Volume 1, No. 7.    May 4, 2001

 

 

 

Going Dutch

The bad news is that the Clark family is selling Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, another three-generation park family getting out of the business. The good news is that Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company in nearby Hershey, Pennsylvania, last week signed the letter of intent to purchase the Clarks’ property, promising that the lovely, family-oriented theme park will remain in good hands.

Though it’s another corporate takeover of a family-owned park, this transaction does not point to a further demise of the small, family park sector of our industry. In fact, it illustrates the strength small parks could hold in the emerging U.S. economy. Dutch Wonderland is coming off a string of record attendance years, even as larger parks in the region struggled last year. By obtaining Dutch Wonderland the Hershey corporation now has a family-focused small park to mesh with its large, thrill-oriented Hersheypark 30 minutes away, a marriage similar to Kennywood’s ownership of Idlewild on the Pittsburgh side of Pennsylvania.

Brad Clark’s desire to leave the amusement business and sell his share of the park prompted the move. His brother Murl, the park’s president, decided to sell rather than buy out Brad, with whom he had inherited the park from their father, Earl. "At my age, I decided against trying to restructure everything and refinance to the extent of my being able to buy (Brad’s) portion out. That’s when I approached Herco."

He first broached the sale to Hershey last fall. "We were surprised," said Garrett Gallia, Hershey’s director of corporate relations. "Dutch Wonderland is one of the premier family attractions in all of Lancaster County." Such sentiments forged a swift deal. "In a matter of four or five meetings we had a letter of intent signed," Clark said.

Both sides point to the common business philosophies and family focus the two companies share. But for Hershey, Dutch Wonderland’s stature among central Pennsylvania families was particularly attractive. "Dutch Wonderland has such a successful history of drawing families," Gallia said. "It already exists as a well-known brand and has that history of success."

Which is why the larger corporation will likely make few changes in content at Dutch Wonderland. The value of Dutch Wonderland vis-à-vis Hersheypark is its small-park ambience, which appeals to young families, a growing demographic in today’s economy. "According to our guest surveys, the big park experience, if you will, is getting to be a little too stressful for young families," Murl said. "We even get guests writing on our survey ‘Don’t get too big.’"

The third generation of Dutch Wonderland Clarks, Murl’s teen-age children, work at the park, but they, too, supported their father’s decision. "They’d like to see me have some weekends off and sleep better at night and stuff like that," Murl said. Handing over to Hershey the keys to the park he literally grew up in and spent 38 years developing, Murl is confident he won’t lose any sleep over his baby’s future.

 

 

More power to them

As the California electric crisis continues into the summer, Paramount’s Great America in Santa Clara has learned that decreased power equates to increased profits.

By entering into an agreement with the local utility, Silicon Valley Power, to cut its usage by 10 percent on high-demand days, the theme park discovered that several power-saving practices were also cost-cutting measures. Meanwhile, Great America earned public relations kudos and got a new highway sign, as well.

Paramount’s Great America is one of 18 local companies who joined the voluntary power usage reduction program, which allows the company itself to choose how to meet the 10 percent goal. The utility measured the kilowatt requirements of individual attractions and placed a series of meters throughout the park to monitor electrical usage during 15-minute intervals. So, now that Paramount management knows the in-park waterways feeding the fountains use 104 kilowatts, shutting them off can account for 20 percent of the total reduction goal.

"It allows us the flexibility, depending on event areas we are using and what’s happening in the park today, to control and conserve power," said the park’s General Manager Gayle Ando. The program also helped the park form long-term energy conservation measures. "We saw some inefficiencies we had," Ando said, such as running air conditioners continuously in the theaters and catering areas even when the park was closed. Meanwhile, Great America is engaging in other conservation efforts among its staff, such as setting air conditioner thermostats higher and shutting off computers and lights when leaving the office.

By entering the program, Paramount’s Great America was able to keep rides open for the public instead of risking the utility arbitrarily cutting power to those grids during rollbacks. This answered a growing concern among guests. The park also videotaped the ride metering to use for its physics, math and science days.

Area school kids wouldn’t be the only ones to learn from the experience. Ando learned that the attraction gobbling up the most kilowatts is the Rip Roaring Rapids raft ride. "You have big pumps to move that water and create all that excitement." On the other hand, the big signature attractions, the coasters, were relative lightweights on the power grid. After all, Silicon Valley Power doesn’t supply gravity. "We were afraid we’d have to take down a major attraction," Ando said, until the metering results came in. "When you realize it’s only powered as it goes up the lift hill, it starts to make sense."

Then there’s the huge letter-turning promotional sign next to the freeway in front of the park. Great America officials had sought permission from the city government to erect a new state-of-the art video display. "We thought it was never going to get through," Ando said of the request, until the park discovered the new sign would be more energy efficient than the current sign. "We touted it as an energy-saving move," Ando said. The new sign will be erected this summer.

 

 

Gold and oil

After weathering two years of attendance-hindering obstacles, the amusement properties in Gold Coast, Australia, are coming off a stellar season and heading into a strong shoulder and winter season, thanks to a rising tide of Middle East clientele.

Australia on the whole gets more than 50,000 visitors from the Middle East each year, and the Gold Coast Tourism Bureau says 17,000 Arab country tourists visited that region in 2000. The bureau forecasts a 20 percent rise in that sector this year.

"For them it’s a nice place to come, a good family destination, to get away from the heat," said David Luxton, communication executive at Wet ‘n’ Wild Water World, one of the three properties comprising the Warner Village Theme Parks. "They tend to bring the extended family, rent an apartment for three or four weeks, and do lots of shopping."

They also visit the three Warner parks in increasing numbers, Luxton said, and the parks have taken extra measures to cater to this particular clientele. Both Sea World and Warner Brothers Movie World serve halal meals using ritually butchered meats at their restaurants, and both provide prayer rooms in shady, quiet sections of their parks with arrows pointing toward Mecca. Wet ‘n’ Wild, meanwhile, sees its share of fully clothed Muslim families enjoying all the rides.

Luxton said the Muslim clientele has appreciated these amenities. "We’ve seen some repeat visitors already," he said. Last week, the Warner Village group’s international marketing manager, Peter Doggett, accompanied a tourism road show through the Middle East, including the Arab Travel Mart in Dubai. "They’re starting to develop some real relationships," Luxton said.

The Gold Coast group is also seeing the Pacific Rim market rebound from its late ’90s currency crash. Japan is still flat, Luxton said, but China is proving to be a lucrative growth market, and Singapore is so strong the parks are now considering that region part of its domestic market.

Overall, the Warner Village parks saw strong gates this past season, a nice change from last year’s performance, which was depressed by the Y2K computer bug and then the country’s new 10 percent Goods and Services Tax, both of which kept people from traveling.

Starting in September, though, business shot up. The Summer Olympics helped boost tourism in the Gold Coast as Sydney residents fled their city for the duration of the games. The Olympics also gave the Gold Coast worldwide exposure from television crews doing local color stories, and the parks have started seeing the results of that exposure. Plus, all three parks installed new attractions in November: the Roadrunner roller coaster at Warner Brothers Movie World, Polar Bear Shores at Sea World, and the six-person raft ride Mammoth Falls at Wet ‘n’ Wild.

More expansion is planned next fall, Luxton said. In the meantime, the parks seem to have struck oil looking for a way to keep their gates strong through the soft season.

 

Surviving the riots

The building was fated for Bruce D. Robinson Architecture· Design to occupy. Even a riot couldn’t dislodge that destiny.

Bruce D. Robinson, who specializes in theme park and entertainment design, had rented space in the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, for 10 years. When road construction rerouted Robinson’s normal drive to work he started passing a 1919 former car dealership at 28 Central Parkway West. Finally, the architect said, "I’ve got to have it."

He asked a realtor to set up a tour of the building, and though the owner didn’t want to sell, he agreed to field an offer. Circumstances led to the owner’s changing his mind, and on March 30 Robinson moved his firm into the second floor of the building with an eye to leasing out the ground floor. "It was like it was meant to be," he said.

Then civil unrest shook the city, a four-day rage centered on the Over-the-Rhine district. "This building was the epicenter of the riots," Robinson said. "There is a park a block north where the crowds gathered, then they came down to our corner. One night lines of police on horseback were positioned on our corner."

Amazingly, the building suffered no damage. "I’m not sure why," Robinson said. "We were incredibly lucky, I guess." With most of the disturbances erupting in the evenings, his employees left early when the neighborhood atmosphere heated up. Robinson was with his elementary school teacher wife on spring break in Key West at the time of the riots. "I was on the cell phone a lot, but not in the middle of (the riots). I was nervous."

Nevertheless, he is committed to keeping his new professional home. "I don’t think the neighborhood is at its highest point yet. The best is still to come."

For a description of the firm’s historic new premises, see the current issue of Amusement Today.

 

Moving to higher ground

Installing an S&S Power Turbo Drop was statement enough, especially in the state of Maine. But Funtown Splashtown U.S.A. in Saco, Maine, wants to attain new heights in another facet of delivering entertainment and is spending US$2 million on ambient theming around its new ride opening this month, Dragon’s Descent.

At 220 feet (66 meters) tall to the tip of its flagpole, Dragon’s Descent will be the tallest people-conveyance structure in the state. Only incinerator chimneys and signal towers outreach the ride. "As towers go, there’s nothing like that here in the Northeast," said the park’s CEO and president, Kenneth Cormier.

Despite that, the most impressive element of the attraction might be the Chinese dragon at the foot of the ride. Built by Custom Creations, the dragon’s 31-foot long body arches 18 feet high to create the entrance to Dragon’s Descent. The dragon is part of perimeter theming, covering about 1 1/2 acres, that includes a new Mandarin Chinese themed two-story building containing the ride’s compressor unit and the operator’s room. Two former ticket booths refurbished in Chinese décor form part of the ride’s fencing, and an existing building is being renovated to house a gift shop selling items relative to Dragon’s Descent.

Cormier chose the Chinese theming as a suitable companion to his previous major capital project, 1998’s Excalibur wooden coaster with its load station themed on King Arthur’s castle. "I think (Dragon’s Descent) tied nicely with Excalibur and knights and slaying of the dragons, and the two rides are in close proximity to each other," Cormier said. "I thought Chinese because of the highly decorative Chinese style of buildings, plus the color scheme seemed very attractive to me." Even the Turbo Drop’s structure in bright white, red and yellow carries out the color scheme.

"I think it’s important to theme a newly developed area to make our park look more legitimate as a theme park as opposed to a run-of-the-mill, asphalt jungle type park," Cormier said. Along those lines this year will conclude the park’s transition from pay-as-you-go to all-day admission. Funtown Splashtown U.S.A. has been providing single admission tickets for 15 years but continued offering pay-as-you-go options. Three years ago Cormier fenced in the park and charged $3 minimum admission which, despite traditionalists’ complaints, resulted in increased attendance and revenue.

This year, he said, "With a new attraction coming in I felt it was the right time to eliminate tickets altogether and strictly go pay-one-price." Already publicizing that "walk-around season passes" are being eliminated this year, Cormier said he’s heard nary a feedback. "I don’t think we’re going to get anyone really creating a ruckus. We have molded the jig, so to speak."

 

Divine intervention

Colin O’Malley composes music for film and television and has done work for the Disney Company. Yet, one project as close to him as his wife almost slipped past the 27-year-old composer’s resume: scoring the film soundtrack and ambient music for the Holy Land Experience, the theme park which opened February in Orlando, Florida.

O’Malley was passed over for the assignment even though his wife, Dena O’Malley, is the marketing manager for ITEC Entertainment Corporation, the Orlando-based firm that designed and built the park. Colin had even previously scored music for an ITEC-produced ride. However, it was not until the first-hired composer fell through that ITEC producer Keith Kolbo asked the film’s director, Jack Tinsley, about hiring Colin. Colin had scored a film for Tinsley last year, and the director was a ready advocate for the young composer.

"It’s one thing to come in as somebody’s husband," Colin said. "On a project with this much budget and this much at stake, it was important to have the director bring you in."

Colin got the gig with no time to spare. He had four weeks to compose, arrange and produce 50 minutes of music with full orchestration. "It was furious; I mean nuts," Colin said. "I probably had half the time I should have had to get it done." He flew to Seattle to use members of the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Philharmonic, then to Los Angeles to record Don Markese playing a Middle Eastern pipe and Judy Paskowitz singing Hebrew vocalizations. He also added in a layer of synthesizers to give the ancient-sounding soundtrack a modern tinge.

For the park’s ambient soundtrack, Colin rearranged the five melodic themes used in the film. "I did a lot of background stuff for Disney; that’s how I got my start," he said. "But never at this level, defining the themes and the overall sound of the attraction."

Despite the deadline crush, he considers the result among his best work. "I’m very happy with it. The orchestra was outstanding. And we had a budget to do it right. There was no compromise. Usually in film work it’s composition by committee and the budget gets whittled down. Keith knew what it would take to get the right sound. With what people are hearing in this day and age, you need to do it right with a world-class attraction."

 

New Arrivals

 

NEWS BULLETINS

Phantasialand survives coaster fire

[REVISED: 8:35 am May 4]

The police director in Koln, Germany, was quoted as saying "We just barely avoided a catastrophe" in the wake of a fire that reportedly started on a roller coaster and swept through a section of Phantasialand Theme Park in nearby Bruehl, injuring 63 people, none seriously. That the blaze did not in fact become a major catastrophe testifies again to the overall safety record of the industry and the apparent diligence and response of Phantasialand staff and the region’s emergency response officials.

When you look at pictures of the event (a series of photographs are at http://www.phantaweb.de/n18.html) you can see what a major conflagration it was, a blaze that took more than two hours to extinguish by about 430 area firefighters. The fire destroyed two Schwarzkopf coasters, the Gebirgsbahn (Mountain coaster) and Grand Canyon Bahn, a family coaster, both sharing a synthetic mountain setting that resembled the scenic railways of the early 20^th century. Also lost was the neighboring Tanagra Theater and portions of Silver City, a Western-themed area. Total damage has been estimated at DM 30 million (US$14 million), said Rob Knoedl, Phantasialand's sales and marketing manager.

The fire broke out around 13:40 on the Grand Canyon Bahn as 20,000 people were enjoying a sunny May Day holiday at the park. Of the injured, only four were reported admitted to hospitals. Though early news reports quoted guests describing panic among the crowds escaping "burning debris raining down," later reports and sources indicated the evacuation was orderly and expertly handled. Knoedl said the guests "departed the tragic scene and the park very quickly, which was very encouraging." He quoted the park's managing director, Robert Loffelhardt, saying "A huge thank you goes out to our guests who did not panic in this situation and acted promptly in a safe manner." The park immediately set up a hotline phone number which received more than 400 calls, Knoedl said, and a separate room for "worried relatives." By 23:00 hours that night, all guests and staff had been accounted for and reunited with families.

Investigators began looking into the cause of the fire Wednesday morning, and their report is expected on Monday, Knoedl said. Press reports said the fire was first spotted on a security camera, and the roller coaster’s emergency brakes automatically activated. Passengers were then evacuated via ladders. One of the trains, a charred ruin, was still sitting atop the coaster track after the fire (visible in the photographs).

Both roller coasters will be torn down. The park will try to re-open to the public next weekend at a reduced admission price.

(This story will update with new information until the next edition of THE LOOP.)

WWA makes an important announcement about ASTM changes. Please see the Bulletin Board.

 

It’s a roller coaster!

Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington announces the arrival of Titan, April 26, 2001. Measurements: 5,312 feet long, 245 feet high, 255-foot and 61-degree drop, 85 mph, 120 foot underground tunnel (1,610 meters long, 74 meters high, 77-meter drop, 36-meter tunnel). Delivered by Giovanola.

To announce the rival of the newest, tallest coaster in this renowned park’s 40^th anniversary season, Six Flags Over Texas officials drew on the most suitable star for the occasion: Titan itself. Six Flags, Inc. President and COO Gary Story and Arlington Mayor Elzi Odom joined park general manager Steve Calloway for the official unveiling ceremony. The brass section of the Arlington Symphony provided the fanfare. Streamers and confetti accompanied the first official train carrying four Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and radio station contestants.

The rest of the day belonged to Titan. Nay, the rest of the weekend. That Thursday under brilliant Texas skies, the park let a total of 900 listeners from 30 Dallas-Fort Worth area radio stations—who broadcast live throughout the day—plus ACE members and several local dignitaries, have first crack at the hypercoaster. Reports from that pre-public opening day just added to the buzz in a community that had been eagerly noting Titan’s construction all winter. Friday began three days of long lines as more than 25,000 people rode the coaster.

It was a Texas-size coming out party for a mighty Titan.

 

It’s a kiddie ride!

Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, announces the arrival of a Frog Hopper, April 28, 2001. Measurements: 18 feet tall (5 1/2 meters) six seats. Delivered by S&S Power.

For the small family park, the first day of the 2001 season brought a high honor: the National Amusement Park Historical Association gave Knoebels Amusement Resort a life membership award, only the fourth park ever to receive the honor since NAPHA instituted it in 1993. For the occasion, 139 NAPHA members attended Knoebels’ opening day, getting not only exclusive ride time on the roller coasters, but also a behind-the-scenes tour of the park’s Haunted Mansion.

But for many a child, the day’s "high"light was the Frog Hopper. On a sunny day with brisk Pennsylvania mountain spring temperatures and a moderate size crowd, the kiddie version of S&S’ tower rides, purchased from Rye Playland in New York, was an immediate hit. "The minute it opened there were parents standing there watching their kids giggling," said Joe Muscato, Knoebels public relations and marketing director. Then, spoken like a true marketing type: "When I was there I was already thinking that I’ll never get a brochure shot of it because there’s always going to be people in the way."

 

 

Eric’s Turn

A shower of gifts

THE LOOP reports the opening of new rides and attractions under the guise of birth announcements and calls them "New Arrivals." It is with no little consideration that we use such a format because so many park managers, operators and marketers often compare the opening of a new attraction with childbirth. Not just the men do this, I must stress.

As with the approach of childbirth, the coming of an attraction’s opening involves the giving of gifts: but with a twist. You, "the parents," give us, the media, the gifts. Over the years of covering the amusement industry, I’ve received talking paper pyramids, a screaming key chain, hard hats, towels, rain ponchos, plush toys, an entire wardrobe of shirts and enough posters to wallpaper my sons’ room.

This year, of course, the tradition continues, a largesse that has astonished the two members of our team, Nathan and Lynne, who are new to the industry. Lynne’s daughter liked the Scooby-Doo flashlight, and Nathan took home a Rugrat book bag. While I’m not sure what to do with the Mars sand that LEGOLAND sent us (it bears a "caution" label), I’m turning the 33-piece Life on Mars Lego kit over to my boys, huge fans of the building blocks. Though we don’t garden, I appreciated the cleverness (and packaging sensibility) of Busch Gardens Williamsburg sending a packet of Bells of Ireland seeds to promote the upcoming opening of its new Ireland themed section.

One gift we received this year I think is the best ever, both for its promotional relevance and usefulness: a heavy-duty, 25-foot tape measure from Six Flags Great Adventure bearing the park’s NITRO roller coaster logo ("size matters"). That’s an item even graft-wary reporters would hesitate to discard.

From all of us at THE LOOP, thank you for the gifts and, more importantly, the information you share. We like announcing your proud births to the world and sharing with you the gifts of collegial respect and congratulations. Email us at eric@gettheloop.com, or call me. In North America it’s a toll-free call: 888-902-5667. Elsewhere, dial 1-937-296-9796.

 

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