BESSIMER, AL

A New Roller Coaster is coming to Alabama Adventure and Splash Adventure for the 2022 Season! In a video released by the Amusement Park, Michael Schwitek (General Manager) says the new coaster will be over 50ft tall and over 1,200 feel long with 5 individual trains running on the track. The roller coaster is a “Wild Mouse” style coaster making it the third roller coaster at the park. This is only the first of four big announcements that will be coming from Alabama Adventure and Splash Adventure about additions coming in 2022.

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MASON, OH

The world’s longest wooden roller coaster, The Beast at Kings Island, is receiving 2,000 feet of track refurbishment this winter.
The Gravity Group, which installed 600 feet of its new engineered precut track on the park’s Racer roller coaster last winter, is breathing new life into the ride’s first drop and through the first tunnel and turn towards the second drop and 540-degree helix tunnel, while Kings Island’s carpenters are retracking approximately 1,090 feet of track in other sections along the 7,359-foot long course.
The first drop will see a change from 45 degrees to 53 degrees. This change isn’t being made to add more speed or thrill element to The Beast, but to come in lower in the tunnel to provide the proper parabolic arcs due to reprofiling of the track in that area of the ride. This change, along with The Gravity Group’s vertical track design, will deliver a buttery-smooth transition through the tunnel and onto the second drop.

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SANDUSKY, OH

​Cedar Point recently provided some new details regarding a restoration project it undertook, which involves rehabbing Sawmill Creek Resort.
In a previous posting from earlier this year, Tony Clark, the amusement park’s main spokesman, provided an inside look at the construction progress.
Now, in a more recent entry, he notes the following:
"We’ve already gone inside to see the construction progress, and as crews continue that work, we have some beautiful digital renderings to show you," Clark wrote. "These images give us a first look at how the resort will shape up once all the dust settles and we’re ready to open the doors in 2022."


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Cincinnati, Ohio, USA - Dennis Speigel, Owner & Founder of International Theme Park Services, Inc. (ITPS) confirmed that ITPS was initially responsible for arranging the sale / purchase transaction for Adventureland Resort (Altoona, Iowa) to Palace Entertainment (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) / Parques Reunidos (Madrid, Spain).


Speigel said, “Adventureland Resort is one of the few remaining independently-owned parks of major park / resort status in the USA, a true ‘family treasure’ in the West / Midwest.”


Palace Entertainment / Parques Reunidos currently owns more than 60 different leisure operations worldwide, with 24 across 10 different states in the USA.  They are the second largest owner / operator of parks in Europe and the largest operator of water parks in the world.


Speigel and ITPS have worked closely with them for over 15 years, having been responsible for assisting in transactions of over 40 leisure attraction purchases for their company.  Speigel said, “ITPS has transacted over $700 million in buy/sell arrangements in total over the last 18 years.  We are clearly the leader in leisure M&A transactions in the industry.  No one has successfully brought more deals to the ‘closing table’ than ITPS.”


ITPS has planned, designed, built, and operated major leisure facilities throughout the world, having worked on over 500 projects in 50+ countries, Speigel said, and has led the industry in realizing new global leisure markets during its 39-year history.  Speigel was part of the original Taft Broadcasting Company, which owned and operated Coney Island (Cincinnati, Ohio), Kings Island (Cincinnati, Ohio), Kings Dominion (Richmond, Virginia), Carowinds (Charlotte, North Carolina), and Canada’s Wonderland (Toronto, Canada).


Said Speigel, “It has been a genuine pleasure to work in an industry that does not pollute the skies or contaminate the streams.  At the end of the day, what we really do is put smiles on people’s faces and create memories to last a lifetime.”


About ITPS
Dennis Speigel, past Chairman of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), is Founder and CEO of International Theme Park Services, Inc. (ITPS), where “FUN IS A SERIOUS BUSINESS.”  ITPS is globally the leisure industry’s leading independent, full-service consulting firm.  Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, ITPS is uniquely qualified to assist in all aspects of entertainment project development and has worked on over 500 projects in over 50 countries since its inception in 1983.  The corporate website is www.interthemepark.com and the staff can be reached by email at itps@interthemepark.com.

ALTOONA, IA

Palace Entertainment, a subsidiary of Parques Reunidos, one of the leading global operators of amusement parks with more than 60 different attractions assets around the world, today announces its acquisition of Adventureland Resort in Altoona, Iowa. Adventureland, which has been a family-run business since opening its doors in 1974, has more than 100 rides, shows, and attractions for all ages, from mild to wet-and-wild and feature shows throughout the park for a variety of family fun and entertainment. The acquisition and Palace’s expansion of the venue will introduce Adventureland into a portfolio of some of the best known and operated parks in the world. Similar to Adventureland, many of these venues hold and maintain a unique and timeless heritage where they operate.

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ason Prather, 32, grew up in Edgewood, Kentucky. He played every sport possible for his small high school: football, baseball, basketball. He helped do repairs on boats and cars for extra cash. 
When he graduated high school, Prather tried college but quickly returned home. While his friends continued their degrees, Prather began working for a credit card company calling borrowers behind on their payments, who were often irate on the phone — a job he remembers as “horrible.”

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SAN ANTONIO, TX

While Disney and Universal have largely cornered the market on the theme park experience, if what you’re looking for from your attractions is pure, adrenaline-pumping thrills, then there are a few other places you probably would prefer to go. One of these is Six Flags, which, throughout its many parks, has some of the most exciting rides and coasters around. But now Six Flags is upping the ante on one of its rides with some help from TBS and the Go Big Show.

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WEST MIFFLIN, PA

​Kennywood is planning to start a multi-year celebration in 2022 as the amusement park looks ahead to its 125th season. A series of upgrades and enhancements were announced Thursday, including a makeover of the park's entrance plaza and main gate, as well as the queue line areas for the Old Mill and the Jack Rabbit roller coaster, along with a redesigned Beer Garden area.

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ORLANDO, FL

​While driving on I4 between Universal Studios and Disney World, you may have noticed a new red-colored tower which was quickly erected over the Summer. That tower, the World’s Tallest Drop Tower, has begun its testing phase today.

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