At October 2012 Web

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Vol. 16 • Issue 7 OCTOBER 2012

P R S R T S T D

U S P O S T A G E

P A I D

F T . W O R T H T X

P E R M I T # 2 0 6 9

N E W S P A P E R

P O S T M A S T E R : D a t e d m a t e r i a l .

P L E A S E R U S H !

M a i l e d T h u r s d a y ,

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World Waterpark Association32nd Annual Symposium & Trade Show in Las Vegas

looking stronger than 2011’s New Orleans event STORY: Pam [email protected]

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Asthe waterpark industry members arrive in Las Vegas for the32nd Annual Symposium &Trade Show, association sta

members have put togetheran event they hope will fosternetworking as well as give at-tendees a look at what is newin the industry through the ex-hibits on the tradeshow oorand feed their intellect throughthe educational sessions.

The WWA Show is theonly show focused exclusivelyon the water-leisure industry.The event is being held Oct.2-5 at the Paris Hotel & Con-ference Center, Las Vegas. TheSymposium runs throughoutthe entire dates. The tradeshow is open two days of theevent, Oct. 3 and 4.

“I can tell you that the ex-hibitors are up from last yearin New Orleans, and we arevery close to a sell out,” saidPatty Miller, WWA director ofsupplier relations, in mid-Sep-tember. “We have about 340 booths, 200 companies.”

Last year the WWA eventwas held in New Orleans, therst time the WWA had everheld their annual sympo-sium in that city. According toWWA President Rick Root, lastyear’s event drew about 1,400

industry owners, operators,developers, suppliers and de-signers. An increase is expect-

ed for this year.Along with the compa-

nies showing their new andtried and true products, theevent also oers an array ofnetworking opportunities,workshops and educationalsessions.

Continuing a change madelast year, workshop and edu-cational sessions were sched-uled to give attendees moretime to be on the tradeshowoor. Hours of the tradeshoware 12:30-6:30 p.m., Wed., Oct.3, and 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Thurs.,Oct. 4.

With more than 1,000 wa-terparks in North Americaalone, networking opportuni-ties are important. This yearincludes The WWA AnnualGolf Tournament, set for 8a.m.-2 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 2.This tournament will be heldat the Painted Desert GolfClub in Las Vegas and will in-clude a luncheon along withthe golf.

On Oct. 3, the WWA An-nual Reunion Party is set for

7-10 p.m., Paris Hotel pool-side, with oers of cocktails,hors d’oeuvres and good times

with colleagues.The Key Decision-Makers

Breakfast and Vegas Bus Touris set for 8:30-9:45 a.m., Thurs-day, Oct. 4. This event requiresearly reservations and an ad-ditional $50 per ticket.

Trends in the waterpark

industry are surely to be topon the minds of those attend-ing the symposium this year.They will certainly be talkedabout in hallways and dis-cussed during the abundantnumber of workshops andeducational sessions oered.

According to Aleatha Ezra,WWA director of park member development, one majortrend she is seeing in the in-dustry this year is waterparkspartnering with already suc-cessful businesses. Examplesin the private section are Hur-ricane Alley, Corpus Christie,Texas, which partnered withWhataburger sports complex,and Pump House Indoor Wa-terpark that partnered with Jay Peak Resort, a ski resort in Jay, Vermont. Both opened in2012.

An example in the publicsection is Sailsh Splash Wa-terpark, Martin, Texas, whichalso opened this year. Thatwaterpark is a part of MartinCounty Parks and Recreation.

“That park made budgetin their rst 40 days they wereopen,” Ezra said.

Two other trends includethe growth of the indoor wa-

4See WWA, page 6

The 300-meter long canoe slalom course used at the 2Olympic Games (above and at bottom) could be liketo a Rapid River ride – although it’s rather more turbuthan the amusement ride versions, thanks in part to anfoot elevation change on the course.COURTESY LONDON 2012

A ‘rapid river’ created forOlympics canoe slalom even

STORY: Andrew Mellor [email protected]

LONDON — Among thenumerous venues built forthe London 2012 OlympicGames, one that will havesparked a chord with those ofus in the park and attractionsindustry was the Lee ValleyWhite Water Center, locat-ed 30 km north of the mainOlympic Park on the edge

of the 1,000-acre River Country Park, part of Lee Valley Regional Park

Created to accmodate the canoe slaevents, the venue is reniscent of a rapid river rwithout doubt one of most popular and succesattractions at parks arouthe world. Construcof the center began in J4See RIVER, pag

AIMS NEWS & NOTES - PAGE 42


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2 AMUSEMENT TODAY October 2012

NEWSTALK

Earlier this spring I suddenlyfound myself part of an exceedinglysmall team of historians, artists andvolunteers saddled with the task ofcreating the inaugural exhibition ofthe National Roller Coaster Museumand Archives’ (NRCMA). We wereall aware of the project’s potentialimpact. This was our chance to con-nect with people and impress upon

them the importance of preservingand celebrating the amusement industry’s long, colorfulhistory.

My job was to take vast amounts of informationand create many of the graphics that would serve as theproject’s signage and massive background panels. Likeeveryone else on the team, I was concerned over thetime frame; concept to opening day was incredibly tight.It is difficult to describe how much went into this butwe somehow pulled it off. “America’s Roller Coasters& Amusement Parks” was unveiled this summer atDollywood to overwhelmingly positive reviews from thegeneral public as well as park historians and enthusiastorganizations. Both entertaining and educational, theexhibit featured hundreds of items including rare pho-tos, models, videos and even coaster cars. It would be a while before I made the trek toTennessee to see our handiwork, and I was concerned ifwhat I had seen on my computer screen had translated

correctly. Once I stepped into the space, my fearsaway. The presentation was more than I could’vefor. Dollywood’s own print shop had flawlessly proexactly what we had envisioned. From a historianspective, it was a wonderland of sight and sound A personal validation of all the hard work project took place as I quietly toured the exhibit AT ’s Golden Ticket Awards ceremony last mothe Harry Traver section, I overheard an older gman regaling what I assumed was his grandson

tale from his youth, of how in the 1940s he and hhad friend climbed aboard the wicked Crystal Cyclone. Gazing up at huge detailed photos aintricate scale model of that infamous ride, thboy’s eyes widened in wonder as the questionsto tumble out: “You rode that? Was it scary? Hothe cars stay on the track? When was it built? Isthere?” I was impressed. In the end, we’d done our job. Our exhibinvoked a beloved memory while at the same timsibly inspired a new generation to embrace the pexplore the amazing wonders that came before. I versions of this scenario played out continually asands of Dollywood guests patronized the exhisummer.

Acknowledging and striving to preserve ourtry history must be a priority. Too much has alreadlost. We must remember. And that is exactly wNRCMA is all about.

Exhibiting history

CARTOON: Bubba Flint

EDITORIAL: Scott Rutherford, [email protected]

OPINIONS CARTOON LETTERS AT CONTACTS

Gary Slade, FounderPublisher and Editor-in-Chief (817) [email protected]

Stacey Childress / Childress MediaWeb & Graphic [email protected]

John Robinson / W.H.R. Inc.Daily E-mail Newsletter

[email protected]

Tim [email protected]

Pam [email protected]

Scott [email protected]

Jeffrey L. SeifertEditorial / Special Projects

[email protected]

Sammy PiccolaAccounting / Circulation(817) [email protected]

Sue NicholsAdvertising(615) [email protected]

Bubba [email protected]

AMUSEMENT TODAY STAFF

Contributors: Steve Laycock, Andrew Mellor, B. Derek Shaw, Richard Munch, David Templeton, Janice Witherow, WHR Inc.

At the turn of the century and into the ear-ly 1900s, traditional amusement parks sprangup at and the end of the trolley lines and otherhighway connectors. They saw rapid growthas the parks used water as their selling point.While most parks were located by lakes andoceans, some used swimming pools as a wayfor guests to cool off on hot summer days.

Always on the lookout for the next big thing, park own-ers soon found themselves installing beautifulhand-carved carousels in elaborately decorated buildingsthat would let the sounds of the band organ blast its tunesout onto the walkways. More ride innovations would soonfollow, but as park owners shared their success stories, onething was clear, you had to have a carousel as your anchor. Today’s waterparks are setting the stage with their own

version of the carousel — the tipping bucket. The idea for the tipping bucket was the result of RickBriggs (then with SCS and building a 40-foot-tall waterplaystructure in 1994 for White Water in Atlanta) and hisdaughter Steffanie who asked dad if he would dump waterall at once, like standing under a waterfall. The rest is history. While countless waterpark suppliers produce thesepopular pieces throughout the world, the tipping bucketsuccess was first led by SCS and now WhiteWater West, whooffers 45 different models. Since 1985, the two firms havesupplied more than 4,000 interactive waterplay units with thetipping bucket serving as the anchor piece on most all unitssince 1994. Now, in an effort to keep their guests cool andentertained, amusement park owners are installing thesepopular waterplay units in their facilities. Oklahoma’s

Frontier City and New Mexico’s Cliff’s Amazement Park bothinstalled new units this season. Texas’ Joyland AmusementPark is on board for next season. Resorts, hotels, cruise shipsand municipal facilities are getting on board this interactivetrend, much the way owners did with the carousel in theearly 1900s. It seems we’ve come full circle and returned tothe water for fun and entertainment.

—Gary Slade

The modern-day carousel?

EDITORIAL: Gary Slade, [email protected]

Slade

Subscription rates are: 1 year (14 issues) $75 in the USA; $100 elsewhere; 2 years (28 issues) $143 years (42 issues) $200/$250. Send check or money order (U.S. funds only, drawn on a U.S. bAmusement Today, P.O. Box 5427, Arlington, Texas 76005-5427. Your cancelled check is yourPlease allow up to six weeks for your subscription request to be processed and the first issue m

Amusement Today is an independent newspaper, published monthly by Amusement Today InBox 5427, Arlington, Texas 76005. Presort Standard Postage (Permit No. 2069) pre-paid at ForTexas. The entire contents of this newspaper and its related Web sites are copyrighted and tradby Amusement Today 2012, with all rights reserved.

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Amusement Today, P.O. Box 5427, Arlington76005-5427.

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Gary Slade is the founder and publisher of AmusementToday. His love for amusement parks began at age sixwhen he first visited Pontchartrain Beach AmusementPark and Six Flags Over Texas. His long newspaper careerhelped lead to the launch of AT in 1997.

Rutherford


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October 2012 AMUSEMENT TOD

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THIS MONTH IN HISTORY •1906: In October, construc-tion began of Luna Park inChicago, at 52nd Street & Hal-sted. The property would con-tain the typical amusement de-vices of the time, including thepopular Figure 8 roller coaster.Luna Park would close afterthe 1912 season, because of

intense competition from otherarea parks, including WhiteCity and Riverview Park.

•1919: The main building at White City, the summer resthe shore of Lake Quinsigamond, in Worcester, Massachwas burned to the ground on October 8. The various ament rides, a hotel and a score of homes were barely saveddestruction by local firefighters, in the $75,000 blaze.

•1924: For its 25th season, Kennywood Park, West MPennsylvania, announced plans to replace the old Speedocoaster with a new coaster, designed by John A. Millernew $60,000 Pippin would utilize a large gully, with a firstimmediately out of the station. The gully portion of the Pwould be included in the design of the 1968 Thunderbolt

•1928: In its first full season, the Cyclone at Palisades Ament Park had 208,000 riders. One of Harry G. Traver’lets, the ride would go through an extensive renovation stin October, by Harry Ackley of Traver Engineering. Intion to being repainted, some of the rougher spots wousmoothed out in the hopes of increasing ridership.

•1939: The New York World’s Fair, in Flushing Meadows York closed on October 31. The Fair was visited by 26 mguests, although the final operating day was ruined by rainexecutives claimed that the Exposition was in great shap1940, although they were $23 million in debt. The 194son would prove to be a mixed experience, as several Eurocountries would close their exhibits, with the war right athe corner.

•1948: The Sunday, October 3 fire at Old Orchard Bea

Maine, destroyed the John Miller Thunderbolt coaster,concession buildings and two cottages, while damaging tmous Palace Ballroom. Also destroyed were the Old Man adjacent arcade. Unofficial estimates put the loss atthan $500,000. The Thunderbolt would not be rebuilt, well remembered by visitors to Maine’s most famous amuseresort.

•1985: On October 5, Dick Knoebel held the first PhoenixPhunfest at Knoebels Groves in conjunction with the CoBridge Festival. The Phunfest celebrated his new Phoenixcoaster which had just opened four months earlier. Now,than 25 years later, the event, which has grown to include mthe park, attracts enthusiasts from all over the country andparts of Europe, bringing international recognition to Kno

Amusement Resort.

Presented by

www.RollerCoasterMuseu

Adrienne White Rhodeshas literally grown up at

Lake Winnepesaukah.Her grandparents startedthe venerable park in1925, and as a toddler,Adrienne was featuredon the first brochure in1933. She has been inthe amusement businessher entire life in positionsranging from cashier andadvertising to secretaryof the corporation andpresident. Adrienneis the mother of twodaughters who both workwith her and the grand-mother of three … the

family tradition of LakeWinnepesaukah will becarried on for generations. Adrienne is easyto spot at the park … she is the one drivingaround in a golf cart sporting a fashionableand shady hat!

TitlePresident of LakeWinnepesaukah Inc.

Number of years in theindustry79.

Best thing about the industryThe wholesome pleasure it gives people of

all ages.

Favorite amusement rideOur Boat Chute my grandfather built in1927.

If I wasn’t working in the amusement in-dustry, I would be …RETIRED!

Biggest challenge facing our industryCurrent economic conditions.

The thing I like most about amusement/water park season is …Seeing so many happy people.

My first car was … A Chevrolet Bel Air.

Favorite breakfast foodBelgian Waffles. My most favorite movie of all time is …The Sound of Music.

The magical power I wish I had is …To control the weather!

The advice I always like to give is …Be fair and honest.

It’s October! My favorite fall activity is …Watching football games.

Last home improvementNew garage door opener.

My next vacation will be …One with NO meetings and NO agendas.

The concert I would love a backstage passto would be …Reba McEntire.

I can’t stand being around people who …Brag and boast.

When I have free time, I enjoy …Reading and getting together with oldfriends.

Three things that are always in my purseare…Kleenex, lipstick and billfold.

The magazine cover I would most like toappear on would be …Amusement Today of course!

I am afraid of …Snakes.

The last thing I bought at the grocery

store was …Milk.

On my last birthday, I …Enjoyed having lunch with my daughters.

The meal I most like to cook is …Shrimp and grits.

The TV show I find myself watching themost is …The news.

Adrienne White Rhodes, Lake Winnepesaukah

COMPILED: Janice Witherow

MINUTE

DRILL2

Rhodes

Park owner, Adrienne White Rhodes can be found makingher daily rounds at Lake Winnepesaukah on her golf cart dur-ing operating hours. Here, she uses her ‘signature hat’ toshield her from the sun during a hot summer day in the park.COURTESY DAVID TEMPLETON


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2009 and was completed inDecember 2010. It opened inthe spring of 2011 as the only brand new London 2012 ven-ue that the public was able touse ahead of the Games.

The venue has two cours-es — a 300 meter (984 foot)Olympic standard competi-tion course with a 5.5 meter(18 foot) descent and a 160

meter (525 feet) intermedi-ate/training course with a 1.6meter (5.2 foot) descent. Theformer drops 5.5 meters fromstart to nish and enough wa-ter ows into this course toll a 50 meter-sized (164 foot)swimming pool in just overthree minutes.

RIVER Continued from page 1

The cost of the venue was

GBP 22 million (USD $35 mil-lion). As a comparison, theOlympic Stadium cost GBP428 million (USD $677.5 mil-lion) and the Basketball ArenaGBP 40 million (USD $63.3million). The architects wereFaulknerBrowns Architects.The lead contractor was Mor-

rison Construction while

structural and services engi-neers were Cundall. The whitewater course specialists alsoinvolved in the project wereWhitewater Parks Internation-al, while the landscape design-ers were Michael van Valken- burgh Associates.

The spectator capacity

at the venue is 12,000 and on

completion of the Games thetwo courses and the facilities building will remain, with thecenter once again becominga world-class canoeing andkayaking facility for use bythe community and elite ath-letes, as well as a major leisureattraction for white water raft-

ing, owned and manag

Lee Valley Regional Parthority. It was due to rafter the Games in Septem

The 2015 Canoe SWorld Championships wheld at the Lee Valley WWater Centre.

The Lee Valley White Water Center was built at a cost of GBP 22 million (USD $35 million).COURTESY LONDON 2012


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terpark resort and the growthof municipally-owned water-park.

On the rst day of theevent, the association tradi-tionally oers a number ofall-day training workshopsincluding lifeguard training

on several levels, a lifeguardinstructor training, the certi-ed pool-spa operator course,aquatic facility operator work-shop, getting started, and aworkshop on waterpark de-sign, development and expan-sion.

New to this line-up ofworkshops is WWA Univer-sity: Food & Beverage School,which includes such topics as:setting standards for levelsof operations and items thatshould be monitored present-ed by Albert Cabuco, PalaceEntertainment Jack Burke, Ca-

sino Pier & Breakwater BeachWaterpark; How to increasefood and beverage sales andrevenue presented by KennyHandler (moderator), Prot-able Food Facilities, JohnnyBlevins, Splash Kingdom Wa-terpark, Jack Burke, CasinoPier & Breakwater Beach Wa-

i P a d

amusement today com

Don’t be the last to know!

Montly visitors and counting!

Stay in the know betweenissues with breaking industry

news, video and features.

Advertising opportunitiesavailable!

WWAContinued from page 1

terpark, Bryon Bustamante,NRH2O Family Waterpark,and Jimmy Holmes, H TwoMarketing; and Prevent-

ing fraud presented Gina St.George, CPA, CFE, Moss Ad-ams LLP Amanda Hodgkiss,Moss Adams LLP.

This workshop also in-cludes a question and answerwrap-up followed by a be-hind-the-scenes tour of Paris/Bally’s.

Most of the rst-day work -shops and sessions require ei-ther additional tuition and/orprior registration.

There are also arrays ofnew educational sessions,which begin the morning ofOct. 3. One special new addi-tion, requiring additional tu-ition, is Achieving Your GroupSales Goals, presented by Ran-dy Thomas Tiany Quilici,Marketing Director, Roaring

Springs Waterpark, and Caro-lyn Brown, Sales Director,Roaring Springs Waterpark.

Other new education ses-sions are: Mobile MarketingYour Message in the Palm ofTheir Hand; Anatomy of aRescue: What You See, WhatYour Guards See, What YourGuests See; Happy Taxpayers:Increasing The Bottom Line;Stop Trying the Fad Diets ofLeadership! Discover YourAuthentic Self; Taking YourFood & Beverage Beyond theUsual Hot Eats & Cool Treats;#OMG Social Media — TheLatest, Greatest Ways to En-gage; Active Shooter Aware-ness; Maintenance Magic:How to Hire and Train Main-tenance Techs for Waterparks;Stand Up — Waterpark TeamBuilding; From Dream to Re-ality — Master Planning &Expansion, An Operator’sPerspective; EmergenciesHappen — Now What? Are

You Prepared for the Post In-cident Response; Disney’s Ap-proach to Selection, Training& Engagement; Cashless Wa-terpark — Where Has All TheMoney Gone; Marketing Cre-ative — The Good, The Bad &the Downright Ugly; WeatherWatching for Waterparks; 15

Ways to the Top! SuccWaterpark Leadership Pes; the ADA and Waterpatractions — How to AvoLegal Landmines; If YouIt - They Will Come - or be They Won’t; and PraTraining Tools for LifeguAdditional new sessionImprove Attitude, Atteness and Action; Latest nologies in Water TreatKeeping Your Head AWater in Your Hiring Pres; Aqua Adventure — A Municipal Waterpark it to Protability; Makinnovative Marketing Decon a Budget; Increasingtomer Safety Through PAwareness and OutreachDrowning Prevention; Prtative Maintenance-PayNow Or You Will Pay LBecause Every Kid Has— Building a Better BirProgram; Safety CommiMAHC Lifeguarding Mo

Survival in the 21st Ce— Challenges to Water& Aquatic Safety; Uncovthe Latest Trends; You’llIt When Your MarketingComes Together; and Cost, High Tech — AppToday’s Technology In Facility.

This year’s edition of the annual WWA trade show was a nearsell out as AT was going to press with 340 booths reservedrepresenting more than 200 companies. The trade show isset for Oct. 3 and 4 at the Paris Hotel & Conference Center.AT FILE


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PARKS ATTRACTIONS RESORTS SUPPLIERS

INTERNATIONAL

Reporter’s Notebook

Nottingham Castlemay get Robin Hoodtourist attraction

ENGLAND — Accoring toThis Is Nottingham, a £20 milliongallery devoted to Robin Hoodand the history of Nottinghamcould be built at the city’s castle.

The scheme could also seethe caves underneath the castle

brought back into use, and anew visitors’ center and cafebuilt.

The Castle Working Group,which has been given the jobof creating the new attraction,hopes to submit a bid for moneyfrom the Heritage Lottery Fund.

If it is successful, work couldbegin in the next couple ofyears, with the attraction set toopen by 2019, but would stillneed further funding from boththe public and private sector.

“The Ice Mountainattraction is some-

thing totally differentto anything elsecurrently on themarket and I am

sure will be a verysuccessful attraction.”

—SOLI Bumper Cars SalesDirector Andrea Munari said

on the development andaddition of Ice Mountain to the

company’s product portfolio

Quoted

Olympics strike gold but London’

business is down during gamesSTORY: Andrew Mellor [email protected]

LONDON — As millions aroundthe world were entertained and en-thralled by the superb spectacle thatwas the London 2012 Olympic Games,it soon became clear that this mam-moth event, certainly while it wasactually taking place, did not providethe expected increase in revenues formany businesses in England’s capitalcity — including some of its top touristattractions.

With government warnings forpeople to stay out of the capital andother places hosting Olympic events,due to (unfounded) fears of potentialovercrowding and trac chaos, andmany workers being advised to workfrom home, the usual increase in num- bers during the key summer weeksaround and during the Games did nottranspire, clearly having an adverseaect on businesses of all types.

Be it hotel owners or theatre ticketsellers, taxi drivers or rickshaw opera-tors, shop owners or restaurateurs, allsaw takings signicantly down duringthe Games compared to the same pe-riod in previous years, while key Lon-don visitor attractions also suered.

In a statement about how itsvenues were performing during theGames, Merlin Entertainments, whichoperates attractions such as the EDFEnergy London Eye, Madame Tus-sauds, the London Dungeon and SeaLife, said that the Olympics had “cer-tainly not generated additional busi-ness for London. On the contrary, earlygovernment warnings telling people tostay out of the capital and other Olym-pic locations like Weymouth, wherethe sailing took place, signicantly im-pacted visitation patterns during whatwould normally have been the busiest

and most important season, adverselyaecting businesses across the boardincluding retailers, hospitality, visitor

attractions and many others.And the statement continued:

“The reality is London and the otherlocations were more than capable ofdealing with extra Olympic business;indeed they are all geared up to wel-come visitors!

“However on a more positivenote, London is a truly unique city andis looking fantastic, something whichpeople have seen around the world in

all the Olympic coverage. The hopemust be, therefore, that if people have been put o by fears of crowds dur-

ing the Games, the success and ement that they have generated, anoverall feel good atmosphere in twill not only persuade those vistill here for the Games or those ing forward to the Paralympicventure further into the city and the amazing events and range ofvalue oers all across the Capitawill also encourage both domestiinternational visits to London aft

Games are over. Everyone is wohard to achieve that.”

Early government warntelling people to stay oLondon and otherOlympic locationssignificantly impactednormal visitation patter

during what would typhave been the busiest tof year for attractions.COURTESYMERLIN ENTERTAINMENT


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Major new water ride marks 25 years of Center Parcs UUNITED KINGDOM —

With an experience being pro-moted as replicating that ofrafting down parts of SouthAfrica’s Zambezi river, Cen-ter Parks UK will celebrate its25th year with the opening ofa spectacular new water rideat its Elveden Forest, Suolk,site in late November.

To be named Tropical Cy-clone at Center Parcs, the rstTornadoBlast by Canadiancompany ProSlide, will be aone-of-a-kind experience thatsees two award winning rides joined together for the veryrst time — the Tornado andthe Bowling Alley.

The new GBP 4 mil-lion (USD $6.3 million) fam-ily thrill experience will seeguests seated in four-seater,clover shaped rafts that will

take riders through a seriesof twists and turns, reachingspeeds of up to 24 mph duringthe 200 meter long adventure.They will experience a full 45degree drop as well as zerogravity three to four times in

the Tornado funnel as theytravel at an average speed of18-20 feet per second.

According to ProSlide, thecombination of the rides cho-sen provides both adventureand extreme elements withthe sequence developed to en-hance the continuation of mo-tion throughout the ride. The

combination of ride types willtake guests through low veloc-ity (BowlingAlley) into high

velocity (Tornado) with a verysteep 100 percent gradient.Hourly capacity of the Tropi-cal Cyclone will be 720 riders.

In a statement about thenew attraction, Center Parcssaid that it is “committed to

bringing its guests the very best in innovation and ensur-ing our jewel in the crown, the

Subtropical Swimming Para-dise, is at the heart of our latestinvestment and developmentplans. Our new £4 millionride has been developed afterextensive research with ourguests and a worldwide search

for the best water experi“The new water ride

veden Forest will also be j

by The Lagoon, a newily warm water pool, whpart of a longer term iment program in the Subcal Swimming Paradise all four Center Parcs Vill

IE Park adds unique new, tubing slide to product lin

IE Park International srl hasadded two new products toits extensive lineup. Offeringthree different attractionson one structure, Ice Moun-tain features tubing, rockclimbing and a free fall dropexperience.COURTESY IE PARK

ITALY — The impressivenumber of products availablefrom the IE Park Group has

been extended with the addi-

tion of a new attraction con-cept along with a new chil-dren’s attraction.

IE Park International srlrecently designed and builta unique new sports-basedattraction, Ice Mountain, forMauro Viviani, one of Italy’smost well-known and inno-vative traveling showmen.The new attraction oersthree separate activities onone structure.

Viviani has traditionally been involved in the opera-tion of one of the country’s

largest traveling roller coast-ers. Recognizing the needfor more adrenaline-lled,extreme activities, he createdthe idea of Ice Mountain and

began looking for an experi-

enced, exible company pre-pared to help him developthis new project.

Ice Mountain consists

of a 147-foot by 36-foot halfpipe-shaped structure cov-ered in articial snow. It hasa maximum height of 147 feetand participants will be ableto enjoy a total of three dier-ent activities on the attraction— “Summer Tubing,” rockclimbing and a free fall dropexperience.

The IE Park team nowdeveloped this new attrac-tion which will travel onfour trailers and is scheduledto make its debut at MagicWorld in Naples this season.

Also recently added tothe IE Park srl product lineis an interactive children’sride, Fire Fighters, severalexamples of which have now

been delivered. Each car onthe ride is equipped with twowater cannons, featuring achoice of either automatic ormanual functions, with ridersaiming the water at variouseects/targets within threedierent centrally positionedscenes as the ride revolves.

The speed of rotation is

very slow in order to pradequate time for pto hit the targets and

joy the dierent scenes

Fighters can be custom to specic client requirewhile optional extras able include additionalplatforms and fences.

Commenting on latest additions to the cony’s continually expaproduct portfolio, IE SOLI Bumper Cars Salrector Andrea Munari“We are very happy tnounce the developmethe Ice Mountain attrand to report strongcess with one of our

recent children’s ridesFire Fighters. The Ice Mtain attraction is sometotally dierent to anyelse currently on the mand I am sure will be asuccessful attraction foViviani, who entrustePark with the task of brihis dream to reality. Andvery proud of what ourof engineers and desihas achieved with this tacular attraction.

The new Tropical Cyclone at Center Parcs Elveden Forest will provide a unique family thrill experience when it opeNovember. The ride combines two of ProSlide’s most popular attractions, the Tornado and Bowling Alley.COURTESY CENTER PARCS


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Fårup Sommerland adding custom Vekoma Suspended Family Coaster in 201 DENMARK — FårupSommerland is bracing for thearrival of a Hurricane in 2013.Though not an actual tropicalstorm, this Hurricane is sureto cause plenty of excitementthanks to its reported wildcharacteristics.

Supplied by Vekoma of the

the Netherlands, Hurricaneis a new custom-designedSuspended Family Coasterthat is currently scheduled toopen in spring 2013. “As the name suggests,the Hurricane is an adrena-line-packed whirlwind of aride which fires its passengersthrough an underwater tun-nel,” said park directors SørenKragelund and Per Dam.“Hurricane is exactly whatroller coaster enthusiasts havelong suggested should be thenext big attraction for FårupSommerland, whereby pas-

sengers are suspended withtheir feet dangling in the air.This design, combined witha seven-story drop throughdense fog into an underwatertunnel, gives a feeling of free-dom and excitement. Thesefeelings are enhanced by the backdrop of trees, water and

earth giving the impressionthat one could almost touchtheir surroundings as theyhurtle around the track.” “Even though it is a wildride, the Hurricane is intend-ed for the whole family, with aminimum height requirementof just 42 inches. Therefore,

the entire family can enjoythis exhilarating experience,”Kragelund added.

Sporting a price tag ofUSD $5.8 million (35 mil-lion DKK/Danish Krone),the Hurricane will feature aunique layout comprised of1,486 feet of track. Thoughthe trains will encounter spi-rals and several sections ofextremely banked track, theride will not completely invertits passengers. “The Hurricane is a one-of-a-kind ride that will delivera unique ride experience that

is thrilling for the whole fam-ily. The ride suspends ridersalmost 65 feet in the air andsends them going throughtunnels, troughs and betweentrees, all at a relentless pace.While aimed at thrilling thewhole family, Hurricane issure to fulfill the needs of all

thrill seekers with speeds upto 46 mph and forces up to3.5G,” said Vekoma’s StefanHoltman. “This is the fastestSuspended Family Coaster inthe world and also the first

Suspended Family Coasterfeaturing an underwater tun-nel. Furthermore, its ergo-nomic seats and the state ofthe art manufacturing processwill ensure a very smooth andcomfortable ride.” With a grand openingslated for the anniversary of

Denmark’s constitution, PerDam is pleased that FårupSommerland is continuingits positive development asone of Scandinavia’s leadingamusement parks. “Building

the Hurricane is a big stepin Fårup’s continued devel-opment. We are extremelyproud to be able to announcenext year’s new attractionwhile in the current season.We are looking forward tostarting the building work assoon as the season finishes.

Progress of the Hurricconstruction can be follon Fårup Sommerland’ssite (www.faarupsomland.dk) and Facebook a unique opportunity we

our guests will take advaof,” concluded Dam.

Fårup’s 2013 seasonoff at the end of April winew Hurricane expectedfinished by June 5, 2013in time for the celebratiDenmark’s national day.

Fårup Sommerland has announced plans to add Hurricane, a Vekoma Suspended FCoaster, for the 2013 season. The 1,486-foot-long custom-designed layout will incluseven-story first drop that culminates in an underwater tunnel and top speed of more46 mph. COURTESY FÅRUP SOMMERLAND


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RIDES ENTERTAINMENT REVENUE SUPPLIERS

PARKS & ATTRACTIONS

Two parks ramp up attraction mix along Jersey shorMorey’s Piers’ 2012 highlighted by multi-milliondollar waterpark improvements, new ride mix

Wonderland Pier’s 83rd seassees addition of new rides,Giant Wheel LED light show

Morey’s Piers’ multi-million dollar renovation and improvementprojects this season included (above) revamping RagingWaters lazy river into River Adventure and (below) this six-

lane mat racer from ProSlide.COURTESY MOREY’S PIERS

STORY: Scott Rutherford [email protected]

WILDWOOD, N.J. —One of the hottest summerson record brought the crowdsin droves to the south Jerseyshore seeking relief in 2012.Fortunately, Morey’s Piershad plenty on tap to enter-tain and keep their guests coolthanks to extensive waterparkimprovements and additionsas well as a host of new ridesand attractions.

River Adventure First stop for many visi-tors was Morey’s RagingWaters Waterpark onMariner’s Landing Pier wherethe existing Lazy River wascompletely revamped intothe all-new River Adventure.The atmosphere of RagingWaters has been dramatical-ly changed thanks to RiverAdventure, which is now arelaxing 1,000-foot-long tubefloat that allows guests to driftpast (and through) waterfalls,

geysers and other aquatic fea-tures. Seating alcoves through-out the experience along witha grotto and extensive, expert-ly crafted rockwork are high-lights of this new family expe-dition. The creation of RiverAdventure required a combi-nation of talented artists bothin-house and contractors. TheMorey’s own creative teamworked alongside others thatwere brought in to assist in thecompletion of the project. Thecontractors included Steve Jones — Air Tech Systems; JoePez — Concrete Links; Steve

OCEAN CITY, N.J.––Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, anannual must-do for familiesvacationing in Ocean City,marked its 83rd season in2012 with the introduction ofa brand new section – ThrillZone – and also outfitted thepark’s popular Giant Wheel

with an innovative LED lightshow overhaul.

Thrill Zone is a new areaof the seaside park that has been sectioned off in the

STORY: Scott Rutherford [email protected]

shadow of the Giant WWhile Thrill Zone encomes several existing classicsuch as the Scrambler, BuCars and the Log Flumwas further highlighte2012 with a trio of new ations that were all brofor Gillian’s by Len SolNew Jersey-based RidesInc. (www.rides4u.com).

Thrill Zone at WondePier includes three new ations:

•Gravitron –

4See MOREY’S, page 12

4See GILLIAN’S, pag

Gillian’s Wonderland Pier celebrated its 83rd season in with a new section, Thrill Zone. The new area included new rides — a Gravitron (Wisdom Manufacturing), D(Zamperla), and Haunted House Dark Ride (Bertazzon

park’s Giant Wheel also received a spectacular LEDmakeover from Maxtron.COURTESY GILLIAN’S WONDERLAND PIER


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October 2012 AMUSEMENT TODA


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Connor – Deep Run Aquatics;and Pete Bieling Sr. & Jr. —Bieling Art and Design.

Wipeout Morey’s other water-park,Ocean Oasis on Surfside Pier,was the site of another bright

spot for the 2012 season withthe installation of Wipeout, asix-lane head first mat slidesupplied by Canada’s ProSlideTechnology, Inc.

Wipeout has special sig-nificance to the Morey familyand their guests due to the factthat the new attraction resem- bles the Giant Slide, the veryfirst ride Morey’s Piers everinstalled (1969). The Wipeoutis proving to be a perfect addi-tion the park’s lineup as wellas one that creates a senseof nostalgia for guests whoremember the Giant Slide,

which was removed in 2010. In addition to the attrac-tions, both waterparksreceived new dining options:Trader Sam’s at Raging Watersoffers pretzels, ice cream bars and fresh fruit. Guestscan walk up to the windowand order a treat or drift upto the service dock in RiverAdventure for a little in-riverrefreshment. Barnacalicious Betsy’s at

Wisdom Manufacturing, thespinning ride sports a daz-zling light package along withan Alien Abduction theme. •Disk’O – supplied byItalian ride manufacturerZamperla, the ride was relo-cated from Atlantic City’sSteel Pier.

•Haunted House DarkRide – from Bertazzon, thisride-through attraction uti-lizes six cars that seat up tothree people each and travelthrough ten scenes. Wonderland Pier Owner Jay Gillian is aware that con-temporary amusement parksin towns like Ocean Cityrequire a mix of old and newthrills. “We’re starting to seemore 14-, 15- and 16-year-oldsand fewer babies, it’s a trendat amusement parks across thenation. You have to keep itfresh, but at the same time bemindful of the past,” he said.“Ocean City people are gen-erational, we entertain genera-tions, and parents who came

here as kids, or grandparentswho brought their kids want

to see some of the rides thatthey remember.” Along with WonderlandPier’s new rides, the park’s140-foot-tall Giant Wheelwas enhanced with over100,000 LED lights that dis-play computer-generatedentertainment each evening.The Giant Wheel’s light showwas provided by Hong Kong- based Maxtron (leds4u.com),the same firm that handledother Ferris Wheel makeoversincluding those at CanobieLake Park and Cedar Point.

Maxtron is represented in theU.S. by Rides 4-U.

Gillian’s Wonderland Piercelebrated its 83rd seasonin 2012 with a new sec-tion, Thrill Zone. The newarea included three newrides – a Gravitron (WisdomManufacturing), Disk’O(Zamperla), and HauntedHouse Dark Ride (Bertazzon).The park’s Giant Wheelalso received a spectacularLED light makeover from

Maxtron.COURTESY GILLIAN’SWONDERLAND PIER

GILLIAN’S Continued from page 10

MOREY’S Continued from page 10

Ocean Oasis Watepark andBeach Club, located near thenew WipeOut, offers a varietyof treats and snacks such aspretzels, ice cream bars andmore.

Big Wheel, Bright Lights The Giant Wheel onMariner’s Landing got a spec-tacular makeover thanks tothe installation of a new highoutput, energy efficient LEDlight package. The Moreyscontracted with Eworks Pro ofOrlando, Fla. for a state-of-the-art design that significantlysurpasses the LED lights pre-viously installed on the GiantWheel. The upgrade includedmore than 300 light panelsand 300 individual three-by-five lights making up the cen-terpiece, which all worked inconcert to produce an enter-taining beachfront light showcapable of innumerable colorsand complex patterns.

In addition, the SeaDragon on Mariner’s Landingwas replaced with a newermodel of the same classicPharaoh’s Fury ride manu-factured by Chance Rides.The new, custom-designedversion, dubbed Rip Tide, ismodeled after a Wildwoodlifeguard boat. Rip Tide hasalso been outfitted with animpressive light package thatincludes lights strips on the

support structure; illuminatedride logo suspended above the boat; and a pair of waves thatexplode with light each timethe boat swings past.

And as usual, the Moreyclan didn’t forget its youngervisitors. On Surfside Pier, twonew kiddie attractions man-ufactured by Zamperla keptchildren entertained. Theseincluded Happy Feet (a six-seat Happy Swing) and Kang‘A’ Bounce, a colorful ride thatmimics the hopping action ofan energetic Aussie marsupial.

Just as the regular sea-son was winding down, AT caught up with Morey’s PiersExecutive Vice President JackMorey to see how the fam-ily’s operation fared this year.“2012 proved to be a good yearfor the waterparks, and was atad off for the amusements butoverall we are pleased withour new attractions and ourguests reaction to the attrac-

tions. “As our park is a part ofan overall beach resort we arealso very pleased to see contin-ued public sector investmentin numerous public infrastruc-ture projects inclusive of thefollowing: Wildwoods wel-come sign, new bike ramp,Centennial Park, and manyothers on the drawing board,”added Morey. With a successful sum-

mer now behind them, theMoreys are now gearing upfor Morey’s FEARS-Terror onthe Boardwalk 2012. For ninenights this October, Mariner’s

Landing will once again form into a nightmare valong with an enhanced Ship experience and mor

•www.moreyspiers.co

This new LED light package on the Giant Wheel wasplied by Eworks Pro. Above, a new Chance Rides swin

boat ride was just part of the new ride mix for 2012.COURTESY MOREY’S PIERS


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Six Flags details rides, slides and shows for 201 GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas— Six Flags EntertainmentCorporation has announcedan exciting array of thrill andfamily rides, stage shows, andextreme water slides in 2013across its 19 North Americanparks. “Innovation is part ofour DNA,” said Jim Reid-Anderson, chairman, presidentand chief executive officer. “Onthe heels of a tremendouslywell-received lineup of ridesand attractions in 2012, we aretaking our creativity to an evenhigher level by delivering anunprecedented season of jaw-dropping experiences that onlySix Flags can deliver.” The 2013 highlightsinclude: •The Six Flags GreatAdventure theme and safariparks will combine into one

property to become the world’slargest theme park. The mega-park will introduce a new, one-of-a-kind themed attraction— Safari Off Road Adventure— that transports guests fromthe theme park on a safari that

features 1,200 animals from sixcontinents. Seventeen, 40-pas-senger jeep-like vehicles willcarry guests through the safari. •Hurricane Harbor water-park will unveil Big WaveRacer, a massive slide complexfrom ProSlide that sends rid-ers barreling; head first, downmultiple lanes that stretch 1,800feet on an aerodynamically-designed water toboggan.

•Six Flags MagicMountain is adding FullThrottle, a fast, steel loop-ing roller coaster featuringthe world’s tallest inversion.Supplied by Premier Rides,Full Throttle will accelerate rid-ers from zero to more than 70miles per hour on two forwardlaunches, and an unprecedent-ed third backward launch. •Six Flags DiscoveryKingdom will present Cirque

Dreams Splashtastic, an aquat-ic adventure. •Six Flags Over Texas isunveiling Texas SkyScreamer,a record-breaking 400-foot-tallswing ride supplied by Funtime4See SIX FLAGS, page 16

Above, Larson International will deliver their Flying Scooters ride to the Great Esthemed as Screamin’ Eagles. Below, SplashTacular is suppling Bonzai Pipelines to HurrHarbor waterparks at both Six Flags New England and Six Flags America.COURTESY SIX FLAGS

At left from top: Six FlagsGreat Adventure will see itspopular animal safari incor-porated into the theme parkwith jeep-like rides, while

Six Flags Discovery Kingdomwill debut Cirque DreamsSplashtastic. At right,Flagship park Six Flags OverTexas skyline will change for-ever with the new 400-foottall Texas’ SkyScreamer fromFuntime/REG. Below, TheRattler at Fiesta Texas willundergo a complete make-over from Rocky MountainConstruction to debut nextseason as Iron Rattler steelcoaster.COURTESY SIX FLAGS


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Buy products and services from these suppliers.

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WANT A SMOOTHER RIDE? WE REPLACE TRACK!CALL US FOR A QUOTE TODAY!

Tel: (817) 652-1212 • Fax: (817) 652-1242www.dynamicattractions.com

Parts and Service - Arlington, TX, USA • Sales and Marketing - Victoria, BC, CanadaEngineering & Fabrication by Dynamic Structures

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Phone: (603) 746-4446 Fax: (603) 746-4447

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•Replacement parts for aerial tramways and amusement rides

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Jerry Pendleton or Dan PendletonParts and Service

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New Construction Renovations Daily Maintenance

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of Austria. Funtime is rsented in North AmeriMd.-based Ride EntertainGroup of Companies. •Six Flags Fiesta will utilize Rocky MouConstruction’s Iron Track to create Iron R

a steel-track/wood struroller coaster. The ride wture four over-banked and a complete barrinversion.

•Six Flags Great Amwelcomes igNIGHT — GFinale, the most techncally advanced show ipark’s history, uniquelygrating state-of-the-art ing, sound, singing, daand fireworks. •Both Hurricane Hwaterparks at Six New England and Six America will introduce

thrills with revolutinew water attractions. BPipelines, from SplashTawill accommodate six simultaneously as they through individual tubes •Six Flags Over Gewill introduce the park’s attraction in its 45-yeatory—SkyScreamer, a 24tower swing ride from Fuof Austria. •Six Flags White Waintroducing Typhoon Twa giant thrill slide ProSlide that sends rider

reling down a five-story before shooting them oua 67-foot bowl.

•Six Flags St. Louturning things upside with the addition of a VeBoomerang coaster th being relocated from SixOver Texas. •The Great Escapupstate New York will duce Screamin’ EaglLarson Flying Scooter rid •La Ronde will weAqua Twist, a Mack Twist’n’Splash desito engage passengers

bystanders in a fun and taining water battle. •Six Flags Mexicointroduce Festival del Tin October. The eventdeliver “Thrills by DayFright by Night” with sHalloween activities forand five haunted mazes. Additional informon these and other impments at Six Flags park be released later this fall.

SIX FLAGS Continued from page


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PO BOX 638 • Plainview, Texas 79072 • (806) 293-1353 • www.larsonintl.com

Super Shot

Tilt-A-W hirl TM

Jumpin’ Jumbos Giant Loop

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Star Dancer

Monkey Mayhem

Dizzy Dragons


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Maurer Spinning Coaster highlights SCBB’s 2013 seaso SANTA CRUZ, Calif. —Officials at the Santa CruzBeach Boardwalk unveiledplans for a new $5.5 millionride during a presentation foremployees and media at theBoardwalk in late August. The new attraction —a compact spinning roller

coaster named Undertow— will join the Boardwalk’simpressive ride arsenal nextsummer. Manufactured byGerman coaster specialistMaurer Söhne, Undertow will

be the only spinning coasterin Northern California. “A spinning coaster isa very unique ride experi-ence, we know our visitorsare going to love it,” saidBoardwalk community rela-tions director Kris Reyes.“Every ride on Undertow isdifferent, you can definitely

expect the unexpected.” Unlike most coasters,which carry an entire train-load of riders, Undertow willfeature individual cars eachholding four guests seatedin pairs and facing oppositedirections. The ride experi-

ence changes every time,depending on the weight and

position of riders in the car. A standard Maurer

SC2000 model, Undertowwill feature a magnetic

braking system unlike themechanical brakes in use onthe other four Maurer spin-ning coasters operating in theU.S. (see sidebar). Resting ona base frame measuring 145feet by 75 feet, the ride will

stand 50.8 feet tall with 1,410feet of track. It will utilizeseven four-seat coaches thatcan handle 850 riders eachhour with an average ridetime of 70 seconds. The new coaster will be

built atop the Boardwalk’s bumper car pavilion, aspace that was occupied bythe Hurricane coaster (anSDC Windstorm) from 1992until 2012. The Hurricane’slast day of operation wasSeptember 3. It has been soldto New Mexico’s Western

Playland Amusement Park.Undertow is scheduled

to open Summer 2013. Santa Cruz BeachBoardwalk will also be thehost park for the 2013 GoldenTicket Awards, presented byAmusement Today , Sept. 6 and 7.

Undertow, aMaurer SpinningCoaster will

spin its way ontothe Santa CruzBeach Boardwalkfor the 2013season.COURTESY SCBB

Maurer SohneSpinning Coaste GERMANY — Induced in the late 19Maurer Söhne’s spinCoasters are wildly popattractions that come variety of standard and

tom configurations incluSC2000, SC2200, SC3and Xtended SC models

Maurer’s spinncoasters are characterby their convoluted laypeppered with steep drextreme banking (up todegrees) and plenty of hpin turns taken at speapproaching 40 mph. While the newMaurer spinning coawhirling into the U.S. be Undertow at the SCruz Beach Boardwal2013, that ride has a q

tet of North American decessors that have bthrilling riders for sevyears. These include: DLandin’s Xtreme (20Lagoon’s Spider (20Seabreeze Park’s Whirlw(2004); and WaldamPark’s Steel Dragon (200


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Cedar Fair — New for 2013 GCII wooden coaster rushing into California’s Great Ameri SANTA CLARA, Calif.— California’s Great Americawill open the tallest and fast-est wooden roller coaster inNorthern California in thespring of 2013. Dubbed Gold Striker, aname chosen to recognize thepioneering and adventurousspirit of the California gold-seekers who rushed the areain 1849, the new coaster wasdesigned and is being built by Pennsylvania-based GreatCoasters International, Inc.(GCII). The Old West-themedride will feature plenty ofhigh-speed twists, turns,drops, a station fly-by and willstand 108 feet at its highestpoint. Following a first dropof 103 feet at a 50-degree angle

that wraps around the park’sStar Tower attraction, riderswill careen along 3,197 feet oftrack at speeds up to 54 mph.

“Gold Striker reflects ourcommitment to providing ourguests with the best thrillsand entertainment valuein the region,” California’sGreat America Vice-Presidentand General Manager RaulRehnborg said. “This ridewas uniquely designed bymelding together the highestperforming and most excit-ing features of the very best

wooden roller coasters in theworld. Everyone who enjoysthe thrills of riding a rollercoaster will want to experi-ence Gold Striker.” Gold Striker is being con-structed in the CelebrationPlaza area of California’sGreat America and will be thepark’s eighth coaster. It uti-lizes two of GCII’s exclusive12-car Millennium Flyer trainsthat will accommodate 24 pas-sengers each with a capacityof 850 riders per hour. Construction of GoldStriker is well underway andis slated to make its debutnext spring. Guests eager toexperience Gold Striker canvisit cagreatamerica.com forupdates and features, includ-

ing virtual ride renderings,ride statistics, constructionphotos and a live constructionWeb cam.

Construction of Gold Striker,a GCII wooden coaster, iswell underway at California’sGreat America. When theOld West-themed ride opensnext spring, it will rank asthe tallest (108 feet) andfastest (54 mph) woodenroller coaster in NorthernCalifornia.COURTESY GREAT AMERICA

Cedar Point announces new front gate, B&M Wing Coast SANDUSKY, Ohio —Though this summer is over,Cedar Point already has thrillride fans dreaming of next sea-son with the announcementthat the park is building yetanother new world-record- breaking coaster in 2013.

Supplied by Swiss steelcoaster gurus Bolliger &Mabillard, GateKeeper will be a new wing coaster thatwill take guests on a ride

unlike anything else the parkcurrently offers. Scheduledto debut next May, the newride will set two new worldrecords for wing coasters: lon-gest track and longest drop. GateKeeper will foreverchange the landscape of theCedar Point peninsula as thetrack dramatically flies abovea revamped main entrance tothe park, passing over arriv-ing guests with rolling fly-over maneuvers. Riders willtwice narrowly slot through

new front gate portalsslide by buildings. GateKwill feature Sunset Gold with coaches that extensideways from the texposing riders to noabove or below them, lating the feeling of fligh

“GateKeeper’s wrecord-breaking statincredible flying maneand special elements ma unique coaster experie

said Cedar Point GeManager John Hildebr“GateKeeper is a roller conly Cedar Point can and we are proud to ato our incredible lineuworld-class attractions.” A ride along the 4,16of dark-and-light-blue track on GateKeeper wilapproximately two miand 40 seconds. Once crest the top of the 170tall lift hill, the coaster

Cedar Point has thrill ride fans eager for summer 2013 with the announcement that thepark is building GateKeeper, a record-breaking B&M wing coaster. The 170-foot-tall ridewill reach speeds of 67 mph and feature 4,164 feet of track that flies through the middle oftwo support towers dominating Cedar Point’s new main entrance.COURTESY CEDAR POINT

4See CEDAR POINT, pa


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will rotate 180 degrees to theright, turning riders upside

down before plummeting arecord 164 feet toward theground at speeds reaching 67mph. Then the train will entera half loop, go through a halftwist and curve out in theopposite direction from whichit came. A towering 105-foot-tall camelback hill awaits just before riders glide through a360-degree giant flat spin. Thetrain will then fly through themiddle of two support tow-ers that will dominate CedarPoint’s new main entrance.The coaster will then make a

tight, 180-degree turnaroundwhich pushes riders throughan over-banked turn and rock-ets them back towards the sta-tion. A 360-degree in-line roll,camelback drop and spiralround out the elements thatGateKeeper will treat its pas-sengers to next summer. GateKeeper will featurethree 32-passenger trainsand will be able to accom-modate approximately 1,710riders per hour. Riders will besecured with over-the-shoul-der restraints and interlockingseat belts. With the addition

of GateKeeper and the rede-signed main entrance, CedarPoint will invest approximate-ly $30 million on improve-ments for the 2013 season. Thrillseekers can viewmore statistics and photosabout the new coaster andfollow the progress at www.cedarpoint.com all win-ter long. GateKeeper will be Cedar Point’s 16th rollercoaster and is scheduled toopen with the rest of the parkin May 2013.

CEDAR POINTContinued from page 20

Cedar Point’s newGateKeeper from B&M willset records as the largestwing coaster the Switzerlandfirm has ever built. COURTESY CEDAR POINT

Santa’s Land closes, auction scheduled PUTNEY, Vt. — Following 58 years of

continuous operation, Santa’s Land is turn-ing out the lights. All the rides and relatedequipment will be sold at auction on Oct. 14,2012 beginning at 11 a.m. The proceedingswill be handled by Alex Lyon & Son, SalesManagers & Auctioneers, Inc.

Santa’s Land is located at 635 BellowsFalls Road, Putney, Vt. 05346. The on-site

phone for day of the action is (802) 387-4700.A partial listing of the park being offered

for sale include: 1976 C.P. Huntington train

engine, four coaches, approximately half mile of 24 gauge track with switcand equipment; 1981 Theel 28-foot casel; Hampton Boats; Hampton Cars; Big PSlide; snack bar grill; cash registers and m

For additional information see thebelow, call (315) 633-2944 or visit: www.nauction.com.

FIRST REPORTED ON

amusement todaycom


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Cliff’s Amazement Park adds giant WhiteWater waterplay unALBUQUERQUE, N.M.

— Cli’s Amazement Parkowners Gary and Linda Haysare used to shoehorning ridesand buildings into their 10-acreNew Mexico park.

For 2012, that shoe horn job got a little bit more compli-

cated as rides were relocated,all in a eort to add a largerwaterplay unit from WhiteWa-ter West.

The park purchased thelarger unit in an attempt toincrease capacity. The old unitwas smaller and had reachedits capacity limitations. Thus,Cli’s opted to remove and re-place with a larger model.

Removed from the parkwas their original WhiteWa-ter Monkey Island waterplayunit (traded to Lubbock’s Joyland Park for a steel roller

coaster) and the park’s beau-tifully maintained Rock-O-Plane (now in operation at FireMountain Amusements in Ty-ler, Texas).

Relocated was their Lar-son Super Shot drop tower,Chance Sea Dragon and theircompletely refurbished andrepainted classic Sellner Tilt-A-Whirl.

New was a massive wa-terplay unit that kept the sameWater Monkey theme as theirold version. A new Li’l Squirtspop-up waterplay area fromExerplay was added as well.

Other suppliers included JWTaylor, furniture; AmericanLocker, lockers and Core Cash-less, ticketing.

The new unit, the larg-est from WhiteWater, gives acapacity of 1,200 guests in theWater Mania area, 698 in theactual play structure. It takes15 lifeguards and operators tosta the new unit. All total theattraction measures 102 feet by82 feet by 42 feet, has 198 in-teractive features and is high-lighted by seven waterslides,as well as a massive tipping

bucket for added water thrills.Along with the new unit,the park added a concessionstand and rebuilt a showerarea where guests can rinse oafter their waterplay. The parkhopes to add more slide towersand a lazy river in the future tocreate a mini-waterpark set-ting.

“Our guests just love wa-ter and the fun that is gener-tated with water,” Linda Haystold AT during a summer visit.“The Water Monkey theme

was so cute we wanted to keepin on the new unit. We are veryexcited with the end product.”

Gary Hays was also gleam-ing with excitement reportingthat the park was up 15 per-cent in both revenue and atten-dance. With six operating daysto go at the time of this report,

Cli’s was reporting an atten-dance of 258,000 paid guests.

“We could not be hap-pier with the end result,” Hayssaid. “If you don’t have one ofthese waterplay structures foryour park, you need to go getone.”

—Gary Slade

Above from left, Cliff’s park owners Gary and Linda Hays arepleased with their new waterplay unit. At left, the Monkey-ing Around waterplay unit as seen from the back, showcasing just a few of the many waterslides found on the structure.Bottom two photos show some of the humorous themingelements WhiteWater installed into the design of the newwaterplay unit.AT/GARY SLADE

Cliff’s new WhiteWater waterplay structure, called Monkeying Around, replaced a smaller unit. The larger play structuradded to handle growing capacity demands. AT/GARY SLADE


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Far left, The Johnny Roets crew performs for tguests. At left, on handthe opening of the JohRockets at SpeedZonein Dallas were from leftMichele Wischmeyer, PEntertainment; Wesley SpeedZone general maer; Kim Davis, Davis & Dand John Seeker, TurnsInc.AT/GARY SLADE

SpeedZone Dallahopping with newJohnny Rockets

DALLAS, Texas — SZone Dallas has added thing new to the racewayall new Johnny Rockets. ny Rockets is home to Original Hamburger” andguests can enjoy this classAmerican cuisine at the SZone location in Dallas.

With Johnny Rocketstion, guests can ll their tite for speed and great Acan food all in the same

Johnny Rockets at SpeedDallas features an array of

burgers made with freshproduce and 100 percent never frozen all-naturalEach hamburger is seato taste and made to ordwouldn’t be the same eence without a hand-dshake, and Johnny Roshakes are made with certied premium vanilcream, milk and real wh

cream. The restaurant at SZone has all the Johnny Rofavorites from juicy hamers, avored fountain dcrisp American fries andcreamy shakes to salads, wiches and more. Guestalso dance to the jukebox alongside Johnny Rockets

Johnny Rockets at SZone Dallas is also one rst locations with the nupdated restaurant lookmaintains all the iconic JoRockets décor with a fewern twists. The new timyet modern architecture

cases colorful neon signsart-inspired decorative that showcase Johnny Rosignature hamburgers, acan fries and shakes; two-red and ivory sleek vinyl ustery; ceiling cove lightschrome valances; spoke ing with up-and-down shand recessed down ligadd visual interest and com

Johnny Rockets is loat the front of SpeedZmain arcade building.

•SpeedZone.com


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INDOOR FACILITIES AQUATIC CENTERS RECREATION SUPPLIERS

WATERPARKS & RESORTSSeaWorld establishes brand with second Aquatica park

San Antonio launches a completely new waterpark experienSTORY: Tim [email protected]

SAN ANTONIO, Texas— In 2008, SeaWorld Orlandoopened up its rst Aquaticawaterpark. Crowds ocked. Itwas clear there was a success-ful formula in place. In 2010,minds turned toward initiat-ing a second Aquatica water-park in San Antonio, whichwould then solidify an estab-lished brand. The challenge,however, is that SeaWorldSan Antonio had already hada waterpark in place — Lost

Lagoon — that had opened in1993 and was included in thepark’s daily admission. Howthen, could the park turn whathad previously been includedin the one price into a secondupcharge gate within the pe-rimeter of SeaWorld itself?The answer was to make it awhole new waterpark. Andthat’s what Aquatica is.

SeaWorld San Antonio an-nounced the new Aquatica inMay of 2011. Tim Morrow, vicepresident of Aquatica, wassurprised that some of theirguests were already familiarwith the Orlando park, but heknew there would be an edu-cational process of illustratingwhat the Aquatica experiencewould be. “Guests that had been to Aquatica in Orlandowere very excited that thepark was coming to San An-tonio,” Morrow reports. “A lotmore guests than we thoughthad experienced the brand.Then we took a lot of mediadown beforehand from Dallas,Houston, Austin, Oklahoma...we took them down to Aquat-ica in Orlando and Discov-

ery Cove to get the feel andlet them experience the sand beaches and relaxing atmo-sphere and take some video.It’s easy to tell people what itis going to be like, but this is apark you actually need to seeand experience.”

With two years of opera-tion under their belt, it waseasy for San Antonio to learnfrom the original Orlandoproperty and make adjust-ments accordingly. “Opera-tionally, we used a lot of ev-

eryone’s knowledge in thedesign, down to such thingsas what kinds of drains touse in the bathrooms,” smiles

Morrow. One of the majoradjustments was allowing rid-ers to look and appreciate theunderwater scenes longer. InOrlando, while a good mar-keting gimmick, the signaturewaterslide that zips ridersthrough clear tubes throughthe Commerson dolphin pooladmittedly allowed virtuallyno time to see anything.

Stingray Falls is one of thepark’s two completely newwaterslide additions. As thesignature piece to the new

facility, it incorporates theanimal interaction experiencewith the fun of a waterslide.Manufactured by ProSlide,

family rafts seating up tofour slosh and spiral downthe wide trough and land in aviewing river. Slowly oatingaside and beneath the mantaray pool of Ke-Re Reef, fami-lies can take in the below wa-ter vista of the pool, stockedwith hundreds of rays and shalong the 40-foot clear wall.In deciding upon the speed atwhich tubers are able to lookat the sea life, Morrow says,“We went into our penguinexhibit on the moving walk-

way...timed it, lmed it, andthen went to the manufactur-ers and said ‘this is the pacewe want at the bottom of the

slide.’” The height require-ment for the ride is only 36inches allowing most of thepark guests to enjoying theunderwater viewing of thereef. Morrow estimates thetime in the viewing tunnel to be about 20-30 seconds. Inside,a photographer captures fami-lies as they traverse the river.

The second waterslide ad-dition is Walhalla Wave, also by ProSlide. As the rst Tor-nado Wave installation notonly in the U.S., but the entire

western hemisphere, WaWave has the highest quotient of any of the ations in the park. At 60the spiraling serpentine ttowers over Aquatica, aas rises above the entdrive to SeaWorld being people to come see wnew. Riders seated in cleaf tubes enjoy a dradrop midway throughride into the “wave,” oa brief moment of weighness before continuing osecond part of the journe

To say the park addenew waterslides and thawould be far from the picture. SeaWorld set ocreate an entirely new wpark experience and hasso. Enlarging the proguests entering SeaWorldhave an overlook to muwhat Aquatica containthe entrance to the wateis now closer to the froSeaWorld’s entrance. beyond the additional gAqautica, a meanderingthat Morrow refers to asture walk, descends sinto the lower elevatiothe park. New activity pgraced with curves anlets are popular with yoones and those that justto lounge at the water’s e

Slippity Dippity, achildrens area, adornedwaterfalls and a rocky th backdrop, caters to the yest of riders. Morrow expthat 30 percent of SeaWguests, and in turn Aquawell, are of ages 10 or uCognizant of that demogic, many areas are dedica

young children. Morrowenjoyed watching youndelight in the Slippity pity area coming o the ser slides (Zippity Zaequally as fun to say) ango in circles riding againagain. Adults watchingkids have numerous opChaise lounges line onemany of which are placa shallow ledge withinwater itself, a fantastic and forward thinking pu

4See AQUATICA, pag

SeaWorld San Antonioopened the tropical themedAquatica this summer givingguests a resort-like and in-teractive waterpark experi-ence, inside the marine-lifepark’s gated area.

AT / TIM BALDWIN & JEFFREY SEIFERT


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experience. AT continued tomarvel as these sea creatureswould swim up to those enter-ing their domain, almost withseeming aection. The Sting-ray Encounter also includesa photo of each guest duringthe interaction. Elsewhere, ex-otic birds are on view withinthe park and animal ambas-sadors and their trainers willalso stroll and welcome guestswith selected animals. “Wehave spot appearances all daylong,” says Morrow. “We havea baby wallaby coming in rightnow...we have snakes, lizards,owls, all sorts of exotic birds...It really is what separates usfrom other waterparks.” Latein the summer a amingo con-tainment was being installed.

A team of seven landscap-ers works on Aquatica and hasgiven the waterpark not just a

fresh look, but a very tropicalfeel. While SeaWorld focuseson excellence through color-ful owers, the waterparkfeatures palm trees and a lushgreen landscape to oer thattropical escape. With San An-tonio frequently under waterrestrictions, the park utilizesrecycled water whenever pos-sible. For its initial season, thelandscaping is impressive.Morrow feels the welcom-ing “nature walk” will reallycome into its own as it growsup each season.

Many of the existing buildings have been repaintedand re-themed to look com-pletely new. The Kiwi Curland Woohoo Falls waterslideshave been given a fresh look.Park ocials report that guestsoften wonder if a building hadpreviously been there before,and that is when they knowthey have done their job.

Kiwi traders, a gift shop just outside the entrance ofAquatica serves as a souve-nir/sundry shop for thosewho had not planned to comein originally, but decide to

purchase the additional ticketafter observation and buyswimwear and the like. On theway out, guests pick up theirsouvenir photos at this loca-tion as well. Inside the park,Adaptations lets guests buyheadwear, sundries and sou-venirs. Dining options includeMango Market that featuressalads, wraps, sandwiches andmore. Waterstone Grill is anextremely large venue that hasnumerous items from baconcheeseburgers to pineapple

upside-down cake. During thesummer, the musical groupKe-Re Groove entertaineddiners at the Waterstone Grillwith ve performances a day.A mix of songs were carefullyselected to appeal to families,teens and kids — such as JustinBeeber, Adele and One Direc-tion — and were performedwith lively skill and talent ofthe four-member band. Mor-row points out that this is veryappreciated as people queueto order their food items andcan enjoy the music.

The upcharge to enterAquatica is $20 on any ticket, but season pass holders canupgrade their pass to include both parks for the year for just$30. Capacity is controlled toabout 5,000 at one time. Mor-row points out that 5,000 wasthe gure they had previouslyused, and now that the facilityhas doubled in size, it neverhas a crowded feel. The park’sgoal is to maintain a resort am- bience.

When SeaWorld was do-ing its focus groups in cit-

ies around Texas, they askedpeople what their favoritethings to do in waterparkswere. “People said they likedgoing into waterparks and do-ing things with their families,”says Morrow. “They reallywanted to do things togeth-er — oating the river withtheir kids, swim in the poolswith their kids — so we re-ally wanted to do family ridesin all the things we did. Wewanted families to do all thenew things together.” It wouldappear that Aquatica has suc-

ceeded in not only that but also in creating a feel. “We didn’t want atle-bustle’ steel and bepark that you typicallyMorrow can tell they’vated a whole new park returning guests that wemiliar with the previousity nd themselves wondwhere they are at and dering new aspects that been added. Mission aplished.

AQUATICA Continued from page 26


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Great Wolf Lodge based in Madison, Wis. an-nounced in August its inaugural class of recipients forthe Great Wolf Resorts Scholarship. A total of $48,000was be awarded to 11 Great Wolf Lodge Pack Mem-bers to put toward their college education for the2012-2013 school year.

“We want to help our Pack Members learn and

grow so they can reach their goals,” said Kim Schae-fer, Chief Executive Officer, Great Wolf Lodge, “Weare so proud to give these scholarships to our hard-working Pack Members and help them on their pathto higher education.”

The idea for the Scholarship Program came outof the company’s participation in the CBS prime-timeshow “Undercover Boss” two years ago. During hertime as a guest on the show, Schaefer met with PackMembers across the resort chain and was inspired byhow many were working at the resorts while attendingcollege. To help Pack Members continue their highereducation goals, the Great Wolf Resorts ScholarshipProgram was created and kicked off with a fundraisinggolf outing in September 2011.

•

TV’s longest-running scripted show, “The Simp-

sons,” made an appearance at Splish Splash Water-park on Friday, August 24th to host a themed water-park takeover.

Guests were able to dive-in and celebrate alongwith The Simpsons, and be among the first to ride aSpringfield donut inner tube that would make evenHomer jealous.

After spending the day at the Simpsons SummerCelebration, families can continue the fun at homewith The Simpsons on Blu-ray and DVD. Fans can enjoy exclusive footage and special features availableonly on these releases. The Simpsons Seasons 1-14are currently available; Season 15 will be released onDecember 4, 2012.

•

CNL Lifestyle Properties of Orlando, Fla. haspurchased the 30-acre Rapids Water Park in PalmBeach, Fla. Rapids Holdings LLC headed by former

Six Flags Executive Kieran Burke will lease the park.Burke operates six other water parks throughout thecountry. CNL now owns 20 properties — many ofthem former Six Flags theme and waterparks. Themanagement team at Rapids Water Park will remainin place so guests are unlikely to see any immediatechanges, however it is expected that Burke’s team willadd new attractions for 2013.

•

Sailsh Waterpark in Stuart, Fla. has found suc-cess through its partnerships with local business in-cluding four hotels. Hotel customers can buy a night’sstay bundled with two waterpark tickets. Twenty-oneWalgreens stores in north Palm Beach County and St.Lucie County are also marketing and selling tickets.The park, run by the Martin County government hadalready topped $1 million in revenue by the end ofJuly, surpassing expectations for its first season. Ittook in nearly $200,000 more than the $884,750 ad-ministrators expected the park to earn, and it did somore than a month before the official end of its firstseason on Sept. 30.

Martin County Commission Chair Ed Ciampi, whospearheaded building the waterpark, celebrated thenews of its performance. “Our goal was to be revenueneutral, but it’s operating in the black, and the sea-son’s not even finished yet,” he said. “It was my baby,so I was very happy that it was more successful thanwe had hoped for.”

•

The U.S. Occupational and Safety Health Ad-ministration (OSHA) fined Adventure Island, Tampa,Fla. $7,000 claiming the park should have done more

to protect an employee who was killed by lightninglast September 2011.

OSHA claims that Adventure Island ignored itsown procedures and failed to shut down rides as athunderstorm approached the waterpark. The 21year-old lifeguard was evacuating patrons from theKey Rapids ride when he was struck by lightning. He

died later at the hospital.OSHA fined the company for a serious General

Duty Clause violation. This clause states, “Each em-ployer shall furnish to each of its employees employ-ment and a place of employment which are free fromrecognized hazards that are causing or are likely tocause death or serious physical harm to its employ-ees.”

SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment, which isAdventure Island’s parent company, is contestingboth the findings and the citation. The park has itsown weather radar system in place and monitors se-vere weather up to five miles from the park. The parkwas shut down and rides were being evacuated whenthe incident occurred.

•

Adventure Holdings LLC has signed a lease with

The Beach Waterpark in Mason, Ohio with an optionto purchase the 35-acre waterpark that failed to openfor the 2012 season.

Adventure Holdings operates 17 family centers inFlorida, Kansas, Missouri, New York, North Carolina,Ohio and Texas.

The Beach announced it was closing in March2012 generating hundreds of complaints from thosewho had purchased season passes. The new opera-tor will contact those holding 2012 passes with detailsregarding redeeming that pass for the 2013 season.

The park will be renamed The Beach at Adven-ture Landing and Adventure Holdings plans to makesignificant investments to the property before re-opening in 2013.

•

Round Table Entertainments, a consortium ofBritish companies has ambitious plans for Newhaven,

England, a city in the East Sussex district. The consor-tium has proposed a clear dome to top the world’slargest indoor waterpark as just part of a £350m lei-sure development area. The consortium chose Ne-whaven because it has good transportation links, withroad and rail connections, to London and towns in theSouth East.

•

Roseland Waterpark in Canandaigua, N.Y. — incooperation with the City of Canandaigua — helpedout local residents who were looking for a place toswim following the closure of Kershaw beach. Ker-shaw tagholders were able to purchase passes to thewaterpark at a reduced rate.

Kershaw beach was forced to close in mid-Julyafter a black sticky substance was discovered in thearea. City officials closed the beach for the remainderof the season. The black, sticky substance was laterdetermined to be crankcase oil dating back to the1920s and 1930s. Scientists said the oil degraded intoa tar-like substance over several decades. Canandai-gua City leaders believe the oil was disturbed duringrecent excavation work at the beach when workersdiscovered metal drums buried under the beach. Theworkers were attempting to restore a section of thebeach that had eroded.

Roseland Waterpark Manager Dan Fuller said in apress release, “Kershaw Park is an important landmarkto the city, and we wanted to do everything possibleto make sure the Kershaw Park tagholders have a wa-ter recreation option for the remainder of the sum-mer.”

Cleanup efforts are currently underway and the

city hopes to have the beach open in time for the sof the 2013 season.

•

The proposed Great Wolf Lodge in GarGrove, Calif., may finally become a reality. The oversight board approved in August the 600-roomsort. The matter will now go to state officials for fi

approval before development can begin. The city finance the $47 million project with $5 million fra Redevelopment Property Fund and $42 millionbonds. The city will receive $4.2 million a year fornext 20 years to pay its debt obligations. In additthe project is expected to provide $8 million in revenue to the city as well as 6,000 to 7,000 consttion jobs, and an equal number of permanent jobs

The Great Wolf Lodge will be located just mile from the Disneyland Resort and was first pposed back in 2010. The area where the lodge isbe built is not in very good shape and the prowould clean up a bad area of the city. However, soresidents still opposed the project as they felt it womake Garden Grove less of a residential communi

•

Snowball Express, a charity that creates fun

military families who have lost a loved one, organan event at Hawaiian Falls waterpark in MansfiTexas. About 20 children from the Dallas/Fort Woarea were treated to a special day at the waterpEvery kid in the group has a story about a very dplace in their lives. Snowball Express, teaming wthe Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation for the Hawian Falls visits since 2008, uses the events to distthe children and help build relationships.

Hawaiian Falls, which opened in 2008, hosted event in its first two years of operation, starting wa request from the Rangers foundation, park spokman David Alvey said.

•

As expected, the Orange County Board of pervisors (Calif.), has approved a $30 million 25-ylease with Wild Rivers Irvine LLC to rebuild the cpany’s waterpark on a 17-acres of a 100-acre parce

public land owned by the county. Wild Rivers, whhad operated for 27 years, was forced to close year when the property owners refused to renthe park’s lease, intending to build apartments inplace. The new waterpark will be about 20 perclarger than the original, will cost about $40 milliobuild and will operate 110 days a year. The plan ihave the new Wild Rivers Waterpark up and runnin May 2014.

•

The Pocono Mountains of Northeastern Pennvania has recently become a hotbed for waterpand could become the next Wisconsin Dells. Celback Mountain Ski Resort has operated its Celbeach outdoor waterpark for more than a decabut in recent years other nearby locations have agotten into the waterpark business. NearbyMountain opened Sno Cove outdoor waterparkMontage Mountain, Split Rock Resort openedH20oooh indoor waterpark, and Great Wolf Loopened one of its famous resorts in Monroe Coun

Now as many as five other projects could bthe works. Camelback is planning a 453-room rehotel with a 120,000-square-foot indoor waterpLess than seven miles way Kalahari is looking to bits third resort in Pocono Manor. Blue Mountain Area is looking into the possibility of building an odoor waterpark and Summit Lodge and BirchwResort have also been discussing the additionwaterparks. Pocono area officials are cautiously omistic, however, noting that some project proponever see the light of day.

NEWSSPLASHCOMPILED: Jeffrey L. Seifert, [email protected]


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Texas Great Wolf hosts Cheerleading Assn.GRAPEVINE, Texas — Nearly 400 cheerleaders from

Universal Cheerleading Association surprised guests aGreat Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas with a Splash MAugust 8. The event was planned to send good luck to the bers of Team USA competing in the 2012 Olympics. GreaLodge asked members of the UCA cheerleader to particas the resort often holds weeklongs camps for the cheerers during the summer. The cheerleaders, all wearing woland ears, were excited to be able to spread Olympic spirit guests of Great Wolf Lodge.

Schlitterbahn Corpus Christi delayed to 2014CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Schlitterbahn wate

proposed for Corpus Christi has been pushed back to M2014. Je Henry, co-owner of the waterpark said they w

have needed to break ground in May in order for the pro be completed on time. The waterpark will take 18-20 mon build. Henry pushed back the schedule so the project teamhave the time it needs to do a high-quality job and ensurCorpu

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