jedimaster1227

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/business_tourism_aviation/2010/03/seaworld-reconsiders-whether-to-return-killer-whale-that-drowned-trainer-to-live-shows.html

First ride of the year: Manta First new credit: Avalanche at the Florida Strawberry Festival First new park: Florida Strawberry Festival First Extended Magic Hours: Epcot First mistake: Bothering to ride Mission:Space after the preshow First food first: Strawberry Bread and Strawberry Onions (both were delicious)

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Trial-begins-on-Six-Flags-apf-1952312850.html?x=0&.v=2

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/lifestylenews/view/1042197/1/.html

Liseberg has sent us a press release about Paul Bocuse (of Bocuse D'or fame) adding his handprints to the Liseberg "Walk of Fame."

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/police-charge-busch-gardens-cashier-in-theft-of-ticket-money/1078244

http://www.wesh.com/entertainment/22775768/detail.html

http://www.seaworldparksblog.com/explore/blog/statement-seaworld-and-family-dawn-brancheau

Today, my mom requested to visit the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City for her birthday. My parents used to visit before I was born, but hadn't been in many years, so with a beautiful day offering lots of sunshine and some nice breezes, we drove over to the surprisingly busy festival. I did a little bit of research about the event the night before, finding very little information about the event's Midway, which was the area I was most interested in. Despite a good amount of time on the official site, no mention of any real attractions beyond those in the newly expanded Kiddie Corral were found. With this in mind, I was amazed to see just how many rides really were in the Midway. Four credits including a Pinfari, a wacky worm, a miner mike and a Crazy Mouse spinning coaster (a clone of Primeval Whirl at Animal Kingdom) along with a huge number of flat rides, some of which I had never seen or rode before, made my experience one not easily forgotten. I only rode one of the four coasters (the Pinfari) because each took at least four tickets to ride, if not five, which was the equivalent of four to five dollars per ride. I may count my credits, but I've never been too worried about the kiddie credits if it meant going out of my way to get them. [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=IMGP1966_8gvm[/coastertube] After my Avalanche experience, I went over the bizarre looking "Experience" flat ride, which seems to be a combination of the Zamperla Power Surge and the Mondial Top Scan (both of which were also represented at the fair). The ride itself was incredibly intense yet really fun... Needless to say, I'd love to see one as a permanent installation here in Florida, though I think thats less than likely to happen. [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=IMGP1979_6s9w[/coastertube] I'll let my photos tell the rest of my visit's story. Enjoy! Welcome to all that is America! It seems we are approaching the Midway... Ten dollars worth of tickets should get me on one coaster plus two flats. I lubs me some tickets! Mini-Music Express is cool... The big one is down the row. This drop tower was huge, yet no one was interested in riding it. I'm sure you can guess where I'm heading with this one, right? I think he's got a future in this business... Just not riding the bull. A Disk-O and an Orbiter are always good rides to have in your Midway. Take note. Think about it. I see a Top Scan!!! They had one of these, but why are so many people staring? Lets just say these riders sat in this position for a good 20 minutes... I didn't want to be the next one to share the same punishment, so I skipped the credit. Its an old style UFO... This was my first Meteorite as well. Since I had done both of these kinds of rides before, I figured I could pass on the long lines that accompanied them... Though I wish I could have seen if this Gravitron had a Dance King like the one at Rye Playland. I smell a credit... I'm just not that sad. The "Experience" featured above in the video was a great ride and and even greater eXperience. I had never seen one of these before, but unfortunately, it wasn't operating. Here's my coaster! Apparently, I don't need functional arms or legs to enjoy this coaster... One for the index... The other reason why I'm here--food! I waited in line to finally face my fear of the Zipper, only to find out that since I didn't have a riding partner, I couldn't ride. Bummer or godsend? You decide. This looks like an E-Ticket, right? Avalanche doesn't look too bad for a portable coaster... Another interesting flat... Welcome to the Zone of Fun. That's all I've got for this one. Slab. I'M IN HEAVEN. I don't like Pop Tarts, but even this looks incredible! Maybe its just me but I don't get it. Another look at the "Experience!" Hiya Deep South pals! What's more sad here? 1. This is the first Strawberry-relevant thing I've seen in the Midway. 2. I immediately thought of the "TPR visits the Ghetto Fair" segments when I saw this. We bought some... For the elephants. Actually, we did buy some for our grill. We bought some of those too! Plant City... Fading back into the darkness of Florida until next March. That's all folks!

http://www.sierrasun.com/article/20100304/NEWS/100309948/1066&ParentProfile=1051

http://www.fox11online.com/dpp/news/gb-city-council-approves-coaster

The first official teaser video promoting King Kong's return to Universal Studios Hollywood is now online! [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=129221_ou9t[/coastertube]

Photos of Millenium Flyer trains sitting on Gwazi's transfer track have surfaced courtesy of BGTGuide. I have posted a sample of the photos, but visit the link below to view the entire report. http://bgtguide.com/bgt/gwazitrain More photos click this link: http://bgtguide.com/bgt/gwazitrain

http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2010/03/01/daily39.html

Heide Park has sent us a press release (in German) about their latest charity benefit allowing guests to ride the new Big Loop train. I will attach the original press release as well as the translation so that those that can read German can try translating better than I could. Here is the English translation:

Then "Hornball" it shall be. Beware the Hungarian Hornball, A dragon as broad as it's tall. For when he flys by, He might poke out your eye, Which wouldn't be any fun a'tall. You are my idol Chuck... Just wanted to let you know!

Some new photos of the current state (as of February) of the former Six Flags New Orleans have surfaced. http://flickriver.com/photos/liquorhead/sets/72157622820507752/

In response to New Orleans' latest security contract, Danny Rogers has something more to say. http://unofficialjazzlandinfo.yuku.com/topic/1940/t/City--spend-240-000--security-contract--Six-Flags-site.html Working on opening another park eh? Could that park be Freestyle Music Park, Fun Spot Indiana or maybe even Ghost Town in the Sky? Time (and more of those wonderful posts from Danny) will tell.

Universal Orlando has updated its vacation guide to include new information regarding the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, including height limits and more. To see the full guide, visit this link: http://www.universalorlandovacations.com/pdf/2010_UNI_brochure.PDF I have captured some of the more important (or relevant) images but the rest can be seen at the above link.

http://www.newschief.com/article/20100304/NEWS/3045023/1021/NEWS01?Title=Legoland-county-land-swap-to-affect-traffic

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/world/asia/04dwarfs.html The Kingdom of the Little People, a $115 million universe in miniature, is set amid rolling hills and peaceful lakes in southern China's Yunnan Province. Critics say putting dwarfs on display is at best misguided and at worst immoral, a throwback to the times when freak shows pandered to people's morbid curiosity. A tourist has his photo taken in front of a performance. But there is another view, and Chen Mingjing, the owner of the theme park, and some of his short-statured workers present it forcefully. One hundred permanently employed dwarfs, they contend, is a lot better than 100 dwarfs scrounging for odd jobs. The site is far from complete. So far it mainly consists of a 230-foot-high performance hall that looks like the stump of a prehistoric tree, 33 Dr. Seuss-style cottages with crooked chimneys where kingdom residents pretend to live and specially-equipped dormitories where they actually reside. Xiao Xiao, 20, plays a princess at the park. Nearly three in four children with disabilities attended school in 2008, compared with about three in five just two years earlier. The number of disabled students in universities and technical colleges in 2008 increased by 50 percent over 2006. Still, they amounted a mere handful, just one out of every 5,000 students. Yang Jinlu, 18, left, and Zhang Yinghua, 37. Mr. Chen said his employees have gained self-respect and self-sufficiency. "It doesn't really matter to me what other people say," he said. "The question is whether meeting me has changed their lives." Yi Shaobo, 28. The average salary of a disabled worker is less than half that of a non-disabled worker. Only one-third of disabled people who need rehabilitation services have access to them, the survey found. Zhang Qi, 18, left, and Dai Deyi, 34. Professionals trained to aid the disabled are desperately scarce: Europe has 185 times as many physiotherapists per person as China, according to a 2008 study by Renmin University in Beijing. Supporters and critics agree on one point: the fact that the park is awash in job applications shows the disturbing dearth of opportunities for the disabled in China. Cao Yu, Mr. Chen's assistant, said she receives three or four job inquiries a week. One theme of the show is the need to overcome hardships -- a lesson Mr. Chen said he believed is too often forgotten as Chinese families grow richer. Workers gathered around a fire. Many performers say they enjoy being part of a community where everyone shares the same challenges, like the height of a sink. "Before, when we were at home, we didn't know anyone our size. When we hang out together with normal-sized people, we can not really do the same things," said Wu Zhihong, 20. Workers eating lunch. Workers relaxed in the dormitories. The park, located 40 minutes by car from Kunming, is not yet profitable. One recent chilly afternoon, only a few dozen spectators showed up. Performers hope for bigger crowds. Workers watched television in the dormitories.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has sent us a press release regarding the new tenants of their traditional Highland Stable near the Loch Ness Monster.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-sea-world-911-calls-released-20100304,0,2318872.story

^No details on the trains have been released as of yet. Six Flags over Texas has said that they will be making more announcements about the ride and its new features farther down the road.

It seems Six Flags is still classifying the Texas Giant as wooden coaster...