Volume 2, No. 10. June 14, 2002
Air forth
The Philadelphia
Zoo was looking for a way to give guests a different perspective of the zoo.
How about straight down from above?
This weekend the zoo will launch, literally, balloon rides. It will be the first
zoo in the world to feature a Lindstrand HiFlyer, a 126-foot-high (38-meter)
balloon filled with 200,000 cubic feet of helium. Only three such balloons,
manufactured in Oswestry, England, are operating in the United States. Moored
to 40 anchor points, the balloon, bearing a painting of a giraffe and orangutans
peering over the treetops, will rise to 400 feet (121 meters) while a tour guide
points out zoo and Philadelphia landmarks.
“When you go up you have a wonderful view of the zoo and its inhabitants,”
said Antoinette Maciolek, the zoo’s director of public relations. “You
also get a wonderful view of historical things in Philadelphia. We think that’s
an educational opportunity with the balloon. I read the script recently and
there were things I didn’t know.”
The desire for a new revenue-generating transportation system grew after the
zoo took down its monorail in 1998. COO Joseph Moore struck on the idea for
the balloon about 18 months ago, Maciolek said, but bringing the vision to fruition
has not been smooth sailing. “We had a number of approvals to go through,
internally and externally,” she said. “Would it be feasible to have
something like this at a zoo? We had to make sure we had the space. We wanted
to make sure the balloon was going to be tethered in the right areas.”
The balloon, launching from a plaza measuring one acre, can carry up to 30 people.
Rides are available even to people not visiting the zoo at a charge of $15.95
for adults and $12.95 for children 2-11. Tickets that include zoo admission
are $22.90 and $19.90. The rides last 15 minutes.
Down
underwriting
Except in the amusement
industry, many trade and professional associations offer insurance programs
for their members. Now, the Australian Amusement Leisure and Recreation Association
has moved into the insurance realm as a reaction to what its leaders call a
“public liability crisis.”
“The public liability climate in this country and its impact on the amusement
industry is in a worse predicament than anywhere else in the world,” said
Steve Peet, AALARA president and chief operating officer for Warner Village
Theme Parks Group. The climate has grown increasingly uncomfortable for amusement
venues and activities, including sports centers and even beaches, because of
a highly litigious public and uneven government regulations that, in the event
of the slightest violation, could land an operator and inspector in jail. “The
way the government has been going they are more about prosecution than implementation,”
Peet said. “You have trouble getting inspectors and engineers to sign off
on rides and attractions because of possible prosecution.” Consequently,
fewer underwriters are willing to provide liability insurance for amusement
venues.
At its annual conference and trade show May 21, AALARA unveiled a reform of
its own. AM-SAFE is a three-pronged product available for a fee through AALARA
Risk Management that ultimately helps members and nonmembers obtain liability
insurance.
The first step involves training. AALARA has engaged with a team of risk management
experts to visit amusement venues and write their operations manuals and safety
checklists based on the nationwide Australian standards, AS3533, governing amusement
facility design and operations. The second step involves a certificate of accreditation,
either for those venues AALARA has trained or for those who already have risk
management systems in place. Accreditation of some sort is a prerequisite for
most underwriters.
The third element is the insurance itself. AALARA Insurance is a combination
of the association and IEA Brokers, the largest supplier of sports insurance
in the country. “There will be a lot of people throughout the industry
asking, ‘Why would you want to annex the association’s name to the
insurance?’” Peet said. “We are providing a service for our members.”
Furthermore, the company structure protects AALARA from damage claims, Peet
said.
“Whilst
we are very much involved with the whole loop, from the risk management product
through to the insurance, the insurance coverage is conducted by the brokerage
firm sourcing appropriate underwriters,” he said. “I think it’s
absolutely a move that needs to be made.”
Initial response from AALARA members has been positive, Peet said, and he thinks
peer pressure throughout the industry will entice more amusement industry operators
to purchase AM-SAFE. AM-SAFE is also designed to assist operators in managing
the associated risks on an ongoing basis as well as enabling them to get insurance.
In the meantime, the association continues to fight the public liability battle
on the political front. Australia has no rider responsibility type of law. “This
country has had a very, very poor system in regards to the laws of negligence,”
Peet said. However, the regulations that govern occupational health and safety
also applies to users of “high-risk plant,” which also refers to patrons
riding on amusement devices and not just the owners and operators of these devices.
Peet’s own Wet ‘n’ Wild has used this “very thin opportunity”
to place responsibility for ride safety on the shoulders of patrons as well
as the operator.
“It’s a bit of an abstract situation because ideally the act is written
for heavy industrial equipment,” Peet said. The Queensland government,
where the Warner Village Theme Parks are located, has supported the interpretation,
but other provincial governments are less willing to embrace the concept. “Our
association believes we do not have to lobby (for rider responsibility laws),”
Peet said, “but we are lobbying from the point of view of getting governments
behind the fact it’s already within their own regulations.”
Achieving
a standard
After a decade of debate and dissension, ASTM standards for waterparks
are now steadily moving toward realization. The first fruition of the F24 committee’s
work in this area will likely emerge by the end of this summer.
“We anticipate
we’ll have a letter ballot late this summer prior to the fall meeting,”
said Steve Hix, director of the International Recreational Go-kart Association
and chairman of the F24.60 subcommittee. He called the letter ballot “a
feeler to see who’s got negatives before we go to a formal ballot.”
The subcommittee
already has endured its share of negatives, especially in the waterpark arena.
Three separate task groups are tackling the issues in that sector: one on waterslides,
one on water quality and one on interactive water-related attractions. The last
has had to navigate a political minefield thanks to one faction of ASTM (the
American Society for Testing Materials) that tried to move interactive water
elements into the purview of F15, the committee overseeing consumer products
used in or around the home. ASTM’s executive committee finally assigned
the devices to F24, the committee for amusement rides and devices.
The individual
task groups also were weighed down for a time by excessive participants and
internal squabbling, which led to some restructuring. “In accordance with
ASTM bylaws and the recommendations for structure of task groups, no more than
seven people are now sitting at the table,” Hix said. “The task group
level is to get the initiative going. They don’t have to solve every issue;
they can put conflicting recommendations on the ballot, and those issues are
resolved at the subcommittee level.”
Getting that initiative
going has been the industry’s biggest need. “There’s an awareness
we need to move this thing forward before we’re gobbled up by European
standards,” Hix said. Or U.S. government intrusion, which Hix believes
would have occurred if the interactive devices had ended up under F15’s
scope.
ASTM will not release
the proposed standards until it has been passed by the whole committee. Only
members of the committee will have access to any of the pre-vote documents,
Hix said. Nevertheless, the committee's membership and the work of the task
groups “is the best way for people in the industry to have input in a fair
and consensus manner,” he said. “The people we’ve got heading
these task groups are exceptionally knowledgeable in their specific fields.”
Rick Briggs of SCS Interactive is task group leader for interactive waterplay, Alan Heuss of Whitewater West leads the waterslide task group and John Garris of MS Biolab Inc. is heading the water quality group. Other ASTM F24.60 task groups working on standards for the fall meeting are indoor karts, led by Pat Hoffman, Six Flags vice president of loss control; inflatables, chaired by June Hardin of Wapallo Manufacturing; and trains, directed by C.W. Craven of Doppelmayr CTEC.
A historical
turn
Sometimes,
when history is recognized, history is made, as these three Memorial Day weekend
celebrations reveal.
The first 1000 Dipper lovers got coaster coasters that doubled as postcards. Coaster courtesy of Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
Friday:
Santa Cruz 50
Dave Ferrari was
looking for a job. The 10-year-old boy went down to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
a few blocks from his Santa Cruz, California, home to pester some of the concessionaires
for work. It was May 17 and one of the concessionaires suggested he check out
the new coaster that opened that day. Ferrari got a free ticket to do so, saving
him 15 cents.
On May 24, Ferrari rode the coaster again for perhaps the 150th time, he estimated,
and again got to ride it for free, this time saving $3.60. That’s the inflation
of the intervening 78 years and one week between the Giant Dipper’s
opening day and the celebration of 50 million riders on the wood coaster. Handwritten
records of ridership before installation of a turnstile in 1976 (which has counted
30 million riders) helped the Boardwalk estimate when the ride was approaching
50 million riders. However, Public Relations Manager Jan Bollwinkel-Smith said
they could not pinpoint the exact 50 millionth guest.
“Instead of pinpointing one person who just happened to go through the
turnstile, we decided it would be better to honor everybody,” she said.
That meant a full day’s worth of free rides on the Giant Dipper
for all comers, free commemorative drink coasters for the first 1,000 rides,
and spotlighting Ferrari as the “honorary 50 millionth rider.” He
is now 88 but still living in the house where he grew up a few blocks away.
“It has been two or three years since he rode (The Dipper), but
he still loved it,” Bollwinkel-Smith said.
The event had been planned for May 24 rather than May 17 or the actual day of
the estimated milestone ride as a good publicity-heavy kickoff for the summer
season—which the Boardwalk traditionally celebrates on the Friday before
Memorial Day. Thanks to rain-laden weekends in the spring, however, the celebratory
day almost hit its mark. “We think we hit the actual 50 million around
3 p.m. on May 23,” Bollwinkel-Smith said.
Meanwhile, the honored day did its job of generating publicity and crowds. “People
got excited about free rides on the Dipper,” Bollwinkel-Smith said.
They started lining up at 10 a.m., an hour before the coaster opened, and by
the end of the promotion at 8 p.m. Giant Dipper had thrilled another
8,500. That did not break the June 27, 1987, record of 13,729 riders in one
day, but the number was “pretty good,” Bollwinkel-Smith said, considering
the coaster ran an additional three hours on the record-setting day, and on
May 24 local high schools were still in session.
The day also succeeded in paying homage to a Giant among amusement park
rides. “For us it’s another way to honor this coaster that we’re
really proud of,” Bollwinkel-Smith said. “I call it a memory builder.
I still get so many e-mails from people talking about 'when I went on Dipper
in 1950. . .'” And one neighbor who remembered going on Dipper in
1924. For free.
Joy (Thomas) Cramer, center, Idlewild's oldest alumnae, is still getting perks from the park as Ken Repak handed her a 125th anniversary sweatshirt. Photo by Eric Minton.
Sunday:
Idlewild 125
Idlewild and Soak Zone in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, always honors somebody to
kick off its season, which begins Memorial Day weekend. This year the park honored
itself, recognizing 125 years as a picnic grove and amusement park.
Typically Idlewild, the actual celebratory day was low key, with a collection
of vendors selling Idlewild-themed collectibles and a ceremony at the Hillside
Theatre Stage that included official proclamations, raffle prizes and an anniversary
cake cutting. It also marked the park’s first alumni reunion.
“We had kicked around the idea of starting an alumni association before
but never did anything,” said Jerome Gibas, the Kennywood-owned park’s
vice president and general manager. “We decided this would be a great time
to get it started.” The new association has already signed up about two
dozen alumni, many of whom turned out for the May 26 ceremony. “I was surprised,
not so much with the number, but that we were able to reach back so far,”
Gibas said. “One worked here back in 1947.”
One other aspect of the celebration looks like it will have a lasting legacy
of its own. For this season Idlewild created an 18-station walking tour with
signs pointing out a building’s or attraction’s historical place in
the park’s chronology. The self-guided tour was developed by amusement
park historian Jim Futrell and Kennywood Public Relations Director Mary Lou
Rosemeyer.
“We wanted to come up with a way to show people the history of Idlewild,”
Gibas said. “There are buildings and locations in the park people pass
all the time and didn’t realize how old they were or how important they
were to us. I think it’s a very good cross-reference of the different areas
of the park and when they came into existence.”
Gibas and company
are so pleased with the result that though the walking tour itself will probably
end after this year, they plan to keep the signs up—sans numbers—as
historical markers.
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article
ACE bestowed a big honor on historic coasters. Photo by Eric Minton.
Monday:
Dips 100
Even Bill Linkenheimer,
president of the American Coaster Enthusiasts, was impressed with the plaque
designating Lakemont Park’s Leap the Dips an ACE Roller Coaster
Landmark. “I was shocked to see how much bigger it was than the National
Historic Landmark,” he said after presiding over the May 27 ceremony awarding
the Altoona, Pennsylvania, amusement park the first such award from ACE.
“The purpose is to recognize historically significant roller coasters,”
Linkenheimer said of his organization’s new program. A departure from ACE’s
“classic coaster” designation, which is given to traditional woodies
meeting strict criteria, the ACE Roller Coaster Landmark is open to any type
of coaster. “Other than for ‘historically significant coaster,’
there is no criteria,” Linkenheimer said.
Two more such awards will be given this year. This weekend the annual ACE Coaster
Convention kicks off at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, with
the unveiling of a Landmark plaque at the Revolution. “It is the
first modern looping coaster and inspired the wave of looping steel coasters
that continues to this day, and it’s been used in a lot of motion pictures,”
Linkenheimer said. Later in June the Cyclone at Coney Island will be
recognized. “It’s the granddaddy of roller coasters, a design copied
by a lot of twister coasters, it’s been used in a lot of movies, advertisements
and music videos, and it's historical in that it’s been preserved just
blocks away from where the first coaster in the country stood.”
Leap the Dips is the world’s oldest working roller coaster, and
the ACE Landmark designation came as part of the ride’s 100th anniversary.
In unveiling the plaque, ACE donated $5,000 to the Leap the Dips Preservation
Foundation and hosted an auction of 80 items from the Lakemont Park Historical
Museum Society, which raised another $1,700 for the fund.
The Landmark designation derives out of ACE’s primary mission of preserving
roller coasters. The organization has budgeted for three such designations a
year, “but that could always change,” Linkenheimer said. The designation
could also be given to a coaster outside North America. ACE Historian Richard
Munsch and Preservation Director Matt Crowther recommend recipients to the ACE’s
executive committee, which must approve a coaster by majority vote.
“I’m guessing in our fall meeting we’ll decide on coasters for
next year,” Linkenheimer said. “It takes at least a month to make
the plaque.”
Kennywood
unboughed
When Andy Quinn
made it back to his beloved park 15 minutes after it had endured the brunt of
a freak weather event at 6:45 p.m. (18,45) May 31, the human toll had already
been determined—one woman was dead and 58 people injured, most when the
pavilion roof of the Whip collapsed. Looking around at what seemed like
hundreds of downed trees, sheared limbs and debris around and against buildings
and rides, Quinn, the director of community relations at Kennywood, could only
wonder what other structural damage had been done to the West Mifflin, Pennsylvania,
amusement park.
The ultimate answer: not much.
The National Weather Service determined that a macroburst had ripped through
Pittsburgh and its suburbs, a violent downdraft of wind stretching more than
two miles wide (microbursts cover areas less than two miles). That Kennywood
saw no more casualties than it did when the park was nearly full with two school
district picnics that Friday evening was testament to its disaster preparation
procedures.
The park had just two minutes before reached the highest state of alert, ordering
the shutdown of all rides, including the indoor attractions. “We cease
their operation because we need to concentrate on the safety of the guests,”
Quinn said. That became urgent as the storm heightened, with employees getting
patrons under shelter wherever they could. “Our team members were pulling
people into their stands and into their stores. They had people stuffed into
back rooms,” Quinn said. “Unfortunately, when it rains here, one of
the rides you go to is the Whip.”
Kennywood remained closed Saturday but employees used their regular shifts to
help clean the debris from their stations and ready attractions for reopening.
Quinn estimated that some 75 trees were heavily damaged, and the park probably
lost a third of those. As for rides, one of the sweeps on the Paratrooper was
bent, and the cars on the Whip were battered and bent, but not as badly as expected.
“It’s amazing how little damage the cars took, and I think it’s
because they were so well built back in 1918,” Quinn said. “The worst
on any of them was a rounded, back upper corner, which is oak, that was broken.”
He was most amazed at what crews discovered buried beneath the five huge sycamores
that had fallen on the 1975-built logjammer. The flume ride emerged unscathed.
“Very little, if any damage,” he said. “All around the cafeteria
building, the oldest in the park, trees went down; the building didn’t
get touched. Even the front of the arcade, which is all glass, didn’t get
a scratch.”
Nevertheless, the
cleanup and recovery lasted through Monday, the park reopening last Tuesday
four days after the storm. All picnics lost that weekend have been rescheduled,
Quinn said, including the park’s biggest picnic of the season, the carpenters
union with more than 10,000 attendees.
The storm's recovery illustrates how Kennywood never really gets knocked off
its feet because in all the years surviving depressions and fires, and now an
80 mph (128 km/h) gust of wind, the park has never lost its head.
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Water World was not digging a snowstorm that pelted the park the day before opening. Photo courtesy of Hyland Hills Park and Recreation District.
A winter summerland
Operations at Water
World in Federal Heights, Colorado, are threatened one way or another by drought
conditions brought on by lack of snow, but it was a snowstorm that almost kept
the waterpark from opening in the first place this year.
On May 24, the Denver area was blanketed by a snowstorm bad enough to close
offices throughout the metroplex. Water World had already prepped its facilities
in anticipation of opening for the summer season the next day.
“It’s
the first time we’ve ever had a snowstorm the day before we opened,”
said General Manager Steve Loose. “We had the rides running, and the steam
coming off those rides was so thick you couldn’t even see through it. And
that, with the snow still coming down, was quite a sight to see.”
He was most concerned about the temperature dropping in the pools as the thermometer
dipped close to 30 degrees Fahrenheit (0 Celsius) that night. He also kept a
wary eye on tent-like awnings already erected over the ticket plaza. “I
had to come up on an alarm call in the middle of the night, and it was snowing
really heavily," Loose said. "Those tents were drooping down to the
roof of the ticket windows. I was praying they wouldn’t rip, but they held
up.” The only damage the park recorded was to synthetic palm trees with
fronds that went limp from the weight of the wet snow.
Even with the snowstorm, however, Water World opened the next day on time. And
why not? The day was sunny with a high of 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 Celsius).
Return
visit
The international
drive to save the animals and refurbish the exhibits at the Kabul Zoo in
Afghanistan (THE LOOP,
December 14, 2001 and February
8, 2002) is the subject of a television special airing June 24 on the National
Geographic Channel. Called Kabul Zoo Rescue, the program follows a team
of zookeepers and veterinarians who have worked at the zoo since last autumn.
New Arrivals
It’s
a roller coaster!
Indiana Beach in Monticello, Indiana, announces the arrival of The Lost Coaster
of Superstition Mountain, June 8, 2002. Measurements: 45 feet high (14 meters),
1,410 feet long (427 meters), three trains of two cars each. Delivered by Custom
Coasters International, Force Engineering and Larson International.
At least Tom Spackman Jr. kept his sense of humor. When a planned grand opening
gala for his park’s new coaster in mid-May turned into a media preview
of an unfinished ride, the Indiana Beach General Manager joked that “The
Lost Coaster is still lost.” Wet and cold weather and some supply problems
delayed construction, and the track itself was not completed until the week
of the scheduled opening. Then the days of testing turned into weeks, and finally
the state ride inspector gave his blessings June 6.
Opening ceremony? Last Saturday just after lunch Spackman rounded up the maintenance
workers and landscapers who had worked so hard to clean up the construction
site and took them on a debut ride. Then he proclaimed the coaster open. Attention
in the crowded park quickly turned to the Mountain when guests saw staff
erecting queue lines. “They almost stampeded us,” Spackman said of
the guests. In less than an hour the queue was “stretching almost down
the boardwalk,” he said.
Superstition Mountain started life in 1978 as a coaster-type ride designed
and built by Tom Spackman Sr. The past few years the ride was becoming a maintenance
nightmare for the park. “The typical call we had almost all last season
was ‘Ride supervisor or maintenance to The Mountain,’”
Spackman Jr. said. “Many of our guests here can tell you stories about
being walked off The Mountain.”
Indiana
Beach's third coaster emerged as a winner, despite delays. Photo courtesy
of Amusement Today.
CCI has turned the old coaster into something of a revolutionary ride for the
industry. Removing the slow lift hill that occupied a chunk of the park’s
boardwalk in front of the mountain, CCI installed an elevator that takes the
trains from the station straight up to the top of the track. The 35-foot-descent
down the mountain generally follows the original track, but with several surprising
twists and hills. The trains comprise two mine cars with passengers facing each
other in seats roomy enough to handle a total of “four large people in
each car,” Spackman Jr. said. “That was one of the criteria: this
is corn country out here.”
It’s
a waterpark!
The City of Golden, Colorado, announces the arrival of The Splash at Fossil
Trace, June 8, 2002. Measurements: 5 acres (2 hectares), two slides, one lap
pool, one lazy river, one activity zone, 59 employees. Delivered by Anchor Industries,
Lyon Workspace Products, Neptune Benson, Rectrack, Sevylor, Spectrum Pool Supply,
Strantrol, Sun Ports International, Tex Craft, Vindan Print Broker, Wave Unit
and Whitewater West.
Though
Golden’s new waterpark was not officially opening until the next day, 1,500
people played there on Friday, June 7, the seventh day of the park’s soft
opening, a day when the thermometer hit 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius).
Charlie Fagan, parks and recreation director for the City of Golden, experienced
firsthand the impact of so many people on his small park. “When the park
closed at 6 (18,00) we had to clean it up to get ready for the ribbon cutting
party at 7 (19,00),” he said. “That was quite the chore.”
He
and his team got it done, though, and the 350 people “who helped make this
thing happen—the construction workers, city crew, city council, the city
departments” witnessed the ribbon cutting to live music and munchies, Fagan
said. Saturday’s official public opening came under cool, overcast skies,
but some 700 people attended, and 1,200 turned out for a blue-sky Sunday. The
weekend-long celebration included T-shirt giveaways, sandcastle building contests,
water balloon tosses, and giant cannonball splash-making competition at the
park’s pool.
The Splash at Fossil Trace is actually an offshoot of the city’s new golf course, called Fossil Trace for the real dinosaur tracks left on the site. The course is due to open next year, but Golden’s parks and recreation officials wanted to brand the name, and determined that a waterpark was a viable means to do it. The Splash’s opening could not be better timed. Day two of the soft opening saw record high temperatures.
Queen Elizabeth proved a swinging monarch in a ship named in her honor at Crealy. Photo courtesy of Crealy Adventure Park.
It’s
a swinging ship!
Crealy Adventure Park in Exeter, England, announces the arrival of the Swinging
Queen Bess, June 1, 2002. Measurement: 8.5 meters high (28 feet), pendulum
swings to 60 degrees, 38.5 km/h (25 mph), 24 seats. Delivered by Metallbau Emmeln.
Talk about relevance. Sir Walter Raleigh was born in the country house Hayes
Barton in 1552. That house is now owned by the same family that owns Crealy
Adventure Park. So when the park’s general manager and partner Angela Wright
was choosing an appropriate “pink knuckle ride” for her park this
year, she decided to link the ride to the 450th anniversary of Raleigh’s
birth. Raleigh being a voyager, Wright settled on a swinging ship, but did not
want a pirate ship. Thus, the Swinging Queen Bess, named for Raleigh’s
monarch, Queen Elizabeth I, whose namesake, Queen Elizabeth II, is celebrating
her golden jubilee this year.
Such relevance means little to a population currently focused wholly on the
World Cup football tournament. “When we set the deadline (for opening the
ride) we didn’t realize it was in the middle of the World Cup,” Wright
said. “The World Cup hasn’t had a good impact on anybody’s visitor
numbers.”
Nevertheless, the official launching of the Swinging Queen Bess drew
a good turnout on a sunburn-inducing day. Queen Elizabeth I herself—actually
impersonator Margaret de Cheyney—launched the ship with a big bottle of
chocolate champagne, proclaiming “I bless this ship and all who swing in
her.” She herself swung often in the ship that day, along with staff members
dressed as Elizabethan lords and ladies and Malcolm Bell, the chief executive
of South West Tourism, portraying Raleigh.
“She must have ridden it a dozen times,” Wright said of Elizabeth
nee de Cheyney. “She was a very game queen. But as she said, ‘I know
I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach
of a king.’”
No mystery for Camelbeach: two bowls doubled the fun. Photo courtesy of Camelbeach.
It’s
a pair of bowl slides!
Camelbeach in Tannersville, Pennsylvania, announces the arrival of Vortex
and Spin Cycle, June 1, 2002. Measurements: 45 feet high (14 meters),
40-foot (12-meter) diameter Spin Cycle bowl and 167-foot (51-meter) chute;
28-foot (8-meter) diameter Vortex bowl and 111-foot (34 meter) chute.
Delivered by ProSlide Technology Inc.
The
mountainside waterpark finished construction and testing on the region’s
first pair of bowl slides, a ProBOWL body slide (Vortex) and CannonBOWL
tube slide (Spin Cycle) by the end of the last week of May. With June’s
dawn, “They were ready to go, so we opened them,” said Dave Johnson,
assistant director of sales and marketing for Camelback Ski Resort and Camelbeach
Waterpark. “We were hoping and hoping it would be open for the first. There
wasn’t a whole lot of time to do anything special; we just wanted to get
it open.”
They
did give an hour’s special preview to season pass holders upon the park’s
opening that Saturday morning. Then the general park guests were allowed to
take a spin or two. “It’s good to have a couple of options,”
Johnson said. “People who aren’t quite ready to try the Vortex
still have some way to get that same type of experience.” Vortex
has a 48-inch (122 centimeter) minimum for riders; children 36 to 48 inches
(91 to 122 centimeters) can ride the Spin Cycle with an adult.
Providing two options to guests was one reason Camelbeach decided to get both bowls. A twosome also gives the park higher capacity than a single bowl, and that notion was tested from the start. “So far, that’s where the guests have concentrated this year,” Johnson said of the bowl slides. “We’re not terribly busy because it’s still early in the season, but that’s where you’ll find the lines.”
Singapore's visitors to Sentosa's Sandsation warmed to the idea of entering the Scorpion King's lair. Photo courtesy of Sentosa Development Corporation.
It’s
a haunted maze!
Sentosa in Singapore announces the arrival of The Scorpion King Live,
June 1, 2002. Measurements: 3,000 square feet (909 meters), 20 scenes, 15 actors.
Delivered by Avery Events and The Sudden Impact! Entertainment Company.
The theme for the island resort's annual Sandsation festival this year was "Mysteries
Of The Nile," and operators decided to supplement the master sand sculptors'
displays with a haunted maze themed on the most mysterious, if mythical, king
of the Nile. Designed by Lynton Harris of The Sudden Impact! Entertainment Company,
Scorpion King Live continues his tradition of building scare mazes based
on the popular movie franchise; he did The Mummy at Madison Scare Gardens
in New York City three years ago and toured Mummy Returns at parks in
the United States and Australia last year. After its Sentosa run, which ends
when Sandsation closes on June 23, Scorpion King will head to Ocean Park
in Hong Kong for the autumn.
Building
the maze as part of Sandsation presented some challenges for Harris. “It’s
the first time we put an attraction on the beach,” he said, meaning the
scenes and walls had to be set on sand. “The beach floor certainly added
to the authenticity,” he said. The live scorpions in the first room and
the actor walking around with a live snake on his shoulders also gave Harris
cause for pause, especially when Kelven Tan, Sentosa’s deputy director
of events and outdoor attractions tried to place a scorpion on Harris for a
photo.
“Staging
Scorpion King Live within the environs of an epic Egyptian sand city—festival
with awesome sand monuments—added to the mystique of Scorpion King Live,”
Tan said. “I think it is accurate to say that Sandsation and Scorpion
King Live complimented each other very well, presenting visitors with a
complete and eventful experience.” Culturally, the scares translated well—“People
were running out and laughing and screaming and carrying on,” Harris said—but
the actors greeting pedestrians outside the attraction took some getting used
to for the local clientele.
“Interestingly enough, the visitors warmed up quickly, and as the crowd thickened, many curious onlookers approached the characters for photos,” said Eileen Lee, public affairs officer for Sentosa Development Corporation, the company which operates the island’s attractions. “My guess is people were awed by Hollywood-marketed movie characters, Dwayne Johnson or not.”
Sentosa also was pleased with the attendance for the weekend, for both the maze and the festival. Pulling 1,500 people through Scorpion King Live alone was considered a huge success in light of the events’ biggest competition, the same competitor that infringed on the opening of Crealy Adventure Park’s newest attraction in England: World Cup football.
It’s
a simulator!
The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in Ohio announces the arrival of Wilderness
Adventure, May 28, 2002. Measurements: 18 seats, six-minute film, 14 minutes
for total show. Delivered by SimEx.
With
its temporary exhibit, Butterfly Magic, opening to the public Memorial Day Weekend,
the Metroparks Zoo marketing team did not want to pile all of its new goods
in one media basket. So, while the zoo’s new simulator, part of the “Zoowerks”
initiative that evolved from last year’s SimEx and Iwerks merger, was already
operating, the zoo waited a week to introduce it formally to the press.
In the film, guests see wildlife from the perspective of wildlife: a cougar while it's chasing a deer, a dolphin cresting the waves, a bird of prey soaring through a city skyline, a frog and a bee. The zoo placed the SimEx Reactor simulator in front of the Bird Building, which is currently closed and scheduled for demolition, thereby using the ride as a distraction from the doomed facade.
It’s
twin waterslides!
Noah’s Ark Waterpark in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, announces the arrival
of Stingray, May 26, 2002. Measurements: 40 feet high (12 meters), 30-foot
width (9 meters). Delivered by Water Fun Products, Newman Pools and Quicktech.
When Tim Gantz, co-owner of Noah’s Ark, said the first day of his new ride
“was a little rough,” he was profoundly understating the case. The
first day didn’t happen. When a cold front moved in and dropped the temperature
to 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13 Celsius) for the park’s scheduled season opener
on Memorial Day Saturday, Gantz decided not to even open the park.
So
Stingray, the first double installation of Water Fun’s Sidewinder
MKI slides, made its public debut the next day, which was still cloudy and windy,
but at least the mercury was rising to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 Celsius). “There
were not a lot of people in the park that day, but kids were riding it 12 times
in a row,” Gantz said of the Stingray. “Amazingly, it wasn’t
just the kids; I saw an adult go eight times in a row.” And when Monday
unfolded as a cloudless 80 degrees (27 Celsius), the attraction attracted a
large crowd, Gantz said. “We’re glad we put two in. The crowd goes
right to it.”
Choosing
to birth twin slides was not the only capital improvement decision Gantz made
to the site. Noah’s Ark put in a viewing area and food court with picnic
tables around the L-shaped structure to increase traffic. Standing 60 feet high
(18 meters) above the ride is Stingray’s sign, a focal point for the park.
“We made sure we put it on extra long poles,” Gantz said.
Meantime, Gantz did not feel stung by the delayed opening. “I never got my hopes up anyway,” he said. “In the nine years we have run this park, only two have had successful opening weekends because of the weather.”
Read more about Stingray in the July issue of Amusement Today/Splash!
A skyscraper in Rowlett, Wet Zone easily attracted guests to Krrplunk. Photo courtesy of Wet Zone Waterpark.
It’s
a bowl slide!
Wet Zone Waterpark in Rowlett, Texas, announces the arrival of Krrplunk,
May 25, 2002. Measurements: 45 feet high (14 meters), 72-foot long drop (22
meters). Delivered by ProSlide Technology.
Heath
Olinger, Wet Zone Waterpark Manager, did not stage any special celebration for
the municipal park’s second-year addition. “When I’m a one-man
band, it’s hard to do all that stuff,” he said. But Krrplunk
had a way of introducing itself. “It’s one of the highest structures
in Rowlett,” Olinger said. “People in town have been talking about
it, and the kids knew about it.”
So, on a mid-80s (about 30 Celsius) clear-sky Saturday when the park opened for the season, the ProBOWL slide drew the largest crowd. “For our slides from last year there’s hardly ever a line,” Olinger said. “Our line for Krrplunk is all the way down the tower,” a 25-minute wait. The new slide also has noticeably shifted the demographics at the park, which focused on families with young kids in its rookie season. “We are getting a lot more teen-agers,” Olinger said. And a lot more attendance, with each day’s gate surpassing last year’s dates.
It’s
a themed section!
Silver Dollar City and Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta, Georgia, announces the
arrival of Crossroads, May 25, 2002. Measurements: six acres (2.4 hectares),
nine crafts buildings/stores, six eateries, 30 townsfolk, one 4D theater with
350 seats and 12-minute film. Delivered by Renaissance Entertainment.
The South’s newest town is already one of its oldest. Set in the 1870s,
Crossroads replicates the styles and skills of Reconstruction-era Dixie and
represents Silver Dollar City’s largest capital improvement—a $30
million expenditure—in its four-year tenure managing the venerable state
park on the outskirts of Atlanta.
After
treating local dignitaries and the hospitality industry to a May 23 evening
preview, with souvenir fans as gifts and a sampling from each of Crossroad's
six restaurants, the new town opened to the public on a balmy Saturday with
singing, dancing and a ribbon cutting. The town mayor, played by Director of
Operations Gerald Rakestraw, presented the key to the city to Silver Dollar
City owners Jack and Sherry Herschend.
As guests milled around town, residents interacted with them on the streets; characters like Peddler Pete who sings upon any excuse while peddling his wares, and Catfish Charlie with his penchant for story telling. The tallest tales of the town, however, are told at the 4D theater playing Tall Tales of the South, the state’s first such attraction and, in Crossroad’s first two weeks of existence, already a major draw.
SeaWorld San Diego's new performers were hot-doggin' on stage, right on cue. Photo courtesy of SeaWorld San Diego.
It’s
an animal show!
SeaWorld San Diego in California announces the arrival of Pets Rule!
May 24, 2002. Measurements: 30-minute show depending on the performers’
moods, 60 cats, 40 dogs, “hundreds of birds” and 10 trainers. Delivered
by animal shelters and rescue organizations.
Considering
the rags-to-riches tails that populate the Pets Playhouse stage in SeaWorld’s
newest show, the special guest at the gala premier was wholly appropriate: Benji,
the star of movies past and a new one to come. Her owner, Joe Camp, performed
a short demonstration with Benji, then brought her out after the show for a
meet-and-greet with park guests, media members and invited groups representing
local animal shelters.
Between
Benji’s opening act and concluding spotlight, the real stars took the stage,
like Floyd, a dog who was separated from his family during Hurricane Floyd and
rescued by SeaWorld Orlando trainers. Sampson, another dog, was relinquished
by his owners because he was “too energetic,” said Kelly Terry, the
park’s public relations representative. He now dances in the show.
“We
got a good response from local animal shelters,” Terry said. “They
liked the message of giving animals a chance and not giving up on animals right
away.”
It’s
a simulator!
The Phoenix Zoo in Arizona announces the arrival of The Dinosaur Simulator,
May 24, 2002. Measurements: 18 seats, six-minute film, 20-minute total show.
Delivered by SimEx.
One
thing Aimee Barwegen, director of media and public relations at the Phoenix
Zoo, learned during the media preview of the zoo’s first simulator: close
the door.
The
appeal of a simulator is, of course, watching the film with the coordinated
movements of the motion platform. One television news team attending the media
preview took its cameras inside the simulator and broadcast during the run.
“With the doors closed it looked great,” Barwegen said. A later camera
crew opted to keep the door open and failed to capture the ride's delights for
its audience.
A
ride in the dark is also appealing to kids, Barwegen said. “Definitely
the kids are enjoying it. It’s one of the few indoor venues we have, a
nice place for them to retreat.”
It’s
a shoot-the-chute!
Six Flags Darien lake in Darien Center, New York, announces the arrival of Shipwreck
Falls, May 24, 2002. Measurements: 50 feet high (15 meters) , 650 feet long
(197 meters), 45-degree-angle drop, 300,000 gallons (1.14 million liters) of
water, 20-foot high splash (six meters), two 20-passenger boats. Delivered by
Intamin.
Yes,
Shipwreck Falls did officially open May 24, and the park debuted the
ride with the suitable solemnity of a ribbon-cutting ceremony accompanied by
a steel drum band and actors roving the crowd as pirates. In a slight drizzle,
the chute made its inaugural splashdown that Friday for the press and general
public. The ride then went straight into service during what developed into
a warm and sunny Memorial Day weekend.
But
the real celebration came last weekend when the park, with help from a radio
station, sponsored the Shipwrecked Weekend centered on the new ride. The steel
drum band and roving pirates were back, the first 200 riders on both Saturday
and Sunday received free hats and leis, and a group of rubber wader-wearing
guests competed to see who could catch the most water in their pants while standing
on the bridge crossing the splashdown channel. “That was hysterical watching
those people try to fill up those waders,” said Jill Storms, the park’s
public relations manager.
She
also organized a “name the boat” contest in which guests could submit
names for an authentic Niagara River wreck placed in the middle of the ride.
A quick scan of the suggestions revealed that the most popular name would be
S.S. Minnow—“Big surprise,” Storms said wryly, adding the contest
would not end until this weekend by which time a more original name might emerge.
It’s
a swimming pool!
Lakemont Park in Altoona, Pennsylvania, announces the arrival of a swimming
pool, May 24, 2002. Measurements: 9,000 square feet (2,727 square meters), maximum
depth of 4 feet (1.2 meters).
Lakemont
has come full circle. The 108-year-old park for a long time had a swimming pool
that occupied much of an island. The pool was filled in under the current management
in the early 1990s, and in its place a waterslide complex and zero-entry kiddie
pool were installed. Parents, however, wanted a swimming pool of their own.
“We got a lot of requests from adults for a place where they can cool off
as well,” said Barry Kumpf, the park’s general manager.
As
a capital improvement choice, the new pool further delineates Lakemont on the
south side of Altoona from Del Grosso's up the highway in Tipton, just north
of Altoona. “They’ve got a good waterpark and kids pool, but not a
swimming pool,” Kumpf said. “I thought we could do something different
and get market share from it.”
Not on the day it opened, unfortunately. With the Northeast still in the grip of a late spring cold snap, the pool opened that Friday to sunny skies but cold temperatures and few swimmers. On Saturday, the only people at the pool were the two lifeguards wearing three layers of clothing. As the weather warmed over the three-day weekend, the crowds grew, maxing out on Monday when a Memorial Day $5 all-you-can-ride-and-eat special drew 12,001 people, and the pool pulled a good portion of that.
Extensive theming gave Pacific Park a good-as-new kiddie section. Photo courtesy of Pacific Park.
It’s
a kiddie ride!
Pacific Park on Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, California, announces the
arrival of Ship Ahoy, May 24, 2002. Measurements: 14 feet tall (4 meters),
18 feet wide (5.5 meters), seven feet deep (two meters), 16 seats. Delivered
by Visa International.
The
centerpiece of Pacific Park’s newly themed kiddie area, Ship Ahoy
arrived at the park from its Italian manufacturer via a trade show in April.
“We purchased the piece knowing that it would be shown at the show, and
then shipped from that location to us,” said Mary Ann Powell, general manager
and CEO of Pacific Park. “It’s one of the easiest ride purchases and
transports we’ve ever had.”
Ship
Ahoy settled into Kids Cove, a makeover of the kiddie rides area the park’s
staff accomplished in May between one Sunday’s closing time and the following
Friday’s reopening. In that four-day window the park installed Ship
Ahoy, expanded its Pier Patrol truck ride and extensively re-themed the
area in a nautical ambiance. “We’ve always had an interest in capitalizing
on the unique location of the park, sitting on a pier which is our point of
difference compared with other amusement parks,” Powell said. “We’ve
always tried to bring the ocean up in the feel of the park, but this was the
first time we’ve done a substantial portion of our park in a general theme.”
The makeover, not including the new ride’s price, cost $25,000 as Pacific Park staff purchased nautical material from a shipyard that supplies theming for movie sets. The park’s own maintenance crew built new ride fences. “Though not a costly endeavor, when people walk into the area they feel it’s a new area,” Powell said.
It’s
a musical show!
Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, California, announces the arrival
of “Spider-man Rocks,” May 24, 2002. Measurements: 20-minute show,
1,500 seat theater.
The
lead made his entrance at the premier of his new rock ‘n’ roll stunt
show as only this particular lead could do: crawling down a 50-foot (15-meter)
stone wall. On the ground, Spider-man mingled with dignitaries, schoolchildren
and the special guests for the day, members of the Arachnid Society of America,
who brought some of their pets. Spider-man himself got to walk one of those
pets on a leash, a live, giant tarantula.
No ribbon-cutting here; the entrance was covered in a web which Spider-man brushed aside and led the guests in to watch the premiere of his new show of stunts and pyrotechnics.
If
the red carpet didn't get guests' hearts racing, LEGOLAND's 4D film promised
to. Photo courtesy
of LEGOLAND California.
It’s a 4D theater!
LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad, California, announced the arrival of LEGO
Racers 4-D, May 23, 2002. Measurements: 400 seats, 12-minute show. Delivered
by The Bezark Company
and SimEx Digital Studios.
While
all four LEGOLAND parks opened the new 4D show within a couple of weeks of each
other, LEGOLAND California used the opportunity to help kick off another campaign.
Sarah Wells, a 9-year-old girl, has teamed up with Los Angeles County Fire Department
Captain Gary Walsh on a campaign to bring to Southern California 409 New York
City families of fire, police and rescue workers killed in the September 11
attacks. LEGOLAND is donating to the effort 2,000 tickets for a day at the park.
That alliance brought Sarah and Walsh to the LEGO Racer 4-D premiere, where guests passed the No. 32 Tide car from the NASCAR race circuit and walked down a red carpet flanked by black and white balloons in honor of racing’s checkered flag. After the visiting dignitaries and media took their seats for the movie’s first showing, the rest of the theater was filled up with general public guests. Sarah announced, “Gentlemen, start your engines,” and the movie began.
Kristiansen (left) and Jakobsen helped children take out several bricks in the wall blocking their way to fun. Photo courtesy LEGOLAND Deutschland.
It’s
a theme park!
LEGO announces the arrival of LEGOLAND Deutschland in Günzburg, Germany,
May 17, 2002. Measurements: 60 hectares (120 acres), six themed areas, 30 rides
and attractions, three shows, seven eateries, three retail outlets, 50 million
LEGO blocks. Delivered by ETF, Forrec, Heege, Intamin, Mack, Metallbau Emmelm,
Wieland Schwarzkopf and Zierer.
Kids will be kids. And adults will be, too. For the media preview the day before
the Saturday grand opening of LEGO’s newest theme park, LEGOLAND Deutschland
treated about 300 journalists and more than 2,000 special guests to the “graduating
class of LEGO school,” said Marion Moormann, press and public relations
manager for the park. This mythical class comprised 15 pre-teens, three of them
actors and the rest from a nearby school, who sat at desks while park officials
and local politicians gave their speeches. At the conclusion of his speech,
each dignitary took a seat among the kids.
Soon, one student was tossing a paper airplane. Soon after, one of the statesmen
was, too.
It was all part of the fun unveiling the LEGO company’s fourth park that,
like the Denmark, England and California lands, pursues the mission of providing
hands-on attractions for kids 3 to 13 (and, invariably, 21 and older). Using
its themed areas—Land of Adventure, Land of Chivalry, LEGO City, Lego X-Treme
and Imagination—the park designers took care to pair smaller-kid rides
with bigger-kid rides, like the Metalbau Emmelm-built Tournament (jousting
horses on a rail, a kiddie steeplechase) neighboring Dragon Ride, a Zierer
coaster.
LEGOLAND Deutschland’s contribution to the LEGO chain of parks is an Intamin
flume ride floating through a Joe Black jungle
adventure past such fearsome things as man-eating plants made of LEGO blocks.
In the X-Treme area LEGOLAND Deutschland introduced Lego Racers Drome Racing,
a Schwarzkopf go-kart track. Miniland—in the tradition of the other parks’
replicating their nations’ landmarks in LEGO miniature—depicts famous
German cityscapes, as well as scenes of Venice, Italy, The Netherlands and Lucerne,
Switzerland. This Miniland has interactive elements for children, like a joystick
that manipulates a window washer on a Frankfurt skyscraper.
After the initial speeches of the media preview the LEGO graduating class moved
through the park and assessed their favorite portions in a film broadcast later
that evening. Further festivities followed as a youth orchestra from Stuttgart
performed while various parts of the park were illuminated leading up to a fireworks
display.
The
next morning under skies so brilliant Moormann said many of the journalists
had to get LEGOLAND caps to protect their heads, the park officially opened.
In
lieu of a ribbon cutting, park
CEO John Jakobsen and LEGO owner Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen teamed up with several
young accomplices bashed down a wall of soft LEGO blocks opening up a path into
the park.
Rebirths
Newly reopened Americana saw signs of a profitable future by looking back to its past. Photo by Eric Minton.
It’s an amusement
park!
Jerry Couch and
the Pugh family announce the reopening of LeSourdsville Lake Amusement Park
in Middletown, Ohio, June 7, 2002.
After almost three years of dormancy, the former Americana Amusement Park reopened
under new management and an old name on a warm weekend to a happy, nostalgic
crowd. Following months of rumors the park would be in part or wholly razed,
LeSourdsville Lake—the name of the original park from 1922 to 1978—thrilled
patrons with its cleanliness, fresh coats of paint and new (used) rides.
“We’ve still got work to do,” said consultant Frank Thomas of
Theme Park Concepts whom the Pugh’s hired to help open and manage the park.
“But had you been here two months ago, you’d have said you’re
not going to open.” He estimates 3,500 braved threatening weather to visit
the park last Friday night, and up to 20,000 walked through the gates the whole
weekend.
Because the park is still opening rides and areas—much of which should
be accomplished by the official grand opening June 22—Thomas did not want
to charge full admission, despite already low rates of $2.95 admission, $14.95
for an all-day ride wristband or $1 per ride. “We weren’t quite fully
functioning, but we wanted to get the gates open and let people get a look at
us,” he said.
So, for the first two weekends of operation, the park settled on $1 fees: $1
to park, $1 admission, $1 for each ride, $1 for each item of food at the food
stand, which could be purchased with cash or ride tickets. “It really worked
out, and now we’re sitting back thinking, ‘Hmmmmm. . .’”
Thomas said.
It’s
a boardwalk arcade!
Wonderland Park in Amarillo, Texas, announces the rebirth of its games center,
May 24, 2002.
After his arcade burned down last June of undetermined cause, Paul Borchardt,
president of Wonderland Park, decided to bring the game center back bigger and
better than before, with an effective touch of nostalgia. He added a 1,000-square-foot
(303-square-meter) extension onto the original 2,500-square-foot (758-square-meter)
building, giving the structure an L-shape. He used brick-lined walls for the
interior with green and white paint, to give it an “Old Chicago motif,”
he said. “It has to do with the ‘30s and ‘40s,” he said.
The resurrected game center has party rooms, is heavy on crane games, and uses
the Shooting Star as its anchor.
But it is the entrance that sets this arcade apart from any west of New Jersey.
Out front Borchardt built what he calls the Wonderland Boardwalk, which looks
out over an artificial pond surrounded by Texas panhandle vegetation, including
cactus, butterfly trees and orange rose bushes. “We thought we would have
a boardwalk in the middle of Texas,” Borchardt said. “It’s better
than the asphalt we did have there. It is a nice pleasant view, and it also
draws people inside the game center. Once inside, they’re captive.”
Borchardt staged no formal reopening of his arcade, but he did celebrate the
day in his own way. “The thing I always celebrate is emptying the cash
box,” he said. “Then I did my favorite ride: to the bank.”
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Eric's Turn
Photo by Eric Minton
Family
connections
You’ve got seasonal help, we’ve got seasonal help.
Back
in the LOOP office and on the road with us this summer are Jonathan (above,
standing) and Ian (at the computer), my part-time assistants and full-time sons.
You
can already see the fruits of their labors with this issue as we further enhance
our services to you, our reader. Because many of you want to learn more about
the parks, zoos and attractions we feature in THE LOOP, we will list all those
facilities with links to their web sites on our Connections
page. Ian and Jonathan have gone back through all 33 previous issues of THE
LOOP and added venues and their web sites to the Connections
page, which, thanks to their efforts has a total of 204 amusement venues, not
counting the associations and suppliers we have listed.
If
you operate a venue, you can get listed on Connections
even if you haven’t graced our newsletters’ columns. Just e-mail me
at Eric@gettheloop.com and we’ll
get you listed. Suppliers can get on Connections
for a small fee or free when you advertise on THE LOOP. For details, email our
ad manager, Lynne Mosman, at lynne@gettheloop.com.
©2002, Minton Enterprises
LLC
All rights reserved
