 WEST MIFFLIN, PA
Kennywood and roller coaster fans got another small glimpse of the building blocks that will eventually make up the amusement park’s next great attraction: The Steel Curtain. On Thursday, workers began unloading parts that will be incorporated into the design of the Steelers-themed coaster. Kennywood has said that the ride, announced in July, will use 4,000 feet of track and feature nine inversions, which it claims is the most in the Western Hemisphere. It will travel to a 220-foot maximum height and reach 75 mph. FULL STORY
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 HAWTHORNE, CA
The wooden Leap-the-Dips amusement park ride in Altoona, Pennsylvania, is the oldest roller coaster still running in the United States. Built in 1902, it became a National Historic Landmark in 1996. It's known as a side-friction roller coaster, a type so outmoded that only a handful of vintage amusement parks worldwide still have one. The key to the ride is a set of wheels that roll and bounce against a vertical plane to keep the cars on their track. Some roller coaster fans were surprised to see the same set-up used in the futuristic Loop test tunnel unveiled Dec. 18 by Boring Company founder Elon Musk. In the roller coaster world, at least, the tech has been supplemented for nearly a century by up-stop or under-friction wheels, which ride beneath the track parallel to the main wheels as a fail safe. FULL STORY  ORLANDO, FL
The year 2018 is winding down, but we aren’t done with our popular #DisneyParksLIVE streams for the year quite yet. Today we’re happy to share that we will again stream New Year’s Eve fireworks live from Magic Kingdom Park on Monday, December 31 at 11:45 p.m. ET. This year’s New Year’s Eve celebration at Magic Kingdom Park will feature a special performance of “Fantasy in the Sky” fireworks that includes songs from some of the most beloved Disney films, including “Peter Pan,” “Pinocchio” and “Aladdin,” plus tunes from “it’s a small world” and the Haunted Mansion. Be sure to be on the lookout for a special New Year’s Eve finale. Want to be a part of our broadcast? We want you to share your family’s Disney Parks “vacation pic of the year” with us on Twitter using the hashtag #DisneyParksLIVE. You just may be included in our live stream! FULL STORY  SANTA CRUZ, CA
In "Hooray for Hollywood" style, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has a background role, so to speak, in the new Paramount Picture's film "Bumblebee," a Transformers spin-off that opens today in theaters nationwide. Production crews filmed in September 2017 on the so-called "Brighton Falls Boardwalk" -- a two-day event that hired many local extras, including some Beach Boardwalk employees, for the scenes, according to boardwalk officials. "It's always exciting for our staff to work with Hollywood, especially on professional projects of this scale," said Brigid Fuller, Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk publicist. "We really enjoyed our part in Bumblebee and look forward to seeing ourselves on the big screen." FULL STORY  Hello Coaster Friends,
I wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday and send our wishes for a thrilling 2019! I know some of you must have gotten a new phone for Christmas or Chanukah so I made you this digital gift, a fresh HD wallpaper. Our patreons get these types of gifts but this month it just seemed right to share with all of our friends. Don't forget your last errand of the year, and that is to vote in the Ride Warrior Choice Awards and let your voice be heard. I am looking forward to a great 2019 season and we hope you are too. -Jeff Goodman  JACKSON, NJ
An Asbury Park Press story about the complaint of a Marlboro woman whose shoulder strap broke on the roller coaster Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure has sparked a review by the state of the ride's maintenance logs. The Department of Community Affairs is also drafting a notice of violation against the Jackson amusement park and an order that it pay a fine for allegedly failing to notify the state of the Aug. 28 incident, said Lisa Ryan, department spokeswoman. It faces a fine of up to $5,000. Six Flags Great Adventure spokeswoman Kristin Fitzgerald wrote in an email that the company will continue to "work directly with the DCA to answer any additional questions they may have." FULL STORY  The Texas-based amusement park giant hopes to acquire, operate or lease existing parks within a two- to three-hour drive of its more than two dozen properties in the United States, Canada and Mexico. “There are dozens of parks within reasonable driving distance of our existing portfolio in the U.S. These these parks generate hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue,” Six Flags CEO Jim Reid-Anderson said during a recent quarterly earnings call. With Six Flags properties in the top 10 U.S. markets, the company’s buy-rather-than-build strategy puts many theme parks and water parks across the country in play. FULL STORY  ORLANDO, FL
Walt Disney World may be known for the joy it brings to children, but grownups visiting Orlando this holiday season will have their chance to enjoy the first-ever adult-exclusive area of the theme park for a limited time. According to the official website of Disney Parks, Typhoon Lagoon Water Park will open the Adult Cove between December 26-31 exclusively to visitors 18 years of age and older. FULL STORY Forget politics, football, and religion. If you really want the quickest way to start an argument this holiday season, ask a couple of theme park fans for the definition of a roller coaster.
Be sure to keep your hands and legs inside the vehicle at all times for this discussion, because it's gonna be a wild ride... well, at least by theme park geek standards. With parks demanding unique experiences to stand out among other out-of-home entertainment options for cash-strapped potential visitors, designers are mashing together formerly separate concepts to create fresh combinations. That's how we got motion simulators on wheels, robot arms on tracks, and live musical shows in the middle of a queue. FULL STORY |
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