“Growing up, we would try to die for fun.” That’s comedian Chris Gethard, talking about the allure of Action Park, New Jersey’s most dangerous water park in the new trailer for just-announced documentary Class Action Park. We’ve written about Action Park before: The danger of deeply unsafe rides was the whole appeal of this belief-beggaring amusement park that—at the height of its crowds—reliably generated five to ten ambulance trips to the hospital per day. It reopened under its original name in 2014 with completely revamped rides (thanks in part to co-director Seth Porges’ previous short film about the place), but the memory of Action Park and its legacy of injury and death lives on.
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WEST MIFFLIN, PA
Screams of terror and joy will float through the night at Kennywood once again this fall as Phantom Fright Nights, recognized by USA TODAY and Amusement Today as one of the best Halloween theme park events, returns beginning Friday, September 27. Phantom Fright Nights will welcome a new haunt, new 4D Movie and the Best New Roller Coaster of 2019, The Steel Curtain, to its masterful mix of thrilling rides and chilling haunted attractions. PFN stalks into Kennywood Fridays and Saturdays from September 27 – October 26 (6 p.m. – 12 a.m.), plus Sundays in October (6 p.m. – 11 p.m.) New this fall, guests will visit Shady Grove Memorial Hospital, where a murderous doctor is stalking patients and staff alike. Can you help find the culprit – or more importantly, make it out alive?! For those that do, eight other haunts and scare zones await, plus an escape room and IT: The 4D Experience®, a feature short based on the 2017 remake of the classic Stephen King novel in Kennywood’s 4D Theater. Experience IT like never before: IT: The 4D Experience is an 18-minute show filled with extra surprises, like eye-popping cinematography and spine-chilling special effects, to heighten the storyline. IT: The 4D Experience is included with admission to Phantom Fright Nights. “As one of Pittsburgh’s most popular and longest-running Halloween attractions, we’re always looking to reinvent ourselves,” says Marie Ruby, Director of Ride and Phantom Fright Nights Operations. “With a new haunt, new movie and a new record-setting roller coaster, this year’s Fright Nights will deliver major thrills…or else!” Phantom Fright Nights tickets are now on sale at Kennywood.com. Guests can save up to $5 off standard gate price by buying tickets at local Giant Eagle stores, or qualify for 50 percent off select dates by purchasing a 2020 Season Pass. College students can also get half-off tickets on select nights, including opening weekend, by presenting their school ID. For more information, visit www.kennywood.com/pfn or call 412-461-0500. ### About Kennywood and Palace Entertainment: Kennywood is America’s Finest Traditional Amusement Park! The Pittsburgh-area park offers a unique mix of modern thrills and classic rides, including seven roller coasters, a 14-ride Kiddieland, and several attractions that cannot be found anywhere else. Kennywood, founded in 1898 and named a National Historic Landmark in 1987, continues to provide unforgettable fun for all ages. Kennywood is owned and operated by Palace Entertainment, one of the leading leisure park operators in the United States. Palace Entertainment owns and operates 21 major entertainment venues across 10 different states, offering a wide range of family friendly rides, shows and attractions. For more information, please visit kennywood.com, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. In a sign that veganism is making its way into the American mainstream, Disney announced Tuesday that plant-based food options will be added to every dining location in their US theme parks.
More than 400 vegan dishes will be available at quick-service and table-service restaurants in Orlando, Florida's Walt Disney World in early October, followed by Anaheim, California's Disneyland in spring 2020. It's a major undertaking: There are more than 602 places to eat at The Walt Disney World in Orlando and Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, most of them uniquely themed to a theme park land or hotel. Soon each one will have a themed vegan option to match, such as the Star Wars-inspired "Tatooine Two Suns Hummus" in Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, or "Le Fou Festin" at the Be Our Guest Restaurant at Disney's Magic Kingdom, also in Orlando. FULL STORY VAUGHN, ONT
Family-friendly Halloween fun with Snoopy and the PEANUTS Gang comes to Canada’s Wonderland when Camp Spooky opens on Saturday, Sept. 28. Kids can enjoy scare-free attractions, live shows, costume parties, trick-or-treating and mazes, including the new Cornstalkers. Camp Spooky runs during the daytime on Saturdays and Sundays Sept. 28 to Oct. 27 and is included with park admission. FULL STORY The success of the Grand Carnivale, held for three weeks this season at four Cedar Fair Entertainment parks, is certainly proof that a new ride doesn't have to be the centerpiece of a park's season. A new event can create the same excitement and increase attendance as well.
Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom, one of the four parks that presented the huge production saw guests coming back multiple times and even dressing in costume. Grand Carnivale was held there July 20-Aug. 11. "We definitely saw more guests during the three weeks we had the event here," said Michael Fehnel, Dorney Park general manager. "People just wanted to see it over and over again." FULL STORY CLEMENTON, NJ
Several posted stories and first hand accounts are painting a picture that Clementon Park…. one of our area’s iconic treasures and one of the oldest amusement parks in the country… has closed early this season and seemingly is closed for good in hopes of finding a new buyer. So I don’t like posting unconfirmed rumors but there are several strong pieces of information out there that paint a very solid story. I was internally debating this weekend about posting about the park, but then this morning I chatted with Jamie Messenger who runs the Clementon Fall Festival (held at the Park in October). Jamie states she was told directly by park office staff “…I was told that the corporation that owns the park has closed early and have been looking for buyers for a while, some interest but no strong definite buyers so far”… going as far to say it’s moving to bank ownership! More on that in a bit. A quick rundown of the information we have: FULL STORY SANTA CLAUS, IN
Happy Halloween Weekends are underway at Holiday World, but one attraction will be closed for the rest of the season. Yesterday, the park announced it is shutting down the Voyage roller coaster until 2020. Here's why! Happy Halloween Weekends continue through October 27th. Of course, in addition to work on the Voyage, Holiday World is working feverishly on its brand new attraction for 2020- Cheetah Chase. FULL STORY ORLANDO, FL A couple months ago, Universal Orlando Resort officially announced what had been rumored for well over a year, a third gate was on the way. The new theme park was to be called Epic Universe, but beyond the name, and some concept art, little was revealed about the park itself. It seems Universal really doesn't want any details getting out about Epic Universe, as the resort has actually gotten Orlando municipal workers to sign non-disclosure agreements regarding it. According to the Orlando Sentinel, several Orlando Utility Commission workers were required to sign NDAs before they were allowed to begin working on the new project. While it's certainly standard practice for employees and independent contractors to sign documents like that before going to work, there's some significant question as to how legal it is to have city workers do the same, since there are laws requiring public disclosures at the municipal level. FULL STORY CINCINNATI, OH
Coney Island opened its first roller coaster, called Dip The Dips, in 1911. That was just one milestone in a long history of fun attractions at the park where Walt Disney used to visit to get ideas for Disneyland. Now, 108 years later, the rides at the popular east-side, Ohio River landmark are just memories. Coney closed its rides for good Saturday on the last day of the park season. When it reopens next spring, it will be a water park only. FULL STORY WINTERHAVEN, FL
Arrrgh, ye ready? LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel, the first LEGO Pirate themed hotel in North America, is set to open April 17, 2020! The newest on-site accommodation at LEGOLAND Florida Resort will invite brick fans to vacation like a pirate just steps from the entrance to the theme park built for kids. In honor of “International Talk Like a Pirate Day”, the resort is releasing an animated “fly-through” video which offers an in-depth behind-the-scenes look inside this unique resort. LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel will be the resort’s third accommodation and will feature 150 fun-filled rooms (including four suites), a heated pool with pool deck (complete with LEGO soft bricks to build in the pool), hundreds of LEGO models, in-room LEGO treasure hunts and exclusive character experiences. Similar to the popular LEGOLAND Hotel, each room will include two separate spaces; a kid’s sleeping area and an adult area. The adult side of the room comes furnished with LEGO pirate décor, a king bed and television, while the other separate area just for kids will feature a bunk bed, LEGO play areas and their very own television to watch all of their favorite LEGO movies! The new hotel rooms will also be fully themed with interactive LEGO Pirate models throughout and include an array of humorous decor designed specifically for a kid-centric family vacation. FULL STORY |
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