Six Flags Great America (SFGAm) Discussion Thread

[Dan the Coaster Man]

When is the last time American Eagle Blue ran?

[JT325]

Great old b-roll footage of Turn of the Century.  Note quick (proper!) dispatches and no air gates:

One train drops, 2nd train engages lift, 3rd train enters station.  I never rode TOC, but this is how I remember Demon operating when I was a kid.  Good times.  Still love Demon!

[ilrider]

^Very cool! I had never seen TOC in action before. No air gates! Imagine the issues that would cause today. Now we have seatbelts on the carousel!

[AmyUD06]

30 minutes ago, ilrider said:

^Very cool! I had never seen TOC in action before. No air gates! Imagine the issues that would cause today. Now we have seatbelts on the carousel!

Knoebel's has neither air gates nor seatbelts on like 99% of their rides.  Just sayin'.

[prozach626]

^That's because it's in a place nowhere near Chicago (or Illinois).

[IntaminLove]

If my memory is correct Magnum, Gemini, Mean Streak, and Blue Streak didn't have air gates until the mid to late 2000s. Better safe than sorry.

[JT325]

 

 

^I remember my shock when Gemini got seatbelts in the 90s.  I mean... seatbelts on Gemini?  What's the point?  How are they going to run 6 trains?  Oh well, times change. 

We used to announce on Blue Streak "seat belts are optional, you do not have to wear them."  I miss the flat bench days

[Dan the Coaster Man]

According to a tweet, park president Hank Salemi has passed away. RIP.

I’ve talked to him shortly when I saw him walking around a couple times, and he wrote back to me when I wrote a letter to the park when I was younger. A great guy and will be missed

[CedarFlags]

I might be taking a trip to Chicago this spring.  The calendar on the website is totally blank right now, anyone know when the park tends to announce opening day?

[Dan the Coaster Man]

Not sure when they usually announce. No word yet. The other day IB stated their opening day for April 30, I would imagine around there for SFGAm. For what it's worth, between SFOT cutting hours and SFStL's opening weekend moving back two weeks later than normal, and the fact their first weekday open including Fridays is May 27th, I wouldn't bank on much more than Saturday and Sundays in May. Granted SFGAm is a much larger draw than SFStL for both enthusiasts and gp, so maybe they will get some weekdays, but still, not sure what to expect with this new CEO

[CedarFlags]

On 1/30/2022 at 7:07 PM, CedarFlags said:

I might be taking a trip to Chicago this spring.  The calendar on the website is totally blank right now, anyone know when the park tends to announce opening day?

The SFGAm Facebook is advertising a hiring event on Feb 19, so that probably explains why there's no operating calendar yet.  They seem to not have a reliable prediction for their staffing.

[Dan the Coaster Man]

SFStL has been hiring pretty hard, and they have an operating calendar through August, so I don't think that is why SFGAm hasn't announced their opening date.

SFGAm is by far the biggest park that has not announced a date yet. They are also the only Six Flags park to not have done so. Nearby parks like Little Amerricka, SFStL, Bay Beach, MA, IB, Adventureland have their dates. There's a couple nearby parks like KK and Mt. Olympus that have not announced. But there are plenty of other parks in similar/worse climates like Silverwood, Great Escape and SFNE that have dates... so... 

I wonder if Hank Salemi's death has pushed the park back a few weeks. Supposedly new CEO is giving the power back to park presidents, and the combination of Hank's unexpected death and the fact I have not heard or seen anything about anyone stepping into the role since then.... its possible the park has been a bit scrambled the past few weeks with no leader. I'd like to think corporate would come in and handle everything, but just a thought I had. They didn't present at no coaster con in late Jan, a few weeks after he passed, and they seem to have been a staple every year.

[prozach626]

They are probably waiting to see what lockdown measures Comrade Pritzker will have in place when it gets closer to opening day.

[Dan the Coaster Man]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure he doesn't help at all, but it's looking better with most mask bans lifting at the end of the month

[IntaminLove]

On 1/30/2022 at 9:07 PM, CedarFlags said:

I might be taking a trip to Chicago this spring.  The calendar on the website is totally blank right now, anyone know when the park tends to announce opening day?

Still no announcement, but the first event is Physics day on April 28th. That indicates opening day will be towards the end of the month if that helps. 

[Dan the Coaster Man]

Glad to see an event for April 28th, a Thursday, because as of right now SFStL has lost all weekdays until May 27th...

[Dan the Coaster Man]

No official announcement, but single day tickets are available starting April 23rd

[Dan the Coaster Man]

Official opening April 15th, hours posted through September 5th

[CedarFlags]

Officially headed to the park during the first week of May for my first visit.  Any advice for a first timer?

Also... any Cadvice / recommendations for the area in general?  Not opposed to driving an hour or so to see something cool.

[IntaminLove]

It can be chilly in May especially if it's windy so bring a sweatshirt or light jacket. Use the Washington St entrance to get in the park faster. You can also exit that way at the end of the day. Get Maxx Force, Goliath, and Joker out of the way first. They have the longest lines due to lower capacity and frequent periods of down time. Ride the other coasters and flats in whatever order you please. Half the coasters are clones so that may help you prioritize. 

[Dan the Coaster Man]

7 hours ago, CedarFlags said:

Officially headed to the park during the first week of May for my first visit.  Any advice for a first timer?

Also... any Cadvice / recommendations for the area in general?  Not opposed to driving an hour or so to see something cool.

@IntaminLove covered the bases pretty well. I like eating at Strutters. If you want to get in the Chicago spirit you could go to Big Lou's for Italian beef.

Chicago is within an hour, but obviously requires a hefty time commitment, there's so much to do. Maybe see if the Cubs are in town!

[CedarFlags]

21 hours ago, IntaminLove said:

It can be chilly in May especially if it's windy so bring a sweatshirt or light jacket. Use the Washington St entrance to get in the park faster. You can also exit that way at the end of the day. Get Maxx Force, Goliath, and Joker out of the way first. They have the longest lines due to lower capacity and frequent periods of down time. Ride the other coasters and flats in whatever order you please. Half the coasters are clones so that may help you prioritize. 

Thanks!  I'm planning on springing for a Flash Pass and I also have half a day I could use to go back in case it's totally slammed or stuff is down.  The clone I'm looking forward to is Batman, lol.

 

19 hours ago, Dan the Coaster Man said:

@IntaminLove covered the bases pretty well. I like eating at Strutters. If you want to get in the Chicago spirit you could go to Big Lou's for Italian beef.

Chicago is within an hour, but obviously requires a hefty time commitment, there's so much to do. Maybe see if the Cubs are in town!

I'm going to be in Chicago for a day and a half with only a very loose itinerary, so hit me with the recommends.  Bonus points for anything spooky, gay, or just unusual.  Also planning on driving up to Milwaukee for a night since it's not that far from Gurnee.

[IntaminLove]

You shouldn't need a Flash Pass since it's early in the season. The park should have lower attendance unless we get a random hot day. 

The only things I would recommend to do in Chicago are museums or an architecture tour. I love the Field Museum and can spend the whole day there. 

[grsupercity]

Do the skydeck at the Willis Tower. Step out onto the ledge  

[Dan the Coaster Man]

Roaring rapids will be open this season after a lengthy refurb. Buccaneer Battle will be closed for the season.