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Kernels
In 2010, the Thomas Town portfolio will expand to six, as Six Flags America in Washington DC opens what is set to be the largest Thomas Town to date in partnership with HIT Entertainment.
Gold Reef City in Johannesburg will mark the football World Cup in June with the opening of a new water ride. The ride’s boats will be themed by Clostermann Design. Gold Reef City is located just a stone’s throw from the Soccer City stadium, which will host the opening and final match of the World Cup.
According to Mack Rides managing director Christian von Elverfeldt, “Several large projects are currently prepared,” as the German ride manufacturer prepares for a promising 2010. “Highly appreciated German quality standards” mean Mack has resisted moving production abroad.
ScareCON
Following an inaugural one-day event last year, Scare Attractions UK has revealed that ScareCON will take place for the second time this May in Birmingham, England.
DEAL 2009
Dubai Entertainment, Amusement & Leisure Show – you may know it as DEAL – celebrates its 15th anniversary anniversary event this month. Park World looks ahead to the Middle East’s longest running gathering for the amusement industry.
American Idol Experience
Fans of the TV show American Idol, or any one of the global ‘Idol’ franchises, won’t want to miss the newest attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Paul Ruben goes behind the scenes of Walt Disney World’s hottest new branded attraction.
Spot Me ID
This innovative line of patented bracelets, lanyards and temporary tattoos helps reunite wandering children and parents quickly. Parents simply use the Spot Me ID waterproof permanent marker to write their mobile phone number and name on these easy-to-recognise safety products.
Park Ranger
Ranger Quest is a new multiplayer theme park gaming experience utilising GPS technology. Provided with location-based videos, trivia, puzzles and a mystery storyline, guests explore the park, competing against the clock and each other in an interactive challenge.
Tabless Wristbands
Millions of wristbands are applied to guests at parks and attractions each season, but what happens to the removable tabs attached to the adhesive? They are discarded and thrown on the floor, making some park entry plazas look like they’ve been hit by a freak snow shower.
Stackable Hotdog Grill
This stacking unit is ideal for food service applications where counter space is scarce.
Grand Pier rises from the ashes
The owners of the Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare, south west England, have had plans approved for a new pavilion to replace the one destroyed by fire last July. The application was passed by North Somerset Council on March 12 and clears the way for a number of new structures, including an 85-metre panorama/observation tower. Work is expected to be commence very soon, in anticipation of a summer 2010 opening.
The great Jungle Cruise get-together!
Two Jungle Cruise skippers from California's Disneyland Resort, Kevin Lively and Mickey Wright, set sail recently for Tokyo, where they joined other lucky Jungle Cruise skippers from Disney Parks around the world.
JRA lands project in Nigeria
Jack Rouse Associates (JRA) has landed its first project in Nigeria. The Cincinnati-based design firm has been chosen to provide the masterplan and preliminary concept design for the new Calabar Theme Park in the city of the same name.
La Ronde welcomes The Mummy
La Ronde, Montreal, Canada, will present The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, live! this season.
Silver Dollar City reveals 2009 show programme
Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri, is planning its biggest ever year of live entertainment with more than a dozen “blue-ribbon” productions planned.
Schlitterbahn Vacation Village
There may have been plenty of icy weather to endure throughout the winter months, but the Schlitterbahn waterpark in Kansas City is starting to take shape, and at the time of writing over 90% of site work was complete.
Dr Von Dark’s Tunnel of Terror
Sister waterparks Splish Splash in Riverhead, New York, and Wet ’n’ Wild Emerald Pointe in Greensboro, North Carolina, will both debut an attraction this season called Dr Von Dark’s Tunnel of Terror! Both properties are part of the Palace Entertainments/Parques Reunidos group.
Buccaneer Battle
A mutiny is brewing at Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, Illinois, as work continues on Buccaneer Battle, the park’s new interactive water ride slated to open May 15. The pirate-themed attraction, by Mack Rides, incorporates music, lighting, theming and special effects and sits in the County Fair section of the park next to the Farmers’ Market.
Awards Night wins award!
The 4D theatre experience Awards Night was one of several attractions to pick up a Thea Award from the TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) last month in California, during its gala evening at the Disneyland Hotel.
Gillians expands into the sea
Jay Gillian (pictued), operator of Gillian’s Wonderland Pier in Ocean City, New Jersey, has been granted a 10-year lease to run an amusement park on city land in Sea Isle City, New Jersey. Gillian’s Funland of Sea Isle City, the first amusement park in Sea Isle City in almost 10 years, will include 10 or 11 kiddie rides.
Zip over to Hawaii!
Hawaii’s newest and longest zipline attraction is now operating on the 800-acre historic Piiholo Ranch, 2,000ft above Makawao, Maui. It was built by ERi, the world’s leading zipline builder.
Victorian Town relaunched
The Blists Hill Victorian Town in the heart of England is to be relaunched to mark the 300th anniversary of Ironbridge Gorge becoming the location for the birth of the Industrial Revolution.
Former IAAPA chairman returns to Cypress Gardens
Cypress Gardens, Winter Haven, Florida, reopened last month with a new operations director, former IAAPA chairman Bill Sims. The former CEO of Silver Springs Nature Park in Ocala, Florida, previously worked at Cypress Gardens with founder Dick Pope Snr.
Wyatt Design becomes MSI
The Wyatt Design Group, led by principal Larry Wyatt, has completed its merger with MSI and will now trade simply as MSI.
Santa Claus comes to Chengdu!
Guests at the new Happy Valley park in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, recently celebrated Chinese New Year with the help of …Santa Claus! North Pole Adventure is the latest North Pole Adventure family dark ride from Sally Corporation and quickly filled to capacity when the park opened at the start of the year.
Romano joins Quassy
Gina Romano, a veteran of the amusement park industry for more than 20 years, has been named human resources director at Quassy Amusement Park, Middlebury, Connecticut.
RAAPA 2009
Despite challengers, the annual exhibition from the Russian Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions (RAAPA) is still the largest amusement industry trade show for Russia and many CIS countries,taking place this year from April 15 to 17.
City of Dreams
City of Dreams is an integrated entertainment resort and “must experience” destination being developed in Macau by Melco Crown Entertainment Limited (MPEL). Featured as part of the offering will be unique multimedia entertainment by Falcon’s Treehouse called Dragon’s Treasure.
We are open ...now what?
As a food & beverage manager or owner, you have worked very hard the last two months to recruit, train and prepare your team for the start of the season. Thousands of people are coming through your gates looking forward to a great time. What do you do now? This is a list of items that you want to complete during the season:
Park Idol
American Idol is the most-watched TV show in America. It's modelled after the original British talent show, which I think was called Anglo-Saxon Idol. Something like that. Now, at Walt Disney World in Florida, visitors can enjoy their own “Idol” encounter.
The American Idol Experience places guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the spotlight, as they audition for a place in the park’s daily musical showcase, or they can judge the performance of others.
Kernels
England’s Drayton Manor theme park has added a third train to its Thomas Land children’s area to cope with anticipated demand in the season ahead. The new engine, Rosie, joins Thomas and Percy and ferries passengers back and forth between the Thomas Land, Farmer McColl’s Farm and the Tidmouth Hault stations. Since opening last season, Thomas Land has been an unprecedented success, helping Drayton Manor pass the one million guest mark for the first time. A “Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition” will also open at the park this season, featuring original illustrations from the original Thomas the Tank Engine books by the late Rev W Awdry.
WhiteWater West has signed an agreement with Wave Loch to manufacture and sell the FlowRider “stationary wave” surf attraction outside North America. “The FlowRider is a highly popular and proven product which complements our existing waterpark attractions.” says WhiteWater president Geoff Chuter.
The National Ticket Company has announced the appointment of Jason Mauser as its US sales manager. Mauser joined the company in 1999 and plans to be an integral part of the management team. National Ticket recently opened two new sales offices. Chris Conroy will lead the sales team at his Chalfont, Pennsylvania, office, while Patrick Carter, will manage sales at the new St Charles office in Missouri.
HB Leisure, the specialist games operator headed by Tim Batstone, has appointed a new managing director. Alex Sparks joins from the retail industry, where he spent 10 years with the Virgin Group and 15 years with Blockbuster Entertainment.
Licence to Thrill
What operators like Disney and Universal have known for a long time is that incorporating well-known brands and characters into theme park attractions creates the ultimate cross-marketing opportunity. Now numerous other licence owners are waking up to the potential parks have to create real life experiences that immerse guests deeper into the brands or intellectual property (‘IP’). From George of the Jungle to American Idol, Owen Ralph highlights some of IP about to thrill guests in the months to come, and what it can do for park operators.
Ghost Town In The Sky files for bankruptcy
Ghost Town in the Sky, Maggie Valley, North Carolina, has filed for bankruptcy protection and reorganisation under Chapter 11 of the US Federal Code. The park’s owners say finding the money run an attraction that was dormant for five years before they bought it in 2006 has proved tricky.
Michigan's Adventure
Gary Kyriazi knew as soon as he met the 15-year-old Camille Jourden that she shared her father Roger’s passion for the amusement industry. Twenty-seven-years later he returns to visit her as general manager of Michigan’s Adventure, a park now under the ownership of Cedar Fair. In many ways though, it’s still business as usual down in Muskegon.
Tower of David Spectacular
The Tower of David in Israel, a museum dedicated to the history of Jerusalem, has launched a spectacular new night show, created by the French company Skertzo.
