information with me that is not for public knowledge and he does a great job of it. Any hypothetical comments are coming from me.