Parker821
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Posts posted by Parker821
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Drove by the park this morning. Still no gondolas on the wheel, no coaster trains in the stations. I would assume they would need a months notice at this point. I am getting more and more confident they will not open this summer unless the government gives them permission real quick
Maintenance has started back and is currently working on getting rides back together, They just recently had a crane day so coaster trains should be appearing soon. They are starting to process and train seasonal employees. I don't see them canceling the season, I think they might even consider extending the season.
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It has been confirmed that after 94 years Indiana Beach will close permanently. Apex Parks has confirmed that the park is closing for financial reasons and has failed to find a buyer. More details are expected sooner related to what will happen to the property, assets, employees and existing season pass memberships.
https://www.wlfi.com/templates/AMP?contentID=567980101#click=https://t.co/Ei38BmWrkD
Indiana Beach is closing for good on Tuesday. White County Economic Development Director Randy Mitchell confirmed that Apex Parks Group decided to close Indiana Beach after a search for buyers ended unsuccessfully. Apex Parks Senior Vice President Gregg Borman told Mitchell the closure was strictly for financial reasons.Mitchell said Apex Parks will send out a press release in the coming weeks that will layout plans for the season ticket holders, rides, employees, and the campground.
Indiana Beach still has 27 employees, 15 in maintenance and 12 in administrative roles. The future of their employment is uncertain, according to Mitchell. Mitchell also said Apex Parks closed three other amusement parks.
WLFI will have more information as it becomes available.
The lakeside resort was opened by the Spackman family. In 2008 they sold the park to Morgan RV Resorts. On September 1, 2015, it was announced that the park had been sold to Apex Parks Group.
In 2019 a twelve-year-old boy died after suffering a medical emergency on a roller coaster at the park. Investigators determined it was not caused by Indiana Beach or the ride.
https://www.wthr.com/article/indiana-beach-close-after-94-years
It’s the end of an era for one of Indiana’s oldest amusement parks.Indiana Beach in Monticello has closed with no plan to reopen, according to Randy Mitchell, President of the White County Economic Development corporation.
Mitchell said the park’s parent company, California-based Apex Parks, cited financial reasons for the closure. According to Mitchell, the company had “worked diligently” to find a new buyer but wasn’t successful.
In addition to dozens of seasonal workers, Indiana Beach employed 27 people in administrative and maintenance positions. Mitchell said those workers were offered six weeks compensation.
Indiana Beach opened in 1926 and had become an iconic landmark along Lake Shafer in north central Indiana.
Here are the TPR Filmed POV's from the Indiana Beach Coasters:
With the Indiana Beach and Fantasy Island closing announcements today I figured some of you may want to see the POV's of the coasters. Here you go!
Steel Hawg
Cornball Express
Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain
Hoosier Hurricane
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The age thing would be a huge change. Working at the park I can't see a 16 year old operating controls on thunderhawk.
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100%:
Cedar Point
Kings Island
Michigan's Adventure
Magic Mountain
Knotts
50%:
Great America
Kentucky Kingdom
Canada's Wonderland
Indiana Beach
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The parks app just updated and now has wait times.
Yep, wait times will be available on Shivering Timbers, Wolverine Wildcat, Loggers Run, Mad Mouse, Thunderhawk, and Grand Rapids.
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Top 10 Vekoma coasters
Do SLC's, we need to settle which SLC is the best.
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I could do it- I'm in the area and at the park often, but honestly I'm so annoyed at Six Flags' policy so far, with members allowed to ride and non-members, including upper-tier season passholders, left to watch from the sidelines until the 17th, that I don't want to do anything to promote this ride. I wish you luck finding someone.
Yeah, that's actually a really shitty obnoxious attitude to have. Not only would I not want you representing our site but I don't want people like you on our forums. So you can just sit there on the sidelines and watch the rest of us post about the fun we're having in the park while you sit there and be a self-entitled rude jerk.
Bu-Bye....
The irony of this is that had to responded "Oh, man, I'd love to do the media event and get to ride before the opening date" you would have actually gotten to do something super fun and cool that ALL those other passholders and members would have wanted to do. Personally, I feel that if you're looking for "bragging rights" (as dumb as that actually is IMO) saying you got to do a media event is by far higher on the list than "riding it first" through a passholder preview.
But to each his own... you just sit there and continue to be angry....
Wow...
Lol anyway seems like a cool event to attend, surprised people are not jumping out of their seats. Wished I lived closer.
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Everything looks accurate except the worst wooden...
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Then there's Wolverine Wildcat. It only has one train. But why does the park only have ONE (1) person checking lapbars
Because staffing. The ride only requires one person to check restraints. There is a unload position, but is usually only staffed in the morning before breaks start.
I've not seen another Cedar Fair park let operators leave the booth while the ride was on to check lapbars by themselves, but at Michigan's Adventure, all things are apparently possible.
The program Cedar Fair uses called IRT, prohibits the operator from leaving their position....even if only one is checking restraints.
Wolverine Wildcat is like a dystopian terrible PhoenixYep. And since they are retracking the double down, it prob wont be going anytime soon.
circle jerk in the station before they officially stack trains.It's difficult to not stack timbers when guests have absolutely no idea how to unbuckle their seatbelt...also a couple more checking restraints would not hurt...staffing problems.
they'd need to invest in transfer track and another trainIt's prob not worth their time or money to do that.
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it's poorly staffed
So is CP.
they have like, what, three rides that adults and children under 48" can ride together (two of which are coasters)?I count 22 (Dry side), three of which are coasters. (According to the website)
As a water park, what have they gotten new in the last 7-8 years, some used kiddie slides from Geauga?The park revamped a kids area called Half Pint Paradise will all new equipment in 2017.
They also got a new attraction called beach party in 2011, also completely new.
The park has only gotten one attraction from geauga lake, Thunderhawk. NO new additions to the waterpark have been relocated from other parks.
The food sucks.All Cedar Fair food stands and locations suck. Classic tenders and fries. (Cedar Fair OWNED, not including Subway, Chick Fil-A, Panda express etc..)
The buildings are all cinder block construction with (maybe) some paint on them as decoration.They do need a new entrance. Not gonna lie.
I can't tell you the shows suck because there aren't any. There's not even a stage to do one with.Your hating on stuff that's not even there lol. They A. Don't have the staffing. And B. Don't have the attendance base to warrant a show.
There's no lights so the park can never run at night.They have been adding lights the last few years.
It took 20 years for the trees to grow back after they were all knocked down in a tornado, during which time they never bothered to open any indoor venues or put up any shade structures.Added coasters, an indoor restaurant. Umbrella's can be found around seating areas. The carnival ride area used to be known as "the oasis". Now it is cluttered with trees.
My wife will not go to Michigan's Adventure. She has traversed the world, seen the good and the bad and everything in between, and she will not even bother to go in spite of it being a) the closest park to us b) literally free to enter and park. She will deny that it is her home park to anyone that asks. The number of major parks I wouldn't trade Michigan's Adventure for can be counted on one hand. Darien Lake? Absolutely, you can have Timbers. Six Flags America? In a heart beat! Valleyfair? Unfair; You guys have more than 2-3 things I want to reride. It's in the dregs next to Magic Springs and Elitch Gardens; parks that have exceptional likelihood to be closed and parted out.Okay, sorry the park is such a disappointment.
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You can go do luge at Muskegon State Park 10 minutes away, hit the beach, do the dune rides, go have amazing beer, et al instead of spending time at Michigan's Adventure, the most soulless amusement park in North America. But I don't control your decision making.
LOL!
It's pretty bad when even Dorney is looking down on your park like "Damn, that's a lot of concrete!"
Lol you guys gotta remember this is a park focusing on kids and families. Not huge thrill junkies like us.
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are there any other tips for a first time visitor?
Leave early and do this.
Honestly I like this park. I don't mean that as a dig, but unless you'rwe doing the waterpark it's not really a full day park. The dunes in Mears are amazing. Honestly, the Michigan western shore is one of the coolest places in America that nobody talks about.
I would even say do the dune rides or a local attraction in the morning then go to the park in the afternoon. The lines are the longest in the morning when the water park is not open. Once the water park opens lines for rides decrease. When the water park closes the lines get longer for an hour or so but after 8PM most families have left.
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1. Name 3 of your favorite roller coasters, but not your top 3.
Banshee, Gatekeeper, Top Thrill Dragster
2. About how many different parks did you visit in 2018?
Only three.
3. Which 2018 park visit was your favorite?
Kings Island
4. Your favorite 2018 park addition (ride, food, show, etc)?
Steel Vengeance
5. What ride exceeded your expectations the most in 2018?
Steel Vengeance
6. Best meal/food at a park in 2018?
Reds Hall Of Fame Grill - Kings Island
7. What was your favorite new coaster of 2018 NOT made by RMC or Larson?
Didn't ride one.
8. Name one park you will definitely visit in 2019.
Kings Island, possible Hershey park.
9. Best ride themed to a bird?
Gatekeeper
10. Lamest ride/coaster you rode in 2018?
Big Dipper at Michigan's Adventure
11. What roller coaster currently sits at the top of your bucketlist? (degree of difficulty: NOT a new-for-2019 ride)
Fury 325
12. What new-for-2019 ride or coaster are you most looking forward to?
Carolina Cobras
13. Name the first totally middle-of-the-road (not bad/not great) park that comes to mind.
Hollywood Studios
14. You're in Orlando and magically have a 1-hour ERT session on 1 coaster of your choice at any park in the city. You choose...
Animal Kingdom Expedition Everest
15. Holiday In The Park vs. Winterfest. Who reigns supreme?
Winterfest
16. Mystic Timbers mystery shed or Wicker Man fire infusion?
Mystic
17. Which Six Flags have you been to most recently?
Never Been to a Six flags park
18. Intamin or Schwarzkopf? You may only choose one.
Intamin
19. Battle of Kings Coasters: Island or Dominion? Pick one.
Kings island, never been to Dominion.
20. What was the longest you waited for a ride/coaster in 2018?
4 hours for steel vengeance. Broke down like 4 times while in line.
21. What roller coaster have you ridden more than any other?
Have ridden shivering timbers more than 200 times.
22. Best drop tower under 150 feet?
Never ridden one under 150.
23. Maverick or Millennium Force? (If you haven't been to CP, pick what you want to ride more)
Millennium
24. Log flumes or sky rides? You can only choose one.
But but.. they are both great...I can't pick one.
25. What are 3 things you enjoying doing at your home park other than riding rides?
Michigan's adventure: Hanging out in the break room, water park, walking around?
26. What is your second favorite Cedar Fair park and why?
Cedar point is my number two because of the long lines.
27. What is your home park and give us two good reasons why we should pay it a visit.
Shivering Timbers, No Lines
28. Launch or Lift?
Both!
29. Did you buy fast pass at all in 2018?
Got them for free for renewing.
30. What is your least favorite wooden coaster?
Wolverine Wildcat at MiA...
31. Disney fanboys: cool or cult?
Cult!
32. Best Batman themed ride?
Never been on one.
33. Name something that tend to take home from parks that you didn't bring with you.
Something small to remember our visit.
34. Best wooden coaster over 110 feet tall? (rcdb will help you)
Shivering Timbers, The Beast
35. Have you ever been hit with something (loose change/a tree/vomit/etc) while riding something?
Bugs on dragster
36. Skywarps: credits or no? State your case.
Looks cool, never been on one.
37. Turkey legs: nah or yaaaaassssss?
YAAASSSSS
38. What is the most recent B&M that you rode?
Either Gatekeeper or Valravn
39. You can eat nothing but corn dogs, churros or funnel cake for the next 48 hours, which do you choose?
Corn Dogs
40. Post a great on-ride shot of you from 2018. (DO IT!)
Don't have one lol....
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2019 operating hours are on the website.
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Michigan's Adventure is also a HUGE part in Muskegon's economy. (the city MA is located in)
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A very disturbing timeline.
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Has anyone tried the Shivering Timbers IPA?
P.S I know cedar fair is not relocating Firehawk to MIA but I found it funny that Michigans Adventure platinum pass is a picture of it
A few of my opinions if they got firehawk:
1. It would be extremely expensive to operate.
2. They would pave part of the north/south maintenance path and put the ride next to wildcat.
3. They would modify the station to be a single loading bay with two trains.
4. New paint job.
5. Announcement in Nov/Dec.
But again all the passes across the chain have fire hawk in them, including Cedar Point.
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Think my least favorite are the Custom Coaster control panels. Not exactly sure why they did that, but they put the E-stop at the bottom of the control panel, meaning you have to reach over it to use the rest of the controls. I've seen it on a couple of their coasters, including Twisted Twins, Shivering Timbers, and Rampage.
According to some friends who work at the park, timbers is getting a new control panel next season because the current one is old and having problems.
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I think the main reason they are not adding new rides is because there is just not enough staffing to run the rides they currently have. Just think, a new boomerang would take 3 employees to run. That’s the same as shivering timbers, a much bigger ride.
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But they are investing in the park, just with things like a petting zoo. They have to be smart with their investments. MiA has major staffing problems, and the last thing you want in that situation is more rides. If anything, they need to remove a few rides that require more than one person to operate. Another big coaster like the enthusiasts want, which would require 5 or so people at all times to run, is ludicrous.
They could just Six Flags' it and have 2 people for flat rides and coasters
They currently have 3 on roller coasters and 1 on flat rides. All the rides have the minimum staffing required.
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Michigan's adventure got a new ride manager this year. The old one went to carowinds. The new one worked at Disney before moving to MA. Don't know if this would change anything.
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An employee told me supervisors are talking about a gravitation next year.
Carowinds Discussion Thread
in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Posted
They are not pulling Cedar Point or MiA. Maybe from parks farther south? Also Carowinds has a large full time ride op staff so they could probably just rely on locals for the other departments.