Volume 3, No. 8. April 25, 2003
New Arrivals
It’s
a flat ride!
Six Flags St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri, announces the arrival of Xcalibur,
April 18, 2003. Measurements: 113 feet high (34.5 meters), 46-foot (14-meter)
diameter of wheel, 96-foot (29-meter) radius of the wheel, 6,400-square-foot
(594.5-square-meter) footprint, 16 gondolas carrying four passengers each. Delivered
by Nauta Bussink Baily.
Something about bagpipes.
Because Six Flags St. Louis’ new Britannia section ride is themed as a
battering ram inside a medieval wood fort, and because it’s named for King
Arthur’s famous sword, the park adopted a decidedly Olde English flavor
in the opening ceremony for Xcalibur. A knight in shining armor sliced
through the ribbon with his sword, and bagpipers provided the fanfares and soundtrack.
True, bagpipes are Olde Scottish rather than English, but they struck the right
tune with the crowd. “When the ride was opening, there was quite a line,”
said Carrie Wenos, the park’s public relations coordinator. “Every
time the bagpipers finished playing, everybody would cheer. It was a very pumped-up
crowd.”
Along with the public crowd were local professional journalists and 38 student
journalists from high school and college papers. “They’re very professional
when they come out,” Wenos said. “They take it very seriously.”
Radio station contest winners from as far away as Springfield, Illinois, made
up the official first riders, after which the pumped-up crowd started boarding
the pumped-up ride. “The people I’ve spoken to said they didn’t
know what kind of ride experience to expect,” Wenos said. “Some people
rode several times in a row, which for a spinning ride was quite a task.”
THE LOOP is written and produced by Eric Minton, Minton Enterprises, LLC. To see more examples of Eric Minton's work and Minton Enterprises services, visit www.ericminton.com.
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