Mark Rosenzweig

I think BGW s taking the correct approach with the first running of the event in limiting the amount of rides and in general areas of the park open. Much like when Hershey started their Christmas event a few decades ago. I suspect that if crowds materialize that the event will continue to grow (as in more of the park and attractions operational). Interesting how the Skyride is not included in the offerings as all three stations are within areas of the park that will be open for the event and it is a Swiss-Built Cable Car system, after all (similar systems used at Ski Resorts).

Oh please tell me this is true!!! Shane, you don't want that to be true. If it did happen, the train would have to be outfitted with in-house OTSRs, a five point harness, and 6 inch high seat dividers!

Driving by Lagoon yesterday, I noticed the park's Vekoma Giant Wheel was gone (save for the supports) with a large crane standing in the vicinity. Anyone have insight as to whether this is a major refurbishment or if it is being removed? This wheel started out life as "Jumbo" and later "Giant Wheel" at Circus World/Boardwalk and Baseball before being moved to Lagoon for (I believe) the 1990 season. Mark

It is the state fair for Massachusetts. http://www.thebige.com/ It is actually the state fair for all New England states as none of them have their own "proper" state fair. Mark

The coaster pictured at the Delaware State Fair is an "RC-48" model from now defunct Pinfari. It operated on Morey's Surfside Pier in Wildwood, NJ for about 5 years prior to being purchased by Wade Shows. Mark

Hey Eric- great overview of your first SFKK experience. Three quick points that I thought you might find of interest... 1)"T2" originally stood for "Terror to the Second Power". This was the first Vekoma SLC to debut in North America when it debuted just about the same weekend that the Raven opened 75 miles to the west in May of 1995. Four other SLCs also debuted in North America that year (Canada's Wonderland, Morey's Piers, Opryland, and Six Flags America- then Adventure World). T2 has a few kinks in its layout that only it and El Condor at Walibi World have- a more gradual first drop, sharper transitions (i.e. more pain), and a straight camelback leading to the brakes as opposed to the zig zag run that other standard SLCs have (look at photos on rcdb for comparison). 2)Many of the rides installed under the pre-Six Flags ownership were actually leased. When this practice is observed, it is typically most favorable to install "base frame" rides if at all possible as more of the money goes into the actual equipment and not as much the in ground/foundation- hence the unusual foundations for the park's Vekoma 50 meter Giant Wheel. 3)Until 1990, the ride park was limited to the "gate" side of the road. Thunder Road debuted in August of 1990 just in time for the Kentucky State Fair. The following years would bring other additions such as the Giant Wheel, several flat rides (like the Wood Design Carousel). The Vekoma Skater was North America's first and that Intamin Flying Dutchman Flat actually came from Kings Island where it operated in Oktoberfest near the entrance to Adventure Express (which debuted there in 1991 so you can see the timing played out perfectly on that one). Either way, the '90s were a huge decade for the park. Not only did they expand across the road, but the waterpark, T2, and the entire Twisted Twins wing all debuted within a 10 year span. On the gate side of the road, the Vekoma Boomerang was removed and sent to SFNE in exchange for a 180 ft Single Skycoaster. The Wet/Dry waterslides (called "The Squid") were removed and replaced by the Maurer Mouse (and later the Schwarzkopf Counter Weight Shuttle Loop). Did you find it odd how the Huss Pirat just kind of sat all on its own? It used to sit at the exit to "Vampire"- the Boomerang coaster. Obviously ridership has hardly existed since that was removed. Mark

But think through the logic here. The Batman clone wasn't "chosen", it was moved from a park that had closed (probably forever) to the only park in the system without an inverted coaster (Great Escape has/had Astroworld's Vekoma SLC on site). I highly doubt Six Flags would have commissioned a brand new Batman clone for SFFT, especially given all of the highly marketable options in that price range they could have chosen from.

My post was referring to said stupid comment in which Elissa took the words out of my hungover at the License Expo in Vegas mouth....

This is a great site, but sometimes it hurts my head to read. Not as much as a ride on Manhattan Express, but enough. Back to lurkage, Mark

Which makes the Great America Railroad's removal even more puzzling (prior to Stealth's removal). Let's design some funky columns to span the railroad (still visible at Carowinds) and then remove the ride we built around just a year or two later.

Thanks for the update, Chuck. Man, Busch Gardens The Old Europe Williamsburg looks to be having an amazing year attendance-wise. Surely season pass sales had a healthy bump with the lowered prices (we got them for the first time ever despite living 4 hours to the north). It's simple, really. Offer a good value with the season pass, and then include a nominal (but appreciated) discount on high quality grub (and not just overpriced mall chain food that has its price doubled to cover the concession split), and you've got both happy guests and a happy accounting dept. With the nosedive Florida parks are taking this year, BGW may prove to be the system's shining star this year. This in spite of the most poorly designed/thought out new attraction since Gladiator's Gauntlet or Drachen Fire.

I'm fairly sure Phantasialand's "River Quest" utilizes a similar Hafema ride system and still has its full sized drop intact.

Is there any wonder why Suzuka Circuit Park didn't survive? Its two premier attractions opening were this SLC and an outdoor Premier Spaghetti Bowl LIM full circuit (think Joker's Jinx/Poltergeist) but with trains that never got the lapbar retrofit. If that had been the first "big" park I had ever visited, and these the first two "big" coasters I had ridden, I probably would have written off all coasters. As an aside, I believe that first generation Intamin Freefall was originally "The Edge" at California's Great America. Interesting that this park has both this ride and what looks to be an Intamin Giant Drop as well. Astroworld had the same combo, but only in 1997 (the year Dungeon Drop debuted).

Or one of those Pinfari death machines that you guys seemed to enjoy so much in France, and had that nasty crash in Denmark?

Thanks for the post. While most folks on this (or any) board probably don't give a second thought with regards to a random restored carousel, this ride means a lot to me personally. At the ripe old age of 2, my grandfather saddled up with me and that was that. Fascionation with rides, parks, etc was born 31 years ago. I spent countless days/hours at Nunley's Amusements in Baldwin. Having moved to Baltimore 2 years ago from the NYC metro area, I was bummed that opening weekend was not in the cards for me, but I will make it up to the Island later this summer for sure. What an amazing restoration. The re-tuned Wurlitzer 153 band organ and ring dispensor are just icing on the cake. Mark

As we are closing in on the 2 year anniversary of WWW's opening day, I thought a gallery was in order to recount the momentous day... http://www.whispers.smugmug.com/gallery/8061064_MT7zJ#525155124_HLWfK

A wee-bit of Disney's America Research here... which DOES apply... There were TWO sites selected for GAm DC- One in MD and One in PRINCE WILLIAM county, VA (West of DC Metro Area)... NOT too far from where Disney's America was to have been based. The same NIMBYs as before- but two plus decades earlier. It's a shame, too- as I think had GAm been built, DC would have been spared SFA! (Sorry- couldn't resist!) I think Wild World would have still operated as a small waterpark/amusement park back in the '80s, but odds are it wouldn't exist today.

And probably would have also been purchased by SF/Bally.

Aren't the two loops independent of one another structure-wise?

Shane, I've wondered the same thing. I'm sure Chuck or someone else local to the park can answer for sure, but here's my theory- I believe the trims prior to entering the helix/lair were originally designed to be mid course safety/block brakes capable of stopping a train if need be. If lift one is running at the same speed as lift two and a train is dispatched from the station as soon as the one ahead of it clears the top of the lift, you will have trains meet in the interlocking loops. Today, they have slowed down the speed of lift one to a crawl such that when a train is navigating the lower/second of the interlocking loops, the train before it is just dropping off of lift one (and in the best scenerio is just starting to plunge down the first drop as the train ahead of it is exiting the second loop and heading up to the ready brakes before the station. Theory? The trims before the helix/lair are no longer used as safety/block brakes. Instead, now the second lift is used as the mid course safety/block. If a train is stacked ahead of it outside the station, you'll simply stop at the top of lift two until it clears. This gives the crew a little more time to dispatch the train in the station as the first lift has been slowed down, but has also resulted in the trains meeting in the interlocking loops now not being possible. Just my two cents- interested to hear from a local on this one...

I have never been a huge fan of the first generation 12 passenger Intamin Rapids, as the boats hardly spin meaning one side of the boat gets drenched while the other side gets nothing. As you described, the pacing is bizarre too- with the slow sections leading to rapids pouring water over one side of the boat, etc. I do prefer this to those rapids rides that do nothing until boats are "forced" under waterfalls to soak all riders- that's the cheap way out IMO. The best rapids rides (besides the major productions at IOA, DAK, and DCA) are some of the older 6 passenger Intamin Rapids. Kings Dominion's comes to mind- it has a *long* course that goes through the woods. Great ride, great setting. A few Hopkins versions stand out to me- namely the Blizzard River at SFNE.

Can anyone describe exactly what the "Pirate" ride was? Was it an old mill type water dark ride that had been rethemed to Pirates in its later years?

Wasn't Spinnaker moved to SFFT for the '96 season after being removed in the Winter of '95/'96 due to Runaway Mountain's installation?

Photos from this past weekend in the Burg are up at: http://whispers.smugmug.com/gallery/7832806_yr4tG#507491405_DEW7G Enjoy...

Sorry Sue, but RT is really like an '80s hair metal band. Seemed good back in the day as we grew up with them and didn't know any better, but in looking back today, not so much. Still worth a ride (or listen to White Lion), if only to remind us why we stopped riding/listening in the first place. Not saying I didn't jam out to Rocket Queen on the way to the office this morning.....