swfan1988

Hi Everyone! So...I first saw this news on reddit and was like "Yeah that's a bunch of BS" However, today Coaster Studios posted an interview from IAAPA with a man by the name of Darren Torr. (I choose not to link because I have a funny feeling that Taylor Bybee is persona non grata on these forums (not that I like Taylor that much either)... but the interview is out there, I promise) In the interview, Torr says that he started with RMC right around the time they started working on Stunt Pilot, and that eventually Fred and him worked out a way where Daren would assume ownership of RMC! He was vague on specifics but seemed to indicate that he is now the company's owner/president and Fred is now a partner/mentor/advisor. He apparently worked at several major steel manufacturing firms, including in leadership positions, but has no previous amusement industry experience. He says he is a firm believer in innovation, and that he thinks that RMC has a great team and has a very bright future. While I'm a little concerned, since I believe that one of the biggest challenges for any business is when the founder retires, steps away, passes away, or otherwise "moves on", it seems to me that if RMC under Torr's leadership continues the company's trend of innovation, and finding creative ideas and solutions for the amusement park industry than RMC does have a bright future. Personally, I hope he pushes the company to introduce more models and to branch out beyond the "give old wooden coasters new life" model that made the company into what it is today. I hope Fred has a great and long retirement, and that maybe just maybe if he needs a part time job that he might return as Silverwood's construction manager... As a side note, if this is true, I think its awesome that Stunt Pilot was Fred Grubb's last coaster he was involved in...which just so happens to be about 50 ft from the first coaster he ever built... Amazing how stuff like that comes full circle! As for Alan Schilke...this one is a bit more of a rumor. Apparently he said in a recent interview something to the effect of "I'm tired of roller coasters" and indicated that he would like to retire or "do something else" soon. I don't know how true this is, but it would explain why ArieForce One is credited to Joe Draves. Anyone know more about this? Well, we saw what Grub and Schilke could do together, and I am kinda excited for what Torr and Draves can do building on RMC's success! I wish them well!

Did they ever actually remove Corkscrew or is it still just sitting there? Out of curiosity, was it for sale or is it a goner at this point?

Wait, they haven't finished fixing Phoenix yet...?

Can't be to much help on the parks since I either haven't been ever or in a real long time. Heard good things about the Knott's Wild West Stunt Show and Ghost Town Alive (if they are running those), and heard nothing but amazing things about Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant. In general though, LA is known for its famously gnarly traffic and there are no toll roads/lanes that I know of. I think doing both Knott's and Magic Mountain is certainly achievable (especially if you do them on separate days like you have them), just be prepared for driving and at least some traffic. The beaches are also cool of you like that kind of thing, even the ones without roller coasters. Have fun on you trip!

I stand corrected, my apologies. Thank you for the insight!

I'm so happy to be wrong about that rumor! "I will not spread unfounded rumors on TPR, I will not spread unfounded rumors on TPR, I will not spread unfounded rumors on TPR, I will not spread unfounded rumors on TPR..." Also, really glad that Kennywood listened to their fans and is moving to bring back a classic for the park. Hope that trend continues! I wonder if Premier can now partner with someone (or I guess go it alone if they wanted to) to make Kangaroo rides for other parks? I think I could get behind having a Kangaroo at every Six Flags park!

Uhhh...the park was sold to Cedar Fair in 1997 and GhostRider opened (ahead of schedule) in December 1998. I've heard that the general idea for a wooden coaster was proposed and rejected by the Knott family, while Cedar Fair proposed and green lit the actual concept for GhostRider after the sale. I digress though. That is true that the hyper was probably too expensive for CGA, but maybe not for Knott's. Still I think the cost calculation will keep CF away from a giga leaving us with a hyper at best. I also think cost is why they won't try and send it over buildings and instead try and squeeze it into the park somehow. I think you are on to something with the balance between families and thrills, that something that I think Knott's does really well, and something a B&M hyper would be a great fit for.

I know everyone (myself included) wants a B&M Giga (or a Hyper for that matter) in the west, but can I just say that not only do I think this is not happening I also kinda hope it doesn't. First off, I don't think this is happening. Period. I think this for a few different reasons. Yeah, sure maybe Knott's could squeeze it in someway, but that's what they did with Silver Bullet and look how that turned out. Do you really want Cedar Fair to just "squeeze in" a giga? Doesn't sound like a winning idea to me. Next, Knott's seems to thrive on their nostalgia and appealing to that multi-generational demographic. Yes, B&M's have wide appeal, but not that wide an appeal. Think about all of Knott's additions the last 5+ years, all of them except Hangtime, have been geared either towards a wide multi-generational demographic, has played off nostalgia for the park and its history, or some combination of both. Cedar Fair tried the whole "build big coasters and thrill rides" thing in the late 90's/early 2000's, and I think they learned that that strategy just doesn't work with this park. Lastly, I'm sure Knott's already had had problems with noise and complaints from their neighbors, and I don't think those neighbors would appreciate the "B&M roar" all that much. In addition, if a hyper was "too expensive" for CGA, then there's no way it can be any cheaper for a giga at Knott's. I'm sorry, I know we all REALY want this to happen, but I just don't see it. Secondly, even if this was happening I really wouldn't want it to. I think Cedar Fair did a lot of damage to the park during the early years of their ownership. Yes, GhostRider and Xcelerator look great to me, but when Cedar Fair deviated from that "heritage and history" motif that the park always seemed to had I think it took a lot out of the park and it's taken years for Cedar Fair to move to put some of it back in. I like the path they've had the last few years of refreshing and bringing back older parts of the park's history and working to continue the Knott family legacy, mixed with a sprinkle of the modern in the form of Hangtime and too a certain degree Voyage to the Iron Reef. I'd really like to see this trend continue and I'd like them to add more themed rides and doing what the farm has always done best, innovate with new ride models and theme park concepts (Corkscrew, Montezuma's Revenge, Wacky Soap Box Racers, Sky Cabin, Studio K, and Camp Snoopy, just to name a few from the park's past) tied to nostalgia focusing on heritage and history. In my mind, adding a B&M Giga just doesn't fit that mold. Yes, it would probably be great but I just don't see it being a good fit here. Personally, if Cedar Fair did really want to add a B&M to Knott's, I'd want them to wait till they throw in the towel on Xcelerator and then put it back there as a sorta "back drop" to the Boardwalk area using space over and around the train tracks and the Charles Schultz Theater, coupled with a new take on the Wacky Soap Box Racers. I think that combo would work good, plus I think the hyper might have the wide enough appeal that could make it work at Knott's. But even that idea is such a long shot that I think it's nothing more than a pipe dream.

^That's the way the one at Silverwood is! I don't think it even has a mechanism to lower itself, I think it's permanently fixed in the upright position. It unloads with a little platform that slides back and forth that acts as a step to get on an off...yes, it is a slow moving line...like a lot of lines at Silverwood unfortunately... (Ironically, this photo is from somewhere on TPR and it happened to show up first in a Google Search. Great job photo credit holder!) Ok! Lets get this thread back on track! How about that new coaster name?

Surprised this didn't make it on here, but Kennywood put this on their socials yesterday... Hearing some rumors that it is Six Flags buying the park...which to me sounds like something straight out of theme park hell! I know Palace/Parques Reunidos gets a bad rap but come on...they got to be better than Six Flags?!?!?! Right....? (Also, why can't Six Flags try and buy parks that they could actually benefit...like Wild Waves!!) I'll leave the Steel Curtain and Batman joke too someone else...but other than that I haven't seen any hard evidence, so we'll have to wait and see. If it is true...I'm hoping Six Flags at least learned something from Geauga Lake...I would hate to see Kennywood come even remotely close to that fate. Personally I'd rather have the original family owners reacquire the park, or of all the parks that I'd want to see Herschend buy Kennywood was probably near the top of my list. Really hoping this ones a dud, but thought I'd put some foam on the runway just in case... Heard mixed things on if the rumored sale includes any of the other Palace parks, so for me all bets are off there.

Great News for you Bert, celebrate away! Looks like everyone can finally (truly) justify a pitstop in between Over Texas and Fiesta Texas! (Oh, and SeaWorld too...) The unique layout looks great, I hope this is a sign of things to come for this park! Unfortunately, it also looks like the "awesome looking rides with dumb names" theme continues this year...ArieForce One...Palindrome...what's next, Hotwheel's Coaster? Also looking forward to that big new Gerstlauer coming to Cedar Point that (almost) every theme park youtuber confirmed...

Isn't there another RMC out there themed to planes...? Hmmm let's see...plane themed trains...red and white in the color scheme...aviation stuff in the queue...odd name choice...that sounds awfully familiar...can't quite place where I've seen that before... Oh well, it's not important! Fun Spot must have heard about that ride and thought "Hey! Why don't we do something similar, but bigger, [probably] better, and with a dumber sounding name!" Kudos to the Atlanta park for getting some much needed attention! Kings Island better hurry up or at this rate Georgia might soon become the RMC capital of America!

Looks to me like they are removing most (if not all of) the Roger Rabbit references, and trying to bring the land more in line with the new Mickey Mouse cartoons to better match Runaway Railway. Bummer for Roger fans, but I think the right call in the long run for the land. I have always been a fan of Toontown, so I'm glad it's getting some much needed attention. They also notably did NOT mention Cartoon Spin or Gadget's Go Coaster in the release and they are only vaguely depicted in the concept art. Have to wonder if a retheme is coming for Gadget, and the end is near for Cartoon Spin?

No...I'm trying to say that he at least tried to talk about trying to elevate the guest experience at Six Flags parks, which I commend him for trying. If we can't give him credit for trying, we should at least give him credit for getting them to paint Bizzarro... Whether he actually did anything more than try...well...that's a debate all in itself...

Mike Spanos it out, Selim Bassoual is in! General Article: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-11-15/six-flags-abruptly-replaces-ceo-even-as-park-traffic-recovers More details: https://www.bakersfield.com/ap/news/six-flags-announces-new-ceo/article_28f5aaa0-feb8-5933-9cb3-bdd1c15cf72f.html Six Flags announced today that Spanos is leaving effective immediately, replaced by Bassoual who was previously non-executive chairman of the board and former CEO of Middleby Corp. Ben Baldanza, former CEO of Spirit Airlines will replace Bassoual as non-executive chairman. (Is it just me or does that sound 100% like Six Flags...) No reason was given for Spanos' departure. Bassoual is quoted as saying: “I am honored to serve as the next CEO of Six Flags, and I am excited to bring the magic back to our parks. We are a company led by a purpose–to make a positive and meaningful impact on everyone Six Flags touches," [...] "I will do my best to enable our people to fulfill their passion to make a difference, and to harness their creativity to build on a shared vision for guest satisfaction and financial growth. I am passionate about empowering employees and serving our customers, and together with our team, I know we can set up Six Flags for a new level of success in the months and years ahead.” This doesn't make all that much sense to me, since the company's financial performance seems to have held up well during and after COVID, and Spanos seemed to be taking the company in a good directions (season pass fiasco aside), in my opinion. It will be interesting to see if Bassoul is in Spanos' vein of increasing customer satisfaction and elevating the guest experience, or if he returns to the more Jim Reid-Anderson formula. Anyone know more about this?

Despite all that's going on, the park made their annual donation to Children's Village again this year! https://cdapress.com/news/2021/nov/13/it-takes-theme-park/ This year it was $100,000 donated, bringing their total donation over the last decade to over $1 million! Congratulations to the park and the Norton family, and I'm glad that they continue to be a big part of the community. Other thing that I thought was interesting was that they share that the park had a record year, with attendance of 803,000! I don't know by how much this was an increase of (last I heard the record was just shy of 700,000, but that was a couple years ago), but I hope this encourages them to continue making large investments. They also said that Scarywood had record attendance, but they didn't give a figure. They are already selling season passes this year (with a price increase of course), so I don't expect too much new for next year but I guess we'll see, if they make any minor changes.

How about they just copy the layout of Timber Mountain but just leave it unthemed? Solves both the cost and log flume problems! Seriously though I agree a modern log flume at Cedar Point of any kind would be awesome. Kinda bummed about the Antique Cars though, hope that doesn't become a trend chain wide.

I spy with my little (Indiana Beach Facebook page) eye...Schwarzkopf track! ...and fresh paint on Steel Hawg... Still hoping they get the Quimera/Drier Looping/Whatever they want to call it figured out, looks like it could be a fun and solid ride for them.

Sure looks like they are RMCing it to me... Hope they get it back open soon! Looks like they are making good progress. Been out of the loop for a while on this one, did they ever actually figure out officially what happened?

I was thinking about the teasing going at at Alabama Adventure, and I'm starting to think that there are too many coincidences going on... The park produced a video (https://www.facebook.com/AlabamaAdventure/videos/580119943318299/) of Dan Koch standing in an open area next to a large object under a white sheet, with Rampage in the background. It's windy, and despite his best efforts (maybe?) you can kinda make out what looks suspiciously like a Gravity Group Timberliner car. Also the video was conveniently released on Halloween. Recently, in response to a question on Instagram the park said that they would "be revealing more" on Thanksgiving. (Image ripped from Reddit because I'm too lazy to go get my own screenshot, and this one works just as well) And gee, I can't think of any other independent family (whose last name starts with a "K" and ends with an "H") owned park in the US, that heavily features the holidays, and has a collection of great wooden coasters one of which happens to be built by the Gravity Group that is located in an area themed to Thanksgiving... (Oh yeah...and that certain coaster notably does NOT run Timberliners...) This is all purely my speculation, but it just all seems a little too coincidental... This leads me to believe that they are gonna get a Gravity Group wooden coaster of some kind for next season. I don't think this is the resurrected shuttle coaster from Dorney, I think it might be more of Dan Koch and Co. sticking it to the rest of their family... Like I said this is just me coaster enthusiast guessing, so take it with a grain of a salt. No matter what it turns out to be we don't have too far to wait at least!

Nothing for Discovery Kingdom either. I agree and hope that the season passes with access to all parks goes chain wide again, never had the pass but always seemed like it was a pretty sweet deal.

I agree with coasterbill and shavethewhales2. This park needs more themed experiences, and indoor rides. Time Traveler looks fun and all, but when I was at the park this last summer it was noticeable how few indoor/themed rides for the whole family they have, especially if that's really what the majority of visitors are. Also, they need more stuff up in the front of the park I think, all of the big rides are in the back now (besides Lightning Rod), and I think having more major rides up front will balance things out better. Also, please tell Dolly to plant some more trees...it is called Wildwood GROVE after all... Personally, I'm hoping for a Flooded Mine themed dive coaster in the Mountain Slidewinder/Owen's Farm/Daredevil Falls area for the next major coaster. I think that strikes a good balance between capacity, thrills, and wide appeal that the park needs.

A coaster enthusiast wanting DC Comics and Looney Tunes themes in a Six Flags park...I think I might need another beer...

Dead Rumor Alert! Apparently someone somewhere (obviously not here) started a rumor that Silverwood could possibly be sold to Herschend. I hadn't heard about this until I saw this article by pure chance : https://bonnercountydailybee.com/news/2021/oct/30/silverwood-staying-norton-family-snp/ According to the article it sounds like the Norton family (or at least Gary) was approached by Herschend about a potential sale of the park. However, Gary is quoted as saying "I told them we’re not for sale and had no intention of selling,” Norton said. “We enjoy what we do and want to keep doing it.” He also mentioned that Herschend was interested in collaborating on projects that could benefit both parks internally, which the article makes it sound like he was open to that kind of partnership. (Cinnamon Bread, Cinnamon Bread, Cinnamon Bread...) He uses the example of software (something Silverwood is known for), and other internal things that apparently Herschend likes how Silverwood does things. He clarifies pretty clearly though "that continued talks will include 'nothing in terms of any ownership changes whatsoever." Personally, I'm think it's neat that such a big player in the industry was interested in the park. I'm also REALLY glad that the Norton family (or at the very least Gary) are still active and committed to the park and it's future under their ownership. I think one of the biggest challenges any business faces is what happens after the founder steps away or passes away, and it's been something that I've thought about with the park before. I'm grateful that both Gary, and hopefully, the rest of the family is confident in the the park and interested in continuing the great run the park has had over the last 33 years. While I'm glad that it was Herschend who expressed interest in the park, and not Cedar Fair or heaven-forbid Six Flags, I'm even gladder that the family has decided to keep the park and it makes me even more excited for the park's future. Three or four years ago I would have been more excited for this dead rumor, but after Stunt Pilot and the progress the park has made recently, I'm glad that it's dead in the water. It does beg the question though, if Herschend is on the move and is interested in parks like Silverwood, who else have they approached, or would be interested in approaching, about a potential acquisition or collaboration?

^Actually... for the sake of everyone wanting to experience the better version of this credit, we should all hope that they sold the parts to SW to keep Aftershock going for a few more years...minus those trains of course, we should all be pissed if we see those trains in North Idaho next year. Even just looking at them makes my head hurt....