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Volume 2, No. 5. March 8, 2002

By Eric Minton

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Regarding Larry
Out of Alfa SmartParks' long-rumored sale of Jazzland Theme Park in New Orleans, Louisiana, last week came unexpected but welcome news. Larry Cochran is back in the business.

Randal Drew, the president and CEO of Alfa SmartParks, Inc., a subsidiary of Alfa Alfa Holdings, formed a new company called Entertainment Associates L.L.C. with the express purpose of purchasing and operating the bankrupt suburban New Orleans theme park. Drew serves as CEO and chairman of the new company which also includes SmartParks' chief legal officer Gwen Hutcheson Griggs as senior vice president, SmartParks' Chief Financial Officer Andrew Barkley as senior vice president of finance and Nathan Goldman as executive vice president. Drew, Griggs and Barkley will continue their roles with Alfa SmartParks.

Cochran, who spent 40 years with Six Flags, was brought out of retirement to serve as Entertainment Associates' president, and he has set up office at the park. "I played as much golf as I could play, and as much tennis," Cochran said of the two years between his retirement as chairman of Six Flags, Inc. and his new job. "When Randy offered this opportunity, I jumped at it because, number one it's something we could do, and number two it gets me back in the business."

The Newton, Mississippi, native first got in the business while attending the University of Texas in 1961, when he went to work in the graphics department at Six Flags Over Texas. He worked his way up the park management ladder and into corporate roles, earning the position of president and CEO in 1985. Two years later he engineered a leveraged buyout of the chain, then comprising 12 theme and waterparks, and was appointed chairman of the company.

To hear Cochran discuss his new career is to hear his long-held enthusiasm bubbling through his Southern drawl into inevitable action. Jazzland, which opened in 2000, is a challenging proposition, starting with its location over a swamp that exponentially raises the cost of any capital improvement. The park also developed a reputation for poor customer service in its first two years and saw attendance drop by almost half from rookie to sophomore season. "Our biggest goal right now is to get the park open and running as we know it should run," Cochran said of Jazzland's targeted April 13 opening day. "Everything I've stood for the last 40 years I hope I can transfer to this park."

It's a challenge Cochran has grasped with relish. "I feel great. This has been my life. I eat, sleep and breathe the theme park business. I bleed this business. Buddy, you know how it is."

For complete coverage of the Jazzland sale, read the April issue of Amusement Today.

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WWA recognized the familial commitment of Splash Editor Marilyn Turner (shown here with Ed Arrighi and Dave Bruschi) to the association, then cut her magazine adrift.
Photo courtesy of Splash Magazine

Turner out
In a bid to find other revenue streams beyond membership dues and trade show fees, the World Waterpark Association announced that it would end its relationship with Splash Magazine and begin publishing its own magazine next month. Splash Magazine, which WWA founder Al Turner began as an off-shoot of the association, will continue publishing under the helm of Marilyn Turner, Al's sister, who has been the magazine's editor for more than 12 years.

"This was something Al started," Marilyn Turner said. Her brother launched the American Waterslide Association in 1980, and three years later, "Because he felt like the association should be run by its members he formed the World Waterpark Association and split off as another company to provide the publications for the waterpark industry." Those publications include the annual Buyer's Guide and Developer's Guide, which Marilyn Turner said she would continue. "He expanded from a small newsletter into a magazine that has continued to expand and grow," she said. She came aboard when Al asked her to write an article in 1987. "I wrote a couple more, then I got a magazine that said, 'Marilyn Turner, Editor,' and I called him and asked, 'Is there something I should know?'"

The WWA plans to initially title its publication World Waterpark Magazine, but will change the name after conducting a contest among members, according to a statement issued by the association. "This is a tremendous opportunity for the association to improve member communication and provide increased coverage of relevant industry issues like legislative affairs monitoring and educational development while streamlining our operations and providing greater financial stability for our association," WWA President Rick Root said in the statement.

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Eco econ I
Putting a first-class resort in an out-of-the-way, ecologically preserved portion of Brazil may attract sufficient visitors, but once there they need entertainment. That is the hybrid philosophy driving Wolf Vierich, chairman and owner of Vitala Group, to develop an upscale ecological resort in a country still struggling through economic crisis.

Vitala is concluding negotiations on a plan to develop Captain Nikolas Ecological Island Resort at Isla da Croa. Isolated on a peninsula about an hour north of the 800,000-people city of Maceio and currently accessible only by ferry, the 320,000-square-meter beach-front site currently has 39 chalets surrounded by some 4,000 coconut and tropical fruit trees. Because of a coral reef three miles (five kilometers) off shore, the warm Atlantic Ocean laps up to the beach in gently rippling waves, Vierich said.

His plans call for acquiring additional land on the side and behind Captain Nikolas' current holdings and building a hotel that would ultimately give the resort up to 500 rooms. "We would provide everything in-house to keep the vacationer for nine days on site without complaining," Vierich said: "from themed restaurant to retail shops, a small waterpark, a botanical garden element and an entertainment element where you can learn about Brazil's fauna and plantations." No motor vehicles will be allowed on the property. "You walk, you bicycle, you climb, you pull, you push," Vierich said. "Everything with noise and vibration is out." Hence, no traditional amusement park, "no roller coaster," and the waterpark would be "low key," stressing landscape.

Vierich put the total investment at US$320 million. Despite Brazil's ongoing economic doldrums, and the recent economic collapses in neighboring Argentina and Bolivia, Vierich feels eco-tourism is a promising growth market in the region.

"Brazil is now hotting up as a resort market," said Vierich, who has a long history of resort and waterpark development there. "Money is flowing in, especially Asian money." He also notes that a Canadian firm is building a resort near Maceio. He cites several reasons for his bullish attitude. Though still high—the prime rate was 18.75 percent last week—Brazil has the lowest lending rate in the region. Combine that with the climate, the live-for-today cultural attitude and an "abundance of beach and undeveloped areas unrivaled anywhere in the world," Vierich said, Brazil remains at the forefront of tourism-sector development in South America. The central government also is pushing initiatives to spur tourism investment.

Even so, Vierich does not expect his plans to speed through the Brazilian bureaucracy. "We think by mid-2005 we will have made it," he said. His also will be an expensive proposition, whether located in Brazil or not. "Ecology costs a lot of money," he said. "It is expensive to guard ecological enterprises." That, however, is an expense many consumers seem more willing to take on themselves.

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Eco econ II
One U.S. attraction that predates the current eco-tourism boom by more than 50 years also is making plans to capture the up-scale end of this growth market. Callaway in Pine Mountain, Georgia, is testing the waters for a plan to turn the botanical gardens and nature preserve into a five-star resort.

Last week Callaway announced the latest in a significant string of capital improvement plans: a proposed $30 million hotel, private golf club and condominium club homes. The 100 room luxury Southern Pine Lodge would include meeting rooms, a restaurant, exercise and spa facilities, and outdoor entertainment areas. This news comes on the heels of under-way upgrades to Callaway's existing hotels and cabins, plus a $12.6 million, 54,000-square-foot (16,000 square-meter) executive-level conference center with restaurant, gift shop and a new check-in center for the cabins. Called The Southern Pine, it is scheduled to open in September.

Both projects are aimed at beefing up Callaway's appeal as a long-stay resort destination, but the Southern Pine Lodge expressly targets a higher class of traveler. "We see this opening us up to a new group of people who want to travel in more luxurious accommodations," said George Fischer, president of Callaway. Differentiating Callaway from the competition, however, is not just the gardens themselves but the ecological foundation of the parent company. "Ours is not going to be marble on the floors and mirrors on the walls," Fischer said. The Southern Pine Lodge, would be a "green building" minimizing impact on the environment in design, construction and operation.

Such a high ecological standard the Gardens itself set two years ago with its Virginia Hand Callaway Discovery Center visitor's complex. That building, on the shores of Mountain Creek Lake, has a bamboo floor and is naturally heated and cooled by water circulated from the lake.

Callaway currently is soliciting reservations for both the lodge and club to gauge interest: $1,000 refundable reservations for a club home, and $100 for a club membership. "Once we hit the level we are looking for we will do construction drawings and secure financing," Fischer said. He would not say how many reservations the resort needed to move forward, but said the Gardens expects to take the next step by May 1. "Interest has been very high," he said. "We've been pleased with the response we've gotten, and we've taken a number of reservations" just in the first week.

Fischer—himself with 14 years of experience managing five-star hotels—has recruited Joe Henry from Gaylord's Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, as the resort's new director of operations. "I've known Joe Henry 20 years, so when we had this opening I went to him to ask for suggestions of people to pursue, and he said he was interested," Fischer said. "He's very good at making things happen."

While Callaway strengthens its resort appeal, Fischer believes the Gardens will continue to draw strongly as a regional attraction. "I don't think it's going to change people's perceptions of the Gardens, but I think it will change their perception of the resort. Even if they choose a less expensive accommodation, they will feel like they are part of an expensive resort."

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AZA uses a new species of marketing to promote its missions.
Photo courtesy of Proprietory Media

Poll position
The high-powered pair when introduced last summer was poised to accomplish the daunting mission of saving Earth: former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Bill Bradley and Aza (pronounced Ay-zah), a digital critter and new mascot for the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). The pair is the spearhead of a marketing campaign to advance public perception of the association and generate interest and involvement in AZA's conservation efforts. Proprietary Media, Inc., a New York marketing company "founded solely to support the mission of AZA and its member institutions," formed the campaign, created the critter and recruited Bradley.

The campaign, which stalled in the initial phase, is now turning to member zoos and aquariums for help. With the official launch last June, presided over by Bradley at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois, Aza set out to attract children to his website, www.azasweb.com, where they could complete Aza's Poll for the Planet expressing their concerns about the environment and wildlife. Bradley would then write a series of white papers based on the poll results to present government and corporate leaders around the world. For valid data, Proprietary Media hoped to get one million children logged on. So far, less than 10,000 have.

"Now the big push is to get kids that come through the gates of member institutions," said Janet Weiss, senior vice president of Proprietary Media and managing director of AzaNET, the network of AZA institutions. AZA itself has formed a panel called the Strategic Marketing Group to promote zoo and aquarium involvement in the campaign. Currently, 50 zoo and aquarium web sites and 25 children's sites link to azasweb.

Not only do AZA and Proprietary Media want more institutions to feature Aza on their web sites, they hope institutions will start directly engaging children visiting the zoos to log on to the web site. "It's preaching to the choir: These are kids and families already coming to the institutions, so they're already engaged in the mission," Weiss said. Meantime, Aza himself will start making more appearances in other mediums, including a series of comic strips. Additionally, he "will be appearing on site at zoos and aquariums in the coming year," Weiss said, though she wouldn't give further details on the form Aza would take.

Aza certainly has the pedigree for popularity. Proprietary Media hired Kermit Love, the creator of Big Bird and other Sesame Street characters, to lead the design team. What started as a talking platypus (the ultimate mixed breed) evolved into a non-talking singular species representative of all the world's wildlife. Aza's chief personality trait is to serve as a channeler of nature.

When it came to choosing a celebrity spokesperson for the campaign, Bradley was at the top of a short list of candidates. "We needed somebody who had the credibility to talk to the leaders of the world," Weiss said. When Proprietary Media approached him, Bradley proved more willing than they expected. A man who spent countless childhood hours at the St. Louis Zoo in Missouri, he wanted to do more than just lend his name to the project. He is currently working on a series of educational programs related to the campaign while awaiting the poll results. "He'll be getting involved again when we've got that big number of kids taking the poll," Weiss said. "We want it to be a significant number to get the attention of the world."

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Toledo Zoo guests saw as much ice in one weekend as the region would get the whole winter.
Photo by Andi Norman, Toledo Zoo

Thawinpawzin
The big risk planning an event around the weather is that the weather sometimes does not plan itself accordingly to your event. Thus was the fate that befell the Toledo Zoological Gardens in Ohio, which rolled out its second annual Frozentoesen winter festival this year during the region's second consecutive warmer-than-normal winter.

In this case, however, the uncooperating weather proved an even greater boon for the zoo. Intended to drive visits in January and February, Frozentoesen has "been even more successful this year because it's been so warm people have been coming out here anyway," said Toledo Zoo Executive Dirictor Bill Dennler. Attendance in January, assisted by the opening of a new wolf exhibit, outstripped last winter's numbers. For February, the zoo surpassed its monthly budget projections in the first week, Dennler said. "It's not that we're getting record crowds, but the fact we're getting any is something. We definitely have spread the attendance out into the winter."

Frozentoesen promotions included half-price admission every day, Hollywood children's films, special weekend brunches and wine tastings. The festival's big kick-off celebration featured a professional ice carving competition, and that day boded the kind of winter the zoo was in for.

Typically, Toledo gets up to two feet of snow over the winter and temperatures lodging below zero. This year, official snowfall totaled 4 inches (10 centimeters), though Dennler believes only an inch fell at his zoo, and none of it stayed on the ground. Not only did the thermometer seldom dip below freezing, it often topped 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 Celsius). Such warm weather, Dennler said, "never used to be a worry in Toledo; never a possibility. We consider ourselves pretty lucky."

But the champion ice sculptors were not so pleased. Their competition was marred by rising temperatures, which started off around 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-1 Celsius) on Friday and reached around 55 (13 Celsius) on Sunday, the day of the judging. Sculptures' scores depended on when they were judged, Dennler said. "The judges judge only by what they're looking at. If an arm falls off a statue as you're looking at it, you have to judge it by that standard. We had a lot of arms falling off that day."

But with upwards of 20,000 guests walking through the gate that weekend, Toledo judged the enterprise a success.

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In this issue
(To go directly to a story, click on a blue keyword below):

UPDATED: S&S reports cause of VertiGo collapse at Cedar Point;

Larry Cochran comes back to lead Jazzland's comeback;
The World Waterpark Association dumps Splash Magazine;
Ecology-spawned tourism plants the seeds for major resort developments in Brazil and at Georgia's Callaway Gardens;
The American Zoo and Aquarium Association breathes new life into its mascot promotion;
A winter festival warms up attendance at Toledo Zoo;
Cedar Fair removes its troubled thrill rides, fire destroys the ballroom at Whalom Park, and dark rides join the ranks of ranks.
And we go to school with some mentoring programs.

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Return visits

VertiGo will be disappearing from Cedar Fairs' skylines.
Photo courtesy of Cedar Point

Down, and now out
UPDATED March 9, 2002:
As Cedar Fair was announcing the removal of its two VertiGo thrill rides this week, manufacturer S&S Power released the findings of a third-party investigator.

One of the ride's three towers at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, which opened VertiGo as an upcharge attraction last August (THE LOOP, August 24, 2001), collapsed in January (THE LOOP, January 25, 2002). A statement released by S&S said independent engineering experts determined the accident was caused by "vortex shedding" that occurred while the towers were standing without the support of the attached passenger cart and cables. Cedar Point had removed the passenger triangle and their cables during VertiGo's winterization—part of the park's extensive preventive maintenance program—and without these to link and stabelize the three towers, independently they could sway beyond their engineered limits during sustained winds.

Ultrasound inspections of the rides at Knott's Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, which continued operations during the winter, showed no evedence of vortex shedding, the statement said. "In conjunction with the independent engineering firms, S&S has developed methods that eliminate the circumstances that can create a vortex-shedding phenomenon," the statement said.

Nevertheless, Cedar Fair decided Wednesday to remove the remnants of the ride at Cedar Point and the still standing VertiGo at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. "As extra-charge attractions, we believe the unfavorable perceptions resulting from the incident will negatively impact the popularity of the rides," Cedar Fair President and CEO Richard Kinzel said in a statement. "With the opening of Cedar Point less than two months away and Knott's Berry Farm nearing its peak season, we feel the best decision is to remove the rides from our parks." Cedar Fair also was conducting a third-party investigation of the incident, and those findings have not yet been released.

Still, Kinzel's statement included an endorsement of S&S, citing the "excellent relationship" between the amusement chain and the manufacturer. "We welcome the opportunity to work with them on future projects," Kinzel said.

Thrill Shot at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, also remains closed while test results are analyzed. Six Flags officials said Thursday they have not made a decision on that ride's future.

Stan Checketts, S&S founder and CEO, called Cedar Fair's decision "a shame," saying that based on the engineering reviews and pre-incident performance reports, the ride "is the safest amusement ride in the industry today. We have several new sites opening this season and are pleased that park guests who love the ride will still be able to enjoy the experience."

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Ball of fire
Allyson Bowen was hosting a dinner party Saturday night when a roller coaster enthusiast, Mark Thompson, called her. He had heard on a police scanner that firefighters were responding to a blaze at Whalom Park, the shuttered amusement park in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, that the Bowen family had long operated and is trying to save from sale to a developer and possible destruction (THE LOOP October 5, 2001; November 16, 2001; and January 11, 2002). By the time Bowen reached the park, its 1933-built Ballroom was fully engulfed.

"It was definitely one of the most historic structures on the property," Bowen said. "I would say the (1905) Skating Rink and the Ballroom, although they hadn't been used recently, in their heyday were the anchors of the amusement park's golden age."

Authorities suspect arson, noting vandalism to other structures in the park. "There was a spate of vandalism just before the fire, but it wasn't systematic vandalism," said Bowen, who frequently visits the grounds. She also noted that Whalom has a history of fires, including two cases of arson in the past 25 years.

Though the ballroom was destroyed, no other structures were harmed, including the wood Flyer Comet Roller Coaster standing just 25 feet from the burning building. Firefighters from several surrounding communities responded to the blaze, soaking down the coaster and other neighboring structures to keep the fire contained. "The firefighters did such a great job," Bowen said. "I really thank them for protecting Whalom."

That continues to be her mission. Although the Whalom Park Amusement Co., in which the Bowens are minority shareholders, has signed a purchase-and-sale agreement for the park, Bowen believes the sale could yet fall through for various reasons. "That would give us a chance to step in," she said, prompting her current "Buy a Whale for Whalom Park" campaign. Rather than deterring her, the fire has stiffened her resolve, she said. "We need people to get on board before this happens to the rest of the park, literally or figuratively."

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Darkness reigns
At first glance it may seem like yet another awards list, another series of bestowed honors, another Top 10. But the "Top Dark Rides" announced by DAFE, the Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts, last week were really just a publicity outgrowth of a more serious issue for the first-year organization (THE LOOP, June 29, 2001): answering the question, "What is a dark ride?"

The list of favorite rides, topped by the Haunted House at Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, emerged from a four-page survey DAFE distributed among 150 of its 200 members. "A lot of it was to get information on how well we did in our first year," said Rick Davis, DAFE director and co-founder. "One of the questions was whether people agreed with our definition of 'Dark Ride' and all the classifications we listed." The club's web site, www.dafe.org, has the full definition and list of classifications.

Among the 50 completed surveys, Davis said "not one" disapproved of the definition or classes. "Which really surprised us," he said. "From dealing with people in the past there were some people who were really vocal on what they thought a dark ride was." The surveys expressed overall approval of the club's operations and plans to run events at festivals, fairs, carnivals and stand-alone permanent locations in addition to amusement parks. In a gauge of the membership's allegiance, Davis said the survey asked whether enthusiasts would be willing to attend events at small parks that had dark rides but no thrill rides. "Overwhelmingly they said, 'Yeah.'"

The survey also asked respondents to list their favorite rides, a compilation that became a study in contrasts. That Knoebels topped the list doesn't surprise, for its oft-honored, homemade haunt ride has been garnering international kudos since it opened in 1973. The margin of its victory was surprising. "Knoebels had more votes than the next three combined," Davis said. Those three were The Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, the Indiana Jones Adventure in Disneyland, California, and the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. Two more Disney attractions, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at MGM Studios in Orlando and the Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland, California, were fifth and sixth. Rounding out the top ten were the Goldrusher and the Old Mill at Kennywood near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Haunted House at Funland in Rehoboth, Delaware, and The Phantom Theater at Paramount's Kings Island near Cincinnati, Ohio.

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Eric’s Turn

Life lessons
When Odysseus sailed for the Trojan war, he entrusted his young son's education to a teacher named Mentor. Odysseus, aka Ulysses, remains a popular figure of Greek mythology, thanks to his much-detoured return trip from Troy, but only Homerphiles know about the character of Mentor. Yet, that character's name is more often used today. Indeed, the word "mentor" has assumed a revered place in the English language with its definition of a trusted counselor or guide: people like Merlin for Arthur, Yoda for Luke, and, I hope, me for Karen.

Karen Kennedy works at Magic Waters Waterpark in Rockford, Illinois, and I was paired with her through the Women Of Water mentoring program for young women entering the waterpark industry. WOW started as a movement within the World Waterpark Association at last fall's WWA trade show by Kim Adams-Bakke of Rockford's Magic Waters, Franceen Gonzales of Waterworld Safari in Phoenix, Arizona, Judith Leblein of Water Technology, Inc. and Splash Magazine's Marilyn Turner. At their first meeting the women solicited industry members who were interested in either being mentored or being a mentor. A month later mentors were paired with their proteges and asked to initiate the mentoring relationship.

I signed up to serve as a mentor (I'm no WOW, but I believe in the program's aims) and yesterday met with Karen for the first time (that's us above outside her office). She joined the business staff of Rockford's Magic Waters last summer after being graduated by Northern Illinois University with a math major. She already has begun coursework toward an MBA. Karen started off working as business development and cash control supervisor at the waterpark, but has since added marketing duties and group sales solicitation to her job. Intelligent, personable, confident and already an obvious asset to Magic Waters, Karen could eventually be an important contributor to the whole amusement industry, and my role is to encourage and smooth her progression by providing a little insightful light. That light is not fueled by wisdom so much as experience.

The amusement industry has long had a tradition of networking and sharing information, but WOW's program and an initiative announced just this week by the International Association of Haunted Attractions are taking such educational interrelationships to another level.

Wednesday evening I attended the IAHA's annual "Crazy Bob" Talk-back session heading into the annual TransWorld National Halloween Costume and Party Show at the Rosemont Convention Center in suburban Chicago, Illinois. Robert "Crazy Bob" Turner, owner of the Haunted Hydro Dark Attraction Park in Fremont, Ohio, monitors the session like Oprah working a talk show audience, soliciting opinions and experiences from a crowd of 140 haunt operators. A third of that audience were newcomers to the industry, and the veterans readily shared their knowledge on everything from effective scare devices to effective customer surveys. Robin Downward (above) of Mysterium Entertainment in Medford, Oregon, gave his colleagues tips on using masks.

With the ongoing popularity of the Crazy Bob sessions—this was Turner's fifth year hosting the event—IAHA is looking to provide a more formal mentoring program. As currently proposed, members would list their particular expertise in a directory that would be posted on the association's web site. "Right now we don't publicly say, 'Here are the 17 people who do pneumatics,'" said IAHA President D'Ann Dagen. "My own area of expertise is not-for-profit management. Somebody else may be carpentry." Members would use the directory to locate such expertise to answer immediate needs and concerns, she said

This is not mentoring in the classic sense of a long-term educational relationship. "We're talking expertise made available for brief encounters," Dagen said. But it does formalize the brotherhood that already exists in such IAHA encounters as Crazy Bob's sessions.

It's no myth that when we share experiences with the young talent entering the industry, we ensure long, continued success for all of us.

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