HWFan Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Ok, I hopefully have some more "Inside" info for you guys to clear some things up. This is responding to posts in the last couple of weeks: -Waterpark expansion is not a top priority for the SFSTL management. Dave said that they much rather prefer building rides in the dry park just for the fact that the dry park is open more days of the year and more hours of the day. -You're right about the Screaming Eagle in terms of ADA compliant access. I am in a wheelchair and have been told multiple times that I wouldn't be able to ride without being able to walk. It's one of my favorites, so that's a bummer. -Here is the story Dave gave me about theming, especially when it comes to Batman & Mr. Freeze: When Time Warner owned Six Flags, their goal was to turn it into their version of Disney/Universal with the same level of theming. However, based on geography and other factors, it didn't really work out, so when they sold the company to Premier Parks, they went another direction towards thrills and basically the amusement park vs. a theme park. -When I originally read the Negative-G post about Daredevil Days, he mentioned taking the photos, but Dave said not to share them. Then while talking to Dave earlier this month, he said that he wouldn't mind them being shared online, so I emailed Mr. Drabek telling him what Dave said. I thought they were fascinating! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWFan Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Inside Info: Part 2 -2015! It is also the year that the carousel turns 100. I had brought that up in the past that Dave had expressed the want to renovate it and move it into the garden area right next to the train station between the station and the theater. It would bring some great kinetic energy to that dead space. I believe that rumor made it to Screamscape as well. Although Dave didn't give me a time frame, he smiled when I brought up that 2015 was the 100th Anniversary. -To address the topic of removing coasters. Dave has told me specifically that now that they have branded themselves as the Coaster Capitol of Missouri, no coasters will be removed unless there is a better coaster to replace it. -In terms of the Tsunami Soaker theme: Dave said that they are going to try to kind of make it into a "warf" themed area immediately around the ride. The ride itself will be standard like in La Ronde, but the surrounding area will be interesting to see. -With the admissions changes, I will take some pictures as soon as I get into the park for re-training. I am told that the front gate is completely torn out at this time. As soon as I know more, I'll post it. As a lead in admissions, I am looking forward to the upgrades that will help enhance the guest experience for our season pass holders especially. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piedude81 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Thanks for the info! It's always cool to get some actual news along with all of our ramblings about Iron Boss... But yeah, moving the carousel sounds like a nice thing to do. Could we assume that the area could be used for a new flat? Also, it sucks that you can't ride Screaming Eagle. You'd think that someone would have changed that by now, but hopefully they'll fix it one day so you can ride again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWFan Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 ^ I always like sharing with everyone because it gives us more stuff to talk about. I actually only made it to the park as a guest twice this season, so it doesn't bother me too much. I'll make it someday. I don't know what kind of work experience you have, but working in admissions is probably my favorite thing to do in the world. We're on the front lines helping guests, and I love seeing the little kids as I open the gates in the morning. The looks on their faces are priceless. I couldn't think of anything more rewarding for me to do. If your job is your passion, you'll never work a day in your life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrs2420 Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Are they getting rid of the metal detectors? I sure hope so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWFan Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Are they getting rid of the metal detectors? I sure hope so. The metal detectors are staying as an essential part of our security. Trust me on this, they may be an inconvenience, but you definitely want them there. The admissions changes are all about the entrance using fingerprints for passes, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFZIP Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 It would be nice if they made the medal detection area to look better than it does, but it ain't changing and neither is the actual ticket seller booths, the only thing changing with the front gate is the "turnstile" area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StLCPfan Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 I think at this point having a ride in that spot is a blessing, even if they don't do ANY theming in the surrounding area. And for those who never got to ride the hannibarrels, they originally had roofs. Does anybody remember what year those were removed? It was a fun ride, but once the tilt started it was harder to keep your barrel spinning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWFan Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 ^ I was told they were shut down in 1997. One of my coworkers was actually a ride operator on them in high school. He has some funny stories about it. In terms of the ticket seller booths, the majority of our guests already have their tickets purchased or have season passes when they get to the park. If anything. They will start demolishing the booths one at a time to open the entry way up. Maybe eventually move them completely to the side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vonni Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 ^ I'd love to hear some of those stories! I would really like it if they would give the metal detectors a more permanent feel, rather than this temporary/set up over night feel they have had since 2001. Also, it would be nice to make them more accessible capacity wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RKO Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Ok, I'm confused (which can happen a lot) what are they doing to the front gates? I really don't understand how they are changing them and what the new process will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNT Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Deleted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theymitbgi Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Sounds like the long term plan would be to move the ticket windows to the left of the current entrance near where they set up the temporary souvenir stand, similiar to Great America. As far as wharf theming for the new ride, I could think they could very easily paint a few of the building that were Old West theme a blue/gray color, add some old fishing nets, buoys, etc and some tin roofing to replace a lot of the old wooden singles that seemed to be in bad shape anyway. The big thing would then being to remove the facade to the right of the old chevy show building. Then next up would be to do something permanent to the Chevy Show building, a small flat could fit there perfectly. I know they used this building for the first time in like ten years this year for the haunted house, but having it sit empty during most the operating season seems useless. BTW, great job getting this thread back on track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Warrior Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 As far as wharf theming for the new ride, I could think they could very easily paint a few of the building that were Old West theme a blue/gray color, add some old fishing nets, buoys, etc and some tin roofing to replace a lot of the old wooden singles that seemed to be in bad shape anyway. The big thing would then being to remove the facade to the right of the old chevy show building. Then next up would be to do something permanent to the Chevy Show building, a small flat could fit there perfectly. I know they used this building for the first time in like ten years this year for the haunted house, but having it sit empty during most the operating season seems useless.= The maze in there wasn't very interesting, but I was impressed by how long it felt. It would have been cool to see what it looked like with the lights on. One memory I had of that theater was when I was younger, they had a Merlin/magic themed show and I got to go up on stage. I don't see them removing that theater soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNT Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Deleted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RKO Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Ok, I'm confused (which can happen a lot) what are they doing to the front gates? I really don't understand how they are changing them and what the new process will be. The turnstiles are being replaced with new ones that will work with the new admission system. The new system will use a finger print instead of a picture to verify identity. This in theory will cut back on stolen passes and prevent people from using other peoples passes So since I already have my season pass, I assume that I will have to get finger printed when I go out there? Will I still have to present my pass when I get there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vonni Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 I don't think the theater necessarily needs to be removed, but it certainly needs to be utilized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNT Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Deleted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArizonaGuy Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Glad to hear about all the positive things going on at SFStL. Can't wait to see how it all turns out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWFan Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 ^ I'd love to hear some of those stories! Whenever someone would throw up on the ride, he would have to clean it up while the ride was still operating. He said that on busy days, to keep up capacity, he would have to clean while all of the other barrels were full of guests. He also said that he would have to stop the barrels manually if guests kept spinning after the ride stopped. One of the girls didn't listen, and as he stopped the barrel, and she kept spinning, her tank top shirt completely ripped down the middle. Also, I found a couple of vintage videos from the park, which include operating video from the Hannibarrels and Skyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWFan Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Ok, I'm confused (which can happen a lot) what are they doing to the front gates? I really don't understand how they are changing them and what the new process will be. The turnstiles are being replaced with new ones that will work with the new admission system. The new system will use a finger print instead of a picture to verify identity. This in theory will cut back on stolen passes and prevent people from using other peoples passes So since I already have my season pass, I assume that I will have to get finger printed when I go out there? Will I still have to present my pass when I get there? The current plan is that already made passes will just scan as usual with no finger print being necessary. All passes will be processed at the front gate, so we won't have printers. While your pass is a printed card. The new passes will just be recognized from a fingerprint. Also, I think it is important to mention that there will be no turnstiles, so all gates will be stroller/wheelchair accessible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrs2420 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Wish they would dye the log flumes water again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vonni Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 ^^^ Those were such cool videos! In the first video, I noticed that the train is traveling the opposite direction that it does now. I didn't know it ever traveled the opposite direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StlSS Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 While we are on nostalgia stuff..love it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theymitbgi Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Wow! What great old videos! A couple things I never knew, The skyride seemed to move pretty quickly, I always imagined they moved slow. Where was the Scrambler located? I couldn't quite make out the location. Mo-Mo was located where SkyScreamer is? Does anyone have a list of the concerts held at SFSL? I remember seeing pictures of Dolly Parton and maybe Willie Nelson. I remember seeing Weird Al and Crash Test Dummies. I know they had NKOTB, which practically shut down the highway, the park got so crowded. I still wish Six Flags would have more concerts ate the park, 2-3 Christian concerts a year doesn't excite me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now